Saturday, October 9, 2010

At Zanzibar University, Tanzania, no room at all for Christianity

If Christian fellowships are being driven off campuses at Christian-majority America. What then would a moslem-majority location like Zanzibar not do? At the Zanzibar University, a private institution, Islamic administrators have banned Christian worship and other activities on campus. Whereas two mosques, (sponsored by a foreign-based Islamic charity) proudly stand within the same University.
Christians at ZU are already used to being treated as second-class people on Campus. This is clear from issues ranging from the specified dressing code for women (a veil and headscarf is mandatory), to effectively requiring them to participate in fasting during the Ramadan as the Cafetarias are closed, and no cooking is allowed at the hostels. However, it was the complete ban on Christian activities, first pronounced by the Vice-Chancellor’s office on Dec 28 last year, and now being enforced with increasing rigour that is threatening to be the last straw that could break the camel’s back. The Christian students are thinking of going to court.
Even if the Christian students should choose to move off campus, there would be little relief in sight in Sunni Muslim dominated Zanzibar. Only a few weeks ago, in August, Evangelist Peter Masanja of the Pentecostal Church in Zanzibar was arrested by security agents following indications that he was making part of his land available for Church activities. As at the time when Compass Direct News broke the story, bro Peter was still in jail. Zanzibar is the unofficial name for the island of Unguja in the Indian Ocean. The Zanzibar archipelago (with moslem majority) united with Tanganyika (Christian majority) to form the present day Tanzania in 1964. (http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/tanzania/24643/)

1 comment:

The Evangelistic Assemblies Of God Zanzibar (EAGZ) said...

Dear Christian People;

May God bless you for being the good messengers for Zanzibar christian community as for Christ Jesus.

I was surprised to see how distance this news concerning us at Zanzibar University has reached the Christian World even in Nigeria.

I think it is the time to do more then this by creating more dynamic network which will ensure we reach them and encoureging them by what ever the Lord might put in our ability and wills to do.

Let me say,until this time as the Coordinator for Christian Students community have not yet reach any support to make an appeal to court and still threat and discriminations against christian students increase.

Thank you for your time.

In Christ,
Ev.Samson L.Zuberi
gospelman_z@yahoo.com