Paper short abstract:

An assessment of the Ethiopian experience of secularism indicates that co-option & control were the modes of state-religion interaction disregarding the principle secularism from both sides.

Paper long abstract:

In principle, secularism dictates states/governments to remain neutral from religious affairs or be in equidistance from all religions and respect the freedom of believers to worship, teach, observe or practice their religion. An assessment of the Ethiopian experience of secularism, at least in the last three decades where secularism was a constitutional principle, indicates that co-option and control were the defining features of state-religion interaction disregarding the principle secularism from both sides. While the 1995 Constitution guaranteed religious freedom and the secular identity of the state, in practice, there were open and systemic violations of these provisions. The government tightly controls religious institutions to the extent where the latter are mere agents for the former in implementing its policy of controlling political power at the total exclusion of dissidents. The government controls the activities of the Patriarchate of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council that in turn undermines the implementation of the principle of secularism. The controlling mechanisms are more systematic and sophisticated as it uses the co-opted Patriarchate and Islamic Council to control religious activities. These institutions are given de facto executive powers to veto the registration and licensing of religious organizations - the mandate that normally fall within the state. This paper argues that religious institutions are nothing more than instruments of the government. The objective of the paper is to qualitatively analyze state-religion interaction in post-1991 Ethiopia by focusing on constitutional principle of secularism vis-à-vis the practice.