I was shocked to learn this because afar has a long history of Islamic sultanates such as Adal and Aussa Sultanates but in reality afar women walked naked up until these days this means afar became Muslim but still their women walked uncovered until recent wahabi arabization - mesob
https://x.com/biniamhirut/status/1733919060255965311
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JNssNlrx49A/ ... 00/zuu.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4HqIXhJwfN4/ ... 600/ju.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cAOElUoykkk/ ... 00/zoo.jpg
This means when axumites converted to Christianity they intentionally avoided converting the afars for certain reasons
1) Afars boiling hot climate made monastery construction impossible.
2) Afars being seen as barbarians and foreigners by highlanders.
3) Afars being viewed as warrior and hostile people
4) the appearance of Afars frightens and disgusts the highlanders (axiumites )
Thus the lowlanders of Arabia were able to enter afar from Assab and convert locals beginning from coasts... the next hotspot would be Harar Islamic sultanate... Ahmed Gragn.... Argoba Islamic sultanate. Somalis also did major work in islamizing afar. The rest was done by Afari Aussa sultan who converted the pagan looking afar people. I can only imagine my Highlander ancestors seeing afar as bare pagan like the southerners
Even during the 1880s in Massawa afar women were wearing liberal hijabs that only covered their hair. This disqualifies the afar as being Muslim
