The Struggle for Ethiopian Identity Amidst Religious Extremism

Alem vehemently wishes to convince the world that Ethiopia’s security is being threatened by what he calls “the fundamentalist and violent form of Islam, Wahhabism.” He argues that this threat is as current as the mushrooming of mosques and M’adrassas, as witnessed by his friend, and as eminent as some 5000 trained Ethiopian Muslims (who he shuns outright as potential terrorists ready for Jihad.) He holds responsible the Arabs (particularly Saudi Arabians, also Egyptians and Iranians) for financing these mosques and the “treacherous” Ethiopian government for “collaborating with international terrorists.” The ultimate culprits being Ethiopian Muslims, (a) for demanding and using these mosques, (b) for betraying their Sunni religion and their country (or for selling themselves out into the “new” Wahhabi doctrine). The article culminates by pledging Bush for a pre-emptive strike against the “new evil” swamping the holy Island of Coptic Christians. Or else, Alem warns the world at large (or “hallucinates”?), there will be “an endless war in the country between Wahhabis and Christians, and between Sunnis and Wahhabis, and engulf the whole of Africa.” My first reaction was that this guy must have been talking about Utopia (as in Pluto’s). About the same time I read this article, I happened to have a glimpse of a book on Saddam Hussien, just out. In explaining why he “would often deal with traitors pre-emptively”, the captive dictator is reported to have said, “I know people will betray me before they know it themselves”.

I found the article as hugely irresponsible as it is malicious and opportunistic. At first site, it looks nothing more than a wild dream, that is erected on false presumptions and corrupt facts. I fully agree with what a commentator said of the “writer”, “[Alem] is more dangerous to the co-existence of religions in Ethiopia than the Wahhibism he is writing about” (ethiopiafirst.com), although I still respect his right to air out his illusions and frustrations as a concerned citizen (assuming he is). In fact, I would recommend every Ethiopian to have a look at this article, which I initially came across at Ben’s web site. I have now realized that it is posted in many other web sites, including the International Christian Concern and Jerusalem Post, the latter being the web site of the leading Jewish newspaper. Some of the self-contradictions and blunders of the article are carefully pointed out elsewhere by a more illustrious article: “Wahhabism and Alem Zelalem’s hallucination”(Dekialula.com). Among other things, this writer reminds Alem that “there is no violent form of Islam” and that Muslims (not least Ethiopian Muslims) should not be hold accountable for atrocities committed by individuals “like Alem who are full of hatred and arrogance,” as much as one should not blame Christians for the Crusaders (past or present).

First of all, Alem informs us that Ethiopian Muslims are being converted to the “new sect against their will for a bribe of just $600 per head.” This is the first insult to Ethiopian Muslims, and an attempt to undermine the intelligence of people, as if they can not tell “evil” from the good. This is the same rhetoric that is being used by people like Alem to intimidate non-Orthodox Christians (Evangelical, Adventist and Protestants, Jehowa’s Witnesses for example), who are widely outcast as mete hymanot (alien religions). Alem and followers and their intolerant ideologies are largely responsible for the violent and coercive opposition against followers of these religions over the past 3 decades.

As recently as January 2003, it was reported that “local officials have blamed youths from Orthodox community for breaking up a congregation of Evangelical Protestants” in which 2 people died as a result (BBC News Online, 2 January 2003). Who has “planted hatred into the minds of these young people” and made them attack their fellow children of God? Ironically, it is not the Muslims who are intolerant towards these Christian religions, not even the Wahhabis. Nor are they responsible for outcasting and forcing Ethiopian Jews (Fallasha Mura or Bet Israel). Who then have the moral right to stand up and talk about religious tolerance, or the lack of it? Fortunately, the great majority of Ethiopians are tolerant and have a long tradition of settling their disputes through talks.

Alem seems to take great pride over the peaceful co-existence of Islam and Christianity in Ethiopia, a fact I fully agree with and be proud of, but he refrains from telling the whole truth. However, he unequivocally states that Ethiopia is a “non-Muslim country”. This is the second insult to Ethiopian-ness. In the first paragraph (apparently the only correct one), Alem, unconsciously but rightly, admits that Islam is as much Ethiopian by birth as it is Arabian, only to contradict himself throughout afterwards. The whole article paints Islam as adopted religion and “Muslims living in Ethiopia” as aliens who are only tolerated thanks to the altruism and hospitality of “Ethiopians”. Later, expresses his fury over Islam by saying, “despite what our country had done to save Islam from extinction…they return their gratitude in the form of terrorism…” Who do you think you are to declare that “Ethiopia has no place” for the followers of other Schools of Islam than those of Sunni?

The whole article is intended to create the impression that Muslims are minority in Ethiopia, which simply is not true. They constitute for at least 45 percent of the population, whereas other non-orthodox religions account for about 15 percent (CIA World Factbook, 2003). Alem also tries to create the impression that there has always been religious equality and tolerance. Religious pluralism and tolerance? Yes, but only on one condition, which is so long as the Muslims and non-Orthodox Christians do not build “more and more mosques and M’adrassas” and churches (“unless Ethiopians are allowed to build churches in Saudi” and America), or assert their rights, let alone claim proportional representations in the politics of the country.

This is the sense in which Alem is talking about tolerance and equality, that is “aliens” living up to the boldly arrogant expectations of Orthodox Fundamentalists like him. For centuries now, Ethiopian Muslims had to endure that Ethiopia is “a Christian Island”, which people like Alem seem to have taken for granted and perhaps confused such an un-reciprocated tolerance for “equality”. Even at the moment, in some big cities, the non-Orthodox religions are banned from preaching in public places like stadiums, thus retreating to their house for group worships. Alem’s Hippocratic and surreal expression of “equality” manifests throughout the article. He claims that “Ethiopian women have always been equal to men”, unlike in Saudi (even unlike in America). This is a disservice to our sisters and mothers, and I guess an intellectual insult to those women who are in the forefront of the fight for women’s equality, particularly the Ethiopian Women Lawyer’s Association. His logic is simple, though. We have had Empresses in the past, but America hasn’t.

Equality of religions in the eyes of the law and the constitution? Not until 1974, because Ethiopia evolved as a secular state only since 1974 (Orthodox was the state religion for centuries before that). It is true that things have been improving a lot since then and I am very optimistic that it will even be better in the future. I should mention that this is only for Muslims. It has even gone worse in the last three decades when it comes to the non-orthodox Christians. Every one knows that there is acute shortage of mosques, even taking Alem’s grossly exaggerated figure too seriously. Alem should have informed readers that it is customary for Ethiopian Muslims even now to pray on the street of Addis. How could a tolerant citizen call upon the US to “help stop the flourishing mosques”?

The flourishing of mosques has nothing to do with Wahhabism, and every Ethiopian knows that, unlike what Alem wants us believe. (For the benefit of those who do not know Ethiopian Islam, no mosque belongs to a particular school of Islam.) Nor are M’adrassas! Alem didn’t have to look up the Internet for the meaning of M’adrassas, if he ever lived in Ethiopia and took the pain to be open-minded enough to see beyond religious boundaries. M’adrassas are religious schools where most kids learn mainly the teachings of the Q’uran, and they are as old as Islam in Ethiopia. I need to explain it to you that they are the Islam counterparts for [what is in Amharic] yekes timihirt bet, as D’rassa is for yekolo temari, the latter usually travel far away from their village to study, higher level of Islamic teachings, in places similar to Washara. I was fortunate to have gone to both (albeit I was forced into one of them, I never regret it).

Alem also tries, in vain, to make us believe Wahhibism as a new development in Ethiopia, the central plot of the article. The fact is it has always been there side by side with other schools of Islam. His unprecedented hatred for Arabs must have forced him to admit, “The Western world is just waking up to the truth and reality of Wahhabism. But Ethiopians have know it for too long.” One thing is for sure, and Alem agrees with me on this, wahhabis or no wahhabis, Ethiopian Muslims have always condemned any one who use the Q’uran to their malice political ends. They disdain Christian fundamentalists who manipulate the Bible in the name of freedom or unity or security, just as much.

However, Alem’s own religious delusion and fanaticism, coupled with his hatred and contempt for Arabs, has made him sidestep the geo-political and economic interests of Ethiopia’s long-standing and historical enemies. Alem uses illogical approach and facts to make the simple truth that Ethiopian enemies have never succeeded in their effort to divide the people along religious lines, (but he surprised me when he gives them all the credit for successfully seceding Eritrea). I must tell you Alem that there is one and only one reason, Ethiopian Muslims are always Ethiopians, no matter what, one fact you can never seem to stomach. That is why they always tend to tolerate fellow Ethiopians of other creeds (even when it is not reciprocated), rather than blindly and opportunistically selling themselves out to the expansionist foreign policies of other countries (Saudi or US). The whole world knows that Ethiopian Muslims are one of the most tolerant. Why worry, Alem? Why doubt their judgement, integrity and loyalty to their country? Why the need to dictate to them that they should always remain Sunni? Above all, why now?

Alem intentionally obscures readers by associating the rise of anti-Americanism with Wahhabi. People all over the world have been increasingly becoming hostile to US foreign policy. I don’t think any one would have to be brain washed by Madrassas or “jihad factories”, as Alem chooses to call them, to realize that. Demonizing Islam has, over the last 4 decades, been the instrument of intimidating Muslims who are critical of American foreign policy, its imperialist ambitions as well as its persistent pro-Israeli position. Up until the end of the cold war, we were led into believing that Shiite Islam was the violent and militant form of Islam, whereas other schools, we were preached to be tolerant. We are now being forced to accept that “the US government and public mistakenly grew to view the Iranian Revolution as a threat to civilization, chiefly as a result of pressure from Saudi Arabia.”

Therefore, Wahhabism is just the latest, but perhaps the most dangerous, political tool of indoctrination of Islam, and is enthusiastically adopted by extreme right-wing pro-Israeli henchmen in the Bush administration. They are very keen to convince the world that terrorism is intrinsic to Islam in general and Wahhabism in particular. The Bush gang is more reluctant to even acknowledge the role of US foreign policy in the Middle East crisis; instead they prefer to look for explanations in Islam. This is why Wahhabism squirmed under the US media spot light “like a maggot revealed under a cold”. This is why Saudi Arabians are relentlessly portrayed as potential terrorists.

Alem’s article is, at best, a crude and wholesale ideological import of the Bush paranoia into Ethiopia, untainted by personal and intellectual experience. At worst, it is a mischievous attempt to use Wahhabism as a scapegoat to destabilize the country and, at once, to disguise the true face of Orthodox fundamentalism. For one, it is a pinprick attempt to demonize Ethiopian Muslims and put them in the America’s list of pet hates, (which really makes me cry). For another, it is an opportunistic to buy Bush into isolating the Ethiopian government (which worries me the least). And that is what Alem would have liked to call two birds at a strike! As always of course the Ethiopian people will have to pay the dearest price. Why should one care if they are in America?

This is why, dear readers, I am led to believe that Alem’s article fits well into a pattern of Orthodox fundamentalists in Ethiopia who have always been antithetic to religious tolerance, primarily because they are obsessed with the illusory vision of “one religion, one people, one Ethiopia” (whatever that means). It is yet another example of Hippocratic songs of those who are fettered by perpetual self-denial and deep-rooted fear of losing Ethiopia to what they believe is “aliens”. Only this time around, the “writer” is too hyperbolic and unintelligent to twist the facts and too immature to manipulate them to his greedy political ends. It is rather sad that the only future “Alemists” foresee for Ethiopia is her past.

God bless Ethiopia and Wasalamu alaikum!

NOTE: We published the above article in a fairplay principle as we had already published Alem Zelalem’s article exactly three months ago today. It would be the first and last one dialog on the topic, and our apologies for any inconvenience.