The Role of Ethiopian Muslim Intellectuals in Developing a

Unified Muslim Ummah

Introduction

Bringing and keeping any group of people together, let alone religious ones, is a noble but
seemingly impossible task. The Muslim Ummah has been divinely instructed to; “Hold fast to the
‘rope’ of Allah and to not separate.” (al-Imran:103). Ironically however, it is Muslims that make
it seem like it is a religious duty to categorize ourselves or one another based on our understanding
of parts of the one and same message we claim to follow. Contrary to the religious decree of
treating each other as “brothers” (al-Hujjurat:10) and as members of “one nation (Ummah)” (al-
Anbiya:91), the Muslim community today has become so quick to label, demonize and even harm
one another. Despite the commandments of the religion to “avoid excessive suspicion for some of
it is sin” (al-Hujjurat:12), we exclude one another from the folds of the religion at the slightest
signs of difference from our understanding of the religion.

There are also numerous Ahadith where the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬refers to the bond between Muslims as
being the same as “brothers” (Sahih al-Bukhari:2422), parts of “a single body” (Sahih al-
Bukhari;6011) and bricks of “a single structure” (Sahih al-Bukhari:2446). Yet we still treat each
other as a threat to one another and to the religion even though we have seen, firsthand, the evils
of division by the internal strife and conflict it always leaves us in and the conducive state it creates
for our manipulation by external forces. The current disastrous state of the Ummah throughout the
world could mainly be attributed to the lack of unity and intra-faith tolerance within ourselves.
Therefore, striving for unity is not only a desired but also a required pursuit for every Muslim.
This article thus discusses what the role of Muslim intellectuals in general and Ethiopian Muslim
intellectuals in particular should be in bringing or keeping the Ummah together. As the phrase
‘Muslim intellectuals’ is a broad term encompassing individuals with different types and levels of
both secular and religious training the paper discuss what the term means, who and what the
different groups of Muslim intellectuals are and what their respective contributions to the
development of a unified Muslim Ummah is and should be.

Statement of the Problem

The major cause for intra religious dispute (Khilaf) in Islam, and the silver lining if one chooses
to see it as one, is the overprotective tendency of the religious leaders (Ulama) in trying to preserve
what they deem to be the true message of Islam. That overprotectiveness leads to mistrust, and the
mistrust coupled with other internal and external factors in turn leads to division. It would be
unreasonable to call upon the Ulama, who are charged with identifying and preserving the
unaltered message of Islam to also be the forces that unify the different understandings of it. That’s
why these disputes are even more pronounced among the religious leaders than members of the
general public, who are still trying to hold on together despite being caught in the middle. That’s

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why Muslim intellectuals all around the Muslim world who can appreciate that predicament need
to take on the task of being the bridge that will keep all sides connected to help unify the Ummah.

The unity of the Ethiopian Muslim Ummah is an even more delicate and perilous matter for the
Ummah in particular and for the nation in general. We are undeniably a marginalized group with
a seemingly insurmountable challenge to elevate ourselves from centuries of repression and still
living in an impoverished nation with seemingly insurmountable challenges of its own. That makes
our unity even more precious both for ours and our nation’s sake. While being cautiously optimistic
about recent turn of events where we are seeing an increased effort for institutional development
and call to unity by the governing body of the Ummah, we still need to be wary of the threat posed
to that dream from both within and without. The duty of restitution and preservation of our unity,
in the face of growing incidents of intolerance seeping their way into the general Muslim public,
should not be left on the shoulders of the Mejlis alone. Ethiopian Muslim intellectuals from all
walks of life, as the growing segment of the Muslim population in both size and influence, should
come together in its aid in this sacred quest. Before discussing the specific roles of Muslim
Intellectuals is, it’s appropriate to start with identifying what the term represents.

On Muslim Intellectuals and Their Categories

The phrase ‘Muslim intellectual’ may have different connotations depending on the context it’s
being used. The intended subjects of the phrase in both its linguistic and technical sense in this
article should be determined before delving in to the subject matter. Anyone who identifies oneself
or can be identified by others as a Muslim and has an academic training on any given subject could
be considered as a Muslim intellectual in linguistic terms (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary,
1998). Based on the technical meanings of the two words in the phrase however, there is clearly
more to it than that. A Muslim, as defined by a majority of scholars based on Quranic verses, is a
person who not only believes in but also submits to the will of Allah by accepting and practicing
the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬. This is the definition as derived from Surat al-Nisa:125,
Surat al-Imran:64, Surat Fussilat:33, Surat al-Haj:78, Surat Yunus:84 and Surat al-Maidah:111.
We can infer from the numerous interpretations of these verses that there is no such a distinction
in Islam as a “practicing and non-practicing follower” as in other religions and that the only kind
of Muslim there is, is a practicing one. That is also the consensus the of Ethiopian Ulama as stated
in the Ethiopian Ulama Unity and Cooperation Pact (EUUCP, Article 1(1)), which defines a
Muslim as “a person who has testified to the oneness of Allah and the prophet hood of Muhammad
‫ﷺ‬, and prays in the direction of the Qibla (who is from the ‫ )اهل القبلة‬and who adheres to the creed
and commandments of Islam.

Defining the word “intellectual” in a broader sense is much harder for the purposes of the present
topic. In fact an in-depth examination of the original usage and connotations of the term purported
the antithesis of a religious person (Paul Johnson 1989). This is because some of the defining
characteristics of an intellectual include the exercise of critical thinking, research, and reflection
paying little to no regard for revealed knowledge. This is particularly true of intellectuals of the
turn of the previous century who caused for the path of academia and religion to depart. The

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intellectual movement initially emerged as a challenge and an alternative ideology to organized
religion (Christophe Charle, 2015). However since the purpose of any knowledge or intellect is to
ponder on the reality of a society and propose solutions for its problems, even academia couldn’t
completely do away with religion and the religious. Moreover, the idea of being an intellectual and
being religious being mutually exclusive was gradually refuted by the ever growing interest of
academic scholarship to examine religion and the religious, regardless of its objectives. Therefore,
the definition of an intellectual as “an academically trained (formal/self-taught) analytical person,
who communicates, as an opinion leader, through lectures or publishing” to contribute to the
welfare of his/her community, better serves our current discourse (Murad W. Hofmann, 1997).

Accordingly, a Muslim Intellectual is someone who, to the best of their ability, tries to live by
Islamic principles in addition to being trained in or versed with the stream of knowledge that is
derived from academia through either a formal education or self-development or intuition. Even
this definition needs to be more classified because the phrase encapsulates both religious scholars
(Ulama) with academic preparation as well as academicians with some level of religious
scholastics. It is obvious that we cannot deny an Alim such as Abu Hamid al-Ghazali the title of a
‘Muslim intellectual’ as much as we couldn’t deny a physician such as Dr. Zakir Naik the title of
an ‘Alim’. As per the above definition of the term ‘Muslim intellectuals’ includes:-

• Muslim intellectuals who are also experts of the sharia and working full-time as religious
scholars and thus qualify as (Ulama),

• Muslim intellectuals who are also adequately trained in the sharia and working as full-time
or part-time religious teachers and qualify as either or and (Da’e)

• Muslim intellectuals who, as a full-time career work as non-theological professionals in

public or private institution or on personal capacity who are also analytical people, who
communicate, as an opinion leader, through lectures or publishing to positively affect their
Ummah.

Each of this different groups of intellectuals have their own different roles to play for the
development of a unified Muslim Ummah. The challenges to their contributions and the
consequences of their involvement may also vary.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

The first two group of Muslim intellectuals have their own entirely separate and arguably more
important role to play in promoting the welfare of the Ummah including its unity, than the third
group. When it specifically comes to the development of the unity of the Ummah, their contribution
by trade, as teachers and preservers of the one true Islam, is limited to calling up on the faithful to
unit in their understanding of the one true Islam. The assumption of this article in this regard is
that there is only one true Islam, whether it could objectively be determined or not, and that the
differences among the Ulama and Du’at are the natural result of the constant effort to teach and
live that one true Islam to the best of their understanding (EUUCP, Article 4(2). Therefore a

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Muslim intellectual who is also an Alim, an Ustaz and a Da’e, and who happens to be primarily
tasked with that endeavor sometimes find it virtually impossible to juggle that role with the task
of unifying the whole Ummah. They may be concerned about compromising any of their tightly
guarded understanding of the Sharia or contradicting themselves by showing tolerance to practices
that are contrary to their own teachings.

There are numerous Ulama and Du’at who have always made the unity of the Ummah part of their
primary teachings, but their fear of rejection and or being conceived as inconsistent by their
respective Jamah, sometimes holds them back. They have the complex task of navigating the fine
line between compromise and complaisance. The least they can do, however, is to try and keep the
debate between the and to:-

• Focus more on promoting the correct rather than criticizing the incorrect way in
their public discourse and
• Not let their differences trickle down to the rest of the Ummah

That is precisely why the third group of Muslim intellectuals need to take the lines share of the
responsibility of uniting the Ummah. Notwithstanding the level of training one has in either or
both Islamic and academic studies, the third group of “Muslim intellectual” for the purposes of
this article should also have, as their primary livelihood or professional job, something that does
not involve the research and or propagation of the theological aspect of Islam. Such professional
Muslim Intellectuals can and have been playing a significant role in promoting the unity of the
Ummah. This is the group of intellectuals that I believe would be best equipped and better
positioned to promote the Unity of all Muslims to peacefully coexist as one Ummah. They are the
ones who are less likely to face the dilemma about which role to prioritize and face situations
where their interest as challengers of opposing ideas may conflate with their interest to unite the
Ummah. Such individuals are, in most cases, members of the general Muslim community who are
academicians, public servants, business people, students and others with non-religious full-time
careers (T. Østebø and W. Shemsedin, 2015). That’s why I would propose an additional stricture
and call them “Professional Muslim Intellectuals”. I’m well aware that such individuals are not
devoid of preconceived notions and personal biases about one understanding of Islam or another.
That is why the term “neutral” cannot and should never be employed in such a discourse. However,
as a professionals of their respective fields, Muslim intellectual of this category are can be
expected, by virtue of their not being religious leaders, to set aside their own personal bias and
objectively examine all aspects of the problem to our unity and to come up with an objective
solution. Any professional intellectual worth his salt should be able to do so even within the bounds
of a constricted but complex relationship as religion.

Professional Muslim Intellectuals

In many parts of the Muslim world, the involvement of “Muslim intellectuals” in the Islamic
discourse has had an adverse effect on the unity and general welfare of the Ummah. This is
because, more often than not, their intentions are usually associated with either a politicized or a
reformist ambition. In both instances their involvement was usually imposed on and not requested
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by the religious leaders of the Ummah and ends up challenging and not complementing them.
Setting aside the merits and demerits of these ambitions, their proponents have further divided and
not united the Muslim community wherever they have operated. The dreadful consequences of
other aspirations being built in to religious ties are evident from the events of the past century
(Mishrul Hasan, 1995). It has given the Muslim world the postcolonial nationalist Muslim socio-political
leadership which welcomed the 15th Hijri century with an unparalleled level of external onslaught and
internal disintegration on the Muslim Ummah (M. Kamal Hassan, 2021). They have given us the inter-
ethnic and inter-sectarian violence and brought about by external and from within Regardless of their
intentions, the doors to the atrocities committed against the Muslim Ummah in recent decades were opened
for the main perpetrators, courtesy of the so called Muslim intellectuals and their attempt at leading the
Ummah into the postcolonial period.

The other experiment conducted on the Ummah in many parts of the world by its so called intellectuals is
the reformist project which created another dissident group within the community as if there were not
enough (Mohammed A. Brahimi, 2019). This brand of Muslim intellectuals, influenced more by their
postmodern Kantian world view than their religious background, saw it fit to appoint themselves as the
reformers that will bring the religion in to what they believed to be the morally superior liberal ideology at
any cost (Abdulkadir Tayob, 2018). Their endeavor has mostly resulted in creating more dissent within the
Ummah and was met with harsh responses and the flourishing of extremist faction (Raymond Scupin, 2021).
They have also unintentionally intensified the Islamophobic tide they claimed to fight when they ended up
portraying the religion as repressive and outdated by demanding its updating (Mohammed A. Brahimi,
2019). Any Muslim intellectual with the reformist agenda is considered an even greater danger to the unity
of the Ummah than the ones with the political agenda. This it because, in addition to its flawed and arrogant
assumptions which are claimed to be motivated by religious tolerance, the movement is inevitably bound
to divide the Ummah along the lines of Modernist and traditionalist Muslims (Daniel Haqiqatjou, 2020).
Therefore, the only way Muslim intellectuals can play a positive role in developing a unified Ummah is by
approaching the religious discourse without any such ulterior motives.

The not so long list of Ethiopian Muslim intellectuals, even the contemporary professional
intellectual community, has not earned such a reputation. Their involvement in the religious issues
of the Ummah thus far has had a rather positive impact. They are not known to drag their other
ambitions in to the religion or the vice versa even though such an example existed in neighboring
countries (Hussein Ahmed, 2007). Their intervention in religious matters has mostly been to either
assist or mediate in the affairs of the Ummah and usually requested by and not imposed on the
revered Ulama of the nation.

The close inspection of the life and works of the first few professional Muslim intellectuals worth
noting astonishingly proves that the unity of the Ummah has always been their utmost concern.
One of the first articles written by the renowned Shiekh Seid Muhammad Sadiq (1889-1969)
published on September 20, 1934 was entitled “andnet /አንድነት/” means ‘Unity’ (Endris
Mohammed, 2007). A merchant and trained school teacher by profession, Sheikh Seid is also
reportedly behind the establishment of “የእስላሞች አንድነት ማህበር” in 1932, which is the first
ever attempt at creating an Islamic institution (Seid M. Awel, 2021). The name of the associations
which translates to “Association of Muslim Unity” shows how much the Unity of the Ummah
meant even to the then Muslim Intellectuals. All the subsequent attempts at bringing the Ummah
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together from the activities of the “Youth Club”, to the “Eid Party” association, to the grand 1974
Ethiopian Muslims’ first ever public demonstration, all the way to the establishment of the Mejlis
in 1976 were carried through by high school and university students, public servants, merchants
and lawyers but under the leadership and guidance of to the great Ulama of their times (Ahmedin
Jebel, 2016). It takes great restraint in the part of the then intellectual not to try and steer the
Ummah in to the direction of their ambitions but rather follow and try to promote its interests as
expressed to them by the Ulama they highly respected.

Even the contemporary Muslim intellectual elite, coined by some as the “intellectualist movement”
has been attested to avoiding the more controversial aspects of external entities, whose idea may
have inspired the movement. (T. Østebø and W. Shemsedin, 2015) It has never exhibited any
aspirations to drag nationalist issues in to the religion or the religion in to nationalist issues. Instead
it is said to be serving as a mediating force between the countries religious actors in their internal
affairs as well as their relationship with others (T. Østebø and W. Shemsedin, 2015). The
movements have also been praised as being an “intellectualist revivalist movement”, rather than a
reformist one, as far as its religious ethos is concerned. In this regard the Ethiopian professional
Muslim intellectuals consider it their duty to participate in their capacity as members of the society,
and that their religiously inspired conduct would then for a society influence by Islamic virtues”
and not the other way around (Terge Østebø, 2008). This clean slate and tradition of serving the
Ulama should be highly guarded as it was also the characteristics of our prominent and seasoned
intellectuals to be a positive stakeholder in the development of the unity of the Ummah, more than
anything else.

The positive contribution of this group to the Unity of the Ummah requires adherence to principles
such as:

• Making sure that our personal or group aspirations as professional Muslim

intellectuals never dictate our relations with and actions towards our Ulama,
• The second one is to make sure that our service to the religion is characterized by
a service to the Ulama, which requires the at most humility and respect for their
status as the lifelong learners and preservers of religious knowledge.
• Having the wisdom to identify when our professional and spiritual interests
converge and never let our professional Interest undermine the the unity of our
Ummah.
• Recognizing that it is neither our duty nor in our capacity to determine the technical
interpretations (‫ )معنى إصطالحي‬of the phrase “‫ّللا‬ ِ َ ‫ ” َحب ِل‬in the Quranic command of
“‫ّللا َجمي ًعا َوال تَفَ َرقوا‬
ِ َ ‫َصموا ِب َحب ِل‬
ِ ‫” َواعت‬, that it is sufficient for us to know the simple lexical
meaning (‫ )معنى لغوية‬of the verse.
• And realizing that, unlike the first two groups, as professional Muslim intellectuals,
even if our individual or group pursuit has the best interest of the Ummah at heart,
it should never be at the expense of the unity of the Ummah.

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That has been the modes operandi of most professional Muslim intellectuals of the past, which
needs to continue as we tackle preexisting and new challenges to the our unity.

Challenges to the Unity of the Ummah

Discord (Khilaf), may be in dialect (Jadal) or dissension (Shiqaq) depending on the cause and
tenacity of the opposing sides (Taha Jabir al-Alwani, 1993). The first type, which is usually
characterized by a stubborn adherence to an opinion either side holds, is mostly exhibited among
a society where prominent competing schools of thought exist. This type of Khilaf is what usually
results in sectarianism. In the second type of Khilaf, even though the opposing or conflicting
interests are usually superficial, getting the better of the opponent without regard to the benefits of
doing so or any concern for finding the truth are rampant (Taha Jabir al-Alwani, 1993).

The first type is not prevalent in the case of Ethiopian Muslims as there is no specific school of
thought that’s consciously been favored over another, at least not within the masses. There have
not been prominent and competing centers of Islamic education in Ethiopia and transmission of
Islamic knowledge has mostly followed the traditional route. This means that there is no deep
rooted and complex cause for Khilaf among our Ulama, that has affected the general Muslim
public that could have led to sectarian violence. The few cases of Khilaf Ethiopian Muslims
witnessed do not entirely fall on the second type of Khilaf either. At least not in the extreme sense
of the term dissension (shiqaq). However, it does exhibit some of the symptoms of such Khilaf
such as fear of the unknown, over defensive behavior and the unfounded assumption that the
interest of one group cannot be reconciled or coexist with the other. This has been the type of
conflict Ethiopian Muslims have usually been afflicted by. The conflict usually involves an
ambitious and progressive group of Muslims with a predetermined set of goals on the one hand
and the traditional and conservative group who are trying to hold on to the long held status quo
they sacrificed so much for. This can be proved by looking at the instances when the differences
were so inflamed as to reach the public’s ears.

The usually silent and indoor contentions among the Ulama usually comes to light when the
Ummah is also dealing with external challenges such as demanding some basic religious right from
the regime or attempts at institutional development. These are also the times when Ethiopian
Muslim intellectuals and professionals are seen rising up to the occasion to serve as mediators. In
many of these instances professional Muslim intellectuals were the glue that was holding the
Ummah together while navigating the interest and fear of both sides in such difficult times. The
previously mentioned article and other works by Sheikh Seid Muhammad Sadiq deal with the rift
created between the urban and traditional Ulama and the threat posed by the changing socio-
economic system (Endris Mohammed, 2007). Other Muslim professional intellectuals have also
stood in the same noble cause at different times such as the role of Dr. Ahmed Qalo, a civil servant,
in holding together the Muslim institutional development endeavors of the 1960s, or that of
attorney Ababiya Abajobir in the 1970s and 80s, or the service provided by Ato Abdulwasi Yusuf
in one of the worst time the unity of the Ummah has ever faced at the beginning of the 1990s (Seid

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M. Awel, 2021). The struggle of Ethiopian Muslims in each of these instances has reached new
milestone without dividing the Ummah at grassroots level.

We can also see the intellectual community being summoned to the rescue as a mediator and
advisory council to the Ulama from the six member committee of the 1974 all the way up to the
various subcommittees called up on by the 2018 nine member institutional consolidation
committee. The 1974 committee was a group of professional Muslim intellectuals consisting of:
Ato Mohammed Awel of Ethio Tele communication, Dr. Ahmed Qalo from the Ethiopian Reads
Authority or the then ‘Awra Godana’, Ato Abdu Adem from the private merchant group, Ato
Yusuf Ahmed who was in charge of Endo textile, Ababiya Abajobir who was an attorney and
Khelil Abdu and Mohammed Hassen from the youth (Ahmedin Jebel, 2016). The works of this
group of Ethiopian professional Muslim intellectuals laid the foundation for the establishment of
the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Council in 1976. The danger to the unity of the Ummah back then
may not have been as grave as later years but even the minor difference in proposed tactics and
trajectory of the movement were handled with great care for unity and by seeking the guidance of
the elder Ulama.

The nine member committee convened by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) in 2018 also
summoned a large number of professional Muslim intellectuals, which was organized in three
subcommittees composed of students, teachers, university professors, business people,
accountants, economists, lawyers, community leaders and so on. The benefits derived from the
works of these committees are tremendous if we are lucky enough to utilize them. They include:
the Mejlis legal personality proclamation request document, the comprehensive Mejlis internal
regulation document and the EUUC (Ethiopian Ulama as stated in the Ethiopian Ulama Unity and
Cooperation Pact) document. It is the most recent and great example of what professional Muslim
intellectuals are capable of achieving when they stand by the side of the Ulama. The Mejlis
Proclamation no. 1207/2012, if preceded by the implementation of the regulation, will cement the
legacy of the previous generation’s gift of a unifying body.

More importantly, the EUUCP, in my opinion, could be one of the greatest piece of legislation in
the history of the Ethiopian Muslim Ummah and even a lesson for the rest of the Muslim world’s
constant search for unity. This document is the first ever attempt I know of at tries to identify the
clerical causes of Khilaf and underlines the means by which they could peacefully coexist in a
unified Muslim Ummah. The inception and subsequent use of this document to quill the brewing
threat of division and violence at that time was brokered by the efforts of professional Muslim
intellectuals including but not limited to Professor Mohammed Habib, Dr. Edris Mohammed,
Ustaz Ahmedin Jebel and Ustaz Abubeker Ahmed. During the discussions that led to the drafting
of this document, they all limited their role as humble assistants to the Ulama that were arguing
the most difficult issue to ever been argued. The benefits that can be derived from these works are
tremendous if we are lucky enough to utilize them.

The involvement of the intellectuals as shown here was essential in all of these instances to keep
the Ummah united in its quest for the attainment of a common goal. They have arguably, helped

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the Ulama get through those challenging times with at least a semblance of brotherhood and unity.
The two main shortcomings of the contribution of the Ethiopian Muslim intellectuals are the fact
that :-

1. They mostly acted so far as concerned individuals rather than an organized entity and
2. They are usually on the scene only when the unity of the Ummah is in crisis.

That needs to change now more than ever precisely because the gap will otherwise be filled with
the other breed of Muslim Intellectuals whose careers has been tied to the service of the religion.
The Ethiopian Professional Muslim Intellectual as identified above can no longer have an impact
operating in the same manner as it always has. It needs to make a consolidated effort to establish
a formidable Muslim Professionals Association that doesn’t only come to the rescue at the sign of
trouble but rather assists the Mejlis in actively identifying and challenging divisive actions
wherever they emanate from. Such an organization should be established on the basis of
inclusivity, volunteerism, and objectivity. It should not owe allegiance or ascribing to any single
group of Muslims except to the Ummah as a whole. That way, it will build a reputation for being
fair and just and an will we exhibit an unblemished professional integrity. That is the only way it
can preserve the legacy of the early Ethiopian Muslim Intellectuals as the bond that holds the
Ummah together.

In the meantime however our continued role is required by the principle of ‫ نهي عن‬،‫"أمر بالمعروف‬
"‫المنكر‬, which involves:-

• Commanding or advising or pleading for unity of our Ummah as well as

• Stopping, by any means, speaking against or at least distancing ourselves from acts that
divide the Ummah depending on our capability.

Forums such as the conference this paper is prepared for are a step in the right direction. They
create the platform for sharing ideas and suggestions on the means of developing a unified Muslim
Ummah.

References

1. Abdulkadir Tayob, Decolonizing the Study of Religions, journal of the Study of Religion,
Vol 31, pp 7-35, South Africa 2018

2. Ahmedin Jebel, ሶስቱ አዴዎችና ኢትዮጵያውያን ሙስሊሞች: ትግል እና መስዋዕትነት, Addis Ababa 2016).

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11. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 1998)

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14. Seid M. Awel, አትዮጵያውያን ሙስሊሞችና የመጅሊስ ፈተና, Addis Ababa 2021
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