Aliens within homeland: Ethiopian Muslims and their request for “Ethiopianness”

ABSTRACTBeing and becoming an Ethiopian has been one of the debating points for Ethiopian Muslims. Throughout the imperial periods of Ethiopia, Muslims were not seen as Ethiopians. They were labeled aliens in their homeland and called ‘Muslims living in Ethiopia.’ Accordingly, for centuries, Islam has not been recognized for its central role in Ethiopia’s socio-political landscape, and Muslims have been regarded as second-class citizens. However, Ethiopian Muslims are indigenous peoples like their Christian fellows. This article assesses the place of Ethiopian Muslims in Ethiopian history and how Ethiopian Muslims have been portrayed in the Ethiopian past by the elites of the country and the state from the 1850s until the 2010s. This article, therefore, focuses on modern Ethiopia’s nation-building and state-making process from the 19th century onwards. A comparison is made regarding the treatment of Ethiopians of Muslims among the imperial Ethiopia, the socialist military, the EPRDF “secular” state, and beyond.KEYWORDS: CitizensEthiopiannessimperial EthiopiaMuslimssecular statesocialist military Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. The film (video) is available at https://youtu.be/g4SxGOS5y88.Additional informationNotes on contributorsAhmed Mohammed JemalAhmed Mohammed Jemal has a bachelor degree in history. He earned his second degree from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, in Tourism and Development in 2012 and his Ph.D. from Izmir Katip Celebi University, Turkiye, in Tourism Management in 2021. From September 1, 2009, to September 1, 2016, he was a lecturer in Tourism at Jigjiga University, Ethiopia. From September 01, 2016, until 2021, he was a lecturer in Tourism Management at Wollo University, Ethiopia. From May 2021 until now, he has been an assistant professor in Tourism Management and a researcher at Wollo University, Ethiopia. Mohammed is an author of a book entitled “Potentials, Challenges and Prospects of Halal Tourism Development in Ethiopia” published at Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) in 2023 and he recently published article entitled “The impacts of armed conflicts on the tourism activities of Dessie and its environs, Northern Ethiopia”. His research area includes the following: Islamic Tourism, Halal Tourism, Heritage Tourism, Pilgrimage Tourism, Ecotourism, Ethiopian History, Heritage conservation, and crosscutting issues such as migration, conflict and social media. You can reach out Mohammed via email mojem12@gmail.com.