RELIGION AND POLITICS IN TANZANIA: DEBATE ON OIC MEMBERSHIP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000040

STATE FOR OIC S/E SCUMBER, AF/E JLIDDLE, INR/RAA FEHRENREICH

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KISL TZ
SUBJECT: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN TANZANIA: DEBATE ON OIC MEMBERSHIP
A CHALLENGE TO INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

REF: 2008 DAR ES SALAAM 837

DAR ES SAL 00000040 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Summary. During the latter half of 2008, debate simmered
between Christian and Muslim Tanzanians regarding membership in the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Foreign Minister
Membe sparked the recent round of discussion by indicating that
Tanzania would seek membership, a position he subsequently sought to
tone down. Christian leaders have been the most vocal in response,
with some even calling for Membe's resignation. The issue shows a
divide within the ruling CCM party, while the opposition has kept
its distance. End Summary.

Background: Zanzibar's brief encounter with the OIC
-------------- --------------


2. (U) The semi-autonomous and almost wholly Muslim archipelago of
Zanzibar was admitted to the OIC in 1992. Zanzibar's OIC membership
ignited a dispute with the Union (national) government, which
compelled Zanzibar to withdraw from the OIC the following year on
the grounds that Zanzibar is not a sovereign state and that foreign
affairs - including membership and participation in international
fora - is a national authority. Some Zanzibaris, especially the
more nationalistic, remain resentful, because they maintain that
Zanzibar is in fact a nation, in free association with mainland
"Tanganyika."

Controversy resumes
--------------


3. (U) In August, FM Membe's assertion that "no harm" would arise
from Tanzania's joining the OIC set off a torrent of discussion.
Christian leaders responded strongly, some opposing even
consideration of the idea and calling for Membe's resignation (Note:
Membe himself is Christian). The Christian Council of Tanzania
(CCT),which brings together all of Tanzania's Protestant
denominations, released a statement asserting that "discussion of
whether or not the country should join the religious organization
[OIC] could pose a threat to peace and national stability."


4. (SBU) Rev. Leonard Mtaita, the CCT's General Secretary, told
Emboff the CCT opposes OIC membership "especially because of the
behavior of some Muslims in Tanzania and in the world at large.
They are not only thinking of peaceful co-existence but also to
defend their faith, which may sometimes mean intolerance. Mtaita,
one of 25 commissioners of Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa,
organized a CCT-hosted meeting of church leaders in Bagamoyo in
December. Catholic and Pentacostal leaders were invited to attend,
but CCT decided against its original plan of inviting Muslim
Sheikhs, according to Mtaita "because the air still seems too
tense."


5. (U) Christian leaders and other opponents also justified their
position on constitutional grounds. The CCT cited section 19(2) of
the Tanzanian constitution as drawing a clear line between state and
religion. Levina Kato of Tanzania's Legal and Human Rights Center
echoed the constitutional argument, as did Dr. Sengondo Mvungi,
Senior Lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, who noted that
"religious affairs are outside the jurisdiction of the government."


6. (U) In a Rai (Swahili weekly political paper, circulation 80,000)
commentary entitled "Let's Not Cheat Ourselves, OIC has a Secret
Agenda," the author opined that "the founding charter of the
organization states clearly that the Conference shall be subject to
and be governed by Islamic values and traditions."

It's Not About Religion?
--------------


7. (U) Supporters of OIC membership have tended to play down any
religious elements. Hamza Hassan Juma, Minister of State in the
Chief Minister's office of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar,
told a press conference that "Zanzibar supports the Union government
in joining the OIC because the issue is not religion. It is about
the economy and development of the people." Most mainstream
Zanzibaris believe that OIC membership will be an avenue to
increased development assistance.


8. (SBU) Juma was among several supporters to point out that some
OIC members are secular and had joined without regard for the size
of their Muslim communities. An Arab ambassador cited to Poloff the
example of Uganda as a secular OIC member. He also asserted that
OIC membership could result in Tanzania receiving valuable economic

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support. He added that joining the OIC would "quiet some Muslims"
on Zanzibar with minimal investment of resources or significant
concessions on the part of the Union government.


9. (U) Tanzania's National Muslim Council, BAKWATA, has sought to
project a neutral stance. While criticizing the CCT for its
opposition, BAKWATA committed to following the GOT's decision on
whether to join the OIC.

Containing the debate
--------------


10. (U) Since Membe's initial remarks on the OIC, the Foreign
Ministry has sought to downplay the issue. Deputy MF Seif Iddi said
in an interview that "Tanzania will not be guided by Islamic laws,
because the OIC, just like any other development organization, has
nothing to do with Islamic laws." Membe himself said publicly in
October that the GOT would "seek the people's consent" before
deciding whether Tanzania should join the OIC.


11. (SBU) The ruling CCM party, whose membership includes both
Christians and Muslims, is divided on the OIC issue. One CCM
insider told us that Membe's remarks on the OIC had been a surprise
for all of CCM. A Christian MP from the mainland told Poloff that
it had been a bad idea for Membe to raise, adding that Parliament
was a poor venue for discussing the issue. Publicly, the CCM Vice
Chair has tried to distance the party from the debate.


12. (SBU) The opposition has so far been content to leave the debate
to CCM. A senior CUF official told us that parliamentary debate
based on religious sentiment was new for Tanzania and a troubling
sign. CUF supports Tanzanian membership in the OIC, but it is not a
key party platform. Except in Zanzibar, CUF has largely kept quiet
during the debate.


13. (SBU) Comment: Public discussion of the OIC issue has begun to
fade for now. However, taken with the kadhi court issue (reftel),
the debate over OIC membership has exposed fault lines both within
CCM and in Tanzanian society as a whole. Tanzanians are proud of
their history of tolerance, but many Tanzanians are also fervent
believers in their differing faiths. These debates underscore the
risks, especially to a broad-based party such as CCM, of tackling
issues bound to offend substantial parts of the populace. CUF's
relative quiet on this issue may stem from CUF's efforts to shake
its image as a party for Muslims.

ANDRE