Orthodox Christian leaders in Aksum say they will not allow a mosque inside the ancient city, which they treat as holy ground. Senior cleric Godefa Merha of Our Lady Mary of Zion Church told the BBC that Aksum is “our Mecca” and “a monastery.” He argued that mosques should not stand there, just as churches are barred from Islam’s holiest sites.
Muslim residents and organisers under the banner “Justice for Aksum Muslims” are pressing for a mosque and for the call to prayer on loudspeakers. Muslims make up about 10 percent of Aksum’s roughly 73,000 people. About 85 percent are Orthodox Christians. Residents said Friday prayers sometimes draw complaints when loudspeakers are used.
Abdu Mohammed Ali, a Muslim in his forties, said families have long rented Christian-owned homes as temporary places of worship. He counted 13 such sites. Traditional doctor Aziz Mohammed said some Muslims still pray in the open because there is no mosque. Both communities recall that early Muslims found shelter in the Kingdom of Aksum around the seventh century.
About fifty years earlier, under Emperor Haile Selassie, a compromise pushed mosque building about 15 kilometres away in Wukiro-Maray. The Regional Council of Muslims said it wanted talks so Christians would accept a mosque in Aksum. Cleric Godefa said the communities live in peace but swore to keep the city’s sanctity, including keeping only Christian hymns and blessings inside the walls linked to the Ark of the Covenant.
Sources: BBC News