Transformations of Islam and communal relations in Wallo, Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia holds a special place in the history of Muslim-Christian relations in Africa. Islam has a very long history in the country, going back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Cuoq 1981, 28). Despite a history of tension and occasional violence over the past five to six hundred years, the relationship between religious communi-ties in Ethiopia, especially since the era of Emperor Menelik II (r. 1889-1913), has predominantly been one of accommodation and compromise, not of antagonism and strife. Muslims in Ethiopia are of diverse ethnolinguistic backgrounds, and Islam has acquired a strong indigenous character.