News / Thoughts

Ethiopia: Evangelist attacked

Please pray for an Ethiopian Christian attacked on account of his evangelistic work.

Mustafa Ahmed* (27) was attacked by a mob on 16 July in the rural Ethiopian town of Hirna, about 400 km east of Addis Ababa. Some of the mob were carrying machetes.

The attack took place because local Muslims were angry over his evangelism efforts. Local Christians report that an unknown number of assailants first went to the local Full Gospel Church and partly damaged its roof and walls. They then went to Mustafa’s house where they set up him. He sustained two deep wounds to the back of his head.

The local clinic in Hirna referred him to a nearby hospital and Doctors there sent him to Adama where a Christian doctor took a risk to operate on his wounds, believing Mustafa would otherwise die on route to a bigger hospital. The surgery stabilised him enough to be taken for more specialised treatment elsewhere. But he is not out of the woods yet, and local Christians are asking for prayer.

Open Doors’ local partners are providing emotional and financial support at the moment.

Where did this happen?

Ethiopia ranks at number 22 on the 2017 Open Doors Watch List. Although Ethiopia is a Christian majority country, complex religious and ethnic tensions combined with political and civil unrest mean that pressure on Christians is very high.

In areas such as Afar and the Somali regions, where ethnicity and Islam are interconnected, Christians face discrimination and even violence from their families and communities. The government is becoming more authoritarian and has brought in laws restricting the areas religious institutions can engage in. Sadly, fanatical elements of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church also attempt to undermine other denominations.

*Name changed for security reasons
Source: Open Doors

Pray now…

• For Mustafa’s recovery from his wounds
• For wisdom for church leaders in this difficult situation.
• That the Lord will open the eyes of government officials to protect their citizens, irrespective of religious affiliation.