Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives - Islamic Books ...

Religion, Language, and Nat i o n a l i s m 2 4 5gious difference or religious revivalism to that of ethno-linguistic identity. Histo ry, however, indicates that religion is an enduring sociopolitical force and,among its many functions, it may be invoked to express discontent with factorsthat on the surface have nothing to do with faith per se. Thus, as evangelicalChristian and Muslim missionaries increase their activities and as an avowedlydemocratic government attempts to create a new political culture in which languagerights are formally recognized, the relationships between ethno-linguisticidentities and the propaganda of religious leaders and ruling officials willremain areas of ongoing debates in the continuing redefinition of Muslimidentities in Ethiopia.Appendix: Translation of “Luqtat al-Tarikhiyya” [Gleanings of History]According to historical knowledge, Christianity in Ethiopia found its firsthome in the north, in southern Eritrea, where the ancient kingdom ofAxum was located. And the history of the spread of Christianity in the geographicalregion that comprises Ethiopia today is the history of the milita ry expansion of the Semitic peoples called Amhara, who live nearsouthern Eritrea and take Gondar as their historical capital. Some studiesfavor the view that the Amhara are Semites who emigrated from southernArabia, and we see the similarities between Amharic pronunciation andthat of the Maharat, who are Arabs still living in southern Arabia betweenOman and southern Yemen. And it is worth mentioning that the alphabetin which the Amharic language (it is the official language ofEthiopia) is written is the same alphabet that the Sabeans and the Himyarsused and that is called in writing “the m a s n a d .” This race [theAmhara] still retains Semitic features.The southern spread of the Amhara is distinguished by its military nature:The tribes living in the south submitted at sword point. The agriculturallands were completely distributed among the conquerors, as feudallandlords, and the original inhabitants became only slaves there. The bigchange in economic activity for some inhabitants in the conquered regionswas from whatever activity they originally pursued to agriculture, which theconquerors forced them to adopt as their profession. Some regions remainedsafe from these changes, which brought slavery with them.This association between Christianity, military conquest, and feudalismmade the church the largest possessor of agricultural lands in Ethiopiauntil the occurrence of the last revolution and its confiscation of churchl a n d s .The conversion of the conquered regions to the Christian religion didnot lead to any substantial changes in their inhabitants’ social or eco-