When Emperor Haile Selassie I was approached by Saudi Arabia for permission to build a mosque in Axum, a city where one of Ethiopia’s holy Christian sites is located, he had a perfect response for them. New York has now been requested by some entities to build a mosque in the vicinity of the 9/11 massacre. The symbolism of such a daring act cannot be lost on anyone! There is no doubt that His Majesty’s wisdom would be useful for the authorities of New York as well as the government of USA in general.

First: a bit about Christianity and Islam in Ethiopia. According to the bible, the Acts, chapter 8, verses 26-39, Christianity was accepted in Ethiopia soon after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, the historic records of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church state that the first Ethiopian (the then Minister of Finance) was baptized in the year 34 AD. In addition, it should be stated that Ethiopia is mentioned in the holy bible over 40 times.