Convert Languishing in Jail in Ethiopia for Handing Out Bibles
September 17, 2009 – 12:44 pmLeader in Christian-Muslim relations accused of ‘malicious’ distribution
CDN:
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, September 15 - A convert from Islam who has led a push for Muslim-Christian understanding in Ethiopia has been in jail for nearly four months since his arrest for “malicious” distribution of Bibles.
Christian sources in Ethiopia said that, contrary to Ethiopian law, 39-year-old Bashir Musa Ahmed has not been formally charged since his arrest on May 23 in Jijiga, capital of Somali Region Zone Five in eastern Ethiopia. The zonal police who arrested him have accused him of providing Muslims with Somali-language Bibles bearing covers that resemble the Quran, the sources said.
A source who requested anonymity said authorities likely are secretly planning to transfer Ahmed from his Jijiga cell to Ghagahbur jail, in part to prevent other Christians from visiting him and in part because he has not been charged.
The source told Compass that Ahmed’s own relatives and tribe instigated the arrest with the intent of stopping him from spreading Christianity in the region, whose 5 million predominantly Muslim inhabitants are mainly of Somali origin. Conversion and manifesting one’s faith are not illegal in Ethiopia.
“The Ethiopian constitution allows for religious tolerance,” said the source, “but to date Ahmed has not been taken to court. He is still in the cell now, going on the fourth month, which is quite unusual for an Ethiopian nationality and the constitutional requirements.”
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