The pacific verses

By Tesfu Tilahoun

Prosperity and fulfillment in life are the common aspirations of humanity. Worldly bliss however is a matter that can only exist in the absence of moral shallowness, which exhibits its most perverted form when religion is used as grounds for justifying murder.

The worst transgression an individual or group can commit on 'their' God or belief system is to perpetrate 'sanctioned' murder in the name of that particular religion. One's faith, no matter how cherished it is in its sacredness- is instantly stripped of worth if its doctrines become weapons of war.

Ethiopia has few assets as valuable as its exemplary religious tolerance. This is a national trait that has drawn scholarly interest and is often cited as a model of inter faith dialog that has resulted in peace, harmony and mutual respect.

Ethiopia does not have religious problems on the scale of other countries with comparable demographics.

In fact, no other country of comparable size has such large percentages of its people adhering to two distinctly different religions, Christianity and Islam, but still lives together in peace.

Media reports citing 'religious clashes', 'sectarian violence' and other headlines are indeed alarming but such occurrences are the domain of only a very small minority of the radical fringe and cannot be construed as representative of mainstream Christianity and Islam in Ethiopia.

This country's affinity to the two largest religions in the world is not a phenomenon of only a few centuries but encompasses millennia. Ancient Ethiopia was the first country after Armenia to accept Christianity as a state religion while Islam's first non-Arab converts were Ethiopians.

These two religious communities have a bond that is tighter than even the very strong ties that exist between the 80 or so ethnic groups in Ethiopia .

However, this idyllic tapestry is under threat. Globalization is a mixed blessing that carries the cross currents of prosperity and misery in equal measure. The cracks appearing in communal peace are but symptoms of globalization.

The growing trend in Ethiopia of religious radicalism is simply a reaction to the extremist winds from the Middle East, which harbors malignant designs on Ethiopia .

Let us never forget that there are many forces who would gladly cheer the destruction of Ethiopia as we know it.

Christians and Muslims of Ethiopia should not fall into the bloody snare of fanaticism, led on by the irresponsible actions of a few desperados.

The media should invest itself with professional discipline and take great care not to further inflame passions by unwise reporting methods. The written word is a mighty thing. Indeed, it is the interpretation of words that is at the core of many faith based conflicts.

The Ethiopian media has a great responsibility in working to counter the vitriolic anti-Ethiopian programming on certain TV and radio channels which aims at exaggerating and sensationalizing even the smallest communal spat into a catastrophe perpetrated on Ethiopian Muslims.

Orthodox Christians on their part must rebuke those among them who have vested interests in stoking religious tension and guide them along the path of peaceful co-existence.

As I write this comment, I hear stories of tit-for-tat murders and mass reprisals from around Jimma and find it hard to believe that such things can happen in Ethiopia .

Sadly though, they are happening and to what degree nobody knows for sure as information is a luxury we Ethiopians are not deemed worthy of.

The accurate picture of what is actually happening in the relationship between the main religions is a matter that requires the urgent attention of religious leaders and community elders.

This country has enough problems already and does not need yet another issue of contention. It is high time that we set course for a new millennium devoid of violence and strengthen the foundation of religious tolerance laid down by preceding generations of Ethiopians.