Ethiopian Evangelist Beaten to Death

The US-based human rights group International Christian Concern has just learned that an Ethiopian evangelist named Tedase was beaten to death by militant Muslims last Monday during a street evangelism assignment in Jimma, southern Ethiopia.

This latest killing is the second time in six months that Christians residing in southeast Ethiopia have been attacked and killed by Wahabbi Muslims - Muslims who belong to the extremist Wahabbi sect imported from Saudi Arabia..

Tedase was killed on Monday afternoon as he and two female coworkers were conducting street evangelism in Jimma on a street located near a Wahabbi mosque. According to ICC, the three evangelists were chased by a group of Muslims when they came out of the mosque.

Muslims caught up with Tedase, pulled him into the mosque, and savagely beat him to death. Sources from Jimma told ICC that Tedase was beaten with a calculated intention to kill him and that his death was neither an accident nor another case of mob frenzy getting out of control.

According to ICC, an ongoing evangelism campaign by Jimma Christians has angered local militant Muslims.

"The Muslims that belonged to the Wahabbi sect purposefully beat Tedase to death as a message to Christians that they are ready to combat evangelism," ICC said.

ICC has added Ethiopia to its Hall of Shame list of nations where Christians are enduring the most severe persecution.

Six months ago, in September of 2006, Muslim extremists burned down a number of churches and parishes, as well as Christian homes. As many as 2,000 Christians were displaced by the attack, an attempt to intimidate Christians with the hopes of converting them to Islam.

Evangelical church leaders are fearful that if police ignore Tedase's death, it will be a green light for Muslim groups in the area to attack their Christian neighbours at will and without retribution.

For more on the work of ICC, click here: www.persecution.org