Ethiopia: religious tension – 5 factors driving groups apart | Christian Motivation | Morning Prayer скачать в хорошем качестве

Ethiopia: religious tension – 5 factors driving groups apart | Christian Motivation | Morning Prayer

Religion is highly present in Ethiopia. It’s visible in churches and mosques, in clothing, and in public rituals. The country’s main religious communities are Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Protestants. It’s home to one of the world’s oldest churches and has the third-largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa. Orthodox Christians account for about 43% of the population, while approximately 33% are Muslims. Protestant Christianity arrived in the late 19th century and has expanded rapidly in recent decades to account for an estimated 20% of the population. Ethiopia is often portrayed as a unique case of harmonious inter-religious relations where Christians and Muslims have lived peacefully together for centuries. But the country has also seen religious conflicts. In the last three decades, there has been a worsening of religious tension. In 2022, for instance, more than 20 people were killed following attacks on Muslims in the north-western city of Gondar. Ethiopia is constitutionally a secular state. Religion has no formal place in politics. Shared spaces and government buildings are to be free from any religious expressions. However, this has been unevenly practised. Religion is present everywhere. I am a scholar of religion, with extensive fieldwork and research experience in religion, ethnicity and politics in Ethiopia. In a recent paper, I analysed the developments over the last decades that have affected inter-religious relations, worsened polarisation and produced conflicts. In my view, five factors have contributed to the rise in religious tensions. First, the political transition in 1991, which allowed for greater expression of religious activities and changed the religious landscape. Second, the expansion of Christian Protestantism from the early 1990s. Third, the rise of a more visible and assertive Muslim population. Fourth, the response from the Ethiopian Orthodox church to a loss of influence. Finally, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed allowing religion to enter the public political discourse. Growing conflict Civil war and ethnic conflicts have dominated news coming out of Ethiopia in recent years. Religious and ethnic identities are closely connected, but the ethnic dimension of conflict has tended to overshadow the growing tensions between religious communities. In 2018, young rioters burned churches and killed several priests in Jijiga, in the eastern Ethiopian state of Somali. In 2020, Muslim properties were attacked in Harar, eastern Ethiopia, during celebrations of an Orthodox Christian holiday. In 2022, attacks on Muslims in Gondar turned deadly. Such incidents have eroded trust between Ethiopia’s religious communities. Inter-religious violence is often blamed on so-called extremist elements. However, a closer look reveals a more complex picture. The drivers The political transition in 1991 and the arrival of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front led to important changes to the political, social and cultural landscape. Seeking to promote equal rights for the country’s ethnic and religious groups, the new government lifted formal restrictions on religious activities. This affected the balance of power between religious groups. Historically, Ethiopia’s inter-religious co-existence was made possible by one community dominating the others. Since its establishment in the fourth century, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church had been intimately tied to the state. The domination of the church contributed to the marginalisation of other religious communities. The 1974 Ethiopian Revolution ended the state-church marriage, and the changes after 1991 further eroded the church’s position and brought other religious communities in from the shadows. The second driver of tensions has been the rise of Protestantism. Initially brought by western missionaries in the late 19th century, the religion was mainly found in Ethiopia’s non-Orthodox southern region. Protestantism grew rapidly after 1991, with churches and ministries expanding into traditional Orthodox and Muslim areas. On occasion, this has led to violent conflict. In 2006 and 2010, for instance, clashes erupted in the southwestern area of Jimma. OUTLINE: 00:00:00 The Political Transition in 1991 00:00:20 The Expansion of Christian Protestantism 00:00:39 The Rise of a More Visible Muslim Population 00:00:55 The Response from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church 00:01:13 Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Role 00:01:29 Recap of the Five Key Factors 00:01:51 The Challenge of Alleviating Tensions