The recent mosque crisis in Ethiopia opened a wide door to questions about the situation of Muslims there. Does the demolition of mosques under the pretext that they are not authorized have sectarian dimensions, or is it just poor organization? What made the matter more problematic was the use of violence in the face of the peaceful protests of Muslims, so what is the truth of what is happening? Where have efforts to dialogue with the government reached?
Last year, the federal authorities in the Oromia region launched a project to merge several regions and towns surrounding the capital, Addis Ababa, into one modern city called the city of “Shaghar.” Against the background of this project, the city authorities began demolishing and removing many facilities and buildings, including mosques, claiming that they were built without a permit. This is what some see as a discriminatory policy against Muslims and expresses sectarian politics and not a reorganization. However, many agree that the method of implementation did not consider the feelings of Muslims and the sanctity of chapels.
Demolition of 23 mosques
The number of mosques that have been demolished so far, according to the data of the Ethiopian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, is estimated at about 23 mosques, and about 8 Muslims were killed, including two people after the first Friday of the demonstrations, according to the data of the police and the council, due to the violence used against the peaceful protests of Muslims. Some of which came out of Anwar Mosque, north of Addis Ababa, uninjured and unaffected.
There is hate
In an interview with "Society", a member of the Islamic Federal Council says that the demolition of homes and mosques under the pretext that they are unlicensed is an unacceptable act, especially since about 80% of mosques in the country are unlicensed, built by Muslims in light of the difficulty of obtaining a license and the presence of obstacles There are many difficulties and complications, and the same thing happened in the city of "Shaghar" and its mosques before the demolition. The city’s mosques were either built by buying land from farmers whose money was collected from Muslims because a Muslim must have a mosque in any area, he lives in. In addition to that, many of the city’s residents are Muslims who came from several areas inhabited by a Muslim majority.
Mistakes that should be corrected
He adds: The demolition was illegal, and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs was not consulted before the demolition. This is incorrect behavior that fuels religious fanaticism and hatred, especially since most officials who rule the city of "Shaghar" are non-Muslims, and it seems that they are fanatical about their religion and do not want the presence of mosques. This is because Muslims, as is well known, are located in any area where they are densely populated, especially in "Shaghar", which is the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa. Therefore, what happened was wrong, and they must return to the right path and consider the reality of Muslims and the sanctity of places of prayer in general, to spare the country from sectarian crises.
Unanswered efforts
Regarding the efforts and role of the Islamic Council regarding the demolition of mosques and the use of violence against peaceful demonstrations of Muslims, the member of the Federal Council said: The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs wrote to the federal government, as well as the Oromia regional government, in which the city of Shaghar is located, and to the mayor of the city of Shaghar. But we did not receive a response, and this is against the rights of citizenship, religiosity, and equality in it. Every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, and the officials must respect the rights of all citizens equally.
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs held an extraordinary meeting immediately after the events took place, and issued a statement confirming that the demolition and the use of violence against Muslims is an illegal act. It is necessary to refer to the council in such matters, since it is the one that represents the Muslims, and stressed the need to rebuild and apologize to the Muslims for what happened.
The member of the Federal Council explained that a committee was formed consisting of 9 members, consisting of 3 members from the Islamic Council, 3 from the Addis Ababa Council, and 3 from the Oromia Council. This committee began its work by discussing the issue with the federal government, the Ministry of Peace, the government of the city of Shaghar, and the regional governments to reach solutions to this crisis, which is a setback in the dealings of officials with Muslims.
Organization or sectarian?
For his part, journalist, and writer Abd al-Shakour Abd al-Samad told «Al-Mujtama»: What has been demolished are mosques, most of which do not meet the minimum requirements of the mosque, in terms of space, quality, and legal and regulatory requirements. It is not targeting Muslims, from his point of view, as much as it is an organizational action for the urban and residential environment and the services it needs.
Solutions are possible
He pointed out that the possibility of the administration of the city of Shaghar and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs reaching an understanding exists and continues, explaining that yesterday the formation of the administration of the branch of the Islamic Council was celebrated at the level of the city of Shaghar in the presence of the administration of the city of Shaghar, the representative of the Prosperity Party and the head of the Federal Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.
On not licensing mosques, he said: Not licensing mosques does not justify demolition, but an agreement and understanding can be reached that considers the interests and feelings of Muslims. Perhaps due to the recent establishment of the city and the rush to complete the required stages with their time periods, and there may be those in the administration who committed some transgressions by mistake or intentionally for one reason or another, all of which are possibilities.
Excessive violence
About the demonstrations and the violence, they faced, Abdel Shakour believes that there is a mistake by the organizers of the demonstrations without permission or approval from the competent authorities, and even with the council. The response of the security services to the demonstrations went beyond the limit with excessive violence.
As for the preacher and social activist Abd al-Rahman Saeed, he believes that the crisis has expanded and has no clear solutions apart from the efforts of reconciliation between Muslims and the government through the efforts of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Ethiopia. The demolition is not intended for mosques or is limited to them, but many facilities including unauthorized houses and mosques.
He pointed out that the authorities who demolished mosques did not observe their sanctity, and did not give Muslims a deadline to remove the Qur’an, but rather showed their hatred for Muslims during the demolition process, and indicated that Muslims have achieved many gains in recent years.
It is noteworthy that the International Union of Muslim Scholars called, in a previous statement, on the Ethiopian authorities to compensate the homes and mosques that were demolished, to ensure the safety of all citizens, to hold accountable those who killed the demonstrators, and to work to calm the situation in the country.
In its statement, the Union stressed the importance of dialogue, giving priority to the language of respect and appreciating common interests, and supporting what the Islamic Supreme Council in Ethiopia is doing to open channels of dialogue and understanding to achieve security and community peace, and declared its full readiness to cooperate and coordinate with all concerned parties in Ethiopia, with the aim of establishing the values of coexistence between all components under justice and respect for the law.
