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Ethiopia
International Religious Freedom Report 2003
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
The
Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government
generally respects this right in practice; however, on occasion local
authorities infringed on this right.
There was no change in the
status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by
this report. While some Muslim leaders continued to complain that
public school authorities sometimes interfered with their free practice
of Islam because they prohibited the wearing of headscarves in school,
others accepted that school officials do so to keep better track of
their students. Some Protestant and Muslim groups continued to complain
that local officials discriminate against them when seeking land for
churches and cemeteries.
The generally amicable
relationship among religions in society contributed to religious
freedom; however, interreligious tension and criticism increased
between followers of evangelical and Pentecostal churches, on the one
hand, and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, on the other. During the
period covered by this report, there were at least two deadly clashes
between Protestants and members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
During the period covered by the previous report, there were also
reports of clashes between Muslims and members of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church.
The U.S. Government
discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context
of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has a total area
of 699,946 square miles, and its population is approximately 71
million. Approximately 40 to 45 percent of the population adhere to the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC); however, the EOC claims 50 percent of
the country’s total population, or more than 31 million adherents, and
110,450 churches. The EOC is predominant in the northern regions of
Tigray and Amhara. Approximately 45 percent of the population is
Muslim, although many Muslims claim that the actual percentage is
higher. Islam is most prevalent in the Somali and Afar regions, as well
as in parts of Oromia. Evangelical and Pentecostal Protestantism are
the fastest growing faiths and constitute approximately 10 percent of
the population. According to the Evangelical Church Fellowship, there
are 7.4 million Protestants, although this figure may be a high
estimate. Established Protestant churches such as Mekane Yesus and Kale
Hiwot are strongest in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and
People’s Regional State (SNNPRS), western and central Oromia, and in
urban areas around the country. There are more than 6,000 Jehovah’s
Witnesses in the country. Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Roman Catholics,
Jews, animists, and other practitioners of traditional indigenous
religions make up most of the remaining population. There are very few
atheists. Although precise data is not available, active participation
in religious services is high throughout the country.
In Addis Ababa and western
Gondar, in the Amhara region, there are very small concentrations of
Ethiopian Jews (Falashas) and those who claim that their ancestors were
forced to convert from Judaism to Ethiopian Orthodoxy (Feles Mora).
A large number of foreign
missionary groups operate in the country, including Catholic and
Protestant missionaries. Protestant organizations, operating under the
umbrella of the 12-member Evangelical Church Fellowship of Ethiopia,
sponsor or support missionary work: the Baptist Bible Fellowship; the
New Covenant Baptist Church; the Baptist Evangelical Association;
Mekane Yesus Church (associated with the Lutheran Church); Kale Hiwot
Church (associated with SIM-Service in Mission); Hiwot Berhan Church
(associated with the Swedish Philadelphia Church); Genet Church
(associated with the Finnish Mission); Lutheran-Presbyterian Church of
Ethiopia; Emnet Christos; Muluwongel (Full Gospel) Church; and
Messerete Kristos (associated with the Mennonite Mission). There also
is missionary activity among Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
Section II. Status of Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for
freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right
in practice; however, on occasion local authorities infringed on this
right. The Constitution requires the separation of religion and the
state and prohibits a state religion, and the Government respects these
rights in practice.
The Government requires
that religious groups be registered. Religious institutions, like
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), are registered with the Ministry
of Justice and must renew their registration every year. Unlike NGOs,
religious groups are not subject to a rigorous registration process.
Under current law, any religious organization that undertakes
development activities must register its development wing separately as
an NGO. The Roman Catholic Nuncio in Ethiopia has written repeatedly to
the Prime Minister�s office seeking a reversal of this policy; however,
there was no change in the government policy during the period covered
by this report.
To register, each religious
organization must complete an application form and submit a copy of its
bylaws, a curriculum vitae of the organization�s leader, and a copy of
the leader�s identity card. Failure to register results in the lack of
any legal standing of the organization in the Government�s eyes. For
example, any organization that does not register with the Ministry of
Justice would not be allowed to open a bank account and would be
severely disadvantaged in any court of law.
However, the EOC has never
registered and has never suffered ramifications for not registering.
Similarly, the Supreme Islamic Council, after registering 8 years ago,
has never reregistered since it protested this requirement to the Prime
Minister�s Office. Protests from other religious groups over these
exceptions have not resulted in equal treatment from the Government.
Religious groups are not
accorded duty-free status. Religious groups are given free government
land for churches, schools, hospitals, and cemeteries; however, schools
and hospitals, regardless of how long they have been in operation, are
subject to closure by the Government at any time, and the land taken
back. Land used for prayer houses and cemeteries is protected from
government reclamation, unless they were built illegally. Religious
groups, like private individuals or businesses, must apply to regional
and local governments for land allocation. An interfaith effort to
promote revision of the law in order for religious organizations to
obtain duty-free status continued during the period covered by this
report.
In most interreligious
disputes, the Government maintains neutrality and tries to be an
impartial arbitrator. Some religious leaders have requested the
establishment of a federal institution to deal with religious groups.
The Government considered the request; however, no action was taken to
establish such a federal institution by the end of the period covered
by this report.
The Government officially
recognizes both Christian and Muslim holidays, and continues to mandate
a 2-hour lunch break on Fridays to allow Muslims to go to a mosque to
pray. The Government also agreed to a request from Muslim students at
Addis Ababa Commercial College to delay the start of afternoon classes
until 1:30 p.m. to permit them to perform afternoon prayers at a nearby
mosque.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The Government bans the formation of political parties based on religion.
The Government does not issue
work visas to foreign religious workers unless they are attached to the
development wing of a religious organization licensed by the
Government. The Government requires religious organizations to separate
their development activities from their religious ones and imposes
different licensing processes for each. The Government is issuing
licenses for religious organizations� development activities but not
for its religious activities.
Under the press law, it is
a crime to incite one religion against another. The press law also
allows for defamation claims involving religious leaders to be
prosecuted as criminal cases. In 2001 two journalists were detained and
charged with defamation after writing articles critical of the EOC.
Tilahun Bekele, publisher of Netsanet, was charged with libel against
the pastor of the Kirkos Church, an EOC parish in the Addis Ababa
diocese. Daniel Gezahegn, deputy editor-in-chief of Mogedwere, was
arrested because of an article that was critical of the EOC and was
accused of slandering Major-General Bacha Debella, a government
official. Both were released on bail in 2001; however, the charges
against them were pending at the end of the period covered by this
report.
Evangelical leaders have
complained of strict regulations on the importation of Bibles, as well
as heavy customs duty on Bibles and other religious articles; however,
Bibles and religious articles are subject to the same customs duty as
all imported books, donated or otherwise.
While some Muslim leaders
continued to complain that public school authorities sometimes
interfered with their free practice of Islam because they prohibited
the wearing of headscarves in school, others accepted that school
officials do so to keep better track of their students. Certain public
school teachers in the SNNPRS, Addis Ababa, and the Amhara region
objected to Muslim schoolgirls covering their heads with scarves while
at school. According to Muslim leaders, school officials negatively
react to the practice of fully covering the face and hands of female
students. Muslim leaders stated that in some schools, Muslim girls go
without head coverings in order to avoid similar problems.
The Government has
interpreted the constitutional provision for separation of religion and
state to mean that religious instruction is not permitted in schools,
whether they are public or private schools. Catholic, Orthodox,
evangelical, and Muslim-owned and operated schools are not permitted to
teach religion as a course of study. Most private schools teach morals
courses as part of school curricula, and the Government Education
Bureau in Addis Ababa has complained that such courses are not free of
religious influence. Churches are permitted to have Sunday schools, the
Koran is taught at mosques, and public schools permit the formation of
clubs, including those of a religious nature.
Minority religious groups have complained of discrimination in
the allocation of government land for religious sites. Protestant
groups occasionally complain that local officials discriminate against
them when seeking land for churches and cemeteries. Evangelical leaders
have complained that because they are perceived as “newcomers” they
remain at a disadvantage compared with the EOC and the Supreme Islamic
Council when it comes to the allocation of land. The Supreme Islamic
Council has complained that it has more difficulty obtaining land from
the government bureaucracy than the EOC; others believe that the
Supreme Islamic Council is favored for mosque locations. While local
authorities in the northern town of Axum, a holy city for the EOC,
continued to deny Muslim leaders’ repeated requests to allocate land
for the construction of a mosque there, they have said that they will
consider the request as soon as Saudi Arabian officials allow a church
to be built in Mecca, a holy city for Muslims. Members of Jehovah’s
Witnesses have said that due to the lack of suitable plots in the
capital that the Government was willing to allocate, they have leased
their own.
In 1998 the Government returned Evangelical Church property
that was seized under the Mengistu regime (including the Mekane Yesus
Church headquarters, which served as Federal Police headquarters until
1997); however, the Government still has not returned other properties
to the Mekane Yesus Church, including three student hostels and two
schools. The Government also has not returned to the Seventh-day
Adventists properties taken by the prior regime, including two
hospitals. The Supreme Islamic Council continued to try to obtain
properties that were confiscated outside of the capital under the
Dergue regime. A March 2002 declaration by the Oromia Regional State
Parliament called for the return of all nationalized property
originally belonging to religious organizations; however, no property
was returned by the end of the period covered by this report. Similar
provisions were instituted in the Southern Region last year.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
In 2002 Full Gospel Church members complained that district
level officials in Merawi, Mecha district, West Gojam Zone, Amhara
Region, refused to heed their warnings that Orthodox Church members
were plotting to take violent measures against their members. The Full
Gospel Church had been awarded a plot of land in Merawi over the
objections of 42 Orthodox congregations. The failure of Mecha district
officials to take action in response to the Full Gospel Church�s
concerns led to the July 2002 killing of a Full Gospel fellowship
leader at the hands of an Orthodox mob (see Section III).
In April 2002, police arrested evangelical church leaders
Kiros Meles and Abebayeh Desalegn as suspects in the killing of an
Orthodox church member. The incident happened during a rampage by an
Orthodox mob that attacked five evangelical churches in Maychew, Tigray
region. Police apparently tried to suppress evidence linking the
killing to a fellow police officer, who fired his gun in the air in a
vain attempt to disperse the crowd. The two men were held for 1 year
without any evidence being produced by the police. They were released
in April 2003 without any charges ever filed against them.
In January 2001, in Harar, a riot broke out between Muslims
and Christians (see Section III); the army was called in to restore
order and reportedly shot and killed five persons. No action was taken
against any of the army officers who were involved in the incident, and
the case officially was closed.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from
the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society
contributed to religious freedom; however, open conflict among
religious groups increased during the period covered by this report.
These occurred most noticeably between Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
and evangelical Protestants, and between Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
and Muslims. In addition there continued to be pockets of
interreligious tension and criticism among some religious groups. For
example, members of newer faiths, such as Pentecostals and Jehovah’s
Witnesses, have encountered overt opposition from the public. Muslims
and Orthodox Christians complain about proselytization by Pentecostals
and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Ethiopian Orthodox leaders complain that
sometimes Protestants fail to respect Orthodox holy days and Orthodox
customs. Muslims complain that some Pentecostal preachers disparage
Islam in their services. There were complaints by Muslim leaders that
the EOC’s desire to “show supremacy” sometimes caused irritation in the
regions.
In most sections of the country, Orthodox Christians and
Muslims generally respect each other’s religious observances, and there
was tolerance for intermarriage and conversion in certain areas, most
notably in Welo, in the Amhara region, as well as in urban areas
throughout the country. In the capital, Addis Ababa, persons of
different faiths often lived side-by-side. Most urban areas reflect a
mixture of all religious denominations. The Roman Catholic Church and
evangelical Protestant denominations, particularly the Mekane Yesus
Church and Kale Hiwot Churches, provided social services such as health
care and education to nonmembers as well as to members. However, there
were some clashes between Muslims and Orthodox Christians over the
allocation of land during the period covered by this report.
On April 26, on the evening of Ethiopian Orthodox Holy
Saturday, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians in the District 28, Ward 4 area
of Addis Ababa attacked members of the local Islamic council and
destroyed a fence surrounding a plot of land upon which a mosque was to
be built. Several persons were injured; at least one Islamic council
member was hospitalized for several weeks. Fighting continued for three
nights but paused during daytime hours. Police initially reported to
the scene of the fighting but left after not witnessing any fighting
during daytime hours.
On January 13, a confrontation erupted in the Merkato area of
Addis Ababa between Muslims and city officials who had come to demolish
an illegally constructed mosque. Muslims defied the authorities� right
to tear down the mosque and threw rocks at city and police officials.
Police fired into the air, but there were no reported deaths. Police
seriously beat at least one man. City officials demolished the mosque
and had plans to carry out other demolitions of illegally constructed
mosques around the city.
On January 9, a clash occurred during a celebration of
Ethiopian Epiphany attended by the Patriarch at Yeka Michael church in
Addis Ababa. Many Orthodox followers attending the celebration were
beaten up and others imprisoned by police forces when they burned a
picture of the Patriarch and started throwing rocks at him.
On December 29, 2002, Orthodox followers clashed with Mekane
Yesus Protestant followers in Mekelle, Tigray region. Mekane Yesus
Orthodox followers were in the third day of a 3-day open-air prayer
service at Mekelle stadium for drought victims. Orthodox religious
services underway at nearby St. George Church involved the use of
loudspeakers (a common practice of Ethiopian Orthodox, Protestant, and
Muslim preachers alike) apparently disturbing the Protestant service. A
visit by a Mekane Yesus pastor to St. George Church asking them to
lower the noise level was unsuccessful. That afternoon, Orthodox
followers approached the stadium and began throwing rocks at Mekane
Yesus followers taking part in the service. Regional police arrived on
the scene but were unable to control the crowd, even after firing shots
in the air. Those shots, when heard by others in the surrounding area,
caused the crowd to swell. Police shot and killed two men on the spot.
Police severely beat a third man, who died 3 days later in a hospital.
Several hundred people were wounded in the fighting. Police detained
dozens of individuals, all of whom were released a few days after the
incident. The violence took on a political nature when the offices of
the ruling party-owned Walta Information Center and the Ethiopian News
Agency came under attack. Orthodox crowd members also smashed the
windows of buildings in the Jehovah Witnesses� compound in Mekelle. No
punitive action has been taken against the police officers responsible
for the deaths of the three individuals.
On December 24, 2002, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians opposed to
the proposed construction of a mosque in the Ayer Tena neighborhood of
Addis Ababa clashed with Muslims there. Several persons were injured.
On November 18 and December 27, 2002, confrontations between
members of Lideta Maryam Orthodox Parish in Addis Ababa and Ethiopian
Orthodox Church officials over alleged corruption by church officials
appointed by the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church turned
violent when police raided the church compound and forcibly dispersed
members of the congregation who were assembled in prayer. Police killed
one man and injured dozens. According to the Ethiopian Human Rights
Council (EHRCO), police indiscriminately beat many persons in the
compound, including nuns, monks, elderly women, and other bystanders. A
Federal Police officer severely beat Voice of America journalist Helen
Mohammed when she tried to gain access to the Lideta Church compound on
December 27. Police also beat Tobia reporter Yonas Wolde Senbet and
confiscated his camera at the church. According to EHRCO, after the
raid, police detained approximately 700 persons at Kolfe police
training camp and subjected them to physical abuse. Many complained
they were doused with water, forced to crawl naked on gravel, and
denied food and water for most of the 5 days they were in detention.
Police required them to sign statements under duress admitting to their
roles in inciting riots at the church before they could be released.
All 700 members have reportedly been released.
In October 2002, leaders of the Southern Region Islamic
Council complained of the intention of district level authorities in
Bonke district, Gamo Gofa Zone in the Southern Region, to demolish a
45-year-old mosque that lies in the heart of the town�s business
district, ostensibly in order to make room for more small businesses.
If carried out, this would contravene Ethiopian law, which has a
grandfather clause that protects such religious buildings. When one of
the Islamic Council leaders traveled to Bonke district in September
2002 to videotape the mosque, Bonke district officials had him arrested
and charged with �illegal photography.� He was released from detention
after 3 days. Islamic Council officials alleged that local officials
were discriminating against Muslim residents of Bonke district not only
on religious grounds but also on racial grounds, as most Muslims living
in Bonke are not originally from there. The mosque had not been
demolished by the end of the period covered by this report.
On July 17, 2002, a Full Gospel Church fellowship leader named
Dantew was killed in his home in Merawi, in the Amhara region, in front
of his family by a mob of Orthodox Church priests and other adherents
wielding machetes and axes. He was left to bleed to death from axe
wounds to his head. Eight others were seriously injured. The crowd was
angry over the Full Gospel Church�s plans to build a church on a plot
of land awarded it by the Government. Forty-one persons were detained
in connection with the killing; all have been released except one. It
is unclear whether charges have been filed against the one person still
being held in connection with the killing.
On January 19, 2002, in Kemisse, the capital of the Oromiya
Zone, in the Amhara Region, one person was killed during a clash
between Muslims and Christians. According to police reports, they
arrested several persons for organizing the disruption or throwing
rocks at the procession celebrating the Ethiopian Orthodox holiday of
Timket or Epiphany; however, all of those arrested subsequently were
released. There was still no determination of who was responsible for
the killing.
In December 2001, in Addis Ababa, Muslims and Ethiopian
Orthodox Christians fought over a parcel of land that both groups
claimed to be their own. The disputed parcel originally was allocated
to the Muslim community; however, no permission was given to construct
a mosque on the property. After 2 years, the Muslim community began
constructing the mosque at night without permission, which led to
clashes with local members of the EOC. According to reports from the
Islamic Affairs Council, 2 Muslims were killed during those clashes,
and police arrested an estimated 100 persons. All of those arrested
subsequently were released, and construction of the mosque did not
resume by the end of the period covered by this report.
In November 2001, in Addis Ababa, Muslims and Orthodox
Christians began fighting after Christians in the community requested
that the Muslim community demolish a mosque being built without a
permit on a small soccer field. One person was killed, several persons
were injured, and several persons were arrested. No further action was
taken by the end of the period covered by this report.
In August 2001, in Addis Ababa, police ordered a group of
Muslims to stop the construction of an unauthorized mosque near an
Ethiopian Orthodox church. Fighting began after Orthodox Christians
attempted to dismantle the mosque. Construction at the site did not
resume by the end of the period covered by this report.
In January 2001, in Harar, a riot broke out between Muslims
and Christians after several members of a Christian procession entered
a mosque and disrupted Muslim services. Both groups accused each other
of destroying religious property. After the local police no longer were
able to control the rioting, the army was called in to restore order
and reportedly shot and killed five persons; it was not known whether
the rioters fired weapons in return. No actions were taken against any
of the army officers who were involved in the incident, and the case
officially was closed.
The Islamic Affairs Council estimated
that 100 mosques were burned in the Oromiya Region during the last 3
years, many by followers of Wahabbist Islam. The Islamic Council
continued to investigate the fires at the end of the period covered by
this report. Although the identities of those responsible are unknown
or not released publicly, 12 executive members of the Oromiya branch of
the Supreme Islamic Council were removed from their positions for not
stopping the destruction of mosques in the region.
Leaders of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council
(EIASC) struggled with Wahhabist fundamentalism within their ranks
during the period covered by this report. The growing influence of
radical elements within Islamic communities in the country, aided by
funding from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states for mosque construction
and social services, continued to concern the EIASC.
In February 2002, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church, the chairman of the EIASC, the Archbishop of the Ethiopian
Church, and the president of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane
Yesus met with their Eritrean counterparts and officials from the
Eritrean Foreign Ministry in Eritrea. The religious leaders then
traveled to Ethiopia to continue their discussions. They issued
statements appealing for peace and reconciliation between the two
countries.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the
Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting
human rights. The U.S. Embassy met with government officials regularly
to discuss religious freedom. The U.S. Embassy is also encouraging the
Government to expedite the registration process for religious
organizations to make sure no religious groups are channeling funds
through the country to finance terrorist aims. U.S. Embassy officials
also made an active effort to visit all of the religious groups and
religious NGOs during the period covered by this report.
The U.S. Ambassador continued to hold regular meetings with
religious leaders to promote HIV/AIDS awareness. In addition, the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) continued to work with the
Ethiopian Orthodox Development Assistance Authority to provide food
commodities and grants to support food security programs in four areas.
USAID supported a variety of programs through Catholic Relief Services,
World Vision International, and Family Health International. USAID
continued to work with the EOC and Mekane Yesus Church, as well as with
the Ethiopian Kale Hiwot Church and the Missionaries of Charity
Sisters, to support HIV/AIDS programs.
Released on December 18, 2003
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