We, the people of #Ethiopia, along with other people of faith and conscience, cannot be silent. When freedom of religion and conscience are under attack, the soul of our beloved nation is at risk.
Can the conscience of Ethiopia be silenced? It is up to all of us to preserve these freedoms. In fact, challenging the conscience of the people will easily backfire; instead, inciting its members to a deeper commitment to its faith and purposes. How will we respond?
We Ethiopians are at the edge of a cliff. How the current conflict is resolved between the Government of Ethiopiaand the Orthodox Church, along with other like-minded Ethiopians, will make a crucial difference in whether we tumble over the edge of this cliff; or instead,
find strengthened and unified ways to protect the key human right of freedom of religion and its practice, accompanied by the freedom of expression of belief and conscience.
Freedom of religion in Ethiopia is being targeted as the independence of our religious institutions comes under fire.
The cornerstone of a flourishing, harmonious, peaceful, and well-functioning society are the commonly held and practiced moral and righteous values that uphold the God-given dignity and value of every human being and the rights that are associated with it.
For example, the value of “putting humanity before ethnicity” (or other identity factors), will create a societal structure that promotes equal rights for all, as well as affirming and upholding the value of every human life.
Secondly, caring about the freedom, rights and well being of others, “for no one is free until all are free,” promotes the sustainability of our own freedom, rights and well being and that of the next generations to come.
It is the way to live-out the God-given value of “loving God and loving one’s neighbor as ourselves.” These principles undergird a worldview that can lead to stronger communities and greater peace.
However, because we are all flawed human beings, who can and do wrong, we need accountability.
The same goes for our human made systems and institutions, which can oftentimes also be flawed and harmful; sometimes by mistake, but other times because we have little regard for the impact on others.
Because of this, the people or institutions of any society must be able to confront, and hopefully, correct, the wrongs or harms affecting the people, including bettering the integration of these principles into the fabric of society.
All of us, including the governments and institutions, can improve. Correction can be life giving, but oftentimes we block what is most needed.
Our religious leaders and other voices of conscience provide a needed voice in the public square; however, oftentimes these voices are among the first to be silenced.
An equally egregious situation is when a government interferes in the private affairs of religious groups, possibly as a means to “tribalize”, politicize, weaponize or otherwise misuse, exploit and/or
to control a religious body for their own gain, in violation of the independence of the religious institution.
We should not be blinded by the source of our greatest internal enemies: tribalism, nepotism, greed, hatred, division, deception,“fake Ethiopianness,” and above all, our system of “ethnic-federalism”that purposely sets us up against each other.
We are in trouble for many reasons, but most of those reasons are products of our own making. Instead of foreign armies on our borders, our greatest troubles come from within.
In the past, we have been unable or unwilling to see it, even when it is obvious. Our blindness is dangerous to self, to others and to the future generations of this country.
A great concern is that we should never use this or other incidents or failures to justify violence, retaliation and revenge against any fellow Ethiopian. Often the victims of such revenge are not those most guilty, but often the innocent.
Instead, what is needed to deal with crimes and law-breaking is accountability based on a fair system of justice.
We the citizens should not lose sight of the bigger picture that we are one Ethiopia’s family that we will be held responsible before God for our own actions.
Along with holding each other accountable, we are also called to love and forgive those who sin against us. This is a opportunity to reach out to each other and respect their dignity and rights, regardless of differences of religious belief, ethnicity or other identify factors.
We should ask God to help us transform the wrongs that have been done into something that brings about a better system and a more cohesive society.
This will require humbling ourselves, repenting of what we have each done wrong, forgiving others for what they have done and reconciling as a people. Let us use this opportunity to build a better country for all.
May God save and protect us from the killing of each other that will lead to the disintegration of our beloved country. Let us learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of other countries like Rwanda and Yugoslavia.
May God open our eyes. There is a time when we are called to speak the truth out loud and to admit we are in a mess. Let us join voices in seeking God’s help, wisdom and forgiveness.
It is a time of mourning, repenting and warning, but it is also a call of desperation to our Great and Almighty God, the One for whom nothing is impossible! Let us humble ourselves before Him! Long live Ethiopia!
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We call for immediate release of Tamerat Negera Feyisa.
By Obang Metho.
Who is Tamerat Negera Feyisa? Mr. Tamerat Negera is an Ethiopian journalist, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Terara Network was arrested from his home in Addis Ababa, on December 10, 2021
and his whereabouts were not disclosed to his family and the public for seven days until he appeared at court on December 16. He was transferred from Addis Ababa Police to Gelan City Police Department in the Oromia Regional State.
In response to the police’s request for the case’s transfer to the state of emergency and the closure of the investigation case file, Gelan City Woreda Court ordered the closure of the file and transfer of the case to the state of emergency on December 30, 2021.
Many #Ethiopians are shocked, confused and disappointed by the sudden release of the TPLF leaders including Sebhat Nega, the father’s of TPLF on Ethiopian’s Christmas night without any explanation of why. #Ethiopian people need some answers to this.
If their crimes were so bad they were in prison for so long, how can they all be released so quickly, in a single night, without even examining their individual cases? If they were innocent of crimes, why were they being held in the first place?
Was it for political reasons or foreign pressure? If so, why do we tolerate such a unscrupulous system?
Who was involved in this decision? Does the rule of law and a system of justice exist in Ethiopia or not?
Today, January 7, an estimated of 260 million Orthodox Christians around the world will celebrate Christmas Day in the Julian calendar.
On this day millions of #Ethiopians at home and away from home and those of us from #Ethiopia will celebrate ገና በዓል (Gena) or Christmas.
I wish you all Melkam Gena መልካም የገና በዓል እመኝላችኋለሁ!
I am wishing each of you who are followers of Jesus, a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate this most joyous time of the year when Jesus Christ was born, not in a palace or mansion, but in a humble stall.
Ethiopia history is filled with traitors and ethnocentric individuals threatens to compromise #Ethiopia national strength or sovereignty – and even threatens the existence of the country.
One need look no further than the recent secret zoom meeting organized by Ephrem Isaac for evidence of how entrenched this form of betraying their country and surrender to a hostile foreign power.
It is time for the people of Ethiopia to expose, confront and stop these traitors, pretenders, opportunists and fake peacemakers like Prof. Ephrem Isaac from speaking on behalf our people and country.
Ethiopiawinet or genuine patriotism is still alive in the hearts, minds and souls of millions #Ethiopians as you can see here in the #NoMore rally throughout the world.
This is our time to organize and mobilize our people to reclaim our
ኢትዮጵያዊነት Ethiopiawinet,our humanity and our country from Ethno-nationalists, neocolonialists, ethnic federalism Or institutionalized tribalism and imperialism.
This is our time to start a national and international campaign of #NoMore to ethnic politics “I’m human”.
I would to send my deepest condolences to the family of Ato Bafekadu Damesse Bazabgh, the driver of the Irish aid agency, GOA Ethiopia, who was savagely killed last Friday, 23Kilometers from the town of Nedjo in the West Wallaga Zone of the Oromia region.
He left behind a wife and three children; two girls and one boy.His family said he was a selfless and giving person. All he wants was to earn money to support his three children's education. He left behind children who will never know what it’s like to grow up with their father.
I am sick and tired of seeing the horrific images and graphic videos of innocent people being massacred throughout the country and the failure of the government to protect the people.