Ethiopia's muslims observe Mawlid as Sharia court use grows

Ethiopian muslims celebrated Mawlid holiday, commemorating the birthday of Prophet Mohammed, as more Ethiopians reportedly seek Sharia court use in family matters. The holiday was colorfully celebrated with special prayer ceremonies and clerics remembering the teachings of the Prophet. 

Thousands of Ethiopian Muslims gathered in Mosques across the country to celebrate Mawlid, including at the main Anwar and Negash Mosques. Not all muslims celebrate this occassion however, since some claim there is no Hadith and scripts in the Holy Quran that obligate Muslims to commemorate the birthday. Yet, the majority of Muslims mark this important day, with some Ethiopian Christians in areas like Wollo and Harar celebrating the holiday together with Ethiopian muslims.  According to the most recent census, Muslims make up about 34 percent of the country and Ethiopia has one of the largest muslim population in the world.

Ethiopian Muslims are the first society in the world to embrace Islam, as the first followers of Prophet Mohammed were persecuted in Saudi Arabia. Prophet Mohammed's followers fled Mecca and migrated to Ethiopia in 615 during the first Hijra, making the renowned northern Ethiopian town of Negash their first African settlement. During that period, most southern Ethiopians, including Oromos and Sidama, practiced traditional faiths while northern Ethiopia remained predominantly Orthodox Christian. But Ethiopian muslims slowly increased in number with some Ethiopian movement leading to the spread of Islam south to current day Somalia and other regions. The Ethiopian Negash Mosque is the first mosque in Africa and the Ethiopian government has recently launched a campaign to register the Mosque as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Negash is widely considered a symbol of religious co-existence in Ethiopia.

Historically, the Sof Omar Caves, Jimma and Harar towns are also sacred areas and symbols for Ethiopian muslims. Though Ethiopia is a secular country, Ethiopian muslims have a choice to use either Sharia courts or secular courts in family affairs, which are recognized by the nation's constitution.

Recently, local authorities in Ethiopia have indicated their concern about a rise in political Islam that can potentially cause problems for the religiously-diverse country, mainly due to developments in Somalia and new ideological influences from Saudi Arabia.