Day: October 2, 2009

ICC Report: “Muslim Mob Severely Injured Three Christians, Ransacked Two Churches in Ethiopia”
— “Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2009) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on September 11, 2009, a Muslim mob severely injured three Christians and ransacked two churches in Senbete, a town in the western Arsi zone of Ethiopia.”
— “An estimated 300 Muslims ransacked Mulu Wongel Evangelical Church and set fire to church property. They also attacked the nearby home of Evangelist Gizachew, one of the church’s leaders, destroying his clothes, chairs, tables, sofa, bicycles, and TV.”
— “The mob then marched to Kale Hiwot Evangelical Church where Christians were celebrating the Ethiopian New Year. They attacked the Christians with stones and sticks, broke the left arm of Aberash Terefe, and seriously wounded Tefera Bati and Desaleghn Eyasu. The three were taken to the nearby Kuyera hospital and were discharged after treatment. The Muslims pillaged the church’s property and caused 52,000 birr ($4,127) worth of damage.”
— “The violence erupted after Muslim leaders called for attacks alleging that Mulatu Eyasu, a second year Bible school student, and Berhanu Abose, a farmer, desecrated the Qur’an. Sheik Hussein Mohammed, Imam Ahmed and a third unidentified Muslim leader instigated the jihad attacks. The officials of Ethiopia are searching for them but they remain at large. The police have arrested Sheik Qufa Wonjelo, Moti Motamo, Domba Atota, Sero Sheik Ahmedin, Bamudi Tulu and Bati Barasso for perpetrating the violence.”
— “Mulatu Eyasu and Berhanu Abose are also under police custody on false allegations of desecrating the Qur’an.
— “ICC sources identified Bati Wetiye, Lelisso Atota and Begelo as the masterminds of the attacks. The three are prominent Muslim business owners in the nearby town of Shashamane. They encouraged the mob to enforce jihad in order to eliminate Christians from the area.”
— “Muslims are the majority in the small town of Senbete. Muslim leaders are incensed by Muslim conversion to Christianity. Some radicals are threatening to carry out further attacks against Christians.”
— “According to the census conducted by Ethiopia’s Central Statistical Agency in 2007, Muslims make up 33.9% of Ethiopia’s population and Christians make up 62.8%. In the past few years, there has been an increase in the radicalization of Muslims in Ethiopia mainly due to the influence of Wahhabi Islam. Wahhabi Islam, which is sponsored and spread by Saudi Arabia, teaches intolerance and violence against Christians and other non-Wahhabis. Christians living in Muslim majority regions of the country have been victims of violent attacks by Wahhabi and other radical Islamic groups.”
— “Jonathan Racho, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East, said, ‘We strongly condemn the violent attacks against Christians and churches in Senbete. We call upon Ethiopian officials to seriously investigate the violence and bring all the perpetrators and instigators to justice. We also ask Ethiopian officials to investigate the involvement of Begelo, Lelisso Atota and Bati Wetiye in masterminding the violence. We urge Ethiopian officials to ensure the safety of Christians in Senbete and protect them from further violence.'”
— “Please call the Ethiopian embassy in your countries and ask the Ethiopian officials to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice and ensure the Christians’ freedom to worship in Senbete.”

Somalia: Extremists in Somalia Kill Another Church Leader
— CDN reports:

extremist militants in Somalia this week killed a woman who led an underground Christian movement in the war-torn country.

Sources told Compass that a leader of extremist al Shabaab militia in Lower Juba identified only as Sheikh Arbow shot to death 46-year-old Mariam Muhina Hussein at 2 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 28) in Marerey village after discovering she had six Bibles. Marerey is eight kilometers (five miles) from Jilib, part of the neighboring Middle Juba region.

Local sources said that on Sunday (Sept. 27) Arbow sent his wife to the house of Hussein, a Somali Bantu, to confirm the presence of the Bibles. Pretending to be interested in Christianity, the militia leader’s wife confirmed the existence of the Bibles.

The sources said Hussein readily agreed to discuss Christianity with Arbow’s wife and read parts of the Bible with her. When Arbow’s wife requested one of the Bibles, however, Hussein demurred.

“She told her that it might not be safe for her, preferring instead that she could visit her regularly for discussions,” said one source. “She then left and promised to visit again soon.”

The next day, Arbow arrived at Hussein’s house with other men and, in a friendly manner, claimed that he wanted to check something in the Bible. Knowing only that Arbow was a fellow ethnic Somali Bantu and having met his wife the previous day, Hussein innocently gave one to him, sources said.

“Immediately, Arbow told her that their mission was to look for Christians who have defiled the Islamic religion,” a source said. “There and then she lacked words to say. She was ordered to get the other Bibles out, and she did.”

Upon receiving the Bibles, sources said, Arbow fired three bullets at Hussein, who died instantly.

The Bibles were published in Swahili; besides this East African lingua franca, Bantus in Lower Juba also speak Kiswahili.

Compass has confirmed the killing with various sources in Nairobi and Somalia who cannot be identified for security reasons.

Hussein’s death comes a few weeks after the rebel militants killed another one of the leaders of Somalia’s Christian movement for distributing Bibles. Al shabaab militants shot 69-year-old Omar Khalafe on Sept. 15 at a checkpoint they controlled 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Merca, a Christian source told Compass.

Former Muslim receiving death threats
Tulsa World reports:
— “The Tulsa atheist was critical of all religions, including Islam, in a Tulsa World interview.”
— “Sabri Husibi, a former Muslim who is now an atheist, says he has been ostracized and threatened with death since publication of a Tulsa World article Saturday in which he was critical of Islam and all other religions.”
— “The article was written to promote a talk he gave the next day to the Tulsa Atheists organization.”
— “Husibi, who has an unlisted telephone number, said he received about 30 calls Saturday from people who were cursing him, calling him a traitor and threatening him.”
— “Most were foreign-born, Tulsa-area Muslims whom he knows, he said. He also received angry calls from friends and relatives in Syria.”
— “One caller, whom Husibi would not identify, said that if he spoke at the meeting and said anything against Shariah (Islamic law), he would be killed.”

— September 26, 2009 – Islamic student turned atheist to speak to group

UK – Halifax: “Two more deny honour killing”
— Evening Courier reports:
— “Two men have denied involvement in a suspected honour killing in Halifax”
— “Allah Yaar, 18, of Craven Terrace, Pellon, Halifax, and Omar Mubareck, 28, of Bawtree Road, Sheffield, are accused of murdering 29-year-old Mian Shahid Mehmood at Great Edge Road, Warley, Halifax. Both pleaded not guilty to the charge at Bradford Crown Court. Their trial has been fixed for November 16”
— “Both were remanded in custody.”
— July 27, 2008: “The honour killing trial: Why murder a man they had never met?”