Ethiopian Muslims Protest After Several Mosques Are Burned

Several thousand Muslims from all over Ethiopia have protested in recent days against the burning of four mosques in the Amhara region, especially after the attacks in Motta city where many Muslim-owned businesses were damaged.

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The attacks on Motta, which occurred on December 20, have caused an active response from the Muslim community, calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Analysts also warn that recent ethnically motivated riots in some parts of the country have sometimes taken a religious angle.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the attacks "attempts by extremists to break our rich history of tolerance and religious coexistence".

Although ethnic violence has been a persistent problem during Abiy's rule, recent unrest appears to have been motivated, at least in part, by religion.

During several days of violence in the Oromia region in October, in which more than 80 people were killed, attacks on mosques and Orthodox Christian churches were reported.

Prominent Muslim scholar Kamil Shemsu told the AP on Tuesday that there are "political actors who want to pit one religious group against another.

Amhara regional officials said they have arrested 15 suspects in connection with the attacks, but regional authorities have been heavily criticized for their slow response and inability to stop similar attacks.

Muslims make up about one-third of Ethiopia's population of 110 million, surpassed only by Orthodox Christians by 40 percent, according to the latest census conducted in 2007.