(CDN) —
At least one
Christian was killed and others injured when thousands of Islamic
extremists set fire to 59 churches and at least 28 homes in western
Ethiopia in the past five days, Christian leaders said.
More
than 4,000 Christians in and around Asendabo, Jimma Zone have been
displaced as a result of attacks that began on Wednesday (March 2) after
Muslims accused a Christian of desecrating the Quran by tearing up a
copy, sources said.
“The atrocity is still going on, and
more people are suffering,” said a source in Addis Ababa who is in close
contact with area church leaders.
The Christian killed, believed to have been a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, has not yet been identified.
“One
Orthodox believer, whose daughter is a member of Mekane Yesus Church,
has been killed,” an Ethiopian church leader told Compass. “Ministers
were injured, and many more believers have been displaced.”
A
pastor based in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa noted that
evangelical church leaders have reported the attacks to authorities and
asked officials for help, but no action had been taken at press time.
“The
church requested more police protection,” he said. “The authorities
sent security forces, but they were overwhelmed by the attackers.”
After
the destruction began at Asendabo, it spread to Chiltie, Gilgel Gibe,
Gibe, Nada, Dimtu, Uragay, Busa and Koticha, as Muslim mobs in the
thousands rampaged throughout the area, sources said.
“Police
at the site are not taking any action – they just watch what is
happening,” said another source. “It is difficult to estimate the attack
in terms of deaths, since we have no access to any location.”
Those displaced are in shelters in Ako, Jimma, Dimtu and Derbo, he said.
“We
are very concerned that the attack that began on March 2 in Asendabo,
which is the rural part of Jimma, is now heading to Jimma town,” he
said.
The extremists also destroyed an Ethiopian Kale Hiwot
Church (EKHC) Bible school building and two church office buildings,
the source said. Of the churches burned, he said, 38 belonged to the
EKHC; 12 were Mekane Yesus buildings; six were Seventh-day Adventist
structures; two were Muluwongel church buildings, and another belonged
to a “Jesus Only” congregation.
“Women and children are the
most affected in this sudden attack,” he said. “It is needless to
mention the believers’ houses and properties burned down. The overall
estimated cost, may be worth over 60 million birr [US$3.55 million].”
Anti-Christian attacks in western Ethiopia in 2006 killed at least 24 people.
“Attacks
on the church have been a common occurrence in predominantly Muslim
areas of Ethiopia like Jimma and Jijiga,” the source said, adding that
Christians are often subject to harassment and intimidation.
Asendabo, in Oromia Region, is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Addis Ababa.
The
attacks erupted as heavy fighting was taking place at the borders of
Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Ethiopian troops were trying to repel
Islamic extremist al-Shabaab troops from Bulahawo, Somalia, near Mandera, Kenya, with several casualties and hundreds displaced.
Ethiopia’s
constitution, laws and policies generally respect freedom of religion,
but occasionally some local authorities infringe on this right,
according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 International Religious
Freedom Report.
According to the 2007 census, 44 percent
of Ethiopia’s population affiliate with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church,
19 percent are evangelical and Pentecostal and 34 percent are Sunni
Muslim.