‘Travellers in Faith’ or ‘Stealthy Legions’: The Gurāgē role in the rise of Tablīghī Jamā‘at in Ethiopia

This ethnographic research deals with Tablīghī Jamā‘at, one of a Sunni Islamic missionary movements that focuses on faith renewal. The movement originated in India in the 1920s and came to Ethiopia in the 1960s, it operated in a similar manner to its mother movement in India. Haji Musa Mahmood Ahmad Kikiya was the Ethiopian pioneer and was its first leader (amir). His leadership in the ensuing rise and development of the movement was remarkable. There was also a significant contribution from a fellow compatriot, Haji Zayno Sheikh Muqina. The notable key role played by the Gurāgē ethnic people who embraced the movement without sacrificing their native Sufi practises is detailed.
In order to study and explore this Tablīghī Jamā‘at movement, Church-Sect and New Religious Movements (NRM) theories are used. Additionally live participant observation, oral history, interviews, and country visits were instrumental methodologies used in conjunction with secondary sources, to explore the evolution of Tablīghī Jamā‘at in Ethiopia. Tablīghī Jamā‘at teachings, structures, and operation are studied and discussed in depth; these show a clear purpose to have local identity as well as maintain global connections.
The Ethiopian Tablīghīs shun politics as a group, this is their standard position, some individuals excepted. Thus far there has been no reported violence from the Tablīghīs. However, as there is an often-used slogan: ‘I want to see the supremacy of Islam in my life… in the world’, I would argue that seeking supremacy without political involvement is an unlikely peaceful pathway. This research locates the Ethiopian Tablīghīs as being inevitably and invariably involved in the current debate on faith and politics. Whereas the Wahhabis/Salafis see the Tablīghīs as a cult, the Sufis and the Tablīghīs see themselves as an established movement within the Sunnis; others perceive them as a New Religious Movement within Sunni Islam.