The historical interaction between islam and christianity in the horn of africa is profoundly connected with the regions specifi c historical, linguistic and cultural characteristics. For muslims, ethiopia is synonymous with freedom from persecution and emancipation from fear. One case in point is the role of ethiopia in the history of islam. In the gibe region, harerge, and arsi are millions of cushiticspeaking oromo muslims. From the axumite period, public history in ethiopia has moved from north to south, and the twentiethcentury state developed along this welltrodden path. On november 2, 1930, ras tafari makonnen was crowned emperor haile selassie i of ethiopia. By 100 ad a kingdom called axum existed in ethiopia.
In islamic history and tradition, ethiopia abyssinia or alhabasha is known as the haven of the first migration or hijra. The swahili language remains central to many east african muslims, hence the occasionally heard phrase, swahili islam. This ancient history plays a role in the selfdefinition of. View islam in ethiopia research papers on academia. Rating is available when the video has been rented. Collected essays gottinger studien zur ethnologie by ulrich braukamper pdf, epub ebook d0wnl0ad studies on islam in ethiopia have long been neglected although islam is the religious confession of almost half of the ethiopian population. Hussein ahmed addis ababa university islam in nineteenth. Islam a brief overview of the history of islam the origin of islam is placed around 610 ce when muhammad, a highly spiritual and religious man who spent months in praying and self contemplation in a secluded cave near the town of mecca, is thought to have received divine messages. Trimingham presents the general religious and cultural background of ethiopian history, into which he places a learned chronicle of the emergence and development of islam. Ethiopia and africa to have a survey of the most important published materials on the subject in recent years. Similarly, when the arabs consolidated their rule over the berbers the text reads after the islam of the berbers had been made good bada ma hasuna islam albarbar. But history is written by the powerful and now academics are rediscovering the muslim history of this country of such noble heritage.
Law and religion in ethiopia the evolution of a complex. East african muslims are mostly shafiites and some. The country lies completely within the tropical latitudes and is relatively compact, with similar northsouth and eastwest dimensions. Ethiopia s main languages geez, amharic and tigrinya are semitic, and they developed through the uninterrupted connection with arabia and the core countries of the middle east. People have lived in ethiopia for thousands of years. Christianity was introduced to ethiopia in the 4th century, and the ethiopian orthodox church called tewahdo in ethiopia is one of the oldest organized christian bodies in the world. Islam was in 2007 the second largest religion in ethiopia with over 33. Pdf ethiopia holds a special place in the history of muslimchristian relations in africa. Since the overthrow of haile sellassie in 1974, islam has spread throughout ethiopia, as evidenced by a large number of newly built mosques. Pdf pentecostal and charismatic christianity in ethiopia. Most of ethiopias muslims are sunnis, members of the largest sect of islam.
According to a survey by pew, roughly 68% of ethiopian muslims are sunni, whilst 23% are nondenominational muslims, whilst another 4% adhere to other sects such as shia, quranist, ibadi etc. However the first well known kingdom in ethiopia rose in the first century ad. An historicalanthropological approach to islam in ethiopia. For starters, islam was introduced and exercised in ethiopia way before mecca and medina became the holy cities and earlier than the emergence of the hijira islamic calendar. Ethiopia s christianity remained anchored in jerusalem, while judaism came to ethiopia even before islam and christianity. Ethiopias main languages geez, amharic and tigrinya are semitic, and they developed through the uninterrupted connection with arabia and. Most historical narratives portray ethiopias as a christian story. Ethiopia and the historical developments of muslim communities in the different regions. A history, 15701860 by mohammed hassen pdf, epub ebook d0wnl0ad this study deals mainly with the history of the oromo of the area the gibe region. The church history of ethiopia download ebook pdf, epub. The church has long enjoyed a dominant role in the culture and politics of ethiopia, having served as the official religion of the ruling elite until the demise of the monarchy in. A strong link survives with christians elsewhere in the muslim world. The migration to ethiopia that has laid down the foundations on which islam was built, was the first migration in the history of islam. The islamicbook is a website that facilitates access to islamic books that are freely readable over the internet.
The faith arrived in ethiopia at an early date, shortly before the hijira. Miles ethiopia and the horn of africa lidwien kapteijns the east african coast, c. Interpretations of islam islam is a universal religion and culture. The capital is addis ababa new flower, located almost at the centre of the country. Muslims in ethiopia, ethiopian muslims, muslim ethiopians. The christian legacy, identity politics and islamic reformism is a pioneering collection of studies on islam in contemporary ethiopia.
Click download or read online button to get the church history of ethiopia book now. The history of islam in east africa stretches back to around ce. Ethiopian islam and the challenge of diversity core. This volume challenges the popular notion of a christian ethiopia imagined as the. Pentecostal and charismatic christianity has become an increasingly noticeable phenomenon in ethiopia, which coincides with the significant rise of protestantism in the past two decades. Ethiopia is the largest and most populated country in the horn of africa. But the link between islam and ethiopia is as grand and old as the religion of islam itself. Menilek and his governors ruled ethiopias heterogeneous population indirectly, largely through accommodation and cooption.
Ethiopia is a predominantly christian country and the majority of christians are orthodox tewahedo christians, who belong to the ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church. Politics and religion in ethiopia a thesis presented to. Only a few months after its foundation, the fgbc applied for registration as a religious association. For muslims, ethiopia is synonymous with freedom from. This was a bold attempt reflecting the modernizing impulses of. Among these mainly abrahamic religions, the most numerous is christianity ethiopian orthodoxy, pentay, roman catholic totaling at 62. The christians of ethiopia initially had good relations with the converts to the new religion of islam. The histom1 ofls1am il1 africa ohio university press. The meaning and the significance of hijra is embodied in the islamic calendar. Introduction african islam has many forms, and since the introduction of the faith on the continent it has been marked by a history of multiple interactions with pre existing beliefsystems and with christianity both imported missionary christianity and indigenous forms egypt, north africa, nubia, and ethiopia.
Ethiopia, as a christian country, is isolated from the 7th century by the emergence of islam. If islam is even mentioned, it is associated with disconnected tribesman in the lowlands who battled christian kingdoms in the highlands. In 615, muhammeds wife and cousin sought refuge at axum aksum with a number of these followers. The muslimchristian war 15281560 islam was introduced to ethiopia in 615 ad when the followers of prophet mohammed, including his wife sought refuge in aksum. Situated in the horn of africa, ethiopia is bordered by eritrea to the north, sudan to the west, kenya to the south, somalia to the east and djibouti to the northeast. Ethiopia was a land where its king, negus or alnajashi, was a person renowned for justice and in whose land human rights were cherished. The first attempt to compile the law in the legal history of ethiopia. Fascinating history on the islamic expansion in ethiopia. Pentecostal and charismatic christianity in ethiopia. There are a minority of christians who are roman catholic or protestant. Islam is a monotheistic religious tradition that developed in the middle east in the 7th century c.
Pdf religion, politics and the dilemma of modernising. Jon abbink, an historicalanthropological approach to islam in ethiopia. Until the mid20th century, it remained largely confined to the coast and closely bound up with the history of the swahili towns situated on it. Ethiopian treasures explores the many varied aspects of ethiopia including its history, culture, tradition, religion, language, calendar, geography and climate. Islam has a very long history in the country, going back. The main religions in ethiopia are christianity, islam, judaism and paganism.
A party of converts to islam in arabia fled persecution across the red sea. The author is deepy indebted to arif shamim of karachi and farooq siddiqui of texas for their intellectual contribution to this work in addition to thus speaks the bible and hindu fundamentalism. It covers various fields such as philology, religious studies, anthropology and the history of christianity in ethiopia and roughly covers the last forty years. Islamic history is a vital part of ethiopias richness. Pouwels the coastal hinterland and interior of east africa david c. It also aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit and edification of all. Different people and different authors give different explanations on their origins. Ethiopian muslims history islam in ethiopia the haven of the first hijra migration. There is also a longstanding but small jewish community. A history, 15701860 by mohammed hassen the oromo of ethiopia. Scholars who tend to focus on islam in specific societies may overlook connections that, over the centuries, were important in shaping various islamic intercultural dialogs. The history of ethiopia was a continuous struggle of the christian polity against muslim and pagan tribes, either warding off their attacks or striving to expand the ethiopian domain over them. The prophet himself instructed his followers to respect and protect ethiopians.
With the advent of islam there was a political upheaval as well as a religious one in the region. For them, the history of the argobba and of the coming of islam to ethiopia are one and the same. One historical episode is an exception to this pattern. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
Religion in ethiopia consists of a number of faiths. Pdf transformations of islam and communal relations in wallo. For the billions of nonethiopian muslims throughout the world, the connection between islam and ethiopia is of a minor significance, if at all, and very little is known about it. Ethiopia is therefore a land that means freedom of expression and protection. The christian legacy, identity politics and islamic reformism is. Believed to be a descendant of king solomon and the queen. While the western coast of africa faces the vastness of the. Pdf the muslims in ethiopia complex and muslim identity. The muslims in ethiopia complex and muslim identity. This is a historical study, based on oral and documentary sources of the nineteenthcentury islamic expansion among the oromo in wallo, northern. Pdf the oromo and the historical process of islamisation. Ethiopias christianity remained anchored in jerusalem, while judaism came to ethiopia even before islam and christianity. The ethiopian muslim and christian war ethiopian treasures. Islam, which literally means surrender or submission, was founded on the teachings of the.
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