Ethiopia’s ‘jihadi’ film and its boomerang effects

Al Jazeera
Awol K Allo

Awol K Allo, is the Lord Kelvin Adam Smith scholar at the University of Glasgow Law School, UK. Previously, he was a lecturer in law at St Mary’s University College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The film seeks to transform the “demands for freedom of religion” into a joint criminal enterprise with terror groups.

On February 5, 2013, Ethiopia’s only and publicly funded Television Station, ETV, aired a controversial documentary during prime time in violation of an outstanding court injunction. Oddly subtitled “Boko Haram in Ethiopia”, Jihadawi Harekat – Arabic for “jihadi movement” – ­denounces leaders of Ethiopia’s year-long protest movement for alleged links to foreign terrorists.

Muslims in Ethiopia have been protesting the government’s control of the Supreme Islamic Council and its imposition of al-Ahbash, an unknown Islamic sect across mosques in Ethiopia. In a press statement last year, the bipartisan US Commission on International Religious Freedom said: “The Ethiopian government has sought to force a change in the sect of Islam practiced nationwide and has punished clergy and laity who have resisted.” Elected to represent the movement, the accused Muslim leaders were arrested and charged under Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law when negotiations with the government failed last July.

Let the evidence speak: Three-Decade TPLF’s Deception and Disinformation Strategy

by Ewnetu Sime

Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is “celebrating” thirty eight years birth of their mob rule style at Mekele town. The on going discussions of the issues are not known to general public, at least to my knowledge. But it is expected that they will be confined to dogmatic ethnic politics and then viciously slandered one another to win the power struggle among themselves. TPLF survived all these years through deception or coercion and frequently by brutal force.  They had political and ideological differences within their guerrilla warfare years. Through violent internal purges or dissention, execution and finally the current ethno-centric TPLF’s leaders came out as winner. The present leaders continued the ethnic based authoritarian rule and eroded Ethiopian nationalist identity. A long Ethiopian history of cultural awareness is weakening through deception and disinformation strategy. They are attempting to rewrite history based on lies and political propaganda ploy.

As we witnessed and observed when the Derg dictatorship nears its terminal stage, TPLF realized a symbolic strategy is needed to seize power. They formed a ridicule united front with Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), EPDM the defector group from Ethiopian People Revolutionary Party (EPRP) called Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement, OPDO a group of Derg’s troop prisoners of TPLF and EPLF known as Oromo People’s Democratic Organization, and with others smaller ethnic

The Paradox We Need to Deal with Seriously and Honestly

March 07, 2013
by T.Goshu

1) As an introduction

Let me start by saying that as numerous researches conducted by   many psychologists, sociologists, and other  social scientist have shown , there is no any human or social interaction that is absolutely free from paradoxical  attitudes and behaviors . Hearing and watching people making contradiction between what they say and what they actually do is not uncommon.  And I do not have any illusion to make the case of the people of Ethiopia an exception to this very general fact of human attitude and behavior.

There is no doubt that with all unfortunately ugly sides of history, the people of Ethiopia have a very great place in the history of mankind.  The kings/emperors, empresses, princes, great patriotic forefathers and mothers again with all challenges they had and mistakes they made, they had made a great history in the passing over of the country as we know it from generation to generation. They had to pay ultimate sacrifices which emanated from a deeply powerful conviction of selflessness. They had paid priceless sacrifices because they truly believed that preserving a homeland that is independent and sovereign could be unthinkable let alone possible without making aspirations and actions the two inseparable and indispensable   factors of living with freedom and dignity as well as being the beneficiaries of all natural resources.

“Tegadalay” Aba Matias declares all out war on the Holy Synod in exile

The Horn Times Newsletter 3 March 2013

*Is that the Christian version of “Jihadawe Harekat”?

by Getahune Bekele, South Africa

He has reportedly been told by some Bishops and respected scholars that his election is not canonical and not inspired by the Holy Spirit but by demonic spirit of lust for power in the murky world of Tigre politics. Hence _the country’s biggest churches and monasteries have so far failed to endorse his election while some shrines already told him to stay out for his own safety. Aba Matias is a frustrated man.

However, In typical Tigre warlord style, the man who acquired the throne of Saint Markos as the 6^th patriarch of EOTC  by hereditary Tigre descent just few days ago, has declared all out war on the Holy Synod in exile out of sheer desperation to legitimize his fake election and to please the genocidal TPLF hierarchy.

The Significance of Adwa Victory for Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance 50 years after the OAU

NES COMMENTARY On 117 Years Of Adwa Victory
Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES) March 1, 2013

Inspiration

“Those who have strength, support us with your strength Those who are weak, support us with your prayers” Aste Menelik

“ I am a woman. I do not like war. But I would rather dies than accepting your deal.” Etigue Taitu Bitul

“They lost their history, so they died.” An African Maxim

“A country without historical memory is like a person without a head” The message from our ancestors

“If we appreciate the achievements of our ancestors and develop the capacity and openess to learn from their mistakes, we will always stand tall with dignity” NES

Introduction

We  would like to thank you all those throughout the world who are making the effort to remember and celebrate the 117 years of the battle of Adwa, which is now increasingly becoming recognized as a definitive victory  over world empire and colonialism.

It is said everything is moved but memory; we heartily welcome that this important day is being remembered in Ethiopia, by the Ethiopian heritage society in America, UK, Netherlands, South Africa and elsewhere. All efforts to recognize and remember 117 years of Adwa Victory must be appreciated, and all who took the initiative in preparing and organizing education to  make sure the Adwa Victory every year without fail is celebrated must be welcome.

1. 1.    Background

All the varied groups from Oromia to Eritrea were mobilized and contributed richly to the success of the Adwa victory by all Ethiopians through the depth and breadth of the land. This was not a victory of the leaders, or one ethnic group. This was a national victory with a wider African and indeed world significance. It was and remains an exemplary episode in demonstrating what a united people can achieve.

Moral Equivalent of an Anti-Apartheid Movement in Ethiopia?

by Alemayehu G. Mariam

Ethiopian Muslims engaged in the moral equivalent of an anti-Apartheid movement?

In her recent commentary in the New York Times Book Review, “Obama: Failing the African Spring?”, Dr. Helen Epstein questioned the Obama Administration for turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Africa, and particularly the persecution of Muslims in Ethiopia. She argued that “After more than four years in office… Obama has done little to advance the idealistic goals of his Ghana speech.” In fact, she finds the Administration playing peekaboo with Paul Kagame, the Rwandan dictator and puppet master of M23 (the rebel group led by Bosco Ntganda under indictment by the International Criminal Court) which has been wreaking havoc in Goma, (city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Youweri Museveni, the overlord of the corruptocracy in Uganda.  Dr. Epstein is perplexed by President Obama’s lofty rhetoric and his paralysis when it comes to walking the talk in Ethiopia:

Perhaps most worrying of all is the unwillingness of Obama and other Western leaders to say or do anything to support the hundreds of thousands of Muslim Ethiopians who have been demonstrating peacefully against government interference in their religious affairs for more than a year. (The Ethiopian government claims the country has a Christian majority, but Muslims may account for up to one half of the population.) You’d think a nonviolent Islamic movement would be just the kind of thing the Obama administration would want to showcase to the world. It has no hint of terrorist influence,