Evangelist Beaten to Death by Muslim Extremists Inside Mosque

By Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter Friday, March 30, 2007

An Ethiopian evangelist was beaten and killed by Wahabbi Muslim extremists while evangelizing on the streets earlier this week, reported a Christian persecution watchdog group.

The Christian man, identified as Tedase, was on the streets with two young females evangelizing Monday afternoon on Merkato Street in Jimma, southern Ethiopia, when he was attacked by Muslim militants, according to International Christian Concern's sources in Jimma.

Tedase was reportedly walking in front of a Wahabbi Mosque on Merkato street when a group of Muslims exiting the mosque confronted him and his party. The women ran away from the mob but Tedase continued to evangelize. The Muslims then pulled him into the mosque and "savagely" beat him to death with the intention to kill him, according to ICC's sources.

"This was no accident or case of mob frenzy getting out of control," noted ICC in a released report Thursday.

Sources speculate that Tedase was used as an example to scare other Christians in the area; Jimma Christians were in the midst of an evangelism campaign and news of the outreach had spread among Jimma residents as well as militant Muslim groups in the area.

Ethiopia was ranked third earlier this year in ICC's "Hall of Shame" list of the world's top ten persecutors of Christians.

ICC noted that Jimma is a Muslim-dominated area where local authorities are almost exclusively Muslim. The watchdog group also observed that Wahhabism was imported from Saudi Arabia.

Wahhabism is a reform movement of Islam that originated in Arabia in the 18th century. Followers adhere to an extreme literalist view of Sharia law, or Islamic laws.

The author of the essay "Shari'a in Saudi Arabia, Today and Tomorrow," Stephen Schwartz writes, "It ( Wahhabism) is not conservative but radical. It is not traditional; rather, it is based on a complete removal of Islamic tradition from the religion, with threats of death for those who defend tradition. Hence, it supports the ferocious persecution of Shi'a and non-Wahhabi Sunni Muslims."

ICC concluded that evangelical church leaders in Jimma fear that Muslim extremists will now attack Christians because there is no retribution for Tedase's death.

"We appeal to concerned individuals to contact the Ethiopian embassy in their own countries to ask for an investigation of Tedase's murder," urged the group.

Tedase was buried on Mar. 27.