The present Eritrean Jewish community is believed to be started by Yemenite Jews from Yemen attracted by new commercial opportunities driven by Italian colonial expansion in the late 19th century. This is why there is a noticeable lack of religious extremism. The reign of Abune Yacob as Patriarch of Eritrea was very brief as he died not long after his enthronement, and he was succeeded by Abune Antonios as 3rd Patriarch of Eritrea. As such, there is no state religion; the State does not proscribe or support one faith over others, and all religions are equally treated and operate independently from the State. Since the 1990s, Open Doors has been working to strengthen believers in Eritrea through strategic partnerships with the local church. Catholics make up 4.6% of the Eritrean population. The Muslim forces dispersed, retreated and disappeared. A majority of the Christian population of Eritrea belongs to the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which used to belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Catholic dioceses in Eritrea are the Eparches of Asmara , Barentu , Keren and Segeneiti . 03/04/2021 Eritrea (International Christian Concern) – 21 female Christian prisoners, all of whom are young mothers, were freed after spending four years in an Eritrea… Some Christians have even been locked in metal shipping containers where they died of heat exhaustion and suffocation. Although Proclamation No. According to one religious liberty report from 2010, for example, Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki was said to fear Christian evangelism because it could destabilize and disunify the country. [2], There are two major religions in Eritrea, Christianity and Islam. He converted hundreds of thousands of Christians to Islam by force. Evangelicals = 2% Professing Christians = 5% 2 Minimally reached - Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians. Only by surrender and conversion could people save their lives. But to residents in Eritrea, life doesn’t work this way. Evangelicals = 2% Professing Christians > 5% and 3 In 1530 he began to attack the plateau. Readers concerned for the plight of Eritrea’s Christians can ask God to change the heart of the government, to comfort and strengthen those imprisoned, and to protect believers who have fled Eritrea and are often at risk of trafficking or violence. In the early 1970s, Jewish emigration increased because of ensuing violence between Eritrea and Ethiopia (up to and beyond Eritrea's official declaration of independence in 1993). The Christians major church is in Asmara, but there are other centers in Keren and Barenti. [14] More than 50% of the Kunama people are Catholic, with a sizable minority of Muslims and some who practice traditional religions. The Eritrean Church was recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria following independence in 1993, and in 1994 the two neighbouring churches affirmed their respective status. Eritrea’s Religious Makeup In Eritrea, both Christianity and Islam have ancient roots. Only the intervention of the Portuguese transformed the flow of events. Daniel Abraham, London, UK I agree with Eritrean state religion police because a country that has the same language and the same religion helps its own national unity and development. Pope Shenouda III presided at the ceremony in Asmara, together with the Holy Synod of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and a Coptic Orthodox Church delegation. The Jewish population then later increased from European refugees coming to Eritrea to escape the anti-Semitic regimes in Europe at the time. Another great power came in the person of the Imam of Harar in Ethiopia, Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, also known as Ahmad Gurey or Gragn. Since the decree was issued, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been barred from obtaining government-issued identity and travel documents (required for legal recognition of marriages or land purchases); or obtaining government jobs; as well as securing business licenses. Between 2003 and 2005, the state moved on to targeting Christians they labeled Pentecostals. Pursuant to this Proclamation there is the establishment of the Department of Religious Affairs within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Eritrea: Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century November 12, 2017 Share on Facebook Tweet on Twitter Washington (HAN) November 12th, 2017 – Public Diplomacy & Global Regions Initiatives – An Opinion by. The majority of Muslims in Eritrea inhabit the eastern, coastal lowlands as well as the western lowlands near the border with Sudan. Today the church is a distinctly Eritrean church, using the Ge'ez language in the liturgy, although masses continue to be celebrated also in Italian and Latin for the small Italian and Italo-Eritrean community, mainly in Asmara. These organizations have been allowed to continue to practice. The government of Eritrea has from the outset officially sanctioned and provided protocol status recognition to the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, the Eritrean Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Islam. Instead, the highlands were controlled by Christians and the lowlands by Muslims. Missionaries appeared in the 19th century and established the Lutheran and Evangelical churches. Many other Christian groups not recognized by the government were forced to go underground to practice their religion, and adherents were threatened with severe consequences if caught gathering or worshipping. A comprehensive list of primary and secondary sources on Christianity in the region that comprises present-day Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti. Jehovah’s Witnesses were one of the first to be targeted. Open Doors USA is a 501(c)(3) organization and charter member of ECFA, the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability. 73/1995 clearly enshrines the strict principle of secularism, it also states that that every Eritrean national's right of freedom of thought, conscience and belief is guaranteed and respected by the law. The Pentecostal groups did not comply with the registrations requirements, while other Protestant denominations such as Presbyterians still officially maintain their offices with pending approval. Religion in Eritrea mainly consists of Abrahamic faiths. [21], Religious affiliation by geography and by ethnic group, Treatment of unregistered religious groups, "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050", https://www.pewforum.org/2020/04/02/religious-projection-table/2050/percent/all/, https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/eritrea/, http://features.pewforum.org/global-christianity/total-population-percentage.php, Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050, "Eritrea Religious Demography: Affiliation (web-enabled searchable graphics)", 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom: Eritrea, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Rapporto Sulla Libertà Religiosa: Eritrea, Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population, "Asmara's last Jew recalls 'good old days, United Kingdom Home Office’s report paper Fact Finding Mission to Eritrea, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Eritrea&oldid=1016642897, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 April 2021, at 09:03.