Religion
An estimated 60% of the
population practice Christianity, the majority of which practice the homegrown,
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. This religion goes back nearly 2000 years to
the 4th Century when King Ezana of the Axumite Empire recognized Christianity
as the State’s official ...
Read more Religion
An estimated 60% of the
population practice Christianity, the majority of which practice the homegrown,
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. This religion goes back nearly 2000 years to
the 4th Century when King Ezana of the Axumite Empire recognized Christianity
as the State’s official religion. Historically, the Ethiopia Orthodox Church
was part of the Egyptian Coptic Church until 1959, today the church is headed
by Ethiopian Patriarch, Abune Mathias.
Some 30% of the
population practices Islam and are scattered throughout the country. Sunnis
form the majority of Muslims with non-denominational Muslims being the second
largest group of Muslims, followed by Shias. Sunnis are largely Salafis, a more
mystical side of Islam in which holy sites and shrines are created and used for
worship. The village of Negash, in Northern Ethiopia, is known as the earliest
Muslim settlement in Africa, dating back to the 7th century, and the
beautifully complicated town of Harar is oft considered the fourth holy city of
Islam.
A small ancient group of
Jews, the Beta Israel, live in northwestern Ethiopia, though most migrated to
Israel in the last decades of the 20th century as part of the Israeli
government’s rescue missions: Operation Moses and Operation Solomon. A minority
of Ethiopians belong to animist tribes who practice religions linked to their
tribes.
