Figure 1.-- In Tanzania there are qquite a number of small relgious grouops. One is Orthodox Christian congregations. Other Chruistian groups incvkude, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, Quaker, and Seventh-day Adventist. Here we see the St Nicholas' procession in Sasamambo (December 6, 2022). There are also non-Christian grouos, including Hindu, Baha’i, Chinese folk religionist, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian, and Jewish, This is one reflection of Tanzania's religious diversity abnd tollerance, sonething not possibke in Communist and Muslim majority countries.

We have noted some contradictory infornmation about Tanzanian Christianity and religion. This may be a result of loose or fluid religious identity. It also may reflect political issues an religion is a factor un how people vote. Many sources suggest a relatively even split between Christianity and Islam. Religious afinity is a politically charged issue throughout Africa, including Tanzanuia because religion affects, but unlike majority Muskim contriesm, does not dominate voting patterns. And the rise of Islamic terror has increased tension, even in Tanzania that has a history of relatively peaceful coexistance between religious communities. This is a heritage of the German-British colonial era. here is not a lot of haerd data on the religious breakdown of the population. One actual survey reorted thatr Chruistianity was the dominabt religion -- over 60 percent of the population. 【Pew, p. 22.】 A study taken at about the same time suggests the same Christian majority and a relatively even split between Catholics and Protetrants. 【WFDD】 Here Pew and WFDD differ somewghat. There were alsop small numbers of Orthodox and smaller Christian churches, aelction of the level of religuious freedom in the country. Other sources we have seen suggested that Cathoklics were a strong majority. While mainland Tanzania has a vibrant Christuian community, Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim. Chrisians are concerned about Tanzania's tradituion of racial diversity and toleration. Thethreat seems to be coming oprumarily from Muslims. Muslim extremists burned down three churches and issued threats to the area's Christians (2015). 【Smith】 This was not part of a widespread effort. There is some indication that there has been some Muslims converting to Christianity--somethingh like 180,000 believers. 【Johnstone and Duane】 This is not a huge njumber, but notabke. While this may not see partiucularly notavke to Western readees, it is a very sensitive issue among Muslims abd cindemned by the Koran. We do not know to what extebnt Chrstians have converted to Islam. Since Tanzania's independence, a convention developed that the country would be been governed by alternating Christian and Muslim Presidents who have appointed a Prime Minister from the other religious group. This convention hass been followed by Parliament. Populist President John Magufuli duied uneopectedly. 【Odula and Muhumuza】 Vice President Samia Hassan assumed the presidency, but broke with tradition. Hassan, who is a Muslim, decided to keep n the then-sitting Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, who is also Muslim.

Sources

Johnstone, Patrick and Duane A. Miller. (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census," IJRRVol. 11, No. 14. (2015).

Odula, Tom and Rodney Muhumuza. "Tanzania’s populist President John Magufuli has died at 61," AP Feed (March 17, 2021).

Pew Research Center. Global Religious Diversity (Pew Research Center: 2014). While this is now a decade old, religious afilitaions do not chabnge rapidly over time. Pew reported the following: Christian (61.4 percent), Muslkim (35.2 percent), tradutuional African (1.8 percent), unaffiliated (1.4 percent), and Hindu (0.1 percent). This is interesting for several reasons. First the high Christian percentage. Second the virtyually non-existent unaffiliated resomse. Third, the the very low Hindu percentage given Tanzania's proximity of India. And notabky, the Hindu percentage uis vuirtually all immigrants and vutrtully no Africans. They were peoople who arrived durung the British Raj.

Smith, Samuel. "Muslim radicals set churches on fire, Threaten to eradicate Christianity in Tanzania," CP World (September 29, 2015).

World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD). Faith and Development in Tanzania (2019).

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Created: 6:10 PM 7/21/2023
Last updated: 6:10 PM 7/21/2023