The Dhaka Times Desk The name of a city in Ethiopia is Aksum. About 73 thousand people live there. 10 percent of them are Muslims. However, there is no permanent mosque in this city. Because it is forbidden to build a mosque here.
However, a group of Muslims in the city are currently trying to change that situation. They are also campaigning for the establishment of a mosque there. Although the Christian religious leaders have rejected it, death is better for them!
Godefah Merha, a senior Christian religious leader, said that Aksum is like Mecca to them. They believe that just as churches are prohibited in the holy places of Islam, no mosques can exist in Aksum either.
Religious leader Godefa Merha said, 'Aksum is a holy place; City of Monastery. If anyone comes here to build a mosque, we will die. It will never be accepted. We will not allow this in our lifetime.'
However, a group of local Muslims under the banner of 'Justice for Aksum Muslims' is campaigning for the construction of a mosque there. They claim that it is their moral right to build a mosque and have the opportunity to pray. In this activity of theirs, the Orthodox Christians have also come to the center of discussion.
Although many there believe that this debate is completely pointless. Because this ancient city is known for its religious tolerance since time immemorial.
According to the followers of both religions, the first Muslims came to this city at the beginning of Islam, fleeing the oppression of non-Muslim rulers in Mecca. The then Christian king welcomed them at that time. It was essentially the first appearance of Muslims outside the Arabian Valley.
Now, 85% of Aksum's 73,000 inhabitants are Orthodox Christians, 10% are Muslims and the remaining 5% are followers of other forms of Christianity.
Abdu Mohammad Ali, a 40-year-old Muslim resident of the city, told the BBC that Christians have been using a house for prayers for generations.
Mohammad Ali said, we have 13 temporary mosques in the city. They say we are disrespecting St. Mary's even if we use the mic on Friday.
Aziz Mohammad, a local doctor, has been living in Aksum for almost 20 years. Noting that many Muslims are forced to pray in the open due to lack of mosques, he said, 'Here we Muslims and Christians live together. Christians do not hold back. But we have been praying on the streets for many years, we need a mosque.'
A similar disagreement arose in Aksum about 50 years ago when Emperor Haile Selassie was in power in Ethiopia. At that time the members of the royal family and the then head of the town also made a compromise. Due to which the Muslims built a mosque about 15 kilometers from the town of Bukiro-Mare.
Keriya Mesud worked as a cook for Muslims in that city. He told the media, 'We cannot force for the mosque. Because we have to live in peace.'
Christian leader Godefa Merha said in this regard, people of both religions are living in peace in Aksum. Both sects share the same beliefs about Prophet Ibrahim (AS) in some respects.
Godefa Merha also said that her best friend is a Muslim. They also attended various events like weddings and funerals together. He believes that Muslims from other regions of Ethiopia are behind this campaign to build a mosque in Aksum. However, Orthodox Christians will not allow it to protect the sanctity of the city.
Meanwhile, many hope that Emperor Haile Selassie's government will be able to work out a compromise on the issue. The Prime Minister of this government Abiy Ahmed's father was a Muslim and his mother was a Christian.
In this regard, the Regional Council of Muslims says that they will continue to discuss with Christians. Council official Mohammad Kahse said, we hope Christians will help us in building the mosque.
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