ETHIOPIA: “IN A SINGLE DAY, THEY TURNED EVERYTHING TO ASH”

“In just one hour, they destroyed everything,” says Jemal*. “In a single day, they turned everything to ash.”

Jemal will never forget the day that Islamist radicals attacked his village in Ethiopia. The day he lost his home, his livelihood and his safety. But though that day was a shocking escalation of violence, it wasn’t the beginning of the persecution.

‘A VERY GOOD LIFE’

Jemal and his wife, Fatima*, grew up as Muslims. When they were young parents, they encountered Jesus and made the life-changing decision to follow Him. Like most converts from Islam in Ethiopia, they faced some opposition from their families and Muslim neighbours, but it wasn’t severe. They had a strong faith community, and were thankful for their day-to-day stability and blessings.

That started to change when visiting Muslim clerics began sharing radical messages at the local mosques.

“The clerics began by isolating us,” Jemal remembers. “They told the community not to talk to us. They made the community afraid by saying, ‘Whoever talks to them or sits with them will not have a proper burial ceremony.’” This was a very serious threat, since your burial site is particularly significant in Islam.

For the first time, Muslims began to avoid Christian businesses. “They isolated the Christians from the Muslims,” says Jemal. “They told Muslims in my town, ‘Don’t buy anything from them but let them buy from us. If you buy from them, they will become richer.’”

Economic exclusion is often used as a weapon to marginalise and impoverish Christians in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The hope is to pressure Christians – particularly Christian men, who are most commonly the financial providers for their families – to either convert to Islam or leave the area.

“No Christian home was safe”

As tensions continued to grow between the Muslim and Christian communities, the local authorities intervened – but, rather than bring peace back to the town, it had the opposite effect. The extremists were furious – and it provided the spark to light the fire that was to consume the whole community.

“They began the attack on Monday night,” Jemal says. “By Tuesday, they even tried to kill me.”

“Mobs of people went from house to house, singling out Christian homes and businesses, destroying whatever they could find and setting it on fire,” says Jemal. “In a single day, they destroyed everything I owned and had built up over the years.”

“I wanted to stay and protect my house and business, but we had to leave and we found refuge in a Muslim’s house. Because no Christian home was safe.”

The kindness of Jemal’s Muslim friend showed there was still friendship in the community, even though the radical Islamists tried to obscure it with their hatred and violence. It was a gesture Jemal would remember through the rest of the ordeal.

At least 215 homes of Christian families were destroyed. Hundreds of people lost their means of livelihood, and at least 375 families were forced on the run. Jemal’s home was ransacked and his businesses were burned down. He had nothing left.

The attackers hoped that this financial ruin force the Christians into giving up their faith. “They believed that, after our property was destroyed, Christians would convert to Islam,” says Jemal. “They did not want Christians to remain in the town. Their goal was to eliminate Christianity.”

But they didn’t reckon on Jemal’s faith.

DISPLACED AND DISTRAUGHT

Jemal knew he wouldn’t turn back from following Jesus – but, displaced and distraught, he was extremely anxious about the future for his family.

He and his family were taken in at a church compound in a nearby town, alongside almost 30 other families. It was a safer environment, but the physical conditions were hard – he had to sleep on the floor in a small, bare room with 12 other men for two months. Seeing his family in these conditions deeply impact him, and he knew it couldn’t be a long-term solution. “It was a tough moment for me,” he says. “I was overwhelmed and paralysed. It deeply affected us psychologically; we were very afraid and anxious.”

One of the things that hurt most was that the attackers were men Jemal had known for years. “We were born and raised in the same village,” he says with great sorrow. “We were family; we had shared meals and lived together. It truly made us feel heartbroken.”

How Open Doors has helped Jemal

With the gifts and prayers of Open Doors supporters, local partners in Ethiopia are able to show believers like Jemal that they have not been forgotten. When Open Doors partners heard about the violent attack on his community, they rushed to respond.

“Praise God, we didn’t die from hunger and thirst,” Jemal says. “The ministry responded promptly from the outset of the tribulation by providing food supplies.”

But it’s clear from Jemal’s experience that immediate aid – though vital – is not enough. Traumatised believers need spiritual and practical support for the long-term. When they saw the psychological toll the attack had on Jemal, local partners also invited him to receive Open Doors trauma care. It’s helped him begin healing: “It has greatly benefited me,” he says. “I had completely given up. But God can restore what is lost.”

Jemal also received new machinery and materials to restart his woodworking and steel manufacturing businesses. “We did not have any other means of surviving if the ministry had not bought us that equipment,” he says. “This ministry helped us to stand on our feet. You helped us feed our children. I really love this ministry and I wish to express my profound gratitude. May God bless you all!”

Stop the violence. Start the healing.

Despite the horrific persecution Jemal has experienced, he now has hope for the future. “Our God is the God of hope. He is a God who can do everything. Because of that, I am joyful,” he says. “Through all of this, my faith has grown stronger.”

Violent attacks in sub-Saharan Africa are increasing, leaving more and more of our brothers and sisters needing our support. Please don’t look away while the church is burning. Your support can help hope arise from the ashes. Please do what you can to stop the violence and start the healing by signing the Arise Africa petition today…