Ethiopian Muslims Arrested, Beaten During Eid al-Fitr Protests  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

An aggressive crackdown on protests against the country's mistreatment of Muslims ended in hundreds, including women and children, reportedly beaten, tear gassed and arrested by police on Thursday 8 August, 2013, the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Ethiopian Muslims have been protesting online and offline for over a year and a half against alleged government's interference in their religious affairs.
One of the issues they are opposed to is the election of the Islamic Council that took place in October 2012, which they argue the government influenced the process in favor of government-friendly members. They also accuse the government of trying to promote a more liberal form of Islam known as al-Abhash.
Ethiopian Muslims protesting early this year during the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. One of the t-shirts reads, “Stop Abhashism in Ethiopia.” Photo source: the Awolia School Support Page Facebook Page
Muslim cyber-activists have been using Facebook pages such as DimtsachinYisema [amh] (Let Our Voices Be Heard) and EthiopianMuslims to coordinate and share information about the protests.
Last year, Ethiopian Christians supported their fellow citizens in online messages of unity, which went viral in the Ethiopian digital space. Many Ethiopian Christians changed their Facebook status in July 2012 to announce their allegiance to Ethiopian Muslims in their quest for non-interference from the government.
Following the crackdown on Eid protests, Amnesty International released a statement calling on the Ethiopian government to end repression against Muslims. The statement takes note of an incident last week related to the protests that reportedly ended in the deaths of an unconfirmed number of people in the town of Kofele in Oromia region.
Reports of police brutality and arrests after Eid prayers are trending on Twitter under the hashtags EidDemonstration and EthioMuslims.
Mahlet (@faantish) was sad for the treatment of peaceful Muslims:
It is very sad to see peaceful #Muslims to be threatened like a criminal. #EthioMuslims #Eiddemonstration #Ethiopia #Sad
— Mahlet (@faantish) August 8, 2013
@faantish wrote that most of those who were beaten and arrested were women:
Among the arrested & beaten Muslims, many were #Women. it is an embarrassment. #EthioMuslims #Eiddemonstration #Ethiopia #Sad
— Mahlet (@faantish) August 8, 2013
Human rights activist Soli (@Soliyee) saw one female detainee with a new baby boy:
Z women i mention earlier demonstering with her new baby boy is now one of z detainees. #Eiddemonstration #Ethiopia
— Soli ሶሊ (@Soliyee) August 8, 2013
An online network of Oromos, Oromo Network (@OromoRT), wondered how one can trust the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF):
How can you trust EPRDF to address much bigger demands when it is unable to address the simplest of demands of Ethio Muslims? #Ethiopia
— Oromo Network (@OromoRT) August 8, 2013
StunningHabesha (@stunningHabesha) shared photos showing the extent of police brutality:
Pics taken by a brave brothers and sisters. #EidDemonstration #Ethiopia #Injustice pic.twitter.com/sf80LQaXfe
— StunningHabesha (@stunningHabesha) August 8, 2013
The Africa desk of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) (@africamedia_CPJ) reported the alleged censoring of coverage of Eid prayer service:
#Ethiopia‘s state TV reportedly censoring coverage of #Eid service to mute #EthioMuslims #EidDemonstration via @HaletaYirga & @woliif
— africa @pressfreedom (@africamedia_CPJ) August 8, 2013
Given the country's treatment of Muslims, @atnemac wrote that it is as if being Muslim is an offense in Ethiopia:
Today I witness that being Muslim by itself is a crime. May God be wiz u sisters & brothers. #Ethiopia #EthioMuslims
— Atnaf Brhane (@atnemac) August 8, 2013
Soli (@Soliyee) and her friend Faantish (@faantish) were lucky because of their non-Muslim dressing code:
Me and @faantish was escaped from z detaintion coz we had trousers and didn,t cover our hair, they let is go.#Eiddemonstration #Ethiopia
— Soli ሶሊ (@Soliyee) August 8, 2013
Despite massive condemnation from Twitter users in Ethiopia and around the world, there were some who were supporting the crackdown.
EthioZagol (@EthioZagol) considers the protest part of the spread of Islam extremism in Ethiopia:
#EthioMuslims No to the spread of Islam Extremism in #Ethiopia in the name Of religious freedom !!!!
— EthioZagol (@EthioZagol) August 8, 2013
Ethiopian human rights activist and writer Kiflu Hussain (@HussainKiflu) responded to the “extremism” accusation by asking:
Let's say there are religious extremists in #Ethiopia.How do you deal with them?By taking extreme measures such as indiscriminate killings?
— Kiflu Hussain (@HussainKiflu) August 8, 2013
An Ethiopian student in Finland, Henok (@henoksheger), asked Muslims to respect the law:
Public demonstrators need a license required by law!! #Ethiopia #Respectthelaw #Extremism
— Henok (@henoksheger) August 8, 2013