Religious Beliefs and Spirituality in Tanzania
Christianity and Islam are the predominant religions of Tanzania, with each commanding 35% of the population and the rest belonging to indigenous religious groups. The Christian population is composing of Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Pentecostals, Seventh-Day Adventists, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints or Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Among the prominent members of the Protestants are the Lutherans, Maravians and Anglicans, which is a testament to the country being a German and British colony in the past. Majority of Christians are in the mainland where they maintain missionary stations and schools, while most of the Muslims who are largely members of Sunni Islam, are concentrated in Zanzibar and the coastal areas, with only a few found in the mainland’s urban areas.
Some of the minor religious groups outside of those with traditional beliefs that center on ancestor worship and animism are the Buddhists, Hindus, Baha’I Faith, the Sikhs and Ismailis who are found scattered in small communities in the country.
Despite Constitutional provision for religious freedom and against religious discrimination, Christian-Muslim tensions exist in the country. These tensions are said to have been started by Muslim fundamentalists in their anti-Christian proselytizing campaigns that drawn the reaction of Christians by calling the Muslims as “servants of Satan.” The Muslim fundamentalists have also been criticizing secular Muslims for taking intoxicating liquor or marrying Christian women. These tensions have not been addressed by the government up to the present.