RELIGIOUS DYNAMICS IN ETHIOPIA; POSSIBLE CAUSES OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 000980

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2019
TAGS: KIRF KISL PGOV PHUM KDEM ET
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS DYNAMICS IN ETHIOPIA; POSSIBLE CAUSES OF
CONFLICTS

REF: 2008 ADDIS 3230

Classified By: Ambassador Donald Yamamoto. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Ethiopia has enjoyed a long history of religious
tolerance. In the past year, however, tensions have risen
somewhat among Muslims and Orthodox Christians, the two
largest religious groups in Ethiopia. Although it is likely
that the recent conflicts are isolated incidents and are not
cause for immediate concern, the attitudes and outlooks of
certain groups are worth noting. Orthodox Christian leaders
openly exhibit tolerance of Muslims, but there are undertones
of entitlement as they are "the oldest Church in Africa," had
been the state religion until 1974, and feel threatened by
recent acts by Muslims which they see as provocative.
Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council (EIASC) leaders
blame the recent religious conflict on opposition parties and
Wahhabis who they argue are using religion "for political
means," and are trying to exclude Wahhabis from the Council.
The Special Assistant to the Minister of Federal Affairs
believes that recent religious conflicts were caused by
"messengers" sent by organized national and international
networks to incite violence, but could not say whether such
networks were allied around religion, ideology, ethnicity, or
some other social dynamic. The Government has taken several
measures to address rising religious tensions and to avoid
future conflict, including establishing regional forums to
raise awareness and calling upon religious leaders and
followers to reveal those attempting to incite religious
conflicts. End summary.

Orthodox Tolerant but Proud
--------------


2. (C) Head of Foreign Relations of the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church (EOC) Abune Gerima told PolOff that recently there
have been several instances of Muslims entering empty church
compounds and shouting "God is great" in Arabic. He
considers this to be blasphemy, and commented that "five to
ten years ago a Muslim would not have dared to even touch the
walls of a church compound." The Abune (Bishop) said that
according to Ethiopian culture, Muslims don't come near
churches unless there is a funeral there, and Christians
don't go near mosques. The leadership of the EOC meets
regularly with leaders from the EIASC at the national level
to discuss current dynamics. The Abune said that the
Orthodox leadership is worried about the rising number of
extremists (from both religions) and provocative acts. In
his meeting with PolOff, the Abune became visibly upset about
what the EOC perceived as Muslim "provocative acts" and said
that they are "confronting the oldest Church in Africa" and
threatening Christianity. He said that he encourages his
followers to be tolerant of other religions but to "protect
the Church."

Possible Causes of Recent Conflicts
--------------


3. (C) In the past year there have been some isolated
incidents of religious conflict in Ethiopia, and
interlocutors offer several different explanations as to the
causes. Vice-President of the EIASC Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan
said he believes that the conflicts are a manifestation of
"political manipulation of religion" and the growing
influence of Wahhabists. He blames opposition parties and
Wahhabists for using religion "for political means" to
mobilize the masses. Mohammed said he does not believe that
religious leaders would incite violence because they have
benefited from maintaining a peaceful co-existence for over
1,000 years. He argues that since the Wahhabis cannot find
support within the population (because of the long history of
Sufism),they have decided to partner with "certain
opposition parties" in order to gain political power.
Because the EIASC feels that Wahhabism is a serious threat to
the stability of Ethiopia and the region, the Council has
decided not to allow Wahhabis to be elected to the Council.
In March 2009, the EIASC banned Islamic meetings and
activities without permission from the Council, and they also
closely monitor Imams in the country. At an April 6 lunch,
the Mufti of Ethiopia told the Ambassador that the EIASC does
not consider Wahhabis to be genuine Muslims, but rather

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extremists attempting to hijack the religion.


4. (C) The Ministry of Federal Affairs handles internal
conflicts, including religious conflicts, but the Government
is reassessing whether this responsibility should remain in
this Ministry. According to the Special Assistant to the
Minister of Federal Affairs Meressa Reda, some recent
religious conflicts were caused by "messengers" from
organized national and international networks sent expressly
to incite violence. Meressa reported that the Government is
actively forming close relationships with religious leaders
at the national and local levels to stop the spread of
extremism, and has called upon religious leaders and
followers to reveal those attempting to incite religious
conflicts. Also, he said that the Government has created
regional forums led by regional Administrative and Security
Bureaus and police commissioners to create awareness about
religious tolerance. In late April, Federal Affairs Minister
Dr. Shiferaw Teklemariam announced that various
awareness-raising programs would be held in the coming three
months, and that the Government would take the necessary
measures on issues related to administrative gaps that could
aggravate the emerging problems.


5. (U) In parallel to this, the Mission's Public Affairs
Section is launching "Inter-Faith Councils" in Bahir Dar and
Jimma this spring. Composed of Orthodox, Muslim, and
Protestant religious leaders in each town, the Councils will
seek to bring the spirit of inter-faith cooperation and
mutual respect found at the national level to the local
level. With a strong focus on cooperation to address social
issues with the support of the local government, these
Councils will not deal with "ecumenical understanding," but
instead try to build constructive, inter-personal
relationships between faith leaders around cooperation on
issues of mutual concern. Should this pilot project prove
effective, Mission hopes to expand it to more cities in the
coming fiscal year.

Wahhabi and OLF Presence Spreading in Bale Region
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Former Editor-in-Chief of the now defunct Al-Nejash
newspaper Awel Kedir (protect) said that there is a large
Wahhabi Muslim presence in the Bale region. However, he
noted that the large Sufi Muslim presence was strong, and
that the Wahhabis are having difficulty gaining power
(reftel). Awel added that the local authorities are "serious
about watching the Wahhabis." Awel also reported that there
is an increasing Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) presence in the
Bale region because of growing dissatisfaction with the
Government, and the political situation is very tense. The
Government is reportedly trying to convert OLF members to
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF-
ruling party) members by offering money, jobs, and property
(reftel).

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Ethiopia has a long history of religious tolerance,
and for the most part religious groups continue to co-exist
peacefully. Much of the increase in prominent conflicts
between religious groups observed in Ethiopia over the past
year is likely due to the increase of drought and
poverty-induced competition over scarce resources between
communities that are divided along religious lines as well as
broader media coverage which brings such conflicts to light.
Still, the provocations by small-but-growing religious
extremists - both Christian and Muslim - are not
insignificant factors in sparking conflict. We have not seen
credible evidence to support the claims by some political
groups, either ruling or opposition, instigating
inter-religious tension for political gain. Recent
highly-publicized tensions between Muslims and Christians and
a growing Wahhabi influence, however, have caused the
Government enough concern to intervene actively to promote
interreligious tolerance and crack down on provocations.
Because Ethiopians of all religions tend to be very proud and
devout, religion could have the potential to polarize the
population in the face of intentional provocations. The
proactive measures the Government has taken to calm religious
tensions and prevent future conflict are a positive
development. Still, certain segments of the population that

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are extremely poor do risk falling under the sway of Wahhabi
or other extremist ideologies. Post will continue to monitor
closely religious dynamics.
YAMAMOTO