The Sufi–Salafi Interactions in South Wollo, Ethiopia (1991-2017): Competition, Intolerance and Conflict
| dc.contributor.author | Seid Mohammed, Mohammed | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-09-09T08:16:09Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-10-11T16:15:29Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-09-09T08:16:09Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-10-11T16:15:29Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-03 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study examines the context, dynamics and predicaments of the Sufi-Salafi interactions in the context of South Wollo of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2017. Nonetheless, it is confined only on some negative aspects of their relations characterized by competition, intolerance and conflict. In doing so, the researcher employed a qualitative research method to gain insight into the Sufi-Salafi interactions as it allows the participants to interpret their social reality. Data generated through this approach are analyzed using discourse analysis, conflict mapping, conflict tree-model and onion-model of conflict analysis. Although agents of Islamic revivalism in the history of South Wollo were different (Sufis as agents of the nineteenth century Islam while Salafists for the contemporary), both utilized revivalism as a tool of maintaining the religious orthodoxy of Islam in subsequent centuries. This would refute the conventional knowledge which associates revivalism as the monopoly of Salafists. The nineteenth century Sufi revivalism was far more radical as it applied Jihad to address the local religious and political grievances while contemporary Salafi revivalism has a peaceful puritanist missionary agenda in South Wollo. Empirical evidences from Sufi-Salafi discourse revealed that the Sufi-Salafi competition is primarily triggered by the need to win converts, control organizational resources and disseminate doctrinal preferences. The absence of cooperation which is expressed in the form of obstruction, misperception, deception and manipulation between Sufis and Salafists hinders peace in the Muslim community of South Wollo. The study also finds that passive tolerance which is expressed in the form of marginalization, xenophobic attitude and emotional attacks using pejorative and derogatory terms impedes peaceful coexistence between Sufis and Salafists in South Wollo. Analysis on the intervention of external actors reveals that the interference of the government and Ahbash complicates the Sufi-Salafi relations through transforming the dormant conflict into active violence in South Wollo. The US government under the pretext of countering terrorism indirectly interfered in the Sufi-Salafi conflict through funding Sufi institutions. Although Islamic NGOs as external actors were allegedly accused of promoting Salafism in South Wollo, it could not be substantiated with evidences. A scrutiny on the causation of the conflict identifies structural, proximate and immediate factors responsible for the Sufi-Salafi conflict. The structural factor is related to actors’ distinct interpretation of Islam, the proximate factor evidenced by the imposition of Ahbash as the ideology of mejlis, and the 2012 controversial mejlis election and the killing of a Sufi cleric as the triggering factors for the Sufi-Salafi conflict in South Wollo. Although impartial intra-religious dialogue and negotiation was variously suggested as tools of resolution, it had been sabotaged by the government and Ahbash. This is evidenced by the interference of the government in the 2012 mejlis election and the eventual ascendancy of Ahbash leadership to the zonal mejlis. The realist security orientation of the government was also incompatible to resolve identity based intra-religious conflict in South Wollo as it ceded preference for its own state security. The researcher argues that the effectiveness of intra-religious peace and the transformation of the Sufi-Salafi conflict in South Wollo should be governed by the principles of non-interference, cooperation and peace building. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/22289 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.publisher | AAU | en_US |
| dc.subject | Sufi-Salafi interactions,South Wollo,intolerance and conflict, | en_US |
| dc.title | The Sufi–Salafi Interactions in South Wollo, Ethiopia (1991-2017): Competition, Intolerance and Conflict | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |