Ethiopian Muslims Protest Indoctrination by Government Sponsored Sect

Written by Muslim Link StaffThursday, 24 November 2011 12:16

 

About a thousand local Ethiopian American Muslims protest in front of the StateDepartment on November 21. Photo courtesy of Ethio-American Ad-Hoc Committee.

Muslims concede that things have changed radically since America launched its global “war onterror” after the 9/11 attacks. Bush's “with us or against us” ultimatum left most government's ofthe world little choice but to put their air and land in service of America's war.

 

Ethiopia is a striking example of how far things have changed for the world's Muslims.

The Prophet Salallahu 'alyhi wa sallam ordered the oppressed Muslims of Makkah to migrate toEthiopia because there they would find a just ruler.

But on a rainy Monday, November 21, 2011, about one thousand local Ethiopian-AmericanMuslims staged a protest in front of the State Department, asking the United States to preventUS taxpayer funds from supporting the Ethiopian government's oppression of its Muslimminority. [UPDATE: Ethiopian Muslims say their status as a 'minority' is doubtful, and theirnumbers account for 50-60% of the population. They say the government intentionallymisrepresents their numbers in order to keep the balance of power in its favor. -- TML]

1 / 3

Ethiopian Muslims Protest Indoctrination by Government Sponsored Sect

Written by Muslim Link StaffThursday, 24 November 2011 12:16

The protest was organized by an Ad-hoc Committee of local Ethiopian American Muslimconsisting about around 15 members.

In a letter to Ambassador Johnnie Carson, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of AfricanAffairs at the US State Department, the Ad-hoc Committee wrote “our concern lies in thegovernment’s unconstitutional restrictions imposed on the peace loving Ethiopian Muslimsthrough the promotion of a religious sect of its choice.” The religious sect referred to is a groupcommonly known as the “Ahbash” or “Habashis”, founded by Ethiopian-Lebanese Muslimscholar Sheikh Abdullah al-Harari . The sect is best known in the United States for claiming theqibla direction in North America is south-east instead north-east, the direction agreed upon byall major Muslim organizations in the nation. In the west, the sect operates under theorganization name “Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (AICP)”.

The government of Meles Zenawi put the Ahbash in charge of the religious affairs of Ethiopia'sMuslims earlier this year, and the Ahbash have started a heavy handed indoctrination programthroughout areas with heavy Muslim populations, forcing people to attend “religious training”camps or face police interviews and possible arrest.

Ethiopian Muslims say this move by the government is in violation of the Ethiopian constitutionwhich prevents the government from getting involved in religious affairs, but is tacitly supportedby the United States, in large part because the Ahbash are seen as a friendly alternative to“Wahabi” Islam which the West sees as extreme and often militant. Ahbash Imams beingbrought over from Lebanon fill the country's Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and teachEthiopians that “Wahabis” are non-Muslims.

First Hijrah Board Member and Ad-Hoc Committee member Zenith Muhammad said reportsabout the indoctrination camps including video and audio footage are being circulatedthroughout the Ethiopian Muslim diaspora.

“They are taking people from work and from school and forcing them to attend these camps,and then teaching them that 'wahabi' means kafir, and then asking them to take the shahadah[declaration of faith] again, all this while they are surrounded by police,” said Sister Zenith. Manylocal Ethiopian Muslims refused to speak to the Muslim Link on record, for fear that theirrelatives will face harassment by the Ethiopian government. Sister Zenith said she cared for herreligion more than her family, so it was important for her to speak out.

2 / 3

Ethiopian Muslims Protest Indoctrination by Government Sponsored Sect

Written by Muslim Link StaffThursday, 24 November 2011 12:16

At the protest, marchers held placards and chanted as a group in Amharic and in English,saying things like “We don't want a foreign ideology to be imported with our tax dollars”. TheUnited States has been providing foreign aid to Ethiopia for decades, but with Ethiopia being astaging country for fighting Muslim groups in Somalia and hosting a drone base, more USdollars are flowing to the Ethiopian government.

The protest startd around 9 AM and ended around 1 PM with thuhr prayer on the sidewalk.Ad-Hoc Committee members said they plan to deliver messages to all the embassies of Muslimnations in the DC area, and to human rights and other non-governmental organizations involvedin African affairs.

Asked what he felt the protest achieved, Awel Ahmed said awareness. “We identified theproblem and are [going] to tackle it as Muslims together. [The protest] helped strengthen ourunity In Shaa Allah.”

3 / 3