Tanzania's ambassador to the Holy See says Zanzibar is not anti-Chiristian

Pope Francis has met members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, today. The annual event took place on the day that the Holy Father was scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka to start an Apostolic visit to that country. During the meeting with diplomats, the Pope spoke, at length, about the urgent need for peace in the world. He lamented the growth and spread of fundamentalism.

In the meantime, the new United Republic of Tanzania’s non-residential ambassador to the Holy See, H.E. Philip Marmo has told Vatican Radio’s English Service for Africa that there are no anti-Christian sentiments in Zanzibar.

Zanzibar is the semi-autonomous archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean about 35 Kilometers off the coast of mainland Tanzania.  The Island is part of Tanzania.

 “I think it is mass generalisation to say there are anti-Christian sentiments by Muslims in Zanzibar,” said Ambassador Marmo. He continued, “As you know, Christianity in Eastern and Central Africa started in Zanzibar. The first Christian Churches -Anglican and Catholic were built in Zanzibar in the1870s. Since then Christians and Muslims have been living in peace, side by side,” emphasised Ambassador Marmo.

The Tanzanian envoy, however, admitted that there have been incidents of terrorism and just ordinary criminal activities as would be expected in any part of the world. He said that when there have been terrorist incidents, investigations always show that the culprits are from outside Tanzania. “When Tanzanians or Zanzibaris are involved, they are just being used by foreigners,” he said. The Ambassador further said that the last twenty months on the Island have been ‘quiet’ because the Tanzanian Government has been, “cracking down on Islamic terrorism both on the mainland and in Zanzibar,” said the Tanzanian diplomat.

The island of Zanzibar depends on tourism and is generally welcoming of tourists. It is for this reason that there was great international alarm by the incidents that happened between 2012 and 2013. In summary: On Christmas day of 2012, a Catholic diocesan priest, Father Ambrose Mkenda, was shot and seriously wounded in Zanzibar. In that same year and according to Church authorities, more than five Churches on the island were set ablaze in suspected arson attacks. The following year in 2013, Father Evaristus Mushi was shot and killed by suspected Islamist terrorists in Zanzibar. Earlier in the same year, Protestant pastor, Mathew Kachira, was killed on 10 Feb. Later on 7 August 2013, two British teenage charity workers were attacked with acid on the Island.

Statistics indicate that there  are about 30 percent Christians on the mainland of Tanzania  while 35 percent of the population is Muslim. On the Island of Zanzibar, more than 95 percent of the residents are said to be Muslim.

(Fr. Paul Samasumo)

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