Ethiopia: Somali region’s Islamic Scholars Call “Anti-Islamic” The ONLF Insurgency

06/10/08
    

Minneapolis (kilil5)—In a powerful religious symbol and in unprecedented move, the region’s highest Islamic Scholars and religious leaders called the Ogaden National Liberation Front Insurgency against the federal government of Ethiopia and the Somali region “anti-Islamic” and not meeting the definition of Jihad as explained in the "Sunah" of the Prophet and in the Holy Quran, Islam’s main two sources of Sharia law.

In front of thousands of employees of the Somali regional State, in a symposium organized by the region’s administration on Friday June 6 2008, to assess the quality and deficiencies of the region’s main ministries and its employees, the Scholars delivered their verdict before the thousands of the region’s employees, some of whom were accused of aiding or sympathizing with the ONLF rebels.

In an unusual and highly questionable move, the region’s minister for peace and justice, Mr. Abdi Mohamed Omar “Iley” had requested from the region’s Islamic Scholars and religious leaders a scholarly answer and an Islamic “Fatwa” on three questions:

1-Whether the ONLF claim of Jihad against Ethiopia is justified and whether the Jihad claim meets the definition of Jihad under Islamic Sharia.

2-Whether a Muslim supporter can give Zakkah (charity) to the ONLF or whether its haram under Islam to give charity to an insurgent (as they called it terrorist) organization.

3-Who is a martyr? Those killed by the ONLF rebels or the rebels themselves when they die according to the Sharia.

The region’s Islamic scholars and religious leaders gave their Fatwa to thousands of region employees and called the ONLF insurgency against the Ethiopian government and its Jihad claim falsehood. In fact, the Scholars called the ONLF Jihad claim not only misleading and a mere propaganda but a slandering of the true jihad under Islam. They further added that ONLF rebels who die while fighting the region’s police and government forces are going to hell under the definition of the Sharia, while region’s police and militias who are killed by the ONLF rebels are going to paradise according to the definition of the Sharia because they are defending their citizens and their government. They also called it haram and not permissible to give Zakkah to rebels like the ONLF. On the question of martyrdom, the scholars added the only matters are those killed by rebels and not the rebels themselves, who they called“brain-washed, misguided” young men.

The purpose of the “Fatwa” request from the religious scholars was to convince the thousands of the region’s employees, many who were accused of supporting the ONLF, to give them a religious reason not to support the rebels. It’s not clear whether these scholars were independent Islamic scholars or appointed political religious leaders who are part of the administration and have little choice in their fatwa. The timing of the Fatwa from the region’s Islamic Scholars to employees many of which were accused, chastised, and ridiculed for being supporters and sympathizers of the ONLF, looks more or less a political pandering rather than a legitimate Islamic Scholarly fatwa or verdict on a legitimate question according to region observers in the Diaspora. Its not clear if the Fatwa will have any of the intended effect and whether it will persuade any region employee from not supporting the ONLF rebel group.

Ali Yare
Minneapolis,U.S