Localising Salafism

Østebø, Terje

doi:10.1163/9789004217492

Cited by 54 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…That there are active programmes and Salafist networks propagating the cause of an exclusivist Islam, against Sufist versions and with broader da'wa aims towards Ethiopia as a whole, is beyond doubt, 39 although this does not by definition mean they are violent or jihadist. 40 Nevertheless, there are few analyses of the internal theological-political views on state and society among Ethiopian Muslims although in some circles the ideas of key 'reformists' like Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammed Abdel-Wahhab and Sayyid Qutb find allegiance. This strain of thinking would set the Muslim leadership on a sure crash course with not only the government but also the secular state ideal now propagated by the protest movement.…”

Section: The Cyclical Production Of Religious Identity Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religious freedom and the political order: the Ethiopian ‘secular state’ and the containment of Muslim identity politics

Abbink

2014

Journal of Eastern African Studies

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The 2011-2014 controversies between the Ethiopian Government and Muslim communities on the role of Islam in Ethiopia have highlighted the precarious nature of religious relations in Ethiopia. Statements by public figures and religious leaders recently have drawn attention to the nature and scope of the Ethiopian secular state order. This paper describes the recent Muslim protest movement and the response to it by the government in the light of the secular state model. While the challenges to it also extend to the large Christian community in Ethiopia, the problems became prominent mainly in the case of the Muslims, who contest perceived 'government interference' in their community life and self-organization. I present an overview of key recent events and of factors inducing conflict between state and religion. The discussion makes reference to more general debates on the 'secular model' in Ethiopia and to the familiar though somewhat worn-out paradigm of 'identity politics'. State repression of Muslim civic protest in Ethiopia revealed insecurities of the state: rather than an instance of the process of 'othering' a religious community, we see a case of political crisis, and a search for new modes of governance of diversity and communal religiosity in Ethiopia. As a result of the contestations, however, the secular order of the country will not be threatened, but modified.Keywords: politics and religion; Ethiopia; Muslims; secularism; identity politics; public sphere This study gives an account of the recent Muslim versus state conflict in Ethiopia in the light of the global discussions on the nature and prospects of the 'secular state', a political model of modern statecraft that aims to maintain neutral, procedural space in a landscape of worldview diversity. The model implies that religious rights/freedoms in the shared public sphere are not absolute, because the different faiths must be 'spared the religious practices of others'. In addition, the model's aim is, via overarching state law, to prevent internal religious tyranny. While Ethiopia's people overwhelmingly adhere to religious belief and often define their personal identity in terms of it, the state is secular: no state religion, no policies based on or defended by an appeal to religious arguments. The past three years of confrontation between the state and the larger part of the Muslim community have raised questions about the nature and scope of the secular state model and about relations

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Section: The Cyclical Production Of Religious Identity Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religious freedom and the political order: the Ethiopian ‘secular state’ and the containment of Muslim identity politics

Abbink

2014

Journal of Eastern African Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It draws on a series of conversations conducted and observations made from 2013 to 2015. Salafism is defined here as a practice that models religiosity along the lines of Muhammad and the pious ancestors (Salaf) (Thurston 2016;Lauzière 2015;Sounaye 2015;Marks 2013;Pall 2013;Østebø 2011;Meijer 2009), and emphasizes a ritual purity that rests on the imperative to ground Islamic practice in an absolute monotheism (tawhid). In its local manifestation, it rejects the mysticism and esoterism generally associated with the Sufi organizations (tariqa), but also local customs and practices (al adu) including divination and the use of charms or talismans.…”

Section: Abdoulaye Sounayementioning

confidence: 99%