Islamists In Southern Ethiopia Force Christians To Convert Or Leave

Not only are islamic radicals in southern Ethiopia forcing Christians to either convert to Islam or leave their cities and towns but they are also threatening the Christians with death - this is just another on the hit parade of the wave of forced persecution of Christians across the Muslim world that we have seen hit an alarmingly fevered pitch in the past several months. Ironically, at the same exact time, we are seeing the protests against Islamic governments across the Middle East and north Africa.

From the story on Ethiopia from AsiaNews:

Islamic fundamentalists of a city in southern Ethiopia, Muslim majority Besheno, are conducting a series of attacks against Christians in the area to force them to convert or to leave. Besheno is a city where the last census (2007) 93.84% of the population is Muslim, and Christians are 5.82% of the population.

Three leaders of the Christian community were forced to leave the city, and two Christians were forced to convert to Islam. All are part of a small group of evangelical Christians - about thirty - who live in Besheno.

In recent days, signs were posted on the doors of some Christians threatening them with death if they do not convert to Islam or leave the city. An evangelical preacher, Kassa Awan, is still hospitalized in serious condition after being attacked November 29, 2010 by a group of Muslims.

A few days later more than one hundred Muslims surrounded the car of some Christian leaders who were on their way to a peace meeting with Muslim leaders, both Christians Tesema Hirego and Niggusie Denano, were injured.

What I think we are seeing is a well organized purge of non-Muslims in some of the most predominantly Muslim areas of the world. This is some sort of cleansing - in my mind this is a violent approach to the realization by the islamists that they have reached the point where they are saddled with an unshakable Christian population and for them to reach the magic number of 100% Muslim inhabitants, force must be used.

Imagine a city in America or in western Europe that is 96% Christian and perhaps 2% Muslim and the Christian population forced the Muslims to either convert or leave? We would probably see tens of thousands of Christians arrested by the government. But the world simply turns a blind eye to this tidal wave of Christian persecution by the islamists. I guess if you can't rationalize it, the next best thing to do is ignore it, right?

Islamic radicals attack Christians in Ethiopia and force them to convert


Addis Ababa (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Islamic fundamentalists of a city in southern Ethiopia, Muslim majority Besheno, are conducting a series of attacks against Christians in the area to force them to convert or to leave. Besheno is a city where the last census (2007) 93.84% of the population is Muslim, and Christians are 5.82% of the population.

Three leaders of the Christian community were forced to leave the city, and two Christians were forced to convert to Islam. All are part of a small group of evangelical Christians - about thirty - who live in Besheno.

In recent days, signs were posted on the doors of some Christians threatening them with death if they do not convert to Islam or leave the city. An evangelical preacher, Kassa Awan, is still hospitalized in serious condition after being attacked November 29, 2010 by a group of Muslims.

A few days later more than one hundred Muslims surrounded the car of some Christian leaders who were on their way to a peace meeting with Muslim leaders, both Christians Tesema Hirego and Niggusie Denano, were injured. On January 2, another Christian, Temesgen Peteros, was attacked with a knife after he testified in court on the attacks suffered by his fellow believers.

The Islamic authorities who govern the city refuse to protect the Christians, and in particular refuse to build a prayer centre and a cemetery. "We ask that our right to freedom of religion be respected. We can not live in our city because of this inhumane behaviour, "said one of the leaders forced to leave the city.