RELIGIOUS CLASHES IN TANZANIA

Posted on 18/2/2013

 

RELIGIOUS CLASHES  IN   TANZANIA

According to Kaka Lui of Tanzanet, Tanzania. 

 

Recent reports on clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in Tanzania

has worried most of us who live in the diaspora where relations between

Wa-Bongos of different faiths can be described to be at its best. The question

is, where did all this come from ? Where or when was the love lost in this

country whose citizens put their nationality first before anything else ? A country

where the citizens had respected all religious faiths, tribes and cultural differences ?

The answers to all of this is the result of several serious underlying problems -

which were ignored or neglected by both sides and indeed the dormant central

government, whose actions or inactions could have unwittingly pitted one side against

the other.

I weep for my country every night I go to sleep. I have all of these questions in my

head about the path that we are heading for, and it doesn't look good. I was born

in a Christian family in a town which was, and is, still predominantly Muslim. My neighbors,

some of my classmates and friends, my doctor, my butcher and most of all, my girl-friend

of those yesteryears were all Muslim. My neighborhood school was also The Tanga

Muslim School - where most of my young friends attended - and I remember, I briefly

attended the school, was in a Madrassa class and learnt the Holly Qur-An, before my

parents admitted me to the Catholic school. To hear of all the horrors that are taking place

now breaks my heart.


The Underlying Problems
In a society where the unemployment is nearing 95% per cent, it does not take much to

arouse the feelings and the passion of a community. Many people have plenty of time in

their hands to commit crimes, violate the law or start unimaginable disturbances. These

people have nothing to fear and nothing to lose. It is rumored, one could "hire" a few

thousands of people anywhere in Tanzania to "demonstrate" on anything he wants. That

is shocking, to say the least, but it speaks volumes about the unemployment situation.

The government should, and must start immediately to lower the unemployment ratio by

creating Trade schools in manufacturing fields like clothing, electronics, and engineering.

There should also be trade schools in technical fields, especially in this Digital Age, which

require the knowledge of data and computers in most jobs and related operations. Therefore,

job creation should be the top priority of our government.



Education is a key to everything and the government ought to identify and assist the

educational efforts of communities that appear to have been neglected or written off -

because, it is from those communities that the seeds of hatred and opposition are sowed.

And lastly, give equal chances of opportunity to advance to all citizens, without

discriminating them on the basis of their race, tribes or religious faiths.



Outside Interference
For almost decades, both the Christian and Muslim organizations in Tanzania have accepted

foreign aid from similar organizations in Europe, the US and the Middle East. It is no

secret that most of those donor nations made their offerings with some strings attached -

and thus, poisoned the local organizations with different messages to spread hate. Suddenly,

Tanzania has become the hot-spot for different religious groups that openly criticize other

groups in the name of god. This has to stop, because, my God, is the God of love and tolerance,

the God who teaches no evil, the God who spread no fear or hatred. The government ought

to ban, outlaw or even deport all foreign clerics who come to Tanzania to spread hate.



Brothers and sisters, the government must not be on the side line, watching all of these horrors

from a distant. The government must act now, not later in taking control of this terrible situation,

without which, there could be a civil war looming in the horizon.