4 Ethiopian Muslims beat evangelist to death, assault his pregnant wife

Pray for Ethiopian believers today!

International Christian Concern (ICC) learned that four Muslims beat an evangelist to death and assaulted his pregnant wife in Worabe, Ethiopia, on April 21.

An ICC spokesperson told ASSIST News Service that the Muslims lured Evangelist Abraham Abera from Kale Hiwot Church, his home and place of ministry, telling him that his friend was sick and needed his immediate attention.

Abraham left with the men; they turned on him and began to beat him with rods. The minister’s wife, Birtukan, ran to intervene, but the Muslims beat her as well.

Abraham died on the spot and his wife, who sustained a severe head injury, was left unconscious in the street. She was found and taken to a hospital in Butajira, where she regained consciousness on April 22.

Birtukan spoke with an ICC source and said that she knew two of the attackers. She said that as the Muslims were beating her and her husband, they told them, “You (Christians) are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message (the gospel). We will destroy you.”

Birtukan’s unborn baby fortunately survived the attack.

The attackers remain at large. A Christian leader in the area told ICC that the men may not be arrested because the local officials are also Muslims. The area is 97 percent Muslim.