In April 1999, two Muslim communities attempted to construct new mosques but abandoned the construction when local Orthodox Church members caused damage to the construction sites and beat one Muslim who tried to prevent their actions. In February 1999, a Seventh-Day Adventist minister rented a room in a building in Bahir Dir and conducted a religious service. Local Ethiopian Orthodox Church members gathered outside the building and threw stones. There were no reported injuries. Nevertheless, in most sections of the country Orthodox Christians and Muslims participate in each other's religious observances, and there is tolerance for intermarriage and conversion in certain areas, most notably in Welo, as well as in urban areas throughout the country.
Most urban areas reflect a mixture of all religious denominations.
Longstanding evangelical Protestant denominations, particularly the Mekane Yesus Church and Kale Hiwot Churches, provide social services such as health care and education to nonmembers as well as to members. Mekane Yesus and Kale Hiwot leaders reported improved relations with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church during the period covered by this report. Ethiopian and Eritrean religious leaders representing the two countries' major faiths traveled to Oslo, Norway in November 1998 for a Norwegian Church aid-sponsored peace conference. While the religious leadership's peace efforts failed to avert the renewal of conflict, the endeavor enhanced communication links among the religious leadership. The U.S. Embassy meets regularly with the leaders of all of the religious communities.