Ethiopian teenage girls receive prison sentence for distributing Christian book
Four Ethiopian teenage girls who distributed books about Christianity have been sentenced to one-month imprisonment on Nov. 15 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for inciting religious violence.
The four girls, Eden, 15, Gift, 14, Mihiret, 14 and Deborah, 18, were initially arrested in September for the distribution of the book titled "Let's speak the truth in love: Answers to questions by Ahmed Deedat," which aims to answer the questions about Christianity posed by the late Deedat, a South African Islamic scholar.
According to a report by World Watch Monitor, the girls will be transferred to a larger prison in the town of Gelemiso to serve their sentence. They will be placed among common criminals despite the fact that three of them are minors.
The judge ruled that an appeal can be filed after the transfer. However, the families of the girls are said to be in shock and have not decided whether they will appeal the case.
The book was deemed by local Muslims as an insult to Islam. On Sept. 19, a group of Muslims went to attack the Protestant Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in the town of Babile, resulting in damages to its doors and windows.
The leaders of MKC and Full Gospel Church (FGC) met with town officials the next day to apologize for the distribution of the book. The FGC was attacked that same night and the threats against the church leaders continued. Muslim youths allegedly told the MKC leader to leave town or risk losing his life and property.
Eden was reportedly beaten during her first night in prison when she and the other girls were first arrested. A source told World Watch Monitor that the girls are holding on to their faith despite the persecution.
"This [suffering] is an honor for us. We should expect persecution. We are not afraid. We are singing and praying here in prison," said Eden.
"It is an honor to be jailed for God's Kingdom," Deborah added.
While the Ethiopian government guarantees the freedom of religion, Evangelical Christians still face discrimination, threats and even attacks, particularly in areas where Muslims are the majority.
Even the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) is a source of persecution in the country. Fanatical members of the EOC uses its government connections to undermine other Christian denominations, according to Christian advocacy group Open Doors.
The Open Doors World Watch List ranks Ethiopia as the 18th most difficult place to live as a Christian.
