IHMS COMMENTARY
Why Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are adamantly attacking non-Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia?
Written by Friends of Harar
This is an outreach to our non-Amhara Ethiopians, and awakening to Orthodox Amhara Ethiopians, as a whole. The conversation started with the issues related to attacks in Motta and Harar among ourselves in the presence of non-Amhara social groups who happened to be our dear compatriots and research colleagues. The discussion was UPFRONT AND DIRECT with open-mindedness and fair assessment of our fellow Orthodox Amharas around the globe.
Here are what were gathered from the discussion, and exposing the weaknesses reflected among our fellow Orthodox Amharas. It is needless to become the lowest of the low as Ethio360’s journalists who usually spread misinformation, fictitious and fake historic analysis about non-Amhara Ethiopians; rather our discussion took shape surrounding the mother of all anti-Muslim propaganda coming from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
According to recent internal and unwarranted research done by the Chief Church Librarian, he concludes that there are three main threats to the Church in this order. (1) Imperialistic Evangelism (or Pentecostal expansionism through converting the Orthodox Youth in large numbers), (2) extreme Muslims dominating businesses, and (3) breaking off Oromo Orthodox Christians from the Church. It appears the Librarian was attempting to mitigate the dwindling number of church members or its splits by ways of creating imaginary enemies to inject fears among its existing members. Hence, prolonging the survival of the Church.
His unscientific, subjective and full of opinionated research and presentation were wishful thinking and meaningless endeavor in the era of multinationals equity, and equality of religions in Ethiopia. To us this is the researcher’s perversity in stigmatizing and demonizing the rights of others, as well as, demonstrating his miserable ignorant heart in the expense of the innocent and the blissfully unaware, mostly illiterate Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.
In addition, some regional Deacons also attempted to cover up institutionalized ills, misdeeds and attacks on fellow Ethiopian Muslims, in Motta, Harar and elsewhere. Equally, the church’s unwarranted reactions in covering up its ills begging to ask the following questions:
- Where did such repulsive and inhuman actions against their compatriot Muslims coming from?
- What are the sources of the church’s unorthodox and destructive actions and reactions?
- What do the imperial leaders, Menilik and Haile Selassie and the current leader, Abiy, have in common to contribute to such callous acts including non-responsiveness towards the Muslims’ agony? Isn’t silence towards injustices violence itself?
To answer such questions, we referred to some records and documents related to these leaders. The Law of the Kings (Fetha Nagast), Imperial constitutions and Synergy (Medemer), Abiy’s mono-culture and mono-religious philosophy.
These documents and speeches of these leaders had mesmerized and brainwashed Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, especially the Amhara ethnic group; to have them believe that Ethiopia means Amhara, and Ethiopia belongs solely to Amharas. And, labelling over 80 nations and nationalities or social groups in Ethiopia as immigrants or settlers from territories within Africa or across the Red sea. The bombardment of political misinformation and disinformation through the church and most Amhara social media have fundamentally brainwashed their own people to attack their own Muslim fellow citizens in Amhara, Oromia and Harari regions. These documents contain various narratives in indoctrinating the Amharas for so long, and made them to believe that they are the only original Ethiopians. Their actions speaks louder that their words, and these leaders have programmed the Amharas to the extent that Amharas to believe that Amhara equals to Ethiopia. During the conversations, we observed the following vivid and fake historical propaganda that made the Amharas to live the lie they have lived for over 150 years now. The reality of Amhara’s society is not in what we reveal to other social groups, but what we cannot reveal to them under the banner of Ethiopia. Admittedly,
- We, the Amharas, were made to believe that Haile Selassie was the ‘Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, elected of God as the Emperor of Ethiopia.’ Hence, we, the Amharas collectively think that we are the custodian and guardian of Ethiopia by default. How come the Lion of Judah became at the same time the ‘Power of Trinity’ in polarity of ideological differences between Judaism and Orthodox Christianity? Haile Selassie never had royal lineages, but his imperial status happened to come through his wife. However, Haile Selassie was thrown out and imperial Ethiopia was uprooted in 1974 by the popular students’ and the mass revolt. His atrocious crimes towards many non-Amhara leaders, 80 plus social groups and Muslims had largely contributed to his fall and eradication of unjust dominance.
- We, the Amharas, were made to believe we were the only original people in Ethiopia. Documented evidences overwhelmingly show that the Amharas were from the North-West highlands only. They did resettle from the Northern part to the Southern and Eastern Ethiopia after the conquest of Menilik as he rampaged through many non-Amhara kingdoms belonging to the 80+ ethnic groups as he assembled modern Ethiopia. Menilik conquered various non-Amhara kingdoms, and Haile Selassie continued to forcefully marginalize various nations and nationalities taking advantage of the geo-politics and European musketeers at the time. Menilik and Haile Selassie’s 150 years of affirmative actions had given the Amharas the upper hand in all social and political endeavors. It made them dominant culture, as well as, consolidated Ethiopia Orthodox Church as state religion then. Otherwise, we, the Amharas are neither the majority ethnic group nor the majority religious group in Ethiopia.
- We, the Amharas, were made to believe Ethiopia exists for over 3000 years, and therefore it belongs to us forgetting the Axumite Kingdom belonging to the Tigray civilization, as well as, the civilization of Islamic Emirates of Adal, Somalia, Harar, Kefa, and others that contributed much to the civilization of modern Ethiopia. Various reliable resources and researches written by Ethiopians and Foreigners alike prove that Ethiopia was assembled 150 years ago through invasions, conquest and aggressions by imperial forces. The years 1870 to 1973 were the era of expansionism and annexation of tribal kingdoms with the help of Portugal, Spain, Britain and the US. In fact, the internally infamous Emperor Halie Selassie (infamous among the many ethnic and the majority of Ethiopians), during his speech at the League of Nations (UN) in 1950s, referred to the nation he was leading Abyssinia, not Ethiopia. This is one clear evidence that the naming of Ethiopia was a recent phenomenon!
- We, the Amharas, were convinced that we are the only ones who are capable to govern and administer Ethiopia to the extent that ‘one regrets when one is fired if he/she does not embezzle resources or take advantage as civil servant.’ These proverb says a lot. Civil service was the source of major income generating activity for most Amharas. It also implies that how the imperial leaders discriminated against non-Amhara social groups to not serve in government offices; Amharas were systematically educated and given affirmative opportunities including in making the Amharic language as a national language; though the Oromos are by far the majority and remained uneducated.
- We, the Amharas, were made to believe that Muslims were immigrants; and the famous Amharic proverb says ‘Semaay am’d yellew, Islam ma’rate yellew’, literally translated ‘The sky does not have limit, and the Muslims do not possess any land.’ Most Muslim lands were confiscated from 1880 to 1974 by the imperial forces and hence the setting up of the feudal system. With this deception, the majority of the Amharas believe that Muslim are immigrants; though that Abyssinians were converted to Christianity or reverted to Islam as both religions were imported or outsourced from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
- We, the Amharas, were made to believe that Orthodox Christianity originated in Ethiopia; and Ethiopia was a Christian Island. Sources such as ‘Law of Kings’ indicates that Ethiopia Orthodox Christianity was outsourced from Syrian and Egyptian Coptic churches. In fact, until late 1950’s, the Heads of Ethiopian Orthodox Churches were Egyptians, and the church’s constitution (Kebra Nagast) in its entirety was taken and translated from Arabic to Ge’ez, Amharic and later into English in 1960s at Addis Ababa University. These facts nullify the claim that Ethiopian Orthodox was originated in Ethiopia, and was Christian Island.
- We, the Amharas, were made to believe that the Amhara culture and tradition represent the 80 plus nations and nationalities of Ethiopia. As an example, you can clearly see when boarding Ethiopian Airlines that the Lead Hostess always wears the Amhara attire. You would not see any other cultural attires or traditional clothes from the 80 plus ethnics in Ethiopia during your flight at any time! Such cultural display including music, theaters, dramas, dances and comedies dominantly from Amhara ethnic do usually appear on public media and holidays as if Ethiopia is monocultural and mono religious society. A complete delusion and fallacy!
With these kinds of social programming, brain-washing and mind-setting, no wonder such malice and hatred towards Ethiopian Muslims persist; as were manifested in Motta, Wel’lani Harar recently. They were heinous acts – destroying Muslim properties and burning of mosques, and celebrating as if it were Orthodox Christianity epiphany. Abiy and his entourage had even gone further to say that Ethiopia is SPIRIT and that SPIRIT is indirectly the Orthodox Amhara culture for Ethiopia, and Christianity is the solutions for Africa’s problems! Abiy’s speech in Dubai also added fuel to the fire, where he dodged the questions related to Motta, and down played the unity and oneness of Islam. He utterly displayed his deceptions and hypocrisy towards Ethiopian Muslims.
Recently, the church has also blindly claimed that ‘the Church is the country,’ as the imperial leaders made the Orthodox Church an arm of the government. The imperial regimes affirmatively supported the church in owning one-third of the land in Ethiopia until 1974 when the Socialist Military government confiscated most of the land from the church and dismantled the feudalistic system. The Orthodox Church continues to mentally enslave its followers, and down plays the birthright and heritages of the 80 plus nations and nationalities in Ethiopia.
We ask our Ethiopian Orthodox Amharas to come to their senses, and get out of feudalistic mentality; mentalities of expansionism and Amharization as if creating the re-run of governments of illiterates, by illiterates and for illiterates back then.
We are in 21st century within the body politic for educated and well-informed people, where human rights, indigenous and minority rights, as well as assorted democracies are flourishing. The world has moved on, and let’s move with the world. Ethiopia is naturally the home of multinationals and multi-religious groups, and it equitably and equally belongs to all.
It is, in fact, high time to get out of past imperialistic illusions, atrocious crimes, repressive mentality and historical amnesia. Stop yearnings in reviving genocidal past and obstructions of multicultural developments. Stop hallucinating to Amharize everything!!! Ethiopia’s ills are political lust, dominations, injustices, deceptions and neglecting reasons and truth. The best way out of the present political impasse is to avoid re-instating archaic governance and authoritarianism. Need social justice and rights for all. Upholding multiculturalism and multinational governance. Supporting practical democratic federalism that protects minorities and the rights of individuals first. It is high time to believe in humanity, diversity and inclusion, as well as live together respectfully and peacefully.
Peace for spectrum of Habashas!