Background:
This is an interview with Shaykh al-ʾAmīn ʿUthmān al-ʾAmīn the Muftī of Eritrea. He graduated from the Azhar University in Cairo, and was then sent as an envoy from the Azhar to Eritrea. He worked as a teacher in the Religious Institute in Eritrea. After that, he became a judge in sharīʿah courts in multiple Eritrean cities, and he was appointed the president of the sharīʿah court in Eritrea. After the liberation, he was chosen as the Muftī of Eritrea in 1992. His predecessor, ʾĪbrahīm Mukhtār, died in 1969 and the country remained without a Muftī for twenty-four years because the Ethiopian colonizers did not appoint one. In the interview, al-ʾAmīn talked about the Muslim-Christian relationship in Eritrea, the Ethiopian colonization of Eritrea and the help given to the Muslim Community in Eritrea.
Side A:
According to the Muftī of Eritrea Shaykh al- ʾAmīn ʿUthmān al-ʾAmīn, the situation of the Muslim community there could be described as good. They represent almost half of the population. Muslims in Eritrea are committed to the Islamic doctrine by being religious and at the same time, cooperating with other Eritreans by doing their duties in the society. They allegedly have all their freedom to practice their rituals. Some of the Islamic institutions were destroyed by the Ethiopian colonization, thus, rebuilding it will cost a lot of money which represents an obstacle for them.
The Ethiopian colonization, al-ʾAmīn mentioned, did not distinguish between Muslims or Christians. It was targeting Eritreans regardless of their religion. However, the Muslims were the most harmed because almost all of the liberation wars occurred in the Muslim part of the country. The colonization tried to spark a sectarian strife between Muslims and Christians in Eritrea, but failed. Both, Muslims and Christians, were aware of the conspiracy of the colonizer and fought against it, al-ʾAmīn argues. Then, the Ethiopians started to initiate segmentation between provinces of Eritrea. They promised some Eritrean provinces autonomy under the Ethiopian rule. This policy eventually failed and Eritreans remained together.
Al-ʾAmīn does not have any concerns regarding Muslims-Christians relations in Eritrea. They have lived together in peace for 14 centuries and sensitivity never existed between them. When it comes to the geographical distribution, except for Asmara, Muslims live in the highlands and Christians in the lowlands. Al-ʾAmīn commented that they started to mix up together. They are living as Eritreans under one national government.
Al-ʾAmīn mentioned that Dār al-ʾĪftāʾ receives a respectable amount of money from the government that would keep the office working and does not receive any materialistic external funds from any foreign country. Also, the government is reported by any help that they would get. He added that he does not have any further information with regard to the Christian authorities.
Side B:
Al-ʾAmīn indicated that if they received support from any entity, they should use this money for the religious cause it was gathered for. They do not receive any support to build hospitals, for example, because this is not related to Islam. The government has a special commission responsible for receiving donations for such causes. He mentioned that they did not receive any contribution from any Islamic institutions. They only received some from what is related to education and school building. Individuals from Saudi Arabia have contributed to building mosques but they did not receive any help from the government yet. It was reported that Fahd Ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd, the King of Saudi Arabia, has donated to repair and build some mosques in Eritrea but this project was not yet implemented up till that moment. Students were given scholarships to study at the Azhar Univesity in Egypt. No scholarships, however, were offered by Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, Al-ʾAmīn said he does not oppose the involvement of females in the army as this is considered as beneficial learning although he does not approve of females and males mixing during training. However, this mixing could be accepted in fortresses and during the war because it is not intended.
According to the Islamic sharīʿah law, the Muslim males can marry a Christian female and the Islamic law would apply to them when it comes to children and inheretance. Nevertheless, the Muslim female could not get married to a Christian male. This is not accepted and against the Islamic law. Al-ʾAmīn does not recognize civil marriage and he does not approve of it. Al-ʾAmīn mentioned that Eritrea is a secular state. Neither Islamic nor Christian laws are applied there. It supports both religions without any biases. The government governs according to the constitution and the Islamic law is applied when it comes to personal affairs as marriages and inheritance. The complete application of the Islamic law is not possible in Eritrea if this happened; Al-ʾAmīn believes that it will lead to tensions.
There is no direct relation between the Muftī of Eritrea and the Vatican. They only receive congratulatory statements in occasions. However, Al-ʾAmīn says he has good relation with Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox in Eritrea.
Maryam ʿAllām’s Comments:
Shaykh al-ʾAmīnʿUthmān al-ʾAmīn was very controversial when it came to discussing the funds and help that the Muslim institutions in Eritrea receive. At first, he denied to have received any other support other than from the government. Then, he mentioned some help that Muslims have receivedin Eritrea and was offered by Muslim governments and individuals.
