Harar Mosque Pictures in Skyline Hotel Restroom

H.A.J.E’s Press Release:
Attention: Mr. Mesfin Tasew
Manager, Ethiopian Airlines
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Date: April 06, 2023 
Dear Mr. Mesfin
It has come to our attention through fellow passengers that the SkyLight Hotel, a hotel that is owned by your company, has hanged frames of pictures depicting the beauty of our beloved Harar and its holiest mosques in one of the public restroom of the hotel. These pictures are hanged right above the urinals forcing people who use them to look directly into the pictures. There is no other way to describe these actions without being totally confused and wondering what was the message your hotel was trying to convey to thousands of your visitors who use the restrooms. 
Mr. Mesfin, we are sure you are familiar with the people and history of Harar, but please allow us to give you a very brief history of Harar and its historical city Jugol and its significance to the Harari and Ethiopian people in particular, and the world’s Muslim population at large.
The ancient and historical city of Harar is the jewel of not only Ethiopia but the entire east Africa and the first city state established in the region dating back more than a thousand years. The kingdom of Harar was magnanimous in its heydays and was a center of learning and culture and very well advanced in conducting interstate commerce. It occupies a special place in the hearts of the world-wide Muslim population because it is considered the world’s fourth holiest City. It was no surprise that The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) bestowed the city with the highest honor and designated it as a world heritage site. Numerous books and articles have been written describing the civilization of its people and the city’s unique place as a spiritual bastion of the Muslim world. Renowned Scholars have graced it with their presence and elevated its prestige.
But the management of your hotel chose to demean Harar’s image by exhibiting its pictures in its restroom. We are sure you will agree that this is a shameful act any way you look at it. The Harari people regard the history and cultures of all nations and nationalities in Ethiopia with the utmost respect and, certainly, they will not look upon kindly when others try to de-grade their culture and heritage. We Hararis firmly believe that images of a historical and religious city such as Harar does not belong in the restroom or anywhere that demeans it standing and its prestige. 
We understand that Ethiopian Airlines appreciates that Muslims from all over the world make a significant percentages of its passengers and they do not look kindly upon this act. We are confident  that the Ethiopian Airlines and its hotel will take the right course of action by removing the pictures from the restroom and exhibiting them in the lobby of both its passenger terminals and the lobby of the hotel befitting the prestige and historical significance of Harar. 
Moreover, in order for this matter to have a closure, we ask the Ethiopian Airlines to investigate the circumstances as to how and why these actions were carried out in the first place.
Sincerely,
Harari Alliance for Justice and Equality (H.A.J.E)
cc. Ethiopian Airlines, Marketing Dept.
      Manager, SkyLight Hotel

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