Ethiopia bans muslim hijab and prayers in universities.

[hanqadh]

Ethiopia: Calm returns after thousands of Muslim students protest

A Jimma University official told Jimma Times that the religious tension around Ethiopian universities has calmed since the protests staged the last few days. However, dozens of Ethiopian Muslim students arrested in several colleges have not appeared in court while more students have been suspended from schools this week for wearing the Islamic Hijab clothing.

The detainment of Muslim students came after police gave a strong warning to the students for organizing an unauthorized demonstration. The students complained about the delays and government bureaucracy that are common when organizations try to get official authorization. The protest in Addis Ababa by the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) opposition party supporters two weeks ago was one of the rare cases of government approval.

Since last year, Muslims have staged several unauthorized demonstrations in Ethiopia but there have been no problems due to the peaceful nature of the protests. The Muslim students shouted “Islam is Peace,” "No Hijab, no school" and “Allahu Akbar” during this week’s protests. On Friday, tens of thousands of University students held rallies nationwide in solidarity with Muslim students who were expelled from universities for wearing the Hijab.

According to sources in Ethiopia, big and small scale Muslim student demonstrations were held at Jimma University, Addis Ababa University, Kombolcha University, Gondar University, Dese University, Bahir Dar University, Tepi University, Mekele University and Haramaya University.

While some protestors also accused Ethiopian university officials of banning the Salat – the five times a day Muslim prayer – there was no evidence backing their allegation. However, Mekele University in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray was caught up in a larger controversy over restricting Muslim students’ praying rights inside the campus.

Global Debate
The controversy over the Hijab and Niqab clothing in colleges and universities has been a global issue in recent years, with some secular and European countries taking severe political and legal steps to ban the Hijab.

France has banned all religious clothing that represent an “ostensible religious symbol” from all government-run educational institutions while Britain is proposing a ban for security reasons. Some regional states inside Germany have also banned it while the Netherlands outlawed the Muslim clothing, saying that educational necessity of eye contact and communication within the school building overrode the religious-freedom aspects.

Even in predominantly Muslim countries like Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco, the Hijab is either discouraged or banned in government institutions and some public places. The country of Turkey is likely to be a precedent for Ethiopia since both their governments are secular while the countries have a substantial Muslim population.

The dominant reasoning mentioned by people opposed to Hijab in schools and public areas is the value of face-to-face communication for learning and the obstacles in identification for fight against crime. And many governments justify banning Hijab in government institutions to protect secularism and the neutrality of the state. Supporters of the Hijab in educational institutions say banning the clothing is against religious freedom.

History of tension

The religious tension in Ethiopia is also connected to the discrimination Ethiopian Muslims have felt over the years in a country that has long attached Ethiopian nationalism with being a Christian. Orthodox Christianity has been the state religion in Ethiopia for centuries until 1974, during the Mengistu Haile Mariam government. And Muslims did not hold many big positions in the federal government until very recently. Historically, the country has endured several religious clashes however, Ethiopian Muslims take pride in being the first society in the world to embrace Islam in 615 when Prophet Mohammed’s followers were being persecuted in the Arab society.

In 2008, many Ethiopian Muslims accused some Ethiopian Christians who were labeling Ethiopia as an “Island of Christianity” after the Census publication which indicated Christians make up 62% of the country’s population.

Meanwhile, sources in Ethiopia say that some opposition groups and Muslim extremists have been trying to capitalize on the tension by spreading rumors

Source/ Jimmatimes.com

[Firefly]

The dominant reasoning mentioned by people opposed to Hijab in schools and public areas is the value of face-to-face communication for learning and the obstacles in identification for fight against crime. And many governments justify banning Hijab in government institutions to protect secularism and the neutrality of the state. Supporters of the Hijab in educational institutions say banning the clothing is against religious freedom.

What? The hijaab does not hinder face-to-face interactions! Are they not referring to the Niqab here? It's funny how they always attack the hijaab. Protect secularism? It's obvious this is just another dig at Islam, and Muslims.

[American-Suufi]

Firefly

why do you support alshabab?

give me one good reason.

[hanqadh]

suufi,

whats this got to do with al-shabab, its ethiopia trying to undermine the muslim majority in ethiopia while their christian's are allowed to practice freely.

ethiopia has arrested countless imams and sheikhs, and has isolated many muslims in the south so that their shut from the outside world except for missionaries who flourish their.

[American-Suufi]

suufi,

whats this got to do with al-shabab, its ethiopia trying to undermine the muslim majority in ethiopia while their christian's are allowed to practice freely.

ethiopia has arrested countless imams and sheikhs, and has isolated many muslims in the south so that their shut from the outside world except for missionaries who flourish their.

fair question.

this a false report by ogadens (onlf) to get sympathy from other muslims when they fight for a qawiil ogadenia nation not an islamic or somalinimo cause. if the imams and sheikhs are alshabab supporters the ethiopians should behead them for the benefit of the majority of muslims in ethiopia whom the alshababs accuse these muslim somalis as murtads and would have killed them.

i want to know why firefly supports alshabab as an ogaden?

[hanqadh]

suufi,

whats this got to do with al-shabab, its ethiopia trying to undermine the muslim majority in ethiopia while their christian's are allowed to practice freely.

ethiopia has arrested countless imams and sheikhs, and has isolated many muslims in the south so that their shut from the outside world except for missionaries who flourish their.

fair question.

this a false report by ogadens (onlf) to get sympathy from other muslims when they fight for a qawiil ogadenia nation not an islamic or somalinimo cause. if the imams and sheikhs are alshabab supporters the ethiopians should behead them for the benefit of the majority of muslims in ethiopia whom the alshababs accuse these muslim somalis as murtads and would have killed them.

i want to know why firefly supports alshabab as an ogaden?

damnnn you really are stupid

[Addoow]

American suufi is a true hawiye.

[Faranacab]

American suufi is a true hawiye.

But a pay out Somali.

Ogaden cause is Somali cause. They are fighting for their freedom.

Any one who considers their fight for freedom and self dependance as a clan fight is helping the enemy and thus he is a pay out.

Moreover, any one who brings tribal issues in every decent discussion is a pay out.

[Addoow]

faranacab
I am not against the freedom of western somalia ofcourse may heart is with them .
in fact,i was joking when i said american suufi is hawiye ,he is not hawiye.

[Ka darag]

WTF! I swear the country is like half Muslim

[American-Suufi]

American suufi is a true hawiye.

But a pay out Somali.

Ogaden cause is Somali cause. They are fighting for their freedom.

Any one who considers their fight for freedom and self dependance as a clan fight is helping the enemy and thus he is a pay out.

Moreover, any one who brings tribal issues in every decent discussion is a pay out.

why shouldnt you add the onlf are 'mujahidiin' and everyone against their agenda is a murtad like alshabab says.

this is from onlf's website. let us see your hypocrism.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front is a grass-root organisation that was created by Ogaden youth activists and civic organisations that rebelled against the meddling of both the Somali government and foreigners from every corner of the world and made the Ogaden Somali people pawns to further other's political agendas. From its inception to date ONLF caters to nobody but the interest of the Ogaden Somalis.

ONLF is a national liberation front that fights for the rights of the Ogaden Somalis to self-determination in order to decide their future as is enshrined in the universal declaration of Human rights and considers Ethiopia as a colonial state that took part in the European Scramble for the colonisation of Africa in the 19th century.

ONLF believes in the right of all nations to self-determination, the rule of law and representative government that comes through democratic practice and one person one vote and the separation of religion and government.

http://www.onlf.org/press_foreignRelati ... 282007.htm

it is a qawiil entity not somali nor islamic. why will non somali ogadens in ethiopia support onlf?

qawiil dawlo ma noqoto.

[American-Suufi]

"From its inception to date ONLF caters to nobody but the interest of the Ogaden Somalis."

i rest my case.

[Faranacab]

faranacab
I am not against the freedom of western somalia ofcourse may heart is with them .
in fact,i was joking when i said american suufi is hawiye ,he is not hawiye.

I got you adeerow and the dude can be all what he is supposed to be but we have to know our problems. And our very problem is this clannism which has no use but still divides our people. I told you not mention or joke those clan names so that not happen in the definition of pay outs whom have been used by the shisheeyes to divide our nation.

Is that not simple?

[American-Suufi]

listen to the onlf anger and why they choose to become a tribal entity.

It is not the first time that Ogaden refugees were massacred and with no recourse to justice. In 1991 when the Somali government fell half a million Ogaden refugees were left at the mercy of the marauding crowds in Somalia and many were mercilessly massacred in Northern and central Somalia.

if they succeed expect a somali blood bath in western somalia among somalis. this is a sick agenda and should have never been supported by sane somalis. that is why onlf dont have the support of all ogadens in western somalia.

[Alas!]

Well that sucks. Someone ought to say something to someone so they can do something.