From Ghinda to Keren and Asmara, the pattern repeats: historic Islamic schools closed, mosques demolished, and hundreds of scholars and preachers arrested or forcibly disappeared in a society where Muslims make up half the population.
A Warning Message
In a broadcast on Salam TV, an Eritrean-focused channel, on July 28, 2025, Sheikh Burhan Said, secretary-general of the Eritrean Ulama’a League, sharply criticized the Afwerki regime, calling it a state biased toward Christians at the expense of the Muslim majority.
He said that power in Eritrea is now dominated by Christians to an extent approaching 98%, while Muslims have been almost completely marginalized, losing their standing and role in public life.
Sheikh Burhan noted that this marginalization did not happen by chance but is the result of a long-term policy targeting Muslims and their identity directly.
Meanwhile, the regime has allowed the construction of new churches across cities and even granted them investments on Muslim lands.
The Eritrean Church has honored Afwerki for his “services” over the years, even as Muslims are denied the simplest rights to honor their scholars or manage their religious endowments.
The sheikh questioned why the authorities prevent millions of Muslim refugees from returning home while allowing the church to expand freely.
He added that Eritreans once hoped Afwerki’s regime would stay secular and neutral toward all faiths, but in practice it has favored Christians while systematically sidelining Muslims.
Sheikh Burhan warned that these biased policies threaten not only Muslims but the broader national fabric, raising the risk of major sectarian strife, and he held Afwerki responsible for the danger of tearing the country apart.
In closing, he urged Eritrean Christian leaders to advise the regime before it is too late, warning that the consequences of continuing these destructive policies will affect everyone.
https://www.alestiklal.net/en/article/c ... -in-ghinda
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