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401 Pages·2015·2.76 MB·English

ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION SYSTEM
IN ETHIOPIA:ITS FEATURES, RELEVANCE
AND INFLUENCE ON MUSLIM CULTURE
WITH REFERENCE TO
SOUTH WALLO

ALI YASSIN ALI
JANUARY 2015
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION SYSTEM
IN ETHIOPIA: ITS FEATURES, RELEVANCE
AND INFLUENCE ON MUSLIM CULTURE
WITH REFERENCE TO
SOUTH WALLO

Submitted for the Fulfillment of Requirement of Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Curriculum Design and Development

Ali Yassin Ali
January 2015
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
COLLOGE OF EDUCATION AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES
(SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES)

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA:
ITS FEATURES, RELEVANCE AND INFLUENCE ON MUSLIM CULTURE
WITH REFERENCE TO SOUTH WALLO

Ali Yassin Ali

Approved by the Board of Examination

Gebregziabiher Debeb (PhD) 30th Jan. 2015 ___________
Chairman, Department Date Signature
Committee
Amare Asgedom (PhD) 30th Jan. 2015 ___________
Advisor Date Signature

Yusef Waghid (Prof) 30th Jan. 2015 ____________
External Examiner Date Signature

__________________ 30th Jan. 2015 _____________
Internal Examiner Date Signature
Table of Contents Page
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... x
ABBREVATIONS AND ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................... xii
LIST OF APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER ONE: SETTING THE AGENDA: CONCEPTUALIZING ISLAMIC EDUCATION AND ITS
INFLUENCE ON MUSLIM CULTURE ....................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
The Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................................. 3
The Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 4
Research Questions ......................................................................................................................... 5
The Conceptual Framework of the Study .................................................................................................. 6
Rationales of the Study ......................................................................................................................... 7
Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................................................... 10
General Research Context ...................................................................................................................... 11
The Meaning of Key Terms in the Study ................................................................................................. 12
Organization of the thesis ....................................................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY, DESIGN AND METHODS OF THE STUDY ................................. 15
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 15
Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Demystifying the Dominant Paradigm ................................................................................................. 15
Research Design: Multiple Case Studies ............................................................................................ 16
The Research Setting: South Wallo .................................................................................................... 18
The four cases of Islamic Schools ...................................................................................................... 22
Zawuyoch Shafi’I Fiqh School: ....................................................................................................... 22
Girar Amba Hanafi Fiqh School ...................................................................................................... 23
Umar Faruq Mosque....................................................................................................................... 23
Tehfiz-al-Qur’an .............................................................................................................................. 23
Purposeful Sampling ........................................................................................................................... 24
Research participants ..................................................................................................................... 24
Data Collection Strategies .................................................................................................................. 26
Conducting the Interview ................................................................................................................ 26
Conducting text analysis ................................................................................................................. 27
Conducting participant observation ................................................................................................ 28
Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 29
Transcription and translation .......................................................................................................... 30
Interpretation .................................................................................................................................. 31
Standards of Quality and Verification .................................................................................................. 31
Effort ............................................................................................................................................... 32
Honesty .......................................................................................................................................... 32
Triangulation ................................................................................................................................... 32
Ethics.............................................................................................................................................. 33
The reader ...................................................................................................................................... 34
The self........................................................................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER THREE: THE CONCEPT OF ISLAM ..................................................................................... 39
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Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 39
Brief Descriptions of Universal Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam ......................................... 39
Judaism: ............................................................................................................................................. 39
Christianity .......................................................................................................................................... 39
Islam ................................................................................................................................................... 40
Islamic Sects: Sunnism and Shi’ism ................................................................................................... 41
Exploring the Concept of Islam Further............................................................................................... 42
The Purpose of Life from Islamic Perspective ................................................................................ 43
The Status of Human Being in Islam .............................................................................................. 44
The Pillars of Islam ......................................................................................................................... 44
Islam as a Way of Life .................................................................................................................... 45
The Meanings, Sources and Purposes of the Shari’ah ................................................................... 47
Islam in the Eyes of Atheists, Apostates and Apologists ..................................................................... 49
An Overview of the Personality of Prophet Muhammad and His Teachings ....................................... 50
The Spread of Islam and the Issue of War .......................................................................................... 52
The Status of Women in Islam ............................................................................................................ 55
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 59
CHAPTER FOUR: THE INTRODUCTION OF ISLAM IN ETHIOPIA AND ITS DEVELOPMENT ............ 61
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 61
The Introduction of Islam in Ethiopia ................................................................................................... 62
Causes of Islamisation ........................................................................................................................ 70
Distribution of Islam in Ethiopia ........................................................................................................... 73
Sunni Islam ..................................................................................................................................... 73
The Mystical Sufi Orders in Ethiopia ............................................................................................... 75
Abyssinians in the Eyes of Muslims .................................................................................................... 86
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 88
CHAPTER FIVE: THE POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF ISLAM DURING THE MEDIEVAL TIME AND
NINETEENTH CENTURY ETHIOPIA ..................................................................................................... 90
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 90
Common Features of the Medieval Muslim Sultanates ....................................................................... 91
The War between the Christian Kingdom and the Sultanate of Adal .................................................. 91
The War of Expansion .................................................................................................................... 92
Conflicts between the Christian Kingdom and the Sultanate of Adal .............................................. 93
The Defeat and Death of Imam Ahmed .......................................................................................... 95
Islam in Wallo: Containment and Reaction in the 19th Century .......................................................... 97
The political and cultural history of Wallo ............................................................................................ 97
The Episode of Imam Ahmed b. Ibrahim in Wallo ............................................................................... 99
The Oromo Settlement and its Influence on Wallo .............................................................................. 99
The Imamate of Warra Himano ......................................................................................................... 101
Other Muslim Chiefdoms in Wallo ..................................................................................................... 102
Emperor Tewodros II and Wallo ....................................................................................................... 102
Emperor Yohannes IV and Wallo ...................................................................................................... 104
The Resistance of Militant Muslim Clerics in Wallo ........................................................................... 106
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 110
CHAPTER SIX: THE TREND OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE
AND CONFRONTATION IN MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN ENCOUNTER: THE CASE OF THE EMPEROR,
THE SOCIALIST DERG AND FDRE GOVERNMENTS ........................................................................ 117
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Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 117
Islam and Muslims during Emperor Haile Sellasie I (1930 – 74) ....................................................... 118
The Role of Muslims during the Italian Invasion ........................................................................... 119
The Restoration of Power by the Monarchy ...................................................................................... 122
Muslims’ Reaction to Repressive Conditions .................................................................................... 122
Islam and Muslims in the Era of the Socialist Government (1974 – 1991) ........................................ 124
The First Period of Islamic Revival ................................................................................................... 125
The Establishment of the Islamic Council ..................................................................................... 127
The Conflict over the Construction of Mosques ............................................................................ 127
Christian-Muslim Coexistence and Cooperation ............................................................................... 128
Islam in the Current FDRE Government: the Second Islamic Revival in the Region ........................ 129
The Inception of the Downturn of State-Muslim Relations ............................................................ 130
The Demands of the Muslim Protest ............................................................................................ 131
Why Protesting against the Mejlis?............................................................................................... 135
Features of Ethiopian Salafi .............................................................................................................. 138
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 140
CHAPTER SEVEN: CURRENT ISLAMIC CULTURAL MOVEMENTS AND RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM
.............................................................................................................................................................. 143
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 143
Radical and Moderate Islamic Cultural Movements .......................................................................... 144
The Khawarij ................................................................................................................................ 144
Jama’at-al-Takfir wa-al-Hijra ......................................................................................................... 145
The “Birth” of Shi’a ....................................................................................................................... 146
Liberal Islam ................................................................................................................................. 147
Salafiyya ....................................................................................................................................... 149
The Salafis versus the Islamists/Radical Islam ............................................................................. 151
Sufiyya versus Salafiyya in Ethiopia ............................................................................................. 153
The Way of the Majority (Ahl-al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah): The “Cohesive” Paradigm .......................... 155
Islam and Religious Extremism ......................................................................................................... 156
The Perception of Secularists on Extremism .................................................................................... 156
Western Perception of Extremism .................................................................................................... 157
The View of Muslims towards Extremism ......................................................................................... 159
The Concept and Practice of Jihad in Islam ...................................................................................... 160
The Classical Concept of Jihad .................................................................................................... 161
The Origin of the Ideology of Radical Islamic Groups ................................................................... 162
Sunni and Shi’a Interpretation of Jihad ......................................................................................... 162
The Modern Era Jihad .................................................................................................................. 163
The Use of Jihad by Islamic Militants ........................................................................................... 164
Al-Qaeda and Transnational Jihad ............................................................................................... 165
Limited Acceptance of the Ideology of the Militant Muslims .............................................................. 166
Extremism and Terrorism in Ethiopia ................................................................................................ 167
Reasons for and Peoples’ Reaction to the Islamic Cultural Movements in the Region ..................... 168
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 172
CHAPTER EIGHT: TYPES OF CURRICULAR SOURCES, STRUCTURES,
CONTENT ORGANIZATION, METHODS AND DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION ............. 174
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 174
What the Qur’an is ............................................................................................................................ 182
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Teachings of the Qur’an ............................................................................................................... 183
What the Sunnah is .......................................................................................................................... 184
The Six Hadith Curricula: Kutub al-Sita ........................................................................................ 185
Fiqh (The School of Islamic Jurisprudence) ...................................................................................... 186
Imam Abu Hanifah ........................................................................................................................ 186
Imam Malik ................................................................................................................................... 187
Imam Shafi’I ................................................................................................................................. 187
Imam Ahmed Ibn Hanbal .............................................................................................................. 188
The Aims, Content Organization and Relevance of Islamic Education Curricula .............................. 189
Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 189
Structure of Islamic Education System ......................................................................................... 189
Organization ................................................................................................................................. 191
Integration .................................................................................................................................... 192
Continuity ..................................................................................................................................... 193
Sequence ..................................................................................................................................... 193
Organizational pattern .................................................................................................................. 193
The Importance of Integration of the Levels of Islamic Education ................................................ 194
Relevance .................................................................................................................................... 194
Major Developments Related to Islamic Education in the Region ..................................................... 197
Teachers’ Houses: The Earliest Islamic Schools ......................................................................... 197
The Zawuyas: Hut Islamic Schools............................................................................................... 197
Mosque education ........................................................................................................................ 198
Madrasa schools .......................................................................................................................... 199
House-to-House Islamic Education .............................................................................................. 200
Dominant Methods Employed in Islamic Schools ............................................................................. 201
Memorization ................................................................................................................................ 201
Translation and interpretation. ...................................................................................................... 201
Questioning. ................................................................................................................................. 202
Peer-grouping. .............................................................................................................................. 202
Peer-teaching. .............................................................................................................................. 202
Teaching practice ......................................................................................................................... 203
One-to-one tutoring. ..................................................................................................................... 203
Evaluation Strategies ........................................................................................................................ 204
Buying the Heart and Mind of People ............................................................................................... 205
Major Constraints of Islamic Education in the Region ....................................................................... 205
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 206
CHAPTER NINE: THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION ON MUSLIMS’ PERSONAL AND
SOCIAL LIFE IN WALLO ...................................................................................................................... 209
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 209
Cleanliness and purification .............................................................................................................. 210
Dietary Practice ................................................................................................................................ 211
Marriage Practice .............................................................................................................................. 212
The Practice of Marring up to Four Wives .................................................................................... 213
Cousin marriage ........................................................................................................................... 216
Mourning Practice ............................................................................................................................. 216
Healing Traditions: Spiritual Healing Practice ................................................................................... 219
Bathing using “Qur’anic water” or “Ruqa” ..................................................................................... 219
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Reading and Listening to Qur’anic Recitation ............................................................................... 220
Massaging with olive oil ................................................................................................................ 220
Wadaja (group Supplication) ........................................................................................................ 220
Other Prophetic Treatments ......................................................................................................... 221
Using Amulet to Ward off Diseases .............................................................................................. 221
Sorcery ......................................................................................................................................... 222
Conflict Resolution Practices ............................................................................................................ 222
Avoiding further blood feuds ......................................................................................................... 223
Resolving Abduction Disputes ...................................................................................................... 225
Getting Back a Stolen Property .................................................................................................... 226
Dressing Code and Decoration Practice among the Muslims ........................................................... 227
Muslims’ Everyday Conversation ...................................................................................................... 228
Names and Naming .......................................................................................................................... 230
Child Raring Practice ........................................................................................................................ 231
The Spiritual Life ............................................................................................................................... 233
Ablution (wudu). ........................................................................................................................... 233
Salat. ............................................................................................................................................ 233
Fasting.......................................................................................................................................... 234
Pilgrimage .................................................................................................................................... 235
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 236
CHAPTER TEN: THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION ON ECONOMIC PRACTICE IN THE
REGION ................................................................................................................................................ 239
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 239
Trade in South Wallo in 19th Century ............................................................................................... 240
Earning Income: Halal or Haram? ..................................................................................................... 242
Prohibited forms of Business ............................................................................................................ 243
Contemporary Trading and Work Practice among Muslims .............................................................. 244
Muslim costumes and business nomenclatures ................................................................................ 250
Mutual Cooperation among Muslims ................................................................................................ 251
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 253
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC SCHOOLING ON MODERN EDUCATION IN THE
REGION ................................................................................................................................................ 256
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 256
Muslims’ Attitude to Modern Education and their Participation ......................................................... 257
Inclusion of Islamic Concepts and Personalities in the School Curricula .......................................... 262
The Controversy over School Dressing Code and School Prayers ................................................... 264
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 268
CHAPTER TWELVE: INTERFAITH PRACTICES: DIETARY, MARRIAGE AND HEALING TRADITIONS
.............................................................................................................................................................. 271
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 271
Interfaith Dietary Practice ........................................................................................................ 271
The Practice of Interfaith Marriage .................................................................................................... 272
Health Care Practice ......................................................................................................................... 274
Indigenous Healing ........................................................................................................................... 274
Interfaith Healing Practice ................................................................................................................. 278
Neighborhoodliness .......................................................................................................................... 280
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 281
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ISLAMIC MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUES: THE NEED FOR CHARACTER
EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................................... 283
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 283
The Concept of Morality .................................................................................................................... 284
Chastity ........................................................................................................................................ 285
Honesty ........................................................................................................................................ 286
Peacefulness. ............................................................................................................................... 287
Politeness ..................................................................................................................................... 288
Forgiveness. ................................................................................................................................. 289
Goodness ..................................................................................................................................... 289
Courage........................................................................................................................................ 290
Veracity/Truthfulness. ................................................................................................................... 290
Patience. ...................................................................................................................................... 291
Sympathy ..................................................................................................................................... 292
Compassion and Mercy ................................................................................................................ 292
Love ............................................................................................................................................. 293
Freedom ....................................................................................................................................... 294
Equality......................................................................................................................................... 294
Tolerance ..................................................................................................................................... 294
Mutual Tolerance during the Life Time of the Prophet ...................................................................... 296
Tolerance in the Period of the Caliph Omar ibn Khatab .................................................................... 297
The Need for Character Education ................................................................................................... 299
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 304
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: COMPATIBILITY OF FAITH AND SCIENCE WITH REFERENCE TO ISLAMIC
SCRIPTURES ....................................................................................................................................... 305
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 305
The Relationship between Religion and Science .............................................................................. 306
Dialogue between Religion and Science ........................................................................................... 307
The Relationship between Islam and Science .................................................................................. 307
Muslims Reaction to Modern Science ............................................................................................... 309
The Qur’an and Modern Science ...................................................................................................... 310
The Basic Processes of the Formation of the Universe ................................................................ 312
The Expansion of the Universe .................................................................................................... 314
The Existence of the Moon's and the Sun's Orbits ....................................................................... 315
The Movement of the Moon and the Sun in Space....................................................................... 315
The Roundness of the Earth ......................................................................................................... 316
The Sequence of Day and Night .................................................................................................. 317
The Water–Cycle: The Formation of Rain .................................................................................... 318
The Fecundating Winds ................................................................................................................ 319
The Concept of Human Development in the Qur'an ..................................................................... 320
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 323
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: CONCLUDING REMARKS: THE SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCES OF ISLAMIC
EDUCATION ON CULTURES .............................................................................................................. 324
The Issue .......................................................................................................................................... 325
Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 325
Dissemination Methods of Islamic Education to Influence Culture .................................................... 326
The Influence of Islam on Culture ..................................................................................................... 327
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(i) Islamic influence on Muslims’ way of life .................................................................................. 327
(ii) The influence of Islam on the Ethiopian political culture .......................................................... 330
(iii) The two-way influence of the Muslim-Christian encounter: ..................................................... 335
Intolerance: a Myth or Fact? ............................................................................................................. 336
Transformation within Islamic traditions ............................................................................................ 339
Misconceptions related to Islam ........................................................................................................ 341
Tradition and Modernity: Two Sides of the Same Coin ..................................................................... 345
Future Implications ........................................................................................................................... 350
Before and beyond awarding certificates .......................................................................................... 350
Balancing the process of acculturation with enculturation................................................................. 351
Rethinking the Concept of Development: the Moral Alternative ........................................................ 354
Understanding the culture of the self and the other for proper dialogue ........................................... 356
Contribution of the Research to Knowledge, Society and Policy Makers .............................................. 359
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………………..………....341

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