The old Ethiopian Christians as well as the new comers such as the Baptist, the Anglican, the Evangelical, the Pentecostal, the Adventist, and the Lutherans, have been very tolerant toward each other or against the Muslims or Jews. Each denomination can attract a new follower from the other Christian sect or Jewish or Muslim denomination and there has never been an open rebellion or attack with a locally made light weapon such as spears, axes, swords, knives, machetes or sticks. Each denomination used to keep to itself its jealousy toward the other denomination for converting some of its members to its own.

It seems some of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Oromia cannot any more tolerate these new comer Christians from the West who are trying to convert some Muslim faithful to the Western type of Christianity, which these Ethiopian Muslim brothers and sisters are not comfortable to live with while their ancestors had lived for thousands of years with the old Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity without any major religious conflict.

The attack, using machete, against the Baptist Church at Nensebo Chebi village by some local Muslims is a new phenomenon that should not be tolerated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church Christians or by the new Meles regime. I don’t want to see these handful Muslims from our Oromia region disturb the God-given peace between the Ethiopian Christians and the Ethiopian Muslims. The Ethiopian Christians and the Ethiopian Muslims have been the envy of the world for having a long lasting peace between the two faiths. Even though the Western Church is new to the Ethiopian Muslims and to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church Christians, the two old Ethiopian Muslims and Christians should be amicable hosts to their new gust – the Western Church. After all, these new Western Churches have contributed a lot to both the Ethiopian Muslims and the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians by opening modern schools, hospitals, and by introducing modern technology into the country. These new Western Ethiopian Churches should have equal rights like their counterparts, the Ethiopian Muslims and the Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. The Muslims have the right to convert Christians to Islam, and the Christians have the right to convert Muslims into Christianity. When such process happens in both faiths, one faith should not demonize the other faith for converting or recruiting some members of other faiths to its faith. Such conversion should be done in a civilized manner without tearing or disparaging each other’s faith.

Let us leave the final judgment to the omnivorous God, who knows whose faith or religion is more acceptable to him, and until his divine and impartial judgment occurs, let us live in peace and harmony , praising him for the many free and precious gifts he has given us – gifts such as life and the earth with its all mysteries.