| Revision as of 21:33, 7 June 2012 editYuunushaajii (talk | contribs)4 edits ←Created page with ''''Ahbashism''' <ref name="MohammedSabryApril22">{{cite news|last=Sabry|first=Mohammed|title=Ethiopia Muslims Decry Ahbashism Campagin|url=http://www.onislam.net...' | Latest revision as of 08:56, 8 July 2016 edit undoNiceguyedc (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers413,304 editsm v1.39 - change targetTag: WPCleaner | ||
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| '''Ahbashism''' <ref name="MohammedSabryApril22">{{cite news|last=Sabry|first=Mohammed|title=Ethiopia Muslims Decry Ahbashism Campagin|url=http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/456710-ethiopia-muslims-decry-ahbashism-campaign.html|date=April 22, 2012}}</ref> is a name derived by the media to call a project of successive training sessions that has been applied in Ethiopia which is claimed the government of the country and its supporters as a necessary measure to eradicated the extremism sowed in Ethiopia by ] sect; but the majority of Muslims say it is a mass indoctrination campaign to expand the controversial sect of ] in Ethiopia. The campaign was launched in July 2011 and it has caused a strong mass uprising in the country. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16">{{cite news|last=Hajji|first=Yuunus|title=Ahbashism, Government and Ethiopian Muslim Protests|url=http://www.ethiomedia.com/2012_report/ahbashism_campaign.pdf|date=May 16, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary">{{cite news|last=Abdusalam|first=Ubah|title=The Ahbashism Campagin in Ethiopia and the Resistance of the Muslim Society|url=www.bilaltube.com/articles/read-the-“ahbashism”-campaign-in-ethiopia-and-the-resistance-of-the-muslim-people_56.html|date=February 12, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ==Introduction== | |||
| According to Ethiopian Muslim sources, in July 2011, “the Ethiopian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs” (popularly called “Majlisul A’ila” or “Majlis” in short; it is derived from the ] name of the council) has started a country wide program aimed at amalgamating the Muslim populace according to the beliefs and doctrines of the politico-religious faction called ] (the '''Abyssinians''', a term denoting Ethiopia where Sheikh Abdullah Al-Harari, the founder of the faction, was born). <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/>The program started by training the leaders of the Majlis committee of the districts and imams of the mosques and in the long run, according to informants, it will encompass all Muslims of the country. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> Muslims say this indoctrination effort of Majlis is fully supported by Ethiopian government. Sources say the two parties (the Majlis and the government) claim that the new campaign is undertaken to eradicate religious extremism from the country which a radical Islamist movement called ] was sowing in every direction for more than a decade. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Many Sources say that the wide majority (over 85%) of Ethiopian Muslims believe the Ahbashism campaign to be unconstitutional and illegal blow aimed at suppressing their religious rights and that they are trying to repel the campaign in all possible ways. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| == Ahbash and Ethiopian Muslims== | |||
| '''Al-Ahbash''' was established as a religious sect in Beirut, Lebanon, when the aforementioned Ethiopian-Lebanese scholar called Sheikh Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al-Harari Al-Habashi assumed a leadership of a charity organization called '''Association of Islamic Charitable Projects''' in 1983. <ref name="Kabha">{{cite journal | last =Kabha | first =Mustafa | coauthors = Erlich, Haggai | title =Al-Ahbash and Wahhabiyya: Interpretations of Islam | journal =International Journal of Middle East Studies | volume =38 | issue =4 | page =519-538 | publisher =Cambridge University Press | location =United States | year =2006 | url =http://www.jstor.org/stable/4129146 | doi =10.1017.S0020743806384024 | accessdate =2012-06-2 }}</ref><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The organization was founded in 1930 and remained purely a charity endowment until sheikh Abdullah’s takeover of its leadership. Once installed himself as a leader, the sheikh turned the organization to a new faction proclaiming itself a preacher of the true creed of “Ahlu-Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah” (Sunni Islam). <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> As noted in the above section, the Ethiopian origin of sheikh Abdullah Al-Harari gave to his organization the popular nickname known as ] (the Abyssinians) to whom members of the association have no objection. <ref name ="SufiResponse">{{cite journal | last =Hamzeh | first =A. Nizar | coauthors =Dekmejian, R. Hrair | title =A Sufi Response to Political Islamism: Al-Ahbash of Lebanon | journal =International Journal of Middle East Studies | volume =28 | issue = | pages =217–229 | publisher =American University of Beirut | location =Beirut, Lebanon | year =1996 | url =http://ddc.aub.edu.lb/projects/pspa/al-ahbash.html | doi = 10.1017/S0020743800063145| accessdate =2009-06-1}}</ref> The members of the association say that they adhere to the ] school of law, one of the four canonically accepted legal schools of Sunni Islam. <ref name="Kabha"/><ref name ="SufiResponse"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> | |||
| According to Ahbash, the theology of Sunni Islam has been polluted by a continuous waves emanating from the Wahhabiyya sect which was pioneered agitated by old time clerics like ] and ] (14th century Syrian scholars), synthesized as separate school by the 18th century Saudi scholar called ] , and highly propagated from the beginning of 20th century by the state backed Saudi scholars and their adversaries throughout the world. <ref name="Kabha"/><ref name="SufiResponse"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Ahbash says “The adherents of Wahhabiyya blaspheme the Muslim majority of polytheism while the latter worship only one God. They denounce the veneration of the shrines of the Muslim saints as an act of polytheism while Islam doesn’t forbid it. They even shed the blood of Muslims who argued with them on this issue. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> They negate the Muslim majority by formulating a new school other than the four schools of Sunni Islam. Through its extremism and incapability to co-exist with other faiths, the Wahhabiyya has given a very bad image to Islam and Muslims.”<ref name="SufiResponse"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5">{{cite news|last=Haajii|first=Five Killed as Ethiopian Muslim Protests Continue|url=http://www.ethiomedia.com/2012_report/3744.html|date=May 5, 2012}}</ref><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Ahbash also teaches that its followers shouldn’t emphasize political activism on primary basis even though they have rights to do so, and they should largely focus on accumulating practical knowledge and striving to be high competitors in commerce and industry. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> For Ahbash, whatever the motive would be there is no need to protest against the law of any country as long as the governments of these countries respect the basics of freedom of worship. <ref name="Kabha"/> This is very essential in the case of non-Islamic countries of the world. Even in Islamic countries, where Muslims are the majority, protesting is not allowed. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> The Ahbash justifies this statement by quoting the popular saying of the prophet which addresses the people to obey a Muslim regime even if the leader is a brutal and oppressive one. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> In contrast, Ahbash believes that the ] sect seeks to install a government based on “Sharia” law even in non-Muslim countries. For that, Ahbash say the “Wahhabi” sect is unfit to exist in today’s world because of its supposedly intolerant and extremist behavior. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/>"<ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| However, the vast majority of Ethiopian Muslims see Ahbash as a deviant sect whose doctrinal settings don’t fit the true Sunni beliefs. They say that the faction’s claim of following the “Shafi’i” rite has been disproved by famous scholars of Shafi’i school. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> <ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/>For this claim, they point to the “fatwa” (religious edict) given by famous Islamic institutions like “Al-Azhar University” (Egypt) which is the main propagator of Shafi’i school of law. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| These Muslims also say that Ahbash’s defense of non-Islamic practices such as shrine venerations are not supported by Shafi’i school of law because Islam doesn’t teach the worship of worldly gods. Some of the bad practices prevalent among Muslims of Ethiopia (like shrine venerations, superstitions, use of magic etc…) came from backwardness and Muslim preachers must teach the people about their danger. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> The effort of Ahbash to defend these practices clearly shows that the faction has no concern for the first and most important principle of Islam which is to worship only one God. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> And it is nobody else but the one who opposes these non-Islamic practices whom the Ahbash faction calls “Wahhabiyya”. On conclusion, the majority of Muslims say “Ahbash clearly strives to demolish the true tenets of Islam which can be justified by its deviated stance on the worship of Allah”.<ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Another accusation raised by the Muslim majority is the issue of heresy. Most of the Muslims believe that Ahbash promotes confusing and highly heretical doctrines.<ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/> <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The list of these heretical beliefs include (among others): It is forbidden to ask Allah to forgive all Muslims and a Muslim must seek forgiveness only for himself; there is no “Zakat” (obligatory alms) on paper money; Muslim women can wear tights and woman’s wearing of “niqab” (face-veil) is out of Islam ; receiving bank interest is allowed as long as the owners of the bank are non- Muslims; you can cheat or lie to non-Muslim and you can steal the property of non-Muslim; you can curse and insult the companions of the prophet (s.a.w) who rebelled against the caliphate of Ali ibn Abu Talib, the fourth caliph of Sunni Islam etc…<ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The other most important accusation on Ahbash is directed on the organization’s practice of “Takfir” (an edict of apostasy on those who are believed to violate the orders of Islam). <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> It is said that Ahbash categorized those Muslims who doesn’t adhere to its beliefs as “apostates” and members are told to excommunicate these “apostates”. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The list of these “apostates” includes many of the leading Muslim scholars starting from the imams of the Grand Mosque of Mecca (Masjid Al-Haram). The majority of Muslims believe that the purpose of these apostasy “fatawa” (Takfir) is to disrupt the unity and peace of the Muslim society. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The political passiveness advocated by Ahbash is also rejected by the mass. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The majority of the Muslims believe that Islam doesn’t prohibit from participating in politics; it teaches rather everybody should use his knowledge and money to serve his country and people. On the other hand, the majority of Ethiopian Muslims believe that the issue of Islamic state has never been advocated by any section of the Muslim mass. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| == “Instigators” and “Sponsors” of Ahbashism Campaign== | |||
| The majority of Muslims believe that the ideology of Ahbash is favored by different parties for different reasons. In their eye, the first of these parties to support a plan of spreading the Ahbash ideology in Ethiopia were the leaders of “Majlis” who are terrified by the growth of “Wahhabi” sect. Some of my informants (who told me not to expose their identity) said that they heard “Majlis” leaders saying “The Wahhabi sect posed a big threat on the shrines of Muslim saints and old standing Sufi practices such as the celebration of the birth day of Prophet Muhammad. We couldn’t protect ourselves from the expanding ‘Wahhabi’ sect. So we must combat it in collaboration of groups such as Ahbash who are experienced in attacking Wahhabism.”<ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The second party perceived as the instigator of the campaign includes a handful of western countries who were highly concerned about what they call “the growing Wahhabi influence in Ethiopia”. <ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> For the west, Ethiopian Muslim scholars say, the growth of “Wahhabism” is not a matter of faith; it is an issue of a threat to their national interest and security. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The westerns believe that radical groups like Al-Qa’ida are influenced by “Wahhabi ideology”. Therefore, according to the belief of many Muslim scholars, the “Ahbashism campaign” whose aim was to counter the “Wahhabi growth” must have been supported by these western nations.<ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/><ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/><ref name="YuunusHaajiiMay5"/> However, the westerns do so usually through indirect methods. For example, sources say that some western countries were financing the rehabilitation projects of Muslim shrines whose existence became at risk due to the expansion of the so called “Wahhabi” sect. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Some people also argue that certain scholars regarded as experienced analysts of the geopolitics of the horn of Africa such as Hagai Erlich, the Professor Emeritus of history Tel Aviv University, were advocating the importance of favoring the Ahbash sect which would be in their sight beneficial for both Ethiopia and its western allies. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The third and most important party accused by Muslims of instigating “the Ahbashism” campaign is the government of Ethiopia. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> They say that the Ethiopian government decided to have a leading role in the campaign because of certain socially and geo-politically motivated scenarios. These include government’s interest to use the campaign as one method of “divide and rule” system, the political passiveness advocated by Ahbash, the pressure coming from the diplomatic nations which stressed that “Wahhabism” should be curtailed, and the continuous appealing of the leadership of the “Majlis” against the rival sect of “Wahhabiya”. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> For all of these parties, according to viewers, “Ahbash” is an ideal candidate thought as having the ability to set back the expansion of the “Wahhabiyya” sect. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| However, the majority of Muslims believe that the parties presumed as the instigators of the Ahbashism campaign are either ignorant of the reality of Ethiopian Muslim society and Ahbash faction or they are cheating the mass by magnifying the evils of the so called “Wahhabiyya” sect. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> They say that teaching strictness in worship of only one God is Islam’s basic tenet and it shouldn’t be linked to any sect. Furthermore, Ethiopian Muslim preachers hardly encourage their followers to demolish the shrines of saints. What they do is discouraging the people visiting the shrines of saintly figures. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| On the other hand, many Muslims believe that the growing observance of religious practices by Ethiopian Muslims cannot be attached to external sources; it is a product brought by Ethiopian Muslims themselves, and it shouldn’t be feared by politicians as a threat to national security. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> Furthermore, many people stress that due to the so called “growing Wahhabi influence”, Ethiopian Muslims don’t change their good conduct of religious tolerance for which they have been known for centuries. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| == Implementation of the Campaign== | |||
| Ethiopian Muslims say that “the Ahbashism campaign” officially began in July/2011 when the Ministry of the Federal Affairs of Ethiopia and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (Majlis) arranged a training session for 600 Muslim clerics elected from different parts of the country. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The luxuries training had taken place in one campus of Haramaya University (located in Harar, East Ethiopia). The Minister of the Federal Affairs announced on spot that the government allocated more than 11,000,000 Ethiopian Birr (around 8000,000 USD) for a series of trainings focusing on peace and religious tolerance. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The trainers came from Beirut where the Ahbash headquarter is located. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/> | |||
| However, the majority of Muslims explain that the training was not focused on religious tolerance as the Minister of Federal Affairs said. The main course of the session was titled “the Evil Caused by Wahhabiyyah”. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> Even in some occasions, the Lebanese Ahbash scholars were seen enforcing the trainees to announce their belief in new form by uttering the two Islamic testimony of faith (i.e. saying “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”). <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Similar trainings were undertaken throughout the whole of the country. Those who refused to participate in the trainings would be removed from the leadership of the district and Zonal “Majlis” and from being imam of the mosques. As result, thousands were thrown out of the mosques where they served the community for many years. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The government has undertaken a series of persuasive meetings throughout the country. Some of these meeting were lead by the top government officials. For example, Minister Juneydi Sado (minister of civil service) has been preaching the Ahbash ideology to the Muslim residents of many towns of Oromia regional state. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> Officials like Bereket Simon (minister of government communications affairs), Kuma Demeksa (mayor of Addis Ababa city) and Redwan Hussein (head of the Addis Ababa EPRDF office) have also tried their best to convince the Muslim members of the ruling party to accept the continuity of Ahbashism campaign. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Muslims say that since August/2011, the government officials were undertaking a terrorizing media campaign. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> On one occasion, the Minister of the Federal Affairs said “The government has officially declared ‘Wahhabiya’ to be an extremist sect that strives to topple the constitution and install an Islamic state” (His statement was published on the weekly Amharic called “Reporter”). Documentary films and Radio programs were broadcasted on the state run media. The press owned by the government continuously published propaganda articles supporting the Ahbashism campaign. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The government expressed its support to the “Majlis” when the latter deposed the committees of different Islamic madrasa (schools). It also stood on the side of “Majlis” when 50 teachers of Aweliya Islamic College were sacked and the college was put under the board of the directors lead by Majlis representatives; some of them are well-known members of Ahbash (the current chairperson of the board is Sheikh Azzam Yusuf, vice president of the Federal Majlis and a leading member of Ahbash organization in Ethiopia.). <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Meanwhile, the government opened a massive harassment campaign especially in the countryside. Thousands are reportedly arrested and held in prisons without any charges. Many scholars were prohibited from teaching Islamic subjects. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| == The Reaction of Muslim Society of Ethiopia== | |||
| The Ahbashism campaign was met by an “Anti-Ahbashism Campaign” in which the majority of the Muslims are expressing their discontent and disapproval of the Ahbashism campaign. The “Anti-Ahbashism” campaign has three features. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| 1. Chellenging the Legality of the “Ahbashism” Campaign and the Role of the Government: Since the beginning of the “Ahbashim campaign” in July 2011, many writers have challenged the legality of the government’s interfrerene in the religious affairs of the Muslims. Distingiuished personalities who represent the Muslim majority have been speaking on Newspapers and radio broadcasts for the right of the Muslim society. Some of the newspapers have faced repressions from the government for publishing articles criticizing the “Majlis” and the government. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| 2. Awarness Creation Activities: Since July/ 2011, many Muslims were teaching the Muslim mass on the history and beliefs of the “Ahbash” faction. Young Muslim writers and journalists produce books, audiois and videos exposing the reality of “Ahbash”. Preachers have been teaching the public on the true demand of Ahbash faction. Muslim youth in Addis Ababa and many towns formed social clubs to deliver lectures on the ideological paradigms and historical background of Ahbash. Social netwronking sites like “Facebook” and “Twitter” were effectively used for awareness creation purposes. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| 3. Mass Protests: The strongest of all anti-Ahbashism resistance movements is the peaceful public demonstration being held weekly at Aweliya Institute and many mosques of Addis Ababa and other towns. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> (Discussed below) | |||
| == The Aweliya Uprising and Other Protests in Addis Ababa== | |||
| When the Majlis sacked 50 Arabic language teachers from Aweliya Islamic Institue, the students became angry and filled the compound of the institute in protest. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/><ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> They demanded the Majlis allow back their teachers and expressed not to leave the compound unless the Majlis gave them a satisfactory reply. The protest continued for about a week; in the last three days, the students passed the night in the compound of the institute. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| After a week, the protesting students were joined by a large mass of the Muslim people. <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> So students’ “Return back our teachers” question was developed to the public “The People want to step down “Majlis” question. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> The protests had remained a weekly public rally confined only at Aweliya Institute and the surrounding areas where hundreds of thousands of Muslims pray the mandatory Friday Prayer (Salatul Jum’a) together and speak against “the Ahbashism campaign” in one voice. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> But after March 2/2012 it slowly spread to many mosques of Addis Ababa. The main centers of protests are however, the two mosques located in central Addis Ababa called “Masjid Anwar” and “Masjid Al-Nur”. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| == The Provisional Solution Finding Committee== | |||
| On the third public rally at Aweliya Institute (January 28/2012), the attendants of the mass movement elected a committee of 17 members which represents them and speak on their behalf. Through a massive networking and petition collecting activity undertaken in few days, the committee has got support from millions of the citizens. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| == The Rising Tension with the with Government == | |||
| Even though the Minister of the Federal affairs of Ethiopia was said to be the main actor in the Ahbashism campaign, the public didn’t condemn it for about seven months. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> Likewise, Muslims remain silent when the Minister of the Federal Affairs briefed the journalists that the government openly passes a declaration that “Wahhabiyya is an extremist sect”. Muslim scholars say “We were thinking that the government authorities had no knowledge about the background of the Ahbash sect which is a very fanatic and extremist sect than any known school in Islam”. Moreover, it was thought that the government’s support to the “Majlis” was emanating from some pro-Ahbash officials and it might not be the government’s policy. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| Holding these facts, the committee representing the Muslim majority presented three requests for the Ministry of Federal Affairs. | |||
| 1. The current leadership of “Majlis” doesn’t represent Ethiopian Muslims, so it must be substituted by an elected representatives of the Muslim society (it is said that the last election of Majlis leadership was undertaken in 2000) <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| 2. The “Majlis” should stop indoctrinating the people with Ahbash ideology (But Ahbash can preach its ideology independently) <ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| 3. The Aweliya Islamic institute should be administered by an independent board of directors which has no attachment to “Majlis” <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="UbahAbdusalamFebruary"/> | |||
| The government approved the committee’s legal status and invited it to discuss the demand of the Muslim society. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> At start it seemed a positive arbitrator and promised to answer the questions in a positive way appointing the committee members for another discussion. When the discussion was held on the planned date, however, it turned back against its words. The government openly said “The problem of our country is not Ahbash. It is Wahhabiya who has been fueling religious tensions in the country. Churches and mosques were burned and many people were slaughtered by Wahhabiyya. Places like Aweliya were serving the Wahhabiya sect to expand. We won’t allow this anymore. We will continue to suppress the Wahhabiya sect”. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> | |||
| With regard to the three questions the Federal Affairs Ministry said | |||
| 1. “A new Majlis leadership election will be undertaken soon; but Wahhabiya has no right to participat in the election. | |||
| 2. Teaching the Ahbash ideology will continue under the future Majlis. But people have their right to believe in the ideology or not to believe in it. | |||
| 3. Aweliya will remain under the guardianship of “Majlis”; If it is allowed independence, it may spread “Wahhabiyya” ideology” | |||
| The Muslims were very sad when the government’s reply was broadcasted through public media on March 5/2012 but they remained peaceful until they discuss the matter with the solution finding committee members in the next Friday (March 12/2012). When the discussion was held at Aweliya Institute, the Muslim mass urged the committee to lobby the government authorities for a just and meaningful solution. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> | |||
| The committee patiently tried to convince authorities of the Federal Affairs ministry and other concerned bodies. However nobody was willing to discuss the matter again. The Federal Affairs Minister even told the committee members to dissolve themselves and stop the people from holding a weekly protest in the compound of Aweliya institute. In reply, the committee said “We cannot stop the protests. We are elected by the public only to deliver the people’s questions to the government and bring back the reply of the government to the public.” <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> | |||
| Both the committee and the public had a hope to meet Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and other authorities of the Federal government and solve the dispute. However, all hopes perished when the Premier addressed the issue to the Ethiopian parliament on April 17/2012. <ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/> In that speech, the prime minister said “Ahbash has no difference from the Sufi version of Islam which is the main Islamic school in our country. The current wave of protests was caused by the Minority Salafi Muslims who are opposed to Sufis and the exemplary Christian-Muslim co-existence of our country. So we don’t fulfill demand of the minority sect at the expense of the rights of majority. | |||
| With regard to the training, it is the leaders of the Majlis who have planned to undertake it in order to silence the emerging extremism in the Muslim community. We cooperate with them in teaching the basic tenets of the constitution of our country. We will continue to do this in the future too because we are victims of radical Muslims. Some Ethiopian Salafis seek to demolish our state and establish an Islamic state based on Sharia law. We have tolerance for such people and we won’t negotiate with them.” <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/> | |||
| == Spread of Protests in the Country== | |||
| After the Premier’s speech to the parliament, the mass of Ethiopian Muslims have increased their opposition in all fronts. The protests spread to all mosques of Adds Ababa. .<ref name="Maasho">{{cite news|last=Maasho|first=Aaron|title=Ethiopian Muslims protest government 'interference'|url=http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE84A00W20120511|newspaper=Reuters Africa|date=May 11, 2012}}</ref> On April 20/2012 and May 25/2012, about one million people have demonstrated in Aweliya institute and other places shouted for the right of Ethiopian Muslims. Similar protests continue in the whole of the country. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="MohammedSabryApril22"/> In one of the protests that took place at Assasa town (Arsi province, Oromiya regional state) on April 27/2012, the Federal police security forces killed at least seven protesters and wounded many more. <ref name="Maasho"/> <ref name="MohammedSabriApril29">{{cite news|last=Sabri|first=Mohammed|title=Muslims Dead in Ethiopia Ahbashism Protests|url=http://www.onislam.net/english/news/africa/456846-muslims-dead-in-ethiopia-ahbashism-protests.htm|date=April 29, 2012}}</ref> The government said that the protesters were killed when they burned down a police station and a post office to demand the release of certain “Jihadist” imam. But witnesses say the people were killed outside a mosque of the town when they protested at the arresting of a religious scholar called Sheikh Su’ud Aman. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> | |||
| The news about the incident of Assasa spread throughout the country and aggravated the tension between government and the people. Despite the government’s announcement to take repressive measures, in the next Friday (May 5/2012), the Muslim protests even spread to towns of Somali and Afar regions. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> And more protests are occurring in the country. In an interview with the Voice of America, Sheikh Abubeker Ahmed, the head of the committee elected at Aweliya to speak on behalf of the Muslim majority, said that some authorities of the government are defaming the committee members by using statements like “These people are leading a group of hooligans”. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> He further said “We are not asking any illegal question. All what we ask are the rights of the Muslims which the government stated in the constitution of the country. We will not retreat back because of the recent propaganda war”. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/><ref name="Maasho"/> | |||
| == International Reaction== | |||
| The Assasa killing also caused international media to report about the ongoing protests in Ethiopia. Famous newspapers like Washington Post and Chicago Tribune start to write about the Ethiopian Muslim protests although half of them based their reports only on the information they got from government’s spokesperson. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> On the other hand, due to the pioneering act of Aljazeera channel and some Muslim oriented media ,the problem of Ethiopian Muslims have become a discussion topic for international Muslim scholars. For example, two days after the Assasa killings, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the leading Mufti of Sunni Islam and the president of the World Council of Muslim Scholars spoke in favor of Ethiopian Muslims. In his speech broadcasted on the weekly program of Aljazeera titled “Al-Shari’a wal-Hayat” (“the Shari’a and Life”), Professor Yusuf Al-Qaradawi condemned the hijacking of Ethiopian Majlis by “Ahbash” faction and said: “This group is an evil one known for its deviation and illegitimate ‘takfir’ (giving edict of apostasy). The followers of the faction are not men of religion. They are people who want to spread evil on this world. They are disturbing the society by distributing rumors and insulting the scholars. The Ethiopians must take care of this deviant group”. <ref name="YuunusHajjiMay16"/> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * A Detail Analysis on the Planning and Execution of Ahbashism Campaign (It Narrates the trends of the Campaign from its Beginning up to February 2012) | |||
| * A Summarized Note on the Ahbashism Campaign (This one Discussed the Trends of the Campaign Until May 11, 2012) | |||
| * Official US Site of Ahbash Organization | |||
Latest revision as of 08:56, 8 July 2016
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