Postby LionOfHarar » Mon Apr 04, 2016 3:31 am
Nawal hit it on the nail. I understand HararBoy's concern. But it is not a unanimous agreement between Harari's. Most Harari's do consider themselves as Habesha. But those that encouraged the Jebha in the Harar region don't. The term Habasha has a religious connotation to some. But the reality is, it's an ethnicity. The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam called Bilal "al-Habashi". He was not linking him to Christians, but to his ethnicity. But this is the trend with many Ethio-Semitic groups where many in these ethnic groups tend to disassociate themselves from term Habesha because of not wanting to be linked and associated with Amhara Christians. Argobba's do it, Silte's do it, Harari elders do it, Tigre's do it, and the Jeberti's of Tigray do it as well. The Jeberti's of Ethiopia who are ethnically Amhara and Tigrawi Muslims do it. But when you listen to Harari historians, they admit the habesha name. But Harari politicians out right deny it. Many religious Harari's acknowledge it because they know Bilal was a habashi, Ashama was a habashi, the Habashis who visited the Prophet from Habasha in his lifetime were habashis, etc. Depending on who you speak to, you might get a different answer. Making Harari's, Argobba's, Silte's, Muslim Amhara and Tigrawi Habashis doesn't mean we are Christian Amhara. Historically, Arab historians never denied the "habashaness" of Muslim Habasha's. al-Maqrizi authored a famous book that he entitled "al-Ilmaam bi-akhbaari man bi ardil-habashati min muluk al-Islaam" which means "clearing up who in the land of Abyssinia is among the Kings of Islam." Imam as-Suyuti authored many books on Muslim Abyssinians like "Raf'u sha'n al-Hubshan." Sometimes we have to understand there is an actual definition to a term, but then there is also a political definition to a term. I as a Harari, say I'm Habasha, but in no way make an affiliation to Amhara people, other than we are ethio-semitic people.
Fee Amaanillaah