Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete said tensions between Muslims and Christians will plunge the country into the largest religious conflict if left untamed.
Kikwete observed that the tension is rising ahead of the constitutional referendum and elections and warned religious leaders against political meddling, saying this could stoke violence.
Speaking to a section of religious leaders on Sunday, Kikwete said that the referendum slated for April 30 and presidential and parliamentary elections set for October were responsible for the rising religious tension.
Tanzania’s population of 45 million is roughly evenly split between Muslims and Christians.
The new constitution would replace one approved in 1977 when Tanzania was under one-party rule and it has drawn criticism from some Christian clergy especially because it has a charter that allows Tanzanian courts to recognize verdicts from Islamic ‘Kadhi’ courts, an aspect that Christian leaders are opposed to on grounds that ‘Kadhi courts’ will undermine Tanzania’s secular state.
Many Muslims living along Tanzania’s coast feel marginalized by the secular government, which is prone to make Islamist groups such as Somalia’s al Shabaab, which operates further north along Africa’s eastern seaboard to thrive.
