Islam in the Horn of Africa

Presently, Islam is the most widely practiced religion in the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. Some of today’s Muslims in the region had their ancestors converted from Christianity and others had theirs migrated from the Arab peninsula. Ethnically, these Muslims belong to different tribes, such as Somalis, Oromo, Afar, and others and they mainly speak Cushitic Language.

Today, Somalia and Djibouti are predominantly Muslim and Ethiopia has about 40 percent and Eritrea 50 Percent Muslim Population. In Eritrea most Muslims belong to Jabarti tribe and many of them are descendants of Arab tribes. Some major Somali tribes have Arab roots like Isaaq, of Iraqi roots, and Darod, of Yemeni roots. The region had historical trade and economic relations with Arabs in the gulf including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman in addition UAE.

I will cover the following in this post:

* History of Islam in the region
* Islam and Somalis
* Beginning of Salafi Group in Somalia
* Islam-o-phobia of Ethiopia
* Islam vs. Ethiopian Emperors

History of Islam in the region

Islamic history reveals the first Muslim immigration by Sahaba (apostles) of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to Ethiopia to save their religion from “Idol worshipers” in Makka of Arab decedents on 615 AD. Sahaba were forced to leave their homes in Makka due to pressure and killing by the Arabs of Makka.

The King of Abyssinian (Habash) Nagashi welcomed the Sahaba to his kingdom and permitted them to teach and preach their religion in Habash. Even, Nagashi turned down the request of Arab delegate from Makka who demanded extradition of the Sahaba. Some Ethiopians embraced Islam at the hands of the Sahaba who stayed in Habash many years until Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) asked them to come back to their homeland. The spreading of Islam stopped for a while after Sahaba returned to Makka.

Islamic History says first Islamic Funeral prayer in absentee was performed by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) from Madina on body of Nagashi (The King of Abyssinia) after his death in Harare City, Ethiopia.

Islam entered Ethiopia as primary believe in the 16th Century by Arab traders and preachers, which led 65% of Ethiopians to embrace Islam. This created fear in the Ethiopian Church who later considered the Muslims as the principal threat to their existence.

In 16th and beginning of 17th Century, Islamic State of ADAL was announced by Somalis and Arabs led by Warrior Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Ghazi duped Ahmed Guray (the left-handed) by the Somalis. Ahmed Guray (Ahmed Gran in Ethiopia), who was an Arab, led full-scale war against Abyssinia and defeated them. Ahmed Guray army captured more than 50% of Ethiopian highlands, which accelerated the number of Ethiopians embracing Islam. Ahmed Guray received support from the Ottoman Emperor ( Turkey) and King Saeed Barqash of Sultanate of Oman.

The bad feeling of Ethiopian Church towards Muslims increased very sharply, and after they failed to stop Ahmed Guray and his army; they appealed to Portugal for support. Ahmed Guray continued a chain of victories against the Abyssinian army for about two decades. Ahmed Guray was killed during a fighting with Portuguese forces who arrived to support Ethiopia. The widow of Ahmed Guray, called Bati Del Wambara overtook the leadership of ADAL kingdom and continued to wage war against Christian Ethiopia.

ADAL’s headquarter was located in the town Zayla, the coast town connecting between Djibouti and Somaliland. ADAL collapsed awhile after the death of Ahmed Guray. This gave the Ethiopians the chance to recapture back the land they lost to ADAL without resistance.

Also, Arabs preached Islam in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania. The King of Oman Saeed founded strong bases in the coast areas including Mombasa, Kenya and Zanzibar of Tanzania. Somalis are part of 30% of Kenyan Muslims mainly in the Northern Regions and Coast Areas. In Tanzania the Muslims form 50% of the population.

Islam and Somalis:

Somali, the name is derived from the Somali word (Soo Maal), which means milking the livestock. Somali is basically a Cushitic language spoken in many countries including Somalia, Ethiopian, Djibouti and Kenya as primary and official languages. Somali speaking population is about 10 million.

Somalia is the only country in the world that is 100% Muslim. Somalia Muslims are all Sunnis who practice the Shaafi faith. The people living in Somalia speak Somali and Arabic in addition to Rahanwayn language in the south of Somalia.

There are about four major tribes in Somalia including Hawiye, Isaaq, Darod and Rahanwayn. Isaac, Darod and Hawiye have Arabian roots, where Darod are the children of Darod Ismail Jabarti, who was from southern Yemen, Isaac are the children of Sheikh Isaaq bin Ahmed who was from Mosul, Iraq. Hawiye is combination of different groups but mainly from Yemen.

Islam entered Somalia and Ethiopian within first ten centuries of the Georgian calendar by Arab traders and Preachers. Somalis, after the collapse of ADAL, attended Arabian universities mainly Egyptian Al-Azhar University. The relation between the Arabs and Somalis had grown stronger particularly with Yemen and Sultanate of Oman.

After western colonizers divided Somalia into five main parties leaving Djibouti with France, Somaliland with British, South Somalia with Italy, and Reserve Area with Ethiopia in addition to NFD with Kenya. The occupation of these areas happen different times, Britain sold Reserve Area and NFD to Ethiopia and Kenya in 20th Century.

Some of Al-Azhar University Graduates arrived back home including Sayed Abdullah Hassan, nick named The Mad Mullah. He was not wise man and started armed struggle against British. He tried to overtake some parties of Somaliland mainly Hawd Area. British disbanded his army by air bombing. The Mad Mullah was killed during an air raid by the British forces.

Sayed Abdullah Hassan (the Mad Mulla) was Sufist and convinced many Somalis to practice the Sufi sect of the Islamic faith. Sufi faith permits Spiritual attainment in Islam, where Muslim is allowed to pray to Allah via another religious person. But Salafi Group, also called Wahabist in Somalia, rejects the idea of attainment. Salafi or Wahabist faith entered Somalia about four decades ago.

Beginning of Salafi Group in Somalia:

Until 1960´s majority of Somalis practiced Sufi faith of Islam that had wide respect among Somali tribes. Somalis consider Sufi faith as less violent compare to Salafi faith.

The Qur’an was taught using Somali language as the people were unfamiliar with Arabic. Somalis use to write Qur’an on wooden sheet like instrument using ink made of traditional Somali coal. Such practices remains active until now but with less percentage.

In mid 1970s the Salafi faith of Islam was introduced in Somalia by Somali students graduated from Saudi Arabian Islamic universities. The students started teaching the Nobel Qur’an and gradually gained very wide popularity across Somalia.

In less than ten years, the Salafi faith replaced Sufi faith; the leaders of the mosques turn into Salafi, and Sufi faith started disappearing slowly until today. The Salafi faith had strong relation with their counterparts in else where in the world mainly Saudi Arabia.

After 1977, Salafi revolution in Somalia spread into the neighboring countries like Ethiopia and formed an armed group called Al-Itahad Al-Islamiya, with their main aim is to liberate Somali dominated areas in Ethiopia from Ethiopian occupation.

Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and Al-Shabab were product of Al-Itahad Al-Islamiya, as major senior leaders in both ICU and Al-Shabab are co-founders of Al-Itahad Al-Islamiya.

Today, Salafi faith is widely practiced inside Somalia, and with very high speed. The youth and middle age follow Salafi faith except the elderly who still practice the Sufi faith. Majority of the mosques in Somalia is led by Salafi preachers.

Islamophobia in Ethiopia:

After collapse of ADAL, Kingdom of Abyssinia put pressure to Muslim and forced many of them to return to Christianity. The kingdom did not allow the Muslims to practice their religion in public, where prayers were performed in-house only. Muslims were not allowed officially to travel to Makka to perform Hajj until 1974, after military coup led by Migusto Haile Mariam. Mariam ordered freedom of religion and allowed Muslims to perform Hajj. Muslims in Eritrea were under similar condition.

Today, more than half of Ethiopians are devout Muslims, mainly in the outlying regions, and in the Eastern Lowlands.

Traditionally, the status of Islam has been far from equal with that of Christianity. However, the emperor Haile Selassie gave audiences to Muslim leaders and made overtures in response to their concerns, and under the Derg even more was done to give at least symbolic parity to the two faiths. Nevertheless, the perception of Ethiopia as “an island of Christianity in a sea of Islam” has continued to prevail among both highland Ethiopians and foreigners.

In 1964, Ethiopian Christian leaders attacked Somalia in a plan to end the Islamic presence in the region. At that time, Somalia was only four years old without proper military and government institutions. But overall this, Somalis defend their country very bravely and forced Ethiopia to retrieve. This was the first religious war between Ethiopia and Somalia.

In 1977, Somalis retaliates and occupied 60% of Ethiopian land and even gone close to Addis Ababa in 18 kilometers. The objective of Somalis was to return the Reserve Area illegally sold by British to Ethiopia. Ethiopia was unable to stop the Somalis. And as usually, Ethiopia pleaded to international support, and received military support of Russia and Cuba. Russia-Cuba Alliance forced the Somali military to go back into Somalia border.

In 2006, Ethiopian invaded Somalia on the bases of similar background. Ethiopia always considers the Somali Islamist as #1 enemy. Ethiopia saw the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), as the new threat to their national unity; Ethiopian Prime Minister Melese Zanawi follows the old procedure of the church, who considers the Muslims as major enemy of Ethiopia. Zanawi is man of principle but the unfortunate is those supporting Zanawi and Church Plan in Somalia like Transitional Government of Somalia (TGS)leader Abdullah Yusuf.

In similar manner Oromo is facing insult and pressure from Ethiopian government, where they don´t get proper share in the government and even their children are not allowed to attend the universities in Addis Ababa.

Melese Sanawi selected Christian man from Oromo to be Ethiopian President. He overlooked the Muslim majority of Oromo, because, simply, he does not want Muslim. This shows that Ethiopian government is not killing all Oromo but only the Muslims because of their believe in the Greater Islam.

Oromo is the largest community in Ethiopia in middle of lowlands, 90% of Oromo practice Islam as fundamental religion, Islam was introduced to Oromo in 16th century with neighboring Somali Community. Oromo has anti-Ethiopian armed movements and recently accused receiving military support and training from Eritrea. Current President of Ethiopia is from Christian Minority of Oromo, where Muslims has little access to government due to their armed struggle.

Islam vs. Ethiopian Emperors:

The battle between the Muslim leaders and Ethiopian emperors is active until today, because the Ethiopian invasion in Somalia has strong roots into the centuries old conflict between the Muslims and Ethiopian Christian emperor.

Ahmed Guray freed many parts of Ethiopia from the emperors who restricted the freedom of the people; the parties that ADAL army captured include Shewa, Gonder, Wollo and parts of Tigray. Some historians say the struggle between the Christian Emperors in Ethiopia and Somalis started from 1528 until today.

Emporer Lebna Dengel, who was ruling Abyssinia during the war with ADAL, plead for support from Portugal after his army failed to stop ADAL army.

In the same manner, United States of America (USA) is helping Meleze Sanawi to stop the Islamist growing in the region. Ethiopia knows, if Muslim government comes to power in Somalia then it will come to ethiopia to free the thousands of the Muslim ethiopians trapped under Melese regime.

The government don´t allow construction of new mosques in the capital, Addis Ababa. In other hand, the European Christian missionaries builds new church every one month. Church bells are famous in Addis Ababa more than the Mosques.

The present mosques in Addis Ababa are centuries old; it is remainings of Othman Emporers. The Muslims don´t take part in the central government, and if any Muslim gets chance in the central government, he/she should be lapdog for Ethiopian Christian Emporer Meleze Sanawi. Muslims in Addis Ababa feel overtaken and always seek help from the Muslim world, but the failure of Somalia has led them into endless problems.

By Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi
Email: az.almutairi@yahoo.com