Christian-Muslim Narratives and their Dialogue for Sustainable Peace and Development in the Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

This article is written as part of PhD research, which sought to understand the narratives of the Christian-Muslim relationship towards the dialogue that leads to sustainable peace and development in Oromia, Ethiopia. The research's purpose was to find out whether the existing narratives of Christian- Muslim relationships obstruct or enhance dialogue that could affect sustainable peace and development in Oromia. The research method utilised by the research was qualitative research approaches, particularly the narrative approach. The research used the snowball sampling technique. The Inter-Group Theory guided the research. The target population was the whole population of Addis Ababa in 2022: 5,005,524. The sample size was 12 persons from different walks of life. The research employed interview guides for the interviews and focus group guides for focus group discussion to collect data. The collected data was analysed using narrative data analysis. The research findings indicate that today, in Ethiopia, particularly in the Oromia region, the positive narratives of Christian-Muslim peaceful co-existence are stronger than the negative ones of grievances and feelings of revenge. Hence, although the stakeholders need to address the existing injustices and the deep-seated grievances of Christian- Muslim relationships, the study concludes that those deficits of justice and grievances are not at the level of endangering the Christian-Muslim dialogue. Therefore, the research recommends that all the stakeholders of sustainable peace and development, particularly the Christian and Muslim leaders, the government and the civil society leaders need to bank on the positive narratives and collaborate to address the root causes of conflicts and poverty, which can derail the dialogue which guarantees continuity.