1974 Ethiopian Muslim protests

Protest against Emperor Haile Selassie regime 1974 Ethiopian Muslim protests Government of Ethiopia Ethiopian Empire Ethiopian Imperial regime 300px Ethiopian Muslims rally held in 1974 20 April 1974 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia *Discrimination against the Muslim populace Reforms, demands for equal opportunity Civil resistance, demonstrations, protest marches, picketing Muslim leaders hold meeting with Prime minister Endelkachew Makonnen Haile Selassie government eventually overthrown New transitional Derg government agrees to some demands from the Muslim Committee Muslim Committee Protestors Ahmed Kellow Ababiya Abajobir and others... Haile Selassie Endelkachew Makonnen Opposition to Haile Selassie The 1974 Ethiopian Muslim protests, was a protest against the Haile Selassie regime that occurred on Saturday, April 20, 1974.Tiquet Margaret Ethiopia: 'Destroy the Muslims' Index on Censorship April 1987 16 4 33–34 Sage 10.1177/030642208701600415 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/030642208701600415 subscription Ahmed Hussein Coexistence and/or Confrontation?: Towards a Reappraisal of Christian-Muslim Encounter in Contemporary Ethiopia Journal of Religion in Africa 2006 36 1 Brill 10 10.1163/157006606775569622 27594361 https://www.jstor.org/stable/27594361 subscription Revolution of 1974 Encyclopedia Aethiopica https://en.sewasew.com/p/revolution-of-1974-(%E1%8B%A8-1974-%E1%8A%A0%E1%89%A5%E1%8B%AE%E1%89%B5) Protestors denounced the government for marginalizing the Muslim community and called for reforms.Tronvoll Kjetil Contested Power in Ethiopia Traditional Authorities and Multi-party Elections 9 December 2011 Brill 181 978-90-04-21843-7 https://books.google.com/books?id=jZw0guBz9HsC&dq=1974+ethiopian+muslim+demonstration&pg=PA181Wiebel Jacob Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History The Ethiopian Red Terror 2017 Oxford Research Encyclopedias 10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.188 978-0-19-027773-4 https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-188 It was the largest protest ever held at the time since the countries formation, an estimated 100,000 people participated including some Christians who showed solidarity.Tiruneh Andargachew The Ethiopian Revolution 1974-1987 A Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian Autocracy 8 April 1993 Cambridge University Press 49 978-0-521-43082-1 https://books.google.com/books?id=ABbnAd0oWokC&dq=1974+ethiopian+muslim+demonstration&pg=PA49 Background The Muslim populace in Ethiopia endured inequality; politically, socially and economically. Historical Muslim leaders who governed Ethiopia for more than a decade such as Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi were disparaged, and Muslim status in the country was portrayed as foreign rather than indigenous by the high society. Historian Ahmed Jemal, relates a common Amharic saying directed towards Muslims included:Jemal Ahmed Aliens within homeland: Ethiopian Muslims and their request for "Ethiopianness" African Identities 2023 1–20 Taylor & Francis 10.1080/14725843.2023.2261640 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14725843.2023.2261640 subscription The abode of the bird is on the tree (Warka); The homeland of a Muslim is Mecca. (Saudi Arabia) Political analyst Stephen R. Goodwin states that since the foundation of Ethiopia by Menelik II, Muslim Ethiopians had been considered inferior to their Christian counterparts in the country, and their status was akin to that of the Calipahte's treatment of non Muslims under the Dhimmi system. They had only received brief respite during the reign of Iyasu V and later through the Italians who occupied Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941. The Haile Selassie regime however upon returning to power revoked these rights granted by Italy leading to discontent.Goodwin Stephen World Christianity in Muslim Encounter Essays in Memory of David A. Kerr Volume 2 3 November 2011 Bloomsbury Publishing 978-1-4411-8722-2 https://books.google.com/books?id=qbtJjcW6xDAC&dq=1974+ethiopian+muslim+demonstration&pg=PT82 Protests thumb|right|300px|Women protestors seen at the Ethiopian Muslim rally of 1974 In April 1974, the rally was spearheaded by the Muslim committee leaders which included Dr. Ahmed Kellow, and Ababiya Abajobir among others.The 1974 Ethiopian Muslim Rally 3 2003 Badr newsletter Protestors had several demands from the Haile Selassie regime which involved insistence on equal rights with Christians, and promotion of the three Muslim religious celebrations; Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr and Mawlid as statutory holidays.Loimeier Roman Islamic Reform in Twentieth-Century Africa 8 September 2016 Edinburgh University Press 978-1-4744-1491-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=IDZYDwAAQBAJ&dq=1974+ethiopian+muslim+protest&pg=PT208 A list of grievances that should be addressed were lodged at the state.Prunier Gérard Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi 15 September 2015 Hurst 102 978-1-84904-618-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=wnxeCwAAQBAJ&dq=1974+ethiopian+muslim+protest&pg=PA102 According to historian Temesgen Baye, one of the placards at the rally read: Equality is the basis of unity! We cannot afford to remain second class citizens! We demand for equal participation in administration! Out of 14 Enderasies, none of them is a Muslim! Out of 20 ministers only two are Muslims! No Muslim is a General! Our demand is equality, not superiority! The constitution discriminates against the majority of the population! Ethiopia is not only a Christian island! We are too Ethiopians! Declare Secular state! Liberty, equality and fraternity! Men are born free and equal rights! Prime minister of Ethiopia at the time Endelkachew Makonnen would respond positively to the protestors and arranged a meeting with Muslim leaders however it didn't bear much success aside from a symbolic gesture from the state.Baye Temesgen Muslims in Ethiopia: History and identity African Studies 2018 77 3 412–427 Taylor & Francis 10.1080/00020184.2018.1475634 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00020184.2018.1475634 subscription Aftermath The rally held in 1974 by Ethiopian Muslims was one of the key events that led to the eventual overthrow of emperor Haile Selassie, and the incoming transitional government led by the Derg would go onto grant some of the rights requested by the Muslim community.Ali Mohammed THE ETHIOPIAN REVOLUTION: PERCEIVED AND ACTUAL MAKING FACTORS VIS-À-VIS THE FRAMING PROCESS DergiPark 314–315 https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1386532Ficquet Éloi The civil rights movement of Ethiopian Muslims in 2012 Routledge https://hal.science/hal-03973080/documentEpple Susanne Legal Pluralism in Ethiopia Actors, Challenges and Solutions 31 July 2020 transcript Verlag 143 978-3-8394-5021-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=sFv0DwAAQBAJ&dq=1974+ethiopian+muslim+protest&pg=PA143 References Category:1974 protests Category:1974 in Ethiopia Muslim protests, 1974 Muslim protests Category:Labor disputes in Ethiopia Muslim protests, 1974 Category:Reform in Ethiopia Category:April 1974 in Africa Category:Protest marches Category:1970s in Addis Ababa Category:1970s in Islam Category:1974 labor disputes and strikes