page_title: Islam in Ethiopia
section_title: Muslim Land Rights
hierarchical_section_title: Islam in Ethiopia / Muslim Land Rights
context_page_description: Islam was in 2007 the second largest religion in Ethiopia with over 33.9% of the population. The faith arrived in Ethiopia at an early date, shortly before the hijira. Ethiopia was the first foreign country to accept Islam when it was unknown in most parts of the world. Ethiopia also favored its expansion and making Islam present in the country since the times of Muhammad. Islam and Christianity are the two major religions and have co-existed for hundreds of years. This is in part by Islam in Ethiopia is interrelated with international religious institutions, associations, and networks, resulting in the decline of Islam in the country.
context_section_description: Muslims were one of the marginalized groups that weren’t allowed access to land until the 1974 revolution. The revolution brought forth major changes to the socio-political and religious position of Ethiopian Muslims. In Gojjam, most Muslims did not have access to land, but had ways to get around it. They could rent, buy land, or enter in a crop sharing verbal agreement with the landowner. Muslims didn’t have the right to own, administer, or inherit land they simply were only allowed to live as tenants. If a verbal agreement was not an option, another way Muslims were able to acquire land was by clearing out unoccupied land and settling there, but only if they were able to offer some type of service to the balebat. Muslims were marginalised in Ethiopia, but particularly in Gojjam.
caption: Gojjam, Ethiopia