U.S. Accuses Ethiopia Of Repressing Muslim Minority

Ethiopia, with its Christian majority, is in a precarious position. Next door is  al-Shabaab, those backward, militant Muslim yobs who are causing so much trouble in Somalia. Naturally, the Ethiopian government fears that radical Islam could migrate westward into their country, so they've apparently been trying to control their own Muslim population (around 33% of the population) to prevent that from happening.  This has not gone over very well with either the Muslims (most of whom are moderate Sufi) or the West- more specifically, the U.S.

According to Ethiopian Muslims, the government has been attempting to force them to follow the al-Ahbash sect of Islam -a non-political, moderate version- although the government denies this.  As a result, they've taken to the streets in protest  In turn, the government has so far arrested 29 allegedly "peaceful" protesters, charging them with "planning to commit terrorist acts".  And now, our meddling government  has decided to step in where it doesn't belong.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) concluded that:

“The arrests, terrorism charges and takeover of EIASC signify a troubling escalation in the government's attempts to control Ethiopia’s Muslim community and provide further evidence of a decline in religious freedom in Ethiopia," the Commission said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Ethiopian officials were unavailable for comment on the statement from the Commission, whose members are appointed by President Barack Obama and senior Congressional Democrats and Republicans.

Commission Chairwoman Katrina Lantos Swett called on the U.S. government to raise the issue with Addis Ababa.

“USCIRF has found that repressing religious communities in the name of countering extremism leads to more extremism, greater instability, and possibly violence,” she said.

“Given Ethiopia’s strategic importance in the Horn of Africa ... it is vital that the Ethiopian government end its religious freedom abuses and allow Muslims to practice peacefully their faith as they see fit,” she added. “Otherwise the government's current policies and practices will lead to greater destabilization of an already volatile region.”

Why hasn't this commission done anything about the massive abuses that occur in Muslim majority countries where religious minorities are truly persecuted and discriminated against, if they're even allowed to practice their faith?

Ethiopian Government officials believe that some of those that have been protesting since 2011 are actually being funded by Middle Eastern Islamist groups. They've also witnessed (as we all have) what's been happening in other African countries, and all across the Middle East, where Islamism has begun to flourish, and they don't want that happening at home.

If the U.S. tries to meddle in Ethiopian affairs, are they willing to take responsibility if extremist Islam takes root in that country?  Do they even care?  Under an Obama administration, probably not.

Muslim Voice Of Reason: Progressive Kuwaiti Scholar Says: "Freedom Before Shariah'

Every once in a while a Muslim scholar surprises me with his somewhat enlightened thinking. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's quite refreshing. Kuwaiti scholar Tariq al-Suwaidan is obviously one of the more progressive, liberal Muslim types willing to take a stand against the increasingly conservative tide in the Middle East. Surprisingly, he believes that freedom trumps Shariah.

Tariq al-Suwaidan, who is head of the Kuwait-based Al-Risala TV station, and has his own TV program, was speaking at the al-Nahdha conference for a graduates association in Kuwait on Saturday when he said “If Islamists start to become tyrants in the countries that were hit by the Arab Spring, we will revolt against them just like we did against their predecessors.”
“Freedom is a holy right and is one of the principles in Islam ... Freedom is to do and say what a person wishes but in a polite manner and without hurting others.”
Suwaidan who was later defensive over his remarks, took to his Twitter page and wrote: “I gave the same lecture three years ago, and [my views] do not represent the views the graduates association or the al-Nahdha Conference, but are my beliefs.”

The scholar, who said that it was liberals who eradicated slavery in Islam and not the Islamists, added, “a human being is free in his movements and where he wants to belong, and convictions are what move people, and not force...”

Suwaidan has spoken before on freedom coming before Sharia on his TV program three years ago and was reiterating his belief.

He also questioned how Muslims shun Christian missionaries in their countries while Christians allow Muslims to propagate Islam on their lands.

Indeed. But they're not only shunned, they're also killed, like teacher Joel Shrum who was murdered in Yemen for proselytizing, even though this was not the case.

Apparently, Suwaidan was also highly critical of the recent call to ban churches in certain Muslim-majority countries. 

One has to wonder how long he's going to last before a fatwa is placed on his head. Or maybe this is the beginning of a trend towards modernizing a religion in major need of change?

Nah.

Grand Mufti Of Saudi Arabia Calls For The Destruction Of All Churches In Region

Not to be outdone by Kuwait's decision to ban churches from being built in that Gulf state, Saudi Arabia's head religious honcho, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, has called for the total destruction of "all the churches of the region." According to him, it's "necessary".

And yes, the Christians in the Middle East (especially Cairo and Beirut) are furious, but have they gone out on a rampage burning down mosques and killing Muslims? No, at least not yet. Had this been the Catholic Pope calling on the destruction of all mosques in the West, the Middle East would have been on fire, and the Pope would have a fatwa on his head.

But non-Muslims are a far more tolerant, civilized lot, and one Christian man in Beirut had this to say:

“I mean from a regular, end of the street mosque, this stuff happens all the time, but for the Grand Mufti of a country to say it is simply shocking.”

Because Islam is so tolerant, Abdullah believes (as do many Muslims) that their religion is the only one that should be allowed in the Arabian Peninsula, and he even encouraged Kuwaiti delegates (while speaking in that tiny country) to destroy all their churches, too.

Not all Muslims share those sentiments:

According to religious scholars, however, even during the Prophet Mohamed’s time, Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their faith openly and freely. Christians in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan largely have open access to churches and places to pray, although regulations in Egypt have been condemned by Christian leaders and activists.

“What we see with this is the turn toward ultra conservatism in the region,” said Egyptian Coptic Christian Noha, adding that “what we need to do now is bring together people and show this mufti that us Christians and Muslims can live and share the same street. And that it is a right granted by Islam for others to pray in their own place.”

Initially, Kuwaiti MP Osama al-Munawer had wanted to do the same thing with the churches in his country. Heck, he even announced those plans on Twitter, no less.  But then changed his mind and said only new non-Islamic buildings of worship would be banned, the churches could stay.

I wonder if we should do the same thing in the West- ban all new construction of mosques.

So much for religious tolerance.

Muslims and Others Balk At Proposed Dutch Burqa Ban

As expected, the response to the planned Dutch burqa ban  has not been positive.  But it's not just the Muslim community that has balked at the prospect of freeing women from the shackles of oppression, the usual liberal, PC suspects, have also chimed in.  You know, the ones who claim that banning the face veil is infringing upon a woman's religious freedom, whereas the opposite is true.  Most women are forced to wear the burqa or niqab by their controlling husbands, furthermore, it's a cultural not a religious prescript. Nowhere in the Quran is it mentioned that a woman must wear a burqa. So much for the 'freedom of religion' argument.

According to Aydin Akkaya, chairman for some Dutch Turkish organization (IOT), the ban would seriously affect the quality of life for burqa-wearing women.

“Women who currently only venture outside, or are allowed to go outside, wearing a burqa, will from now on stay home,”

"Allowed" is the operative word here. It's hard to believe that in the Netherlands, in the 21st century, there are women who are forced to go outside in full burqa regalia, and who will be forced to remain at home if the ban goes into effect.

Then you have the lefties perspective:

Green Left Party MP Tofik Dibi says he doesn’t understand why the government attaches such importance to the ban in the midst of an economic crisis: “Why track and fine a handful of people with a burqa, when people are deeply worried about their future and that of their children?”

I'm still trying to figure out what a burqa ban has to do with an economic crisis, but it seems to be a common concern with other political parties, like the social conservative, but centre-left Christian Union party that also criticized the ban.

Arie Slob, the parliamentary leader of the small Christian Union party, also questioned the ban’s wisdom at a time of deep budget cuts: “The way the government of Mark Rutte tackles the crisis: by banning burqas. That’s not going to do the job.”

You'd think women, of all people, would applaud the ban, but not so.  Leyla Çakir of Al Nisa (a Muslim women's group) is dead set against it.

“Self-determination is our top priority. Some women may now well decide to wear a burqa in defiance of the ban, but a number of women are now likely not to leave their home any longer.”

Okay, then those defying the ban will be fined and some will stay at home.  Those are choices too. It's not as if the Dutch are banning the hijab (head scarf), which is mentioned in the Quran, and would be a religious freedom issue. They're banning a non-prescribed symbol of oppression, but most importantly something that could pose a criminal threat or hazard to others. And since the burqa isn't the only face covering that is being banned, they shouldn't take offense. But, as always they do.

Source: Radio Netherlands