Conflicts, pandemic, shooting prices cast shadow on festivities of holy month in Ethiopia Seleshi Tessema and Addis Getachew | 13.04.2021 ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia Ethiopian Muslims on Tuesday welcomed the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will be marked by offering special prayers to seek an end to pandemic, violence, and economic hardships. With around 28.7 million Muslims, they constitute 34% of the country’s population, making the country home to Sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest Muslim population after Nigeria. Ethiopia holds a special place in Islamic history, as its seventh-century ruler Amra Najashi gave shelter to the early Muslims who had fled persecution from Makkah in current Saudi Arabia. This gesture allowed the Muslims to practice their religion freely and peacefully in what was then called The Kingdom of Axum.