N E G A S H I - OJ

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful the Compassionate!

HAVE WE NOT opened up for you your heart,
and lifted from you your burden,
that had weighed so heavily on your back?
And [have We not] raised you high in dignity?
And, behold, with every hardship comes ease:-
verily, with every hardship comes ease!
Hence, when you are freed [from distress], remain steadfast,
and unto Your Sustainer turn with love.
[Q94:1-8]

“With Challenges Come Opportunities”

With a theme: “With challenges Come Opportunities“, the second annual conference of the Network of Ethiopian Muslims in Europe (NEME), sets to assess the challenges the organization faces and the opportunities it has to challenge the challenges. The current state of affairs of Ethiopian Muslims will also make a headline of the conference discussions. The theme reminds us that we may not bow down to challenges - they rather should give us hope and strength to do more and struggle with resolve.

As part of the overall full three days program, a special plenary session is also planned with the objective of accessing the merits and application of the “Negashi Model of Interfaith Relationship” as a potential model for religious and cultural understandings. Known scholars and experts in the area, from around Belgium and oversees, are invited to join the penal discussion. Several high level diplomats and officials are also invited for the event.

The presence among us of our renowned and loved scholars will indubitably be one that makes the event colorful. The conference will be an opportunity to replenish our soul and mind; vow and renew our commitment to stand united and work for the good of ourselves, our communities and our fellow mankind at large.

Indeed with every challenge comes all sort of opportunities. Let’s use them … The second annual conference is just one that help us take this very fact a step ahead. Let’s not miss it then.

Register your Self, if you have not done already.

Collect your Arrival Guide

During the last few years Ethiopian Muslims have lost several precious personalities - within the seven months alone we lost at least three people of exemplary devotion and success: Professor Hussien Ahmed of AAU (June 2009), Shaykh Mohammed Rafae (Ethiopian Bukhari, July 2009), and very recently Al-Hajji Dawud Bashir (January 2010). These fathers devoted the whole of their life for the benefit of their community and their country so much so that their work surpassed their name while they were alive but destined to keep them alive long after they departed us. May Allah Reward them with the best of rewards and admit them to Janat-ul Firdous.

At every stage of their history, communities/nations produce unique figures and these individuals passed leaving a legacy that remained alive long after their generation. However, the greatness of the nation is determined not only by what these people could achieve during their life time but by its determination to continue with the works and visions these pioneering individuals started with. As a community Ethiopian Muslims have also given birth to several distinguished fathers and have their own way of upholding at least keeping their memory. Naming their children, mosque, village etc after them are just few examples. This trend has lately got another dimension by establishing funds and prizes that directly contribute to Muslim oriented research work and education. The Mufti Dawud Fundation established by the Addis Ababa Islamic Research and Cultural Center (IRCC) is just an example.

Shortly after the death of Prof. Hussein Ahmed last June, 2009, his students and colleagues came to the conclusion that the best way to keep the unique work of the late professor alive is by establishing a foundation in his name. The foundation was inaugurated immediately and since then the founders toiled day and night to turn the dream a reality.

Last Sunday, February 14, 2010, a special program was organized at Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa. About 200 people attended the program. Two Ministers and senior staff members of AAU were among the attendees. During the program the life history and the works of the professor were displayed. Distinguished figures went on the podium and shared their memories of the late professor, expressed the gap his death created in the study of Islam and Muslims in Ethiopia and  emphasised on the need to fill that gap as soon as possible. What was remarkable was a passionate speech delivered by his daughter, sister Semira Hussien. Her words and unique love, respect and admiration she displayed for her late father sent every participant to tears. It was not only tears. The participants immediately went to action and promised a total sum of about 375, 000 birr (three hundred seventy five thousand) to support the work the professor started with.

It is to be recalled that the diaspora Muslim organizations particularly the Badr Ethiopia and Network of Ethiopian Muslims promised to set up Prof. Hussien Foundation on their own with the objective of promoting the study of Ethiopian Muslims at international level. It is time that these organizations live up to their words and fulfill their promise by formalizing the initiative. While working on launching their intended foundation, it is important that they help the initiative at home by providing both technical and financial support.

Insha Allah Negashi OJ will try to get a video clip of the last program held at Ghion Hotel.

CPJ’s OPEN LETTER

His Excellency Meles Zenawi
Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Via facsimile: (251) 11 1552020

Mr. Prime Minister,

We are writing to draw your attention to conditions that undermine press freedom as guaranteed in Article 29 of the Ethiopian Constitution. We would welcome your leadership in furthering reform by working for the repeal of draconian provisions in recent antiterrorism and media legislation. We also call on your administration to abandon practices that obstruct the free flow of information, such as the ruling EPRDF’s absolute control of the government-subsidized and publicly funded national press, the government’s restrictive media regulation and licensing practices, and the state’s censorship of Internet content.

Five journalists are currently in Ethiopian prisons in connection with their work, according to our research, making your country the second worst jailer of the press in Sub-Saharan Africa. Only Eritrea jails more. Three of the journalists were sentenced to prison for their independent coverage of government affairs dating as far back as 2004 under Ethiopia’s now-obsolete 1992 press law, according to our research. The government has declined CPJ’s repeated requests to account for the whereabouts, health, and legal status of two others-Eritrean state television journalists Saleh Idris Gama and producer Tesfalidet Kidane Tesfazghi-who have been held incommunicado and without charge or trial since 2006.

• Read more: Ethiopia’s Zenawi Urged to Pursue Press Reforms

[EEJ] It is quite natural that “Unity” resonates well with all. That is why we often see the term being used by political, religious or social/ community organizations. Unity is something that should be pursued , and all unnecessary divisions which may lead to failure need to be avoided , and in Islam emphasizes on the importance of Unity.

However, for some unity appear be to synonymous to uniformity. Some Muslims appear to pursue a unity through which all Muslims think and act in an identical way in every issue. The moment they see diversified ideas among the Muslims on a given issue, they declare failure!

This kind of unity is ideal, and unachievable. People should look unity through their natural diversity. Otherwise, any effort to crush this natural diversity to `uniformity` would rather lead to fractured community with little opportunity to come together.

As long as there is unity in the objective, the variation in the process to get into the objective shouldn’t generate enmity. True, that at most attempt should be made to narrow the gap based on mutual understanding that, at the end of the day, they all share the same dream.

Naturally, this would bring the majority, and not all of the community members, share similar vision-not necessarily identical. It is from this stage onward that many seem to fail to carry on forward.

All groups who have similar visions are supposed to concentrate to on their activities and use their energy to prove that they are on the right path, unfortunately they turn against each other.We commonly waste our time and energy to smearing each other. Instead of establishing how better our approach is through our activities and results, we try to get this by discrediting our `opponent` who may be even turned as our `primary enemy` by now. If all sides were to focus on their objective, at the end of the day we may have one of them succeeded, which is a blessing of natural diversity- rather than putting all of our eggs in one basket.

Islam is a religion of tolerance, and we practically show this with our non-Muslim country fellows. I just wonder why we fail to exercise a fraction of it when it is among ourselves.

Uniformity is unachievable , and you may listen for more on this issue to Radio Negashi Editorail on how diversity should be considered as source of our strength rather than weakness.

Human rights instruments provide protection against refoulement. The UN Convention against Torture, in Sub-article (l and 2) of Article 3 states that:

1. “No State Party shall expel, return (refouler) or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
2. “For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.”

Reports has reached African Rights Monitor-ARM, that Ms. Bisharo Wa’adi, an Ogaden Women Democratic Association activist, who fled from Ethiopia to the neighboring province, Somaliland, as a refugee has been captured and detained by Somaliland authorities and handed to the Ethiopian Security Services (ESS) on February 10, 2010. Ms. Wa’adi lived in Hargaisa for the past two years as a refugee under the alias Shamsa Abdulahi Hirsi to disguise her identity from ESS after she escaped from JigJiga prison where she was unlawfully detained from October 2006 to January 2007. Prior to this latest arrest, Ms. Wa’adi was arrested and jailed multiple times where she was severely tortured psychologically, mentally and physically. Ms. Wa’adi’s body bears injuries that made her physically disabled and her mental anguish prevented her from leading a productive life.

Article 14 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that

“Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”.

ARM urgently appeals to the international human right agencies, the United Nations, and governing bodies, to condemn Ethiopia and Somaliland for these unlawful acts against innocent civilians that flee a country that does not respect nor protects the rights of its citizens. This is not the first reported renditions by ESS and the Somaliland forces against innocent Somali refugees and this violation of basic rights must be stopped and prisoners freed.
__________________________
Contact: Huda Yusuf FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Email: africanrightsmonitor@gmail.com

Ethiopian Muslims has lost another man of great history. Hajji Bashir Dawud, a legendary father of  Ethiopian Muslims Right struggle, has died, Inna Lillahi We Inna Ilaihi!. Negashi OJ conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the this great father. May Allah enter him to Jenat al-firdous. May He, the almighty, give the umma patience and strenght. It is to be remembered that two other great men of the nation died last year: Prof. Hussien Ahmed and Ethiopian Bukhari - Hajji Muhammed Rafea.

Insha Allah we will try to bring you a brief biography of this great man.

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• Read more: Radio Negashi Editorial (24/01/10) - Uncompormised Right

It has become common these days to hear one declaring the other as Hypocrite (Munafiq) and a certain deed hypocrisy (Nifq). Often times it is used as a tool to silence those who disagree with one’s ideas … no matter how trivial that maybe. As a comprehensive code of life, Islam is clear on the term itself, its use, to whom it should be used and who may invoke it. In fact ,the Quran has given the issue a great position when it holds a chapter with the title: Al-Munafiqun, the Hypocrites (the 63rd sura of the Qur’an with its 11 ayat).

Learnt men of all times have also warned their folk to take the maximum pre-caution and never to be tempted by whatever reason to use it carelessly. As the Hypocrites are the worst enemies of true believers and the religion, believers are provided with the common feature a likely hypocrite exhibits. This might help us take an immediate corrective action (Tawuba) if one or more of those listed are part of our personality. It is equally important so that we protect ourselves from their evil schemes.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ‘The signs of a Munaafiq are three; When he speaks, he lies; When he disputes, he is vulgar; and When he makes a promise, he breaks it.’ (Mishkaat). Please read below for more of the characteristics of the Munafiqun.

• Read more: Hypocrites: Some of their Characteristics!

Ethiopia - the Second Worst Jailer of Journalists!

Ethiopia jails editor whose paper challenged Zenawi New York, February 1, 2010—An Ethiopian judge sentenced a journalist to prison on Friday in connection with a January 2008 column that criticized Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s statements about religious affairs in Ethiopia, according to local journalists.

Federal High Court Judge Mohammed Omar sentenced Editor Ezedin Mohamed of the Muslim-oriented newspaper Al-Quds to one year in prison. The precise charges were not immediately available but were related to a January 30, 2008, column that came in response to Zenawi’s interview with The Guardian of London that month, according to CPJ sources.

The Al-Quds column challenged Zenawi’s characterization of his country as “Orthodox Christian Ethiopia,” one source said. Mohamed has begun serving his sentence at Kality Prison outside the capital, Addis Ababa, sources said. “The jailing of Ezedin Mohamed is another example of Ethiopia’s intolerance of independent and critical voices,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Tom Rhodes. “It is high time for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to demonstrate his commitment to democratic values by ending the practice of imprisoning journalists.”

Mohamed is the fifth journalist imprisoned in Ethiopia, which is the second worst jailer of journalists in Africa, according to CPJ research. Only Eritrea jails more.