People out and identify various places of worship in the capital or any other town in Eritrea. Orthodox (Tewahedo) places of worship, differin architecture and the type of cross being used,thus identifying their uniqueness. The same can be said about the Muslim Mosque clearly recognized by the minaret and the call for prayer. Catholic churches, as do most other places of worship, portray colonial architecture, small structures to grand Tewadeho, Mosque or Cathedral, magnificently reflect the diversity of religious worship in Eritrea.
Orthodox Christians fast four times a year, and those who observe the fast tend to be serious about it. Fasting in accordance with the Orthodox (Tewahedo) pratice is not part of one’s bahli, tradition. Rather, it is embedded in one’s religious belief. If you ask people, are they likely to fast, they all agree. They do it because they can, but if a person is weak or unable to fast, it is acceptable. Those who avoid fasting, must have a reason to do so but they most love to fast and observe the dictates of the church.
Asking Eritreans, if they believe in religion becauseit is their haimanot, (faith) but if it isnot, what would happen to them? Is belief in religion important for the citizens? Or is it a personal matter? All Eritreans have their own bahli (tradition) but not necessarily the same faith, haimanot. Haimanot, (faith) belief in a religion is different, it is personal, and yet all are citizens of the same country.
Eritreans have the same religion, and not all have a religion. On the other hand, all Eritreans do have a tradition bahli. Bahli will explain who you are but the religion you observe is your own personal matter. The two, bahli and haimanot are separate entities for an individual, theydo not cross with each other. The separation of church and state was initiated by the EPLF (The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front) during the 35 years of civil war against the Ethiopian occupiers of Eritrea. To avoid using religion to create disunions in the country, religion was relegated to the private domain, ensurethat it does not take center stage in one’s life.
Having a religion, haimanot, helps people to unite and stay together, united in a common faith.
The case is not the same with bahli. Bahli is based on one’s ethnicity, e.g., Kunama is one bahli, asking one who they are, the reply is the same, that they are Eritrean, pointing out their nationality, meninet, comes first. Only after mentioning their nationality does, one’s religion come. The reply is always the same, a Muslim, a Tewahedo, a Christian, are all Eritreans, they share in the same country, citizens of Eritrea, with different faiths. Hence, what is important in a country is one’s hagar, place of origin, one’s addi, place of your birth, all of which brings up the nationality question.
The third major category is that of one’s ethnicity. To be an Eritrean, signifiesthe attachment to the land that all the people inhabit, despite the importance of religion. The matter of nationality becomes important especially after the end of the civil war. In the battlefield, no one spoke about religion overpowering their identity. They fought alongside people with diverse religious leanings, they fought to regain the land that was occupied by the Ethiopians. Nationality and religion are separate even at times of peace living in an independent country. The EPLF did strengthen the question of nationality, attaching it firmly to the land.