The persecution faced by Christians in Ethiopia often depends on where they live. For example, in urban areas and areas that are mainly Protestant, Christians who leave the Ethiopian Orthodox Church will face less serious consequences, although they may still face opposition from their families.
But in rural communities that are mainly made up of members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Christians who choose to be part of another denomination are often ostracised or even attacked.
In rural communities that are mainly Muslim, Christians are often denied access to communal resources or even attacked by extremists. Christians from Muslim backgrounds face pressure from their families and communities.
In Ethiopia, all Christian communities are affected by persecution, though non-traditional Christians face the harshest persecution both from the government and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Setting up religious broadcasting services and teaching about religion in schools is illegal.
Muslim converts to Christianity, particularly in the Eastern and Southeast, and cross-denominational converts from an Orthodox background face harsh mistreatment from their families and communities. In some areas, Christians are denied access to community resources or are ostracized from society. In some places, such as Ogaden, Islamic mobs attack churches.
There is no sphere of life where the pressure on Christians scores less than 10, which indicates Christians, though a majority, face high levels of persecution.
The 2-point reduction is due mainly to a decrease in violence. There was also a very slight reduction in pressure. Many factors have led to this, including the fact that the government is not as restrictive as it used to be.
Open Doors has been active in Ethiopia since the late 1980s. Through the local Church we want to ensure that church members are prepared for persecution and receiving adequate support in it, are involved in continuous discipleship, can make the most of livelihood opportunities, are involved in gospel-sharing and have enhanced understanding trauma and the skills to support fellow Christians.
Programs include:
NB! Dokumentet er på engelsk
Leder: Statsminster Abiy Ahmed
Befolkning: 110,1 mill.
Kristne: ca. 65,8 mill.
Hovedreligion: Kristendom (ortodoks)
Regjeringsform: Republikk
Plassering: 39
Siste år: 28
Score: 63/100
Siste år: 65/100
Etiopia 21. november 2018
Unge etiopiske kristne lokkes med løfter om arbeid og utdannelse hvis de konverterer til islam, ifølge den britiske hjelpeorganisasjonen Aid to Church in Need (ACN). En kristen leder som ønsker å være anonym, fortalte ACN at fattige kristne er spesielt utsatt for løfter om gode fremtidsutsikter hvis de konverterer.
