Ethiopia (MNN) — An Ethiopian evangelist, Tedase, was beaten to death by a militant Wahabbi Islam group Monday, March 26.
While doing street evangelism in the southern Ethiopian city of Jimma, Tedase and two female co-workers passed by a Wahabbi mosque. At that moment a group of Muslim extremists exited the mosque and pursued the three to confront them. The two women escaped, but Tedase was dragged into the Mosque and beaten to death. Tedase's body was later taken in for an autopsy and buried the next day.
This was not simply a mob fight that got out of control. Since news was spreading that Tedase was part of evangelism campaign, sources say that the group killed Tedase as a warning to other Christians that Wahabbi Muslims will not allow evangelism.
This attack comes only six months after several churches were burned down by Muslim extremists in an attempt to intimidate Christians into converting to Islam. Those attacks left 2,000 Christians displaced.
Tedase's death was the deciding factor for the decision to add Ethiopia to the International Christian Concern Hall of Shame. This is a list of nations with the most severe Christian persecution.
In the city of Jimma, the majority of authorities are Muslim. If police ignore incidents like Tedase's death, evangelical church leaders fear that Muslims will consider it permission to continue this kind of violence. They ask that Christians appeal to the Ethiopian embassy in their own country to investigate Tedase's murder.
