Eritrea: ‘The Arrest of Religious Leaders Did Not Begin With Sheikh Sha’eban’
Posted: 27 Nov 2025, 02:26
BBC Tigrinya https://www.bbc.com/tigrinya/articles/c80xld52vkko reported today that in mid-July, the renowned Hfzi Quran Centre in Ginda town was abruptly closed, and two days later the school’s administrator and sheikh, Sheikh Adem Jabir Sha’eban, was arrested. According to relatives, his whereabouts remain unknown.
Idris Ibrahim, a UK resident campaigning for the release of Sheikh Sha’eban, told the BBC that he and his fellow-campaigners are raising their voices in major cities around the world to urge the Eritrean government to respect religious freedom.
Idris, who is himself from Ginda, said he was following the situation closely.
“Like anyone arrested in Eritrea,” he said, “there is no information about the charges or the condition of the sheikh after he was taken away.”
Sheikh Adem Sha’eban is married and the father of five children.
The Centre for Islamic Education, known as Mahad (a full religious and secular Arabic language school), is reported to have been founded in 1969 through the consolidation of several small Qur’anic centres.
After the closure of the large and well-known Islamic school in 2000, it was restored to its former role as a children’s Qur’anic school through the efforts of Sheikh Adem Sha’eban.
“When we first heard the news, we – supporters of the movement – did not accept it. Knowing full well that religious persecution in Eritrea is not new, we reacted quickly,” said campaigner Idris Ibrahim.
Since independence, Mahads in major urban centres – including Asmara, Keren, Mendefera, Ginda, Massaua, Akurdet, and others – have been shut down, with teachers from these institutions detained incommunicado. “Based on the information available to us, an estimated 200 to 250 teachers, sheikhs, and religious scholars have been imprisoned,” Idris added.
According to government officials, “Eritrea is a country that respects the right to religion.”
The BBC contacted the Eritrean Embassy in the UK for comment but has not yet received a reply. However, it has confirmed that the Qur’an centre was closed following Sheikh Adem Sha’eban’s arrest.
Idris Ibrahim, a UK resident campaigning for the release of Sheikh Sha’eban, told the BBC that he and his fellow-campaigners are raising their voices in major cities around the world to urge the Eritrean government to respect religious freedom.
Idris, who is himself from Ginda, said he was following the situation closely.
“Like anyone arrested in Eritrea,” he said, “there is no information about the charges or the condition of the sheikh after he was taken away.”
Sheikh Adem Sha’eban is married and the father of five children.
The Centre for Islamic Education, known as Mahad (a full religious and secular Arabic language school), is reported to have been founded in 1969 through the consolidation of several small Qur’anic centres.
After the closure of the large and well-known Islamic school in 2000, it was restored to its former role as a children’s Qur’anic school through the efforts of Sheikh Adem Sha’eban.
“When we first heard the news, we – supporters of the movement – did not accept it. Knowing full well that religious persecution in Eritrea is not new, we reacted quickly,” said campaigner Idris Ibrahim.
Since independence, Mahads in major urban centres – including Asmara, Keren, Mendefera, Ginda, Massaua, Akurdet, and others – have been shut down, with teachers from these institutions detained incommunicado. “Based on the information available to us, an estimated 200 to 250 teachers, sheikhs, and religious scholars have been imprisoned,” Idris added.
According to government officials, “Eritrea is a country that respects the right to religion.”
The BBC contacted the Eritrean Embassy in the UK for comment but has not yet received a reply. However, it has confirmed that the Qur’an centre was closed following Sheikh Adem Sha’eban’s arrest.