Abstract:
This thesis presents the introduction and expansion of Islam in the Halaba Zone from the 17th
century to 2000. Islam in Ethiopia in general and Halaba, in particular, has not been studied in
detail. The available literature on the history of Islam in the Halaba Zone gives some insight into a
limited set of historical themes. Therefore, the basic objective of this thesis is to reconstruct the
introduction and expansion of Islam in the Halaba Zone. As far as this thesis is concerned, the data
was collected through qualitative methods. The collected data essentially covers the history of Islam
in the Halaba Zone from seventeenth century to 2000. The result of data analysis has come up with
some main findings. These findings demonstrate that the introduction and spread of Islam in the
Halaba were carried out by Halaba ancestors, migrant Sheikhs from Saudi Arabia, and Islamic
religious teachers from different Muslim communities of Ethiopia. The study employs a qualitative
approach of data collection and analysis by combing both thematic and chronological approaches.
Accordingly both primary and secondary sources are used for these studies.
However, interview of informants and secondary literature have been carefully examined and
interpreted in order to reconstruct the Islam introduction and expansion of Islam in Halaba. The
thesis asses’ issues related to the socio-cultural and economic activity of the Halaba people and its
role for the community. The thesis is also examined the ethnic interaction of Halaba with their
neighbors and the commonly shared customs, interaction which each other and Islamic history and
socio cultural relations with each other. The thesis also described the conditions of the Muslims of
the area under different regime of Ethiopia from Menelik to the Derg period. The findings of the
study include the major factor for the introduction and expansion of Islam in Halaba and the
changes and continuity that occurred on the life of Muslims of the study area from17th century to
2000.
