Open Access
American Research Journal of History and Culture
ISSN (Online): 2379-2914
DOI: 10.46568/arjhc
A Misnomer European Travelers and Missionaries Portrayal of Islam and the Muslims of Ethiopia (16th to 19th Century)
Wollo University, College of Social Science and Humanities, Department of History and Heritage Management
: Endris Ali Haider “A Misnomer European Travelers and Missionaries Portrayal of Islam and the Muslims of Ethiopia
(16th to 19th Century)”. American Research Journal of History and Culture, vol 6, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-7.
Abstract
Ethiopians were described by travelers and missionaries from a large number of European countries at different times. Attracted by the great
natural feature of the country or influenced by the writings and sayings of their own compatriots, many European travelers and missionaries
had visited the country at different times and had left a descriptive work about the people, religion, social condition and various aspects of the
Abyssinia. The very good nature of their existence in Ethiopia is that they have produced accounts on the various encounters of the country.
Their accounts have been used by many researchers as firsthand information. The missionaries and travelers descriptive work, however, is
characterized by some kinds of prejudices and stereotypes towards Islam and the Muslims of Ethiopia. In fact such prediction is expected when
assessing the value of such kind of literatures. This is because they are not professional writers and hence their judgment inevitably could be
influenced by either their own personal beliefs or any other factor. This article deals with the misnomer description of European travelers and
missionaries towards Islam and the Muslims of Ethiopia from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Sources for this study were used by
making a meticulous analysis of various travel accounts in corroboration with other secondary materials.
