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Religion in Ethiopia

Religion in Ethiopiaconsists of a number of faiths. Among these mainlyAbrahamic religions,the most numerous isChristianity(Ethiopian Orthodoxy,Protestantism,Roman Catholic) totaling at 67.3%, followed byIslamat 31.3%.[1]There is also a longstanding but smallEthiopian Jewishcommunity. Some adherents of theBaháʼí Faithlikewise exist in a number of urban and rural areas. Additionally, there is also a substantial population of the adherents oftraditional faiths.

Religion in Ethiopia (2016 estimate)[1]

Ethiopian Orthodoxy(43.8%)
P'ent'ay(22.8%)
OtherChristian(0.7%)
Islam(31.3%)
Traditional faiths(0.6%)
Other / None (0.8%)
Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox CathedralinAddis Ababa.Ethiopiawas one of the first regions in the world to adoptChristianity.

According to the national census conducted in 2007, over 32 million people or 43.5% were reported to beEthiopian Orthodox Christians,over 25 million or 33.9% were reported to beMuslim,13.7 million, or 18.6%, wereP'ent'ay Christians,and just under two million or 2.6% adhered to traditional beliefs.[2]Neither in the 2007 census, nor in the 1994 census, were responses reported in further detail: for example, those who identified themselves as Hindus, Jewish, Baháʼí, agnostics or atheists were counted as "Other".

TheKingdom of Aksumin present-dayEthiopiaandEritreawas one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adoptedChristianityas the state religion in the 4th century.[3]TheEthiopian Empirewas the only region ofAfricato survive the expansion of Islam as aChristianstate before European colonization.[4]

History

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Geography

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In general, most of theChristians(largely members of thenon-ChalcedonianEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) live in the highlands, whileMuslimsand adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit more lowland regions in the east and south of the country.[citation needed]The numerous indigenousAfrican religionsin Ethiopia operate mainly in the far southwest and western borderlands.

Abrahamic religions

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AmosqueinJimma.
AchurchinAddis Ababa.

Ethiopia has close historical ties to all three of the world's majorAbrahamic religions.Christians form the majority of the population.[1]Islam is the second most followed religion, with 31.3% of the population being adherents. 2.6% of the population (mainly in the far south and southwest) follow traditional religions; other religions (theBaháʼí Faith,Judaism,etc.) make up the remaining 0.6%.[2]Ethiopia is the site of the firsthijrain Islamic history and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa atNegash.Until the 1980s, a substantial population ofEthiopian Jewsresided in Ethiopia. The country is also the spiritual homeland of theRastafari religious movement.[citation needed]

Christianity

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Main article:Christianity in Ethiopia
TheChurch of Our Lady Mary of Zion,rumored to hold the originalArk of the Covenant

Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian states in the world. TheEthiopian Orthodox Churchis anOriental Orthodox Church,which is the largest Christian denomination in Ethiopia. It was part of theCoptic Orthodox Churchuntil 1959, and is the only pre-colonial Orthodox church inSub-Saharan Africa.The apostleSt. Matthewis said to have died in Ethiopia.[5]

The rock-hewnChurch of Saint GeorgeinLalibelais aUNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2016, the government stated that 67% of the country is Christian (44% of the population belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church).[6]

According to the government's 1994 census (which theCIA World Factbookfollows), 61.6% of the Ethiopian population was Christian: 50.6% of the total wereEthiopian Orthodox,10.1% were variousProtestantdenominations (such as and theLutheranEthiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus), andRoman Catholicsconstituted 0.9% of the population).[7]

Orthodox Ethiopian Christians are predominant in theTigray(95.6%) andAmhara(82.5%), while the majority of Protestants live in theSouthern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regionor SNNPR (55.5% of the inhabitants) and theOromia Region(4.8 million or 17.7%).[2]According to the government's most recent census from 2007, Christians constitute 62.8% of the total population, with the largest group beingEthiopian OrthodoxChristians at 43.5%, followed byProtestants18.6% andCatholicsat 0.7%.[2]A 2015 study estimates some 400,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[8]

A leather painting depictingEthiopian OrthodoxDebterasplayingsistraand adrum.

TheKingdom of Aksumwas one of the first nations to officially acceptChristianity,when St.FrumentiusofTyre,called Fremnatos or Abba Selama ( "Father of Peace" ) in Ethiopia, converted KingEzanaduring the 4th centuryAD.[9][10]Many believe that the Gospel had entered Ethiopia even earlier, with the royal official described as being baptised byPhilip the Evangelistin chapter eight of theActs of the Apostles(Acts 8:26–39).[11]Orthodox Christianity has a long history in Ethiopia dating back to the 1st century, and is dominant in northern and central Ethiopia. Both Orthodox and Protestant Christianity have large representations in southern and western Ethiopia. A small ancient group ofJews,theBeta Israel,live in northwestern Ethiopia, though most emigrated toIsraelin the last decades of the 20th century as part of the rescue missions undertaken by the Israeli government,Operation MosesandOperation Solomon.[12]Some Israeli and Jewish scholars consider these Ethiopian Jews as a historicalLost Tribe of Israel.Today, theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church,part ofOriental Orthodoxy,is by far the largest denomination, though a number ofProtestantschurches have recently gained ground. Since the 18th century there has existed a relatively small (uniate)Ethiopian Catholic Churchinfull communionwithRome,with adherents making up less than 1% of the total population.[2]

A modern charismaticmegachurchin Ethiopia

The name "Ethiopia" (HebrewKush) is mentioned in the Bible numerous times (thirty-seven times in theKing James version). Abyssinia is also mentioned in theQur'anandHadith.While many Ethiopians claim that the Bible references of Kush apply to their own ancient civilization, pointing out that theGihonriver, a name for theNile,is said to flow through the land, some scholars believe that the use of the term referred to theKingdom of Kushin particular, or Africa outside of Egypt in general. The modern nameEthiopiais from theGreektermAethiopiaused to translateKush,and was applied to all of Sub-Saharan Africa, including what is nowSudan,but with a few classical geographers giving more detailed descriptions of present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea (e.g.Adulis) as well.[citation needed]

Islam

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Main article:Islam in Ethiopia
AmosqueinMekelle.

Islam in Ethiopiadates back to the founding of the religion; in 615, when a group of Muslims were counseled by Muhammad to escape persecution inMeccaandtravel to Ethiopia via modern-day Eritrea,which was ruled byAshama ibn Abjar,a pious Christian king.Bilal ibn Ribah,the firstMuezzin,the person chosen to call the faithful to prayer, and one of the foremost companions of Muhammad, was born in Mecca to an Abyssinian mother. Moreover, the largest portion ofnon-Arab companions of Muhammadbelonged to Ethiopian ethnic groups.[citation needed]

According to the most recent 2007CSAgovernmental data, Muslims are 33.9% of the population,[2]up from 32.8% in 1994 (according to the census data of that year).[7][13] Before the publication of the 2007 census results, however, the U.S. State Department estimated that "approximately 31% of the population is Sunni Muslim."[6]Roughly 68% of Ethiopian Muslims are Sunni, whilst 23% arenon-denominational Muslims,whilst another 2% adhere to other sects such asShia,Quranist,Ibadietc.[14]and some belonging to variousSufiorders. Islam first arrived in Ethiopia in 614 with theFirst Migration to Abyssinia.Addis Ababa,Ethiopia's capital city, is home to about 443,821 Muslims or 16.2%.[15]While Muslims can be found in almost every community, Islam is most prevalent in theSomali(98.4%),Afar(95.3%) andOromia(47.5%) Regions.[2]Haile Selassie's government reportedly concealed the actual figures of the Muslim population in order to present Ethiopia as a Christian nation to the outside world.[16]The writers ofEthiopia: a country studyclaimed that Islam made up 50% of the total population in 1991 based on the 1984 census commissioned by theDergregime.[16]Some web columnist even say the Muslim population are the majority and disagree with the current Ethiopian governments claims.[17]

Judaism

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Main article:Beta Israel
Areas inhabited by theBeta Israelbefore their mass aliyah.

TheBeta Israel,also known as theFalashas(though this term is considered derogatory), are a long-isolated group ofAfrican Jewswho have lived in Ethiopia since antiquity. Their existence was not widely known to the outside world for many years, and they likewise were not aware of other Jewish groups outside of their own community.[18]They became known tothe Westduring the 19th and 20th centuries, and were accepted as Jews by theIsraeligovernment in 1975. After this,Operation MosesandOperation Solomon,conducted in 1984 and 1991, respectively, airlifted the vast majority of the Ethiopian Jewish population to Israel, where there is currently a population of 150,000 Beta Israel. A small Jewish community still exists in Ethiopia, although it is mostly composed ofFalash Mura,Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity in the past, and as such have not been recognized as Jews by the State of Israel, but have returned to Judaism (the Falash Mura now number some 22,000).

Baháʼí Faith

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Main article:Baháʼí Faith in Ethiopia

TheBaháʼí Faithin Ethiopia begins after`Abdu'l-Baháwrote letters encouraging taking the religion to Africa in 1916.[19]Mr. Sabri Elais, then a 27-year-old Bahá'í from Alexandria, Egypt, introduced the Baháʼí Faith to Ethiopia in 1933.[20]A year later, in November 1934, the first BaháʼíLocal Spiritual Assemblyin the country was formed inAddis Ababa.[21]In 1962, Ethiopia Baháʼís elected aNational Spiritual Assembly.[22]By 1963, there were seven localities with smaller groups of Baháʼís in the country.[23]TheAssociation of Religion Data Archivesestimated that there were around 23,000 Baháʼí adherents in 2010.[24]The Ethiopian community celebrated its diamond jubile in January 2009.[25]As of 2016the largest Baháʼí community is in Addis Ababa.[26] A number of towns (such as Awassa, Nazareth, Mekele, Succano and Shashemenie) and rural areas in Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR) have active and growing Baháʼí communities.[citation needed]

Traditional faiths

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See also:Waaq

An estimated 2.6% of Ethiopia's population adheres to varioustraditional faiths,according to the 2007 census (down from 4.6% in the 1994 census data). The largest numbers of practitioners of traditional religions are in the SNNPR (about 993,000 people) and Oromia (895,000).[2]

Views on the emperors

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Ethiopia is the spiritual homeland of theRastafari movement,whose adherents believe Ethiopia isZion.The Rastafari view EmperorHaile SelassieasJesus,the human incarnation of God. The Emperor himself was the defender of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, that also has a concept of Zion,although it represents a unique and complex concept, referring figuratively to St.Mary,but also to Ethiopia as a bastion of Christianity surrounded by Muslims and other religions, much likeMount Zionin the Bible.[citation needed]It is also used to refer toAxum,the ancient capital and religious centre of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, or to its primary church, calledChurch of Our Lady Mary of Zion.[27][full citation needed]

Freedom of religion

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In 2023, the country was scored 1 out of 4 for religious freedom. Local conflicts have included violence along religious lines.[28]

In the same year, it was ranked as the 39th worst country in the world to be a Christian.[29]

Religious politics and tensions

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Freedom of religionis provided by theconstitution of 1995,and freedom of worship had also been guaranteed by the 1930 and 1955 Constitutions of Ethiopia, although in certain localities this principle is not always respected in practice. There is no state religion, and it is forbidden to form political parties based upon religion; all religious groups are required to register with the government, and renew their registration once every three years. It is a crime in Ethiopia to incite one religion against another.Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churchpublished works by an unknown author written in Ge'ez and translated to Amharic in 1986 which claimedHabeshashould refrain from sexual intercourse withOromo,Muslims,Shanqella,Falashaand animals because it was an abomination.[30]Discrimination against Muslims has been rampant since the creation of modern Ethiopia, Muslims were marginalized in the Haile Selassie era which led to the1974 Ethiopian Muslim protests.[31]Haile Selassie actually came to power during the rise of opposition to Muslims in government positions.[32]U.S ambassadorDavid H. Shinnstated in 2005 that the Ethiopian leadership continued to be largely Christian.[33]Tension between Christian and Muslim Oromo were witnessed during the2005 Ethiopian general election,when MuslimArsi Oromodenounced theShewaOromo for participating in political nepotism.[34]There is some tension between members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Protestant Christians, as well as between the Ethiopian Orthodox and Muslims in general. According to theBarnabas Fund,55 churches were torched in March 2011 in theJimma Zoneby Muslims after a dispute. In December 2019 several mosques and Muslim owned businesses were attacked in the Christian dominatedAmhara Region.[35]

Human rights groupshave regularly accused the government of arresting activists, journalists and bloggers to stamp out dissent among some religious communities. Lengthy prison terms were handed to 17 Muslim activists on 3August 2015 ranging from 7 to 22 years. They were charged with trying to create an Islamic state in the majority Christian country. All the defendants denied the charges and claimed that they were merely protesting in defence of their rights.[36][37][38]

Orthodox Christian–Muslim relations

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In theHadith,Prophet Mohammed explicitly prohibited jihad against theAbyssiniansas long as they were not hostile to Muslims.[39]This is because Abyssinia's (present-day Ethiopia) Aksumite monarch embraced a group of Muslims embarking on the first Hijrah from Arabia, fleeing persecution from their homeland.[40]The founder ofSolomonic dynasty,Yekuno Amlakwas heavily assisted by MuslimSultanate of Showain his struggle against theZagwe dynasty.[41]Yekuno Amlak paid back this favor when the Sultan of Shewa appealed to him to put down an insurrection in Showa.[42]

These friendly and collaborative relations between Muslim and Christian states would soon deteriorate in the following centuries. In the early fourteenth century EmperorAmda Seyonlaunched a crusade against the neighboring Muslim state ofIfat Sultanate,several mosques were demolished.[43]In the early fifteenth century EmperorZara Yaqobinvaded the Muslim state ofHadiya Sultanateand married the captured Hadiya princessEleniwhich was condemned by Muslims.[44]In the late fifteenth centuryAdal Sultanateinvaded Abyssinia led by ImamMahfuz,his defeat brought about the early 16th centuryJihadof theAdaleseImamAhmed Granagainst Ethiopia, where several churches were demolished.[45]In the nineteenth century during the reign of emperorsTewodros II,Yohannes IVandMenelik II,numerous Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity or displaced from their homelands. Muslims were furthermore treated as second class citizens and restrictions were put in place on how they could practice their religion.[46]

Adherents

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Year Christians Muslims Traditional faiths Other
Total Ethiopian Orthodox Protestants Catholics
1994
61.6%
50.6%
10.1%
0.9%
32.8%
4.6%
1.0%
2007
62.8%
43.5%
18.6%
0.7%
33.9%
2.6%
0.7%
Growth
1.2%
−7.1%
8.5%
−0.2%
1.1%
−2.0%
−0.3%
Year Christians Muslims Traditional faiths Other
Total Ethiopian Orthodox Protestants Catholics
1994 32,689,482 26,844,932 5,366,360 478,190 17,406,087 2,444,085 531,323
2007 46,420,822 32,154,550 13,748,842 517,430 25,058,373 1,921,881 517,430
Growth 13,731,340 5,309,618 8,382,482 39,240 7,652,286 -522,204 -13,893
1994 2007 1994 2007 1994 2007 1994 2007 1994 2007 1994 2007 1994 2007
Region Christians Ethiopian Orthodox Protestants Catholics Muslims Traditional faiths Other
Addis Ababa
86.65%
83.0%
82.0%
74.7%
3.9%
7.8%
0.8%
0.5%
12.7%
16.2%
0.8%
Afar
4.4%
4.7%
3.9%
3.9%
0.4%
0.7%
0.1%
0.1%
95.6%
95.3%
Amhara
81.6%
82.7%
81.5%
82.5%
0.1%
0.2%
18.1%
17.2%
0.1%
Benishangul-Gumuz
40.6%
46.5%
34.8%
33.0%
5.8%
13.5%
44.1%
45.4%
13.1%
7.1%
Dire Dawa
36.7%
28.8%
34.5%
25.7%
1.5%
2.8%
0.7%
0.4%
63.2%
70.9%
0.1%
0.3%
Gambela
71.35%
90.2%
24.1%
16.8%
44.0%
70.0%
3.2%
3.4%
5.15%
4.9%
10.3%
3.8%
1.1%
Harari
39.49%
30.8%
38.1%
27.1%
0.9%
3.4%
0.5%
0.3%
60.3%
69.0%
0.2%
Oromia
49.9%
48.2%
41.3%
30.5%
8.6%
17.7%
44.3%
47.5%
4.2%
3.3%
1.1%
Somali
0.9%
0.5%
0.9%
0.6%
98.7%
98.4%
0.3%
1.0%
SNNPR
65.4%
77.8%
27.6%
19.9%
34.8%
55.5%
3.0%
2.4%
16.7%
14.1%
15.4%
6.6%
1.5%
Tigray
95.9%
96.1%
95.5%
95.6%
0.1%
0.4%
0.4%
4.1%
4.0%

See also

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References

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  1. ^abc"CIA - The World Factbook - Ethiopia".Cia.gov.Retrieved21 November2023.
  2. ^abcdefgh2007 Ethiopian census, first draft,Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency (accessed 6 May 2009)
  3. ^S. C. Munro-Hay,Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity(Edinburgh: University Press, 1991), p. 77.ISBN0-7486-0106-6
  4. ^"History of Ethiopia".historyworld.net.
  5. ^"Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Matthew".
  6. ^abUS State Dept 2022 report
  7. ^ab"Population and Housing Census of 1994: Religion"Archived7 December 2008 at theWayback Machine(accessed 6 May 2009)
  8. ^Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane (2015)."Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census".IJRR.11:14.
  9. ^Adejumobi, Saheed A. (2007).The history of Ethiopia.Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. p. 171.ISBN978-0-313-32273-0.
  10. ^Thomas P. Ofcansky, LaVerle Berry (2004).Ethiopia: A Country Study.Kessinger Publishing. pp. 130–41.ISBN978-1-4191-1857-9.
  11. ^"Bible Gateway passage: Acts 8 - New International Version".Bible Gateway.Retrieved8 September2023.
  12. ^"The History of Ethiopian Jews".Jewishvirtuallibrary.org.Retrieved16 March2009.
  13. ^CIA Factbook - Ethiopia
  14. ^"Religious Identity Among Muslims".9 August 2012.
  15. ^Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census Results [Online]. Available at:https://web.archive.org/web/20090305231227/http:// csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf(Accessed19 January 2017)
  16. ^abLevtzion, Nehemia(31 March 2000).The History of Islam in Africa.Ohio University Press. pp. 240–241.ISBN9780821444610.
  17. ^Prunier, Gérard (15 September 2015).Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia: Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi.Oxford University Press.ISBN9781849046183.
  18. ^Mark Shapiro,"Return of a Lost Tribe"Archived6 January 2009 at theWayback Machine
  19. ^`Abdu'l-Bahá(1991) [1916-17].Tablets of the Divine Plan(Paperback ed.). Wilmette, IL: US Baháʼí Publishing Trust. pp. 47–59.ISBN0-87743-233-3.
  20. ^Hassan, Gamal (2008). Moths Turned Eagles, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Ethiopia.
  21. ^Hassall, Graham."Ethiopia".Research notes.Asia Pacific Bahá'í Studies.Retrieved21 December2008.
  22. ^Rabbani, Ruhiyyih,ed. (1992).The Ministry of the Custodians 1957–1963.Baháʼí World Centre.p. 398.ISBN0-85398-350-X.
  23. ^Compiled byHands of the CauseResiding in the Holy Land."The Baháʼí Faith: 1844–1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953–1963".pp. 28, 55.
  24. ^"QuickLists: Most Baha'i Nations (2010)".Association of Religion Data Archives.2010.Retrieved17 October2020.
  25. ^multiple (January 2009)."North American Baháʼí Choir in Ethiopia 2009".Retrieved30 August2009.
  26. ^ "Families and youth identified as keys to reducing poverty".News.bahai.org. 11 October 2006.Retrieved16 March2009.
  27. ^Taddesse Tamrat,Church and State.
  28. ^Freedom House, retrieved 2023-08-03
  29. ^Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-03
  30. ^Jalata, Asafa (8 February 2002).Fighting Against the Injustice of the State and Globalization: Comparing the African American and Oromo Movements.Springer. p. 99.ISBN9780312299071.
  31. ^Loimeier, Roman (8 September 2016).Islamic Reform in Twentieth-Century Africa.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN9781474414913.
  32. ^Knight, Michael (10 December 2009).Journey to the End of Islam.Soft Skull Press. p. 160.ISBN9781593765521.
  33. ^Angore, T.Reconstruction of Ethiopia's Collective Memory by Rewriting its History(PDF).Tilburg University. p. 103.
  34. ^Contested Power in Ethiopia: Traditional Authorities and Multi-Party Elections.BRILL. 9 December 2011. p. 189.ISBN9789004218499.
  35. ^"Five arrested for attack on mosques in Ethiopia's Amhara region".Al Jazeera.
  36. ^"Ethiopia hands lengthy prison terms to Muslim activists".DailySabah.4 August 2015.Retrieved24 October2015.
  37. ^"Ethiopia hands lengthy prison terms to Muslim activists".Reuters.3 August 2015.Retrieved24 October2015.
  38. ^"Ethiopia jails Muslims convicted of terror plot".BBC News.3 August 2015.Retrieved24 October2015.
  39. ^Ghunaimi, Mohammad (6 December 2012).The Muslim Conception of International Law and the Western Approach.Springer Science & Business Media. p. 203.ISBN9789401195089.
  40. ^Budge, E. A. Wallis (1 August 2014).A History of Ethiopia: Volume I (Routledge Revivals): Nubia and Abyssinia.Routledge.ISBN978-1-317-64915-1.
  41. ^Oromo of Ethiopia with special emphasis on the Gibe region(PDF).p. 4.
  42. ^Selassie, Sergew (1972).Ancient and Medieval Ethiopian History to 1270.p. 290.
  43. ^Budge, E.A (August 2014).A History of Ethiopia: Volume I (Routledge Revivals): Nubia and Abyssinia.Routledge. p. 297.ISBN9781317649151.
  44. ^Hassen, Mohammed.Oromo of Ethiopia with special emphasis on the Gibe region(PDF).University of London. p. 22.
  45. ^"Adal".Encyclopædia Britannica.
  46. ^Bausi, Alessandro (2017).Ethiopia History, Culture and Challenges.Michigan State University Press. p. 235.ISBN9783643908926.
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