BY HAILE DEMEKE
ADDIS ABABA – TPLF has desecrated religious sites and looted sacred artifacts to terrorize people in areas it occupied, according to Christian and Muslim clerics.
Deacon Daniel Seifamikael and Ustaz Abubaker Ahmed told local media recently that TPLF focused on destroying the religious assets and many of the religious sites and religious artifacts are being vandalized.
The terrorist group destroyed religious sites as a tool of warfare to create fear on the mind of the people, Deacon Daniel said adding the main reason behind the destruction of the religious sites and artifacts is to demoralize the communities into giving up their rebellion to the invading force.
In an effort to safeguard their places of worship and religious artifacts, communities may choose to surrender. If they destroy those historical sites, the society may lose identity and their objective is to erase the identity of the society, he said.
Ustaz Abubaker Ahmed said what the terrorist group committed is against the Ethiopian culture and ethics. The people’s values are intertwined with our religious and other social values. The terrorist TPLF has caused innumerable troubles upon residents of Woldia town and also other areas in Amhara and Afar regions.
The young generations need to follow the footsteps of the religious leaders like Abune Ermias and Sheikh Yasin Endris who provided safety and security to the people during the conflict. “We all are responsible for restoring historical assets and also supporting the government in the reconstruction process.”
The group has deliberately targeted historical sites to weaken the link between the community and their cultural and historic roots. They focused on robbing a sense of identity; then communities are more likely to surrender because they don’t want to lose their identity.
Deacon Daniel Seifamikael said on his part that religion plays a significant role in strengthening social interactions and also protecting societal values of the country. Those societal values are the identity of a group of people and religious leaders play an irreplaceable role in teaching the young generations.
The January 5/2022
