The Ethiopian Government's Proclamation No. 1207/2020, which establishes the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council, raises significant legal concerns. This move appears to violate the country's constitutional principles, specifically the separation of state and religion (Article 11) and the right to equality (Article 25).
Firstly, the establishment of a religious council by the state contravenes the constitutional principle of separation of state and religion. By creating a legal entity for Islamic affairs, the government is effectively interfering in religious matters, which is prohibited by Article 11. This move blurs the line between state and religion, potentially leading to further entanglement and favoritism towards one religion over others.
Secondly, the Proclamation grants legal personality to Muslim institutions, organizations, and societies without requiring special registration. This preferential treatment violates the right to equality enshrined in Article 25. By granting exclusive legal status to Islamic entities, the government is discriminating against other religious groups, which are not afforded the same privileges. This move undermines the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law, regardless of religion or belief.
Furthermore, this Proclamation sets a dangerous legal precedent, potentially leading to the establishment of similar religious councils by the state. This could result in a hierarchical system where certain religions are favored over others, contradicting the principles of secularism and equal treatment.
In conclusion, the Ethiopian Government's establishment of the Muslim Council through Proclamation No. 1207/2020 violates the country's constitutional principles of separation of state and religion and the right to equality. This move has significant legal implications and raises concerns about the government's commitment to upholding the Constitution and protecting the rights of all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Proclamation
Proclamation No.1207-2020
A proclamation to provide Legal personality for Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council
FEDERAL NEGARIT GAZETTE
OF THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
ADDlS ABABA 4th July, 2020
Proclamation No.1207/2020
A proclamation to provide Legal personality for Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council
WHEREAS, it has become necessary to provide legal personality on the national institution organized by Ethiopian Muslims in accordance with the right to establish citizens’ rights to religious administration institutions based on Article 27(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
WHEREAS, it has become necessary to provide legal personality to Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council which is a public institution that has a defacto recognition and that represents a large number of Muslim community in relation to the government as well as internationally.
NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with Article 55(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. it is hereby proclaimed as Follows:
1. Short Title
This Proclamation may be cited as “A proclamation to provide Legal personality to Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council No.1207/2020″.
2. Legal Personality
In accordance with this Proclamation Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council and religious institutions, organizations and Societies established and to be established under it shall have legal personality without requirement of especial registration.
3. Heading
The institution may be cited with its full name “Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council” and may also be referred to using an abbreviation for convenience of usage in emblems or official seal or stamps as may be necessary.
4. Budget
The budget of the Council shall be covered by gifts obtained from in and out of the country, Contributions collected from Muslim communities, service fees and donations allowed by the religion.
Without prejudice to the provision of Sub-Article (1) of this Article the Council can engage in additional income generating and development activities pursuant to other tax and commercial administration laws of the country.
The Council shall establish a clear and transparent Financial Administration system.
5. Working Language
The working language of the Council shall be determined by bylaws taking into account the Federal and Regional working languages.
6. Transitory Provisions
All properties, obligations and rights obtained before the effective date of this proclamation by all organs of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs General Council (Mejlis) remain valid.
The General Council may issue Regulation for its internal activity and organization.
This Proclamation shall not affect the rights of other religious institutions established by Ethiopian Muslims either at the Federal or Regional level or their right to organize and be registered in the future.
7. Effective Date
This Proclamation shall enter into force on the date of publication in the Federal Negarit Gazette.
Done at Addis Ababa, on this 4th day of July, 2020.
SAHELWORK ZEWDE
PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
Contact Us
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Grok
Habtamu Nini Abino is a fascinating figure with a diverse background. He's a former Secretary General of the House of Federation in Ethiopia, a position that involved working on constitutional matters and ensuring the smooth functioning of the legislative body. He also served as the Secretary of the Interparliamentary Group of Ethiopia (IPU), which is a forum for parliamentarians to exchange ideas and foster international cooperation.
Beyond his political and parliamentary career, Habtamu Nini Abino is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and currently resides in Ottawa, Canada. He has a keen interest in global politics and has written extensively on the "no limits" partnership between Russia and China, and its implications for Africa and poor South-South countries.
In addition to his political and academic pursuits, Habtamu Nini Abino has authored several books, including "The Second Republic and the Politics of Article 39 in Ethiopia" and "Liberal Democracy and The Ethiopian Constitution of 1994, Users Hand Book". These works reflect his deep understanding of Ethiopian politics and his commitment to fostering a better understanding of liberal democracy.
So, in a nutshell, Habtamu Nini Abino is a multifaceted individual with a rich background in politics, law, and international relations. He's a man of many talents, and his work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the complexities of Ethiopian politics and the global geopolitical landscape
የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት ውዝግብ፡ የሙስሊም ተቋም በማቋቋም ሕገ መንግሥቱን መጣስ
ReplyDeleteየኢትዮጵያ ሕገ መንግሥት የመንግሥትና የሃይማኖት መለያየትን በማያሻማ ሁኔታ ያወጀው አንዱም በሌላው ጉዳይ ጣልቃ እንዳይገባ ነው። ሆኖም የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት እና ፓርላማ የኢትዮጵያ እስልምና ጉዳዮች ጠቅላይ ምክር ቤት በአዋጅ ቁጥር 1207/2020 በማቋቋም እርስ በርሱ የሚጋጭ እርምጃ ወስደዋል። ይህ እርምጃ ከፍተኛ የህግ ስጋቶችን የሚፈጥር እና ህገ መንግስታዊውን የሴኩላሪዝም መርህ የሚጻረር ነው።
አዋጁ የኢትዮጵያ እስልምና ጉዳዮች ጠቅላይ ምክር ቤት እና አጋር የእምነት ተቋማት፣ ድርጅቶች እና ማኅበራት ልዩ ምዝገባ ሳያስፈልግ የሕግ ሰውነት ይሰጣል። ከህግ አንፃር ይህ እርምጃ ብዙ አንድምታ አለው፡-
1. የሕገ መንግሥቱን መጣስ፡- የሃይማኖት ተቋም በማቋቋም መንግሥት በሃይማኖት ጉዳይ በቀጥታ ጣልቃ በመግባት የመንግሥትና የሃይማኖት መለያየትን የሚያረጋግጠውን የሕገ መንግሥቱን አንቀጽ 11 በመፃረር ነው።
2. ኢ-ህገመንግስታዊ አድሎአዊነት፡- አዋጁ ለሙስሊሙ ተቋማት ብቻ ህጋዊ ሰውነትን ይሰጣል፣ሌሎች የእምነት ቡድኖችን ችላ በማለት። ይህ የቅድሚያ አያያዝ ሕገ መንግሥታዊ የእኩልነት እና አድሎአዊ ዋስትናን ይጥሳል (አንቀጽ 25)።
3. ህጋዊ ቅድመ ሁኔታ፡- ይህ እርምጃ አደገኛ የህግ አርአያነት ያስቀመጠ ሲሆን በመንግስት እና በሃይማኖት መካከል ያለውን ልዩነት የበለጠ በማደብዘዝ ተመሳሳይ የእምነት ተቋማትን በመንግስት እንዲቋቋም ሊያደርግ ይችላል።
4. ሴኩላሪዝምን ማዳከም፡- ለሀይማኖት ተቋማት ህጋዊ ሰውነት በመስጠት መንግስት ለአንድ ሀይማኖት በብቃት እውቅናና ድጋፍ በመስጠት የመንግስትን ሴኩላሪዝም እያናጋ ነው።
5. አላግባብ መጠቀም ይቻላል፡- ይህ እርምጃ የመንግስትን በሃይማኖት ጉዳዮች ላይ ጣልቃ በመግባት የእምነት ነፃነትን እና የግለሰብ መብቶችን ሊጣስ ይችላል።
በማጠቃለያው የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት የኢትዮጵያ እስልምና ጉዳዮች ጠቅላይ ምክር ቤት በአዋጅ ቁጥር 1207/2020 ማቋቋሚያ ህገ መንግስታዊውን የመንግስት እና የሃይማኖት መለያየት መርህን የሚጻረር፣ አደገኛ ህጋዊ ቅድመ ሁኔታን ያስቀመጠ እና ሴኩላሪዝምን የሚያዳክም ነው። ይህ እርምጃ ትልቅ የህግ እንድምታ ያለው ሲሆን መንግስት ህገ መንግስቱን ለማስከበር ያለውን ቁርጠኝነት ያሳስባል።
In Western liberal democracies, the government is generally prohibited from establishing religious institutions or favoring a specific religion through proclamation or any other means. This is due to the principles of:
ReplyDelete1. Separation of Church and State: A fundamental concept in liberal democracies, ensuring that government and religious institutions remain separate and independent.
2. Religious Neutrality: Governments are required to remain neutral and impartial towards all religions, without promoting or favoring any particular one.
3. Freedom of Religion: Citizens have the right to practice or not practice any religion, free from government interference or coercion.
4. Equality and Non-Discrimination: Governments must treat all citizens equally, regardless of their religious beliefs or affiliations.
Establishing religious institutions or favoring a specific religion through proclamation would violate these principles, potentially leading to:
1. Legal challenges and court rulings against the government.
2. Violations of human rights and religious freedom.
3. Social unrest and community tensions.
4. Damage to the government's credibility and legitimacy.
In Western liberal democracies, the government's role is to protect religious freedom, not to promote or establish specific religions. Instead, they focus on promoting inclusive policies, ensuring equal rights and protections for all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs.
በማህበራዊ ቁጥጥር ውስጥ የሃይማኖት ሚና: ወሳኝ ምርመራ
ReplyDeleteሃይማኖት በሰው ልጅ ኅብረተሰብ ውስጥ እምነቶችን፣ ሥነ ምግባሮችን እና እሴቶችን በመቅረጽ የበላይ ኃይል ሆኖ ቆይቷል። ነገር ግን፣ ሂሳዊ እይታ እንደሚያሳየው ሃይማኖት ብዙውን ጊዜ ለህብረተሰባዊ ቁጥጥር መሳሪያ ሆኖ ሲያገለግል፣ የገዢ ልሂቃን ፍላጎት ብዙሃኑን እያጠፋ ነው። ይህ ጽሁፍ ሀይማኖት እንዴት ተገዢዎችን ለመቆጣጠር እና ለመቆጣጠር ጥቅም ላይ እንደዋለ እና ይህም በግለሰብ ነፃነት እና በጋራ እድገት ላይ ያለውን አንድምታ ይዳስሳል።
በታሪክ ውስጥ የሃይማኖት ተቋማት ከፖለቲካዊ የስልጣን መዋቅሮች ጋር በጥብቅ የተሳሰሩ ናቸው። ገዢ ልሂቃን ኃይማኖትን በተደጋጋሚ ተጠቅመው ሥልጣናቸውን ለማስረዳት፣ አገዛዛቸውን ሕጋዊ ለማድረግ እና በሕዝብ ላይ ያለውን ቁጥጥር ለማስቀጠል። የጋራ እምነት ስርዓትን በማራመድ የሃይማኖት መሪዎች የህዝብን አስተያየት መቅረፅ፣ ባህሪ ላይ ተጽእኖ ማሳደር እና ተቃውሞን ማጥፋት ችለዋል።
ሀይማኖት ከሚቆጣጠርባቸው ዋና መንገዶች አንዱ ፍርሃትን እና መታዘዝን ማስተዋወቅ ነው። የሃይማኖታዊ አስተምህሮ ብዙውን ጊዜ አለመታዘዝ የሚያስከትለውን መዘዝ ያጎላል, ግለሰቦች የተመሰረቱትን ደንቦች እና ስልጣኖች እንዲከተሉ ያበረታታል. ይህ በፍርሀት ላይ የተመሰረተ አካሄድ ሂሳዊ አስተሳሰብን፣ ፈጠራን እና አለመስማማትን ያዳክማል፣ ይህም ሁኔታው ያለ ፈታኝ ሁኔታ መቆየቱን ያረጋግጣል።
ሃይማኖት ማህበራዊ ተዋረዶችን ለማጽደቅ እና የተገለሉ ቡድኖችን ብዝበዛ ለማስረዳት ጥቅም ላይ ውሏል። የሀይማኖት ፅሁፎች ባርነትን፣ የፆታ ልዩነትን እና ሌሎች ጭቆናዎችን በመደገፍ የኃያላንን ጥቅም ለማስቀጠል የደካሞችን ጥቅም ለማስጠበቅ ተተርጉመዋል።
ከዚህም በተጨማሪ የሃይማኖት ተቋማት በታሪክ ሀብታቸውን ያከማቻሉ እና የፖለቲካ ተጽዕኖ ያሳድራሉ፣ ብዙ ጊዜ ከገዢው ልሂቃን ጋር በመመሳጠር ሥልጣናቸውን ለማስጠበቅ ይሞክራሉ። ይህም አማራጭ እምነትና አስተሳሰቦች እንዲታፈኑ አድርጓል፤እንዲሁም መናፍቃን ወይም ኢ-አማንያን የሚባሉትን ስደት ዳርጓል።
ለማጠቃለል፣ ሃይማኖት የመጽናኛ፣ የማህበረሰብ እና የሞራል መመሪያ ሆኖ ሊያገለግል ቢችልም፣ በማህበራዊ ቁጥጥር ውስጥ ያለው ሚና ችላ ሊባል አይችልም። ሀይማኖትን ለመቆጣጠር እና ለመቆጣጠር እንዴት እንደተቀጠረ በመገንዘብ እነዚህን የሃይል አወቃቀሮችን መቃወም እና የበለጠ ፍትሃዊ እና ፍትሃዊ ማህበረሰብን ማሳደግ እንችላለን። ሂሳዊ አስተሳሰብን ማዳበር፣ የተቋቋመውን ስልጣን መጠየቅ እና የግለሰብን ነፃነት እና ራስን በራስ ማስተዳደርን ማሳደግ ወሳኝ ነው። ከሃይማኖታዊ ቁጥጥር እስራት መላቀቅ የምንችለው በዚህ አይነት ጥረቶች ብቻ ነው እና የበለጠ አካታች እና ተራማጅ አለም መፍጠር የምንችለው።
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Separation of State and Religion: A Fundamental Principle Undermined in Ethiopia
ReplyDeleteThe separation of state and religion is a cornerstone of democratic governance, ensuring that the government remains neutral and impartial towards all religions, without promoting or favoring any particular one. This principle is essential for maintaining social harmony, protecting individual rights, and preventing religious discrimination.
In a concerning development, Ethiopia's Parliament passed a law in 2020 establishing the Muslim Supreme Council, a religious affiliate organization. This move raises serious concerns about the government's commitment to upholding the separation of state and religion.
By establishing a religious council through an act of Parliament, the Ethiopian government has effectively endorsed and promoted a specific religion, Islam, over others. This move has far-reaching implications:
1. Violation of the Constitution: Ethiopia's Constitution guarantees the separation of state and religion, ensuring that the government does not interfere in religious matters.
2. Favoritism and Discrimination: By establishing a Muslim council, the government has shown favoritism towards one religion, potentially discriminating against other religious groups.
3. Undermining Religious Freedom: This move may lead to government interference in religious affairs, potentially infringing on citizens' right to freedom of religion.
4. Threat to Social Harmony: By promoting one religion over others, the government risks creating social tensions and divisions among citizens of different religious beliefs.
In conclusion, the separation of state and religion is a fundamental principle that ensures government neutrality and impartiality towards all religions. Ethiopia's establishment of the Muslim Supreme Council through an act of Parliament undermines this principle, potentially leading to religious discrimination, social tensions, and violations of citizens' rights. The government must uphold the Constitution and ensure a neutral stance towards all religions to maintain social harmony and protect individual freedoms.
Separation of state and religion refers to the principle of keeping government and religious institutions separate and independent from each other. This means that the government does not interfere in religious matters, and religion does not dictate government policies or decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn a country with a separation of state and religion, the government:
- Does not establish or endorse any particular religion
- Does not favor or discriminate against any religion
- Does not interfere in religious practices or beliefs
- Ensures freedom of religion for all citizens
Regarding your second question, in a country with a separation of state and religion, the government does not establish religious affiliate organizations by an act of Parliament. Instead, religious organizations and institutions operate independently, without government interference or endorsement.
However, in the case of Ethiopia, the government's establishment of the Muslim Supreme Council through an act of Parliament in 2020 raises concerns about the blurring of lines between state and religion, potentially undermining the separation of state and religion and favoring one religion over others.
Separation of state and religion refers to the principle of keeping government and religious institutions separate and independent from each other. This means that the government:
ReplyDelete- Does not establish or endorse any particular religion
- Does not favor or discriminate against any religion
- Does not interfere in religious practices or beliefs
- Ensures freedom of religion for all citizens
Regarding your second question, in a country with a separation of state and religion, the government does not establish religious affiliate organizations by an act of Parliament. However, Ethiopia's establishment of the Muslim Supreme Council through an act of Parliament raises concerns.
While the law aims to create an administrative body for the Muslim community, it may be perceived as:
- Endorsing Islam as a preferred religion
- Interfering in religious affairs
- Potentially discriminating against other religions
This does not necessarily make Islam the state religion by default, but it does blur the lines between state and religion. To maintain separation, the government should ensure that:
- All religions are treated equally
- No religion is endorsed or favored
- Religious freedom is protected
Ethiopia's move may be seen as a gray area, and its implications depend on how the law is implemented and interpreted.
የኢትዮጵያ እስልምና ጉዳዮች ምክር ቤት የሕገ-መንግሥታዊ መርሆችን መጣስ?
ReplyDeleteየኢትዮጵያ እስልምና ጉዳዮች ጠቅላይ ምክር ቤትን ለማቋቋም የወጣው አዋጅ ቁጥር 1207/2020 የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ከፍተኛ የህግ ስጋቶችን አስነስቷል። ይህ እርምጃ የአገሪቱን ሕገ መንግሥታዊ መርሆዎች በተለይም የመንግሥትና የሃይማኖት መለያየትን (አንቀጽ 11) እና የእኩልነት መብትን የሚጻረር ይመስላል (አንቀጽ 25)።
በመንግሥት የሃይማኖት ምክር ቤት መቋቋም ሕገ መንግሥታዊውን የመንግሥትና የሃይማኖት መለያየት መርህ ይቃረናል። አንቀጽ 11 “ሀገርና ሃይማኖት የተለያዩ ናቸው፣ የመንግሥት ሃይማኖት የለም፣ መንግሥት በሃይማኖት ጉዳይ ጣልቃ አይገባም፣ ሃይማኖትም በመንግሥት ጉዳይ ጣልቃ አይገባም” ይላል። መንግስት እስላማዊ ጉዳዮችን የሚቆጣጠር ምክር ቤት በመፍጠር በመንግስት እና በሃይማኖት መካከል ያለውን ልዩነት በማደብዘዝ በሃይማኖት ጉዳዮች ላይ የመንግስት ጣልቃ ገብነትን ሊያስከትል ይችላል።
በተጨማሪም ይህ እርምጃ በአንቀጽ 25 የተመለከተውን የእኩልነት መብት ሊጥስ ይችላል።ህጉ በሃይማኖት ላይ የተመሰረተ አድልኦ ሳይደረግ በእኩልነት ከለላ እና ከሌሎችም ሁኔታዎች ዋስትና ይሰጣል። እስላማዊ ምክር ቤት በማቋቋም መንግስት ለአንድ ሀይማኖት ከማስቀደም ይልቅ እስልምናን የማይከተሉ ዜጎች ላይ አድሎ እንደሚፈጥር ሊታሰብ ይችላል።
በተጨማሪም አዋጁ ምእመናን የሃይማኖት ትምህርትና አስተዳደር ተቋማትን እንዲቋቋሙ የሚፈቅደውን አንቀጽ 27(2)ን ሊቃረን ይችላል ነገርግን በመንግሥት ቁጥጥር ሥር አይደሉም። መንግሥት የሃይማኖት ምክር ቤት ማቋቋም የዜጎችን የእምነት ነፃነት የሚጋፋ፣ ሃይማኖታዊ ጉዳዮችን ከመጠን በላይ መጨናነቅ ተደርጎ ሊወሰድ ይችላል።
አንቀጽ 90(2) ትምህርት ከሃይማኖት ተጽእኖ፣ ከፖለቲካ ወገንተኝነት ወይም ከባህላዊ ጭፍን ጥላቻ የፀዳ መሆኑን ያረጋግጣል። መንግሥት በሃይማኖት ጉዳዮች ላይ በምክር ቤቱ በኩል መሳተፉ ይህንን መርህ ሊያበላሽ ይችላል።
በመጨረሻም የሕዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት በሕገ መንግሥቱ ለፌዴራል የዳኝነት ሥልጣን በተሰጣቸው ጉዳዮች ሁሉ የሕግ ሥልጣን አለው (አንቀጽ 55)። ነገር ግን ይህ አዋጅ በህጋዊነቱ ላይ ጥያቄዎችን ሊያስነሳ በሚችል ትክክለኛ የህግ አውጭ መንገዶች መውጣቱ ግልጽ አይደለም።
በማጠቃለያው የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት አዋጅ ቁጥር 1207/2020 የመንግስት እና የሃይማኖት መለያየት፣ የእኩልነት እና የእምነት ነፃነትን በተመለከተ ትልቅ የህግ ስጋቶችን አስነስቷል። ሕገ መንግሥታዊ መርሆች መከበራቸውን ለማረጋገጥ መንግሥት ይህንን ዕርምጃ እንደገና በማጤን ወደፊት የሚደረጉ ማናቸውንም ጅምሮች ከሀገሪቱ ሕገ መንግሥታዊ ማዕቀፍ ጋር የሚጣጣሙ መሆናቸውን ማረጋገጥ አለበት።