Notes on Church-State Affairs

Abstract

Said Musa, an Afghan convert to Christianity, is reportedly being held in prison even though there is no civil law in the country that bans conversion. He was arrested because he was one of several people shown in a television video of people being baptized. There is a possibility that he could be tried under Sharia law. A letter pleading for help was smuggled out of the country to Christian leaders. Evangelical Christians and other religious minorities are concerned about proposed changes in Armenia's law on religion. One proposal is that the state would conduct a “theological expert examination” before a group could be registered. Groups not providing full information would be dissolved. Sharing faith by members of an unauthorized group would be subject to punishment. Tamirat Woldegorgis was jailed for allegedly desecrating the Quran. Some of his friends were fined for providing him with food and for visiting him in jail. He was accused by a coworker in a small textile business. According to some defenders, Woldegorgis sewed the words “Jesus is Lord” into a garment, but the accuser said he had written this on a Quran. The majority of Ethiopians are categorized as Christians, but about a third are Muslims. The constitution affirms freedom of religion, but regional governments have much power. The incident occurred in Ethiopia's Somali Region Zone Five, which is governed under Muslim principles.