Four mosques were attacked in the Amhara region of East Gojam Zone, Mota town on Friday evening. Hotels and other commercial institutions owned by Muslims were vandalized or set to fire, according to the Amhara Region Muslim Affaires President,  Sheik Sead Ahmed. The incident has provoked widespread condemnation from Muslims and Christians alike and protest in many parts of the country. Twenty-one persons suspected of burning down the mosques have been arrested, the Zone’s police department has said.

How did the violence unfold?

According to a witness contacted by BBC Amharic, around 5 PM while a prayer was being held in Mota Giyorgis Church, smoke was observed rising from the roof of the church, though its exact cause was unknown. Men and women living in the surrounding area rushed to contain the fire with buckets of water and succeeded after some efforts. However, a group of youth who were convinced that the fire was a result of foul play headed to burn mosques, the witness was quoted as saying.

The witness has pointed out that  Christians and Muslims have long lived amicably in Mota and that many Muslim brothers have joined forces with the Christians to help put out the fire on the Giorgischurch.« Even today they were coming to us, asking us to provide them with water jerrycans for pouring out on the fire. The atmosphere was one of solidarity and peace .»

The resident who says that Friday’s incident was caused by a group of youth who were driven by whipped up emotion, opines that setting the mosque on fire did not sound like a premeditated act.  The Municipal Council member of the Mota town, Haji Yunus Edris told the BBC that “most of the burned shops were shops belonging to the Muslims. Pharmacies and containers have been burned and looted in the commercial area called Arat Be Arat, » he was quoted as saying.

Haj Yunus said that as long as he was concerned there was not a problem in the relationships between the Muslim community and the Christian community that would have led to what happened on Friday. He added that although there have been some issues between the Muslim communities, this cannot in any way be linked to the latest incident.

The letter from Mota town’s Muslim Affairs Council

Another witness also says that there has not been a quarrel between Christian and Moslems in the area but there have been some tensions between the pre-existing « Korefi » Muslim and the newly arrived Wahabi Muslims, as quoted by the BBC. After a recent meeting between the two sects ended in the fallout,  the« Korefi »members wrote a letter saying that « the hardliners are trying to create a division between us and the Christians. » Explaining that there was a process of reconciliation between the ‘Korefi’ Muslims and the Wahhabi, the witness said he heard of the letter sent to authorities written by the former stating that « they would not be held responsible for what would happen to the Christians,” and the letter caused apprehension among residents.  (The letter signed by Jemal Getaw and written on November 15, 2019, the Mota town’s Muslim Affairs Council representative says that secret meetings have been held in Marzeneb Hotel a number of times by certain groups claiming to represent the Muslim community, without the knowledge of the Council and concerned about their motives, the Council members have approached the town’s security office to present their concerns. The letter also says that given the importance of the issue,  the Council decided to send a formal letter.)

 After this content of the letter made public, fear rose among the Christian community that “Muslims could attack us at any minute,” the witness said.

But the witness says he finds it hard to believe that foul play caused it. “Think about it. Who could enter into the church’s interior at 5 PM and set fire to it?” he was quoted as saying.

« Not an isolated incident »

However, many Muslim activists who follow the events from afar do not agree with the version that the attack was the result of divisions between the Muslim communities and the supposed letter that created fear among the Christians. Ahmedin Jebel, a prominent Muslim scholar, and author, says the latest attack on mosques on Mota town was not an isolated incident or a marginal phenomenon. For instance, he said last year three mosques had been burned in Amhara region’s Estetown (southwards of Debre Tabor) and its environs. No action was taken against the culprits and even charge was not lodged, he said.  At the time, he and other members of the IslamicAffairs Supreme Council talked to the head of the Amhara regional state’s security branch General, the late Asaminew Tsige about the issue after visiting the area but his response was « the Muslims are fighting against each other, dividing themselves as Sufi and Salafi and please help us with that. »

Moonira Abdelmenan, a journalist and activist wrote on her Facebook page that « burning out of the mosque in Ethiopia is the result of a wave of animosity, systematic discrimination, abusive and propaganda campaign against Muslims, both in the region and across the country, » she said. Moonira pointed finger at the region’s security branch complicity and failure to prevent the attack. She said the police and the government should take measures to help ensure protective security and basic safety for mosque premises.

“United response”

On Monday, faith leaders from the federal, state, and zones visited the affected religious institutions in Mota and discussed with local communities to calm potential tensions, according to state media. The leaders made a call to unite against those who seek to create discord, uncertainty, and fear in the communities.