CAIRO: A group of Ethiopian Muslim student activists and their Christian friends have lashed out again at international media coverage of alleged friction between the two religious groups in the East African country. They told Bikyamasr.com on Thursday that “the only turmoil between Christians and Muslims is what the media is making out of the events here.” They said that recent crackdowns on Muslims in the country are the result of “ongoing government oppression and should not be seen as a sign of sectarian divides in the country.” One of the Christians, Maria, argued that “the media want to show our Muslim sisters and brothers as antagonistic toward Christians, but the reality is that we are all battling the government and its violence against all Ethiopians.” Tensions reached their peak on July 13, when the government raided a gathering at the Awalia Mosque in Addis Ababa, where government officials said Muslim leaders were planning further protests. Ethiopian authorities said more than 70 people were arrested in the operation, including the members of the mosque's central organizing committee. A week later, thousands of Muslims gathered at the Anwar Mosque to protest the arrests. More activists were detained following police attacks. The media coverage has been a focal point of anger from the Muslim students, who have repeatedly told Bikyamasr.com they are frustrated over how Islam is being portrayed in the country. They said that they were not radical Islamists and that “we are not against Christians" in the country, have said they would like to see coverage of the situation in their country more “moderate and in touch with the reality on the ground." While they admitted that “tensions are high" in the country, especially with the recent police attacks against Muslims at mosques, “we are not on the verge of an Islamic backlash or conflict as some reports are suggesting. “Muslims in Ethiopia respect our Christian brothers and sisters and are hopeful that the recent fights and violence will not lead to a larger conflict between Muslims and Christians. We have other more important issues to deal with now in Ethiopia," the group, which called themselves “concerned Muslim Ethiopians," added. It came only days after they affirmed that they were not radical Muslims. “We are a group of university students and we are frustrated with much of the coverage that has been existing in the international media concerning the protests that have been taking place in our country," the email began. “As Muslims living in Ethiopia we would like the world to know that we are not against Christians, but are against the government's efforts to crackdown on our community and attempt to tell us which version of Islam we should be following. “The police have attacked and even killed Muslims at mosques for not complying with the government on our faith. This is unacceptable and we would like to bring the international attention to our situation and warn against labeling us Muslims as radical. We are not. We are simply citizens who want to practice our faith as we want," the statement continued. Internationally, reports have suggested that “radical Islam" is battling the government in a push toward violence. The university students say this is simply not true and a “fear tactic against Islam." Muslims in Ethiopia are reporting massive violence meted out against them by the country's security forces. Activists have reported police attacked a series of mosque sit-ins around Addis Ababa over the past month, with a number of injuries being reported. The activists have used Facebook and Twitter as the main means of communicating. They have distributed photos and stories of police brutality in what has become a tense situation in the predominantly Christian country of 80 million people. The crackdown on Muslims in the country come as the government fears extremism is on the rise, being imported into the country from neighboring Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Activists say this is not the case and they are protesting to demand their right to freedom of religion. “We just want our freedom and to get the government to let us have it," the student's statement added.
