IINA – 04

Cairo, Rabi Awwal 24/Jun 5 (IINA) – Haj Bashir Dawood Abdul Qader, the head of the Shari’a Court here, has said that Ethiopia is the oldest state in Black Africa, in that by 1000 BC, in that the people of Saba, north Yemen, settled in Eritrea’s highlands, where Queen Bilquis of Saba met with King Solomon, giving birth to Menelik I. He said Christianity spread to Ethiopia between 325 and 350 AD, and Islam came to it even before it spread to Madina.

Haj Bashir, who was visiting Egypt, told IINA correspondent here that according to the latest statistics published in 2002, the total population of Ethiopia stands at 67 million, adding that the Muslims account for 65 percent. He regretted that inspire of this numerical superiority, the government is in the hands of Christians, the President is a Christian, adding that this was "contrary to United Nations norms." He also regretted the fact that Muslims lack in education and that even as far as Islam is concerned, they know very little, other than their Islamic names.

The Chief Judge then outlined the educational institutions that are available in his country, and the number of mosques. He said that twenty years ago there was only one mosque in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, but now there not less than 90 in the capital, while the total number for the entire country is 2,650. But, he regretted, the mosques are not playing anything except the spiritual role, and even that is not carried out competently, because the Imams lack Arabic knowledge, and even the religious knowledge of many of them is not up to par.

He was grateful, however, that such countries as Saudi Arabia are now building Islamic schools for the Muslims, and in this connection lauded the role played by the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL).

OB/OB/IINA