William andrew kopwe the open university of tanzania

(fakir) and they renounced the world as a ‘zahid’ and devoted themselves to the ardent service of God. However they were not only contending with the world and its seductions, but also with themselves, their own self (nafs), experienced as the seat of all evil lusts, which impeded real renunciation of the world and exclusive surrender to God.

199^ Interview with Mattaka , 03.03.2007 Dar es Salaam

200^ This is a puritanical Islamic movement founded by al-Wahhab (A.D. 1703-92) of Arabia; it accepts only the authority of Qur’ān and Sunnah; it is the dominant religious influence in Saudi Arabia (World of Islam 2000: Glossary).

201^ In this case, the Ansār Muslims lay emphasis on following all the Muslim precepts as presented by the grand sources of Islam. Sometimes they do not openly say that what they want is a strict Sharī’a, but from their sermons and behavior one can easily deduce their zeal for public and private Sharī’a implementation in the Country.

202^ Interview with Shembilu, in Tanga, on 25.08.2008 showed that Ansār Muslims are trying to remove the ignorance of Islam and Arabic language among the Muslim. Shembilu who is a Mainstream Muslim Sunni, praises them for their efforts of understanding Islam and the Qur’ān instead of reciting it without understanding what it says.

203^ The African traditional mahr is similar to Jāhiliyya time (pre-Islamic) Arabia practice. During that time mahr was handed over to the walī (guardian) who could be a father, brother or relative in whose guardianship the bride was, hence, it was not the wife’s or woman’s property. The wife was actually considered part of mahr so that upon the death of her husband, his heir continued the marriage i.e., she was inherited just as the property (mahr). This kind of mahr practice is very similar to the African mahr giving. In African tradition mahr is given to the guardians and relatives of the bride. Also Mahr bonded a woman to the family of her husband. As it was in pre-Islamic Arabia, so it is with most African tradition, that once mahr is paid, the woman remains property of the family of her husband till death (Kopwe 2006:21). See also Rippin (1990:9).

204^ Conversations with Mashui, Arusha 29.5.2007

^ Conversations with Mashui, Arusha 29.5.2007

^ Conversations with Mashui, Arusha 29.5.2007

^ Conversations with Mashui, Arusha 29.5.2007

205^ Interview with Mattaka , 3.3.2007 Dar es Salaam

^ Interview with Mattaka , 3.3.2007 Dar es Salaam

206^ Majimaji war of 1905-1907 in Tanganyika was inspired by a Sufi Muslim Kinjeketire Ngware who guaranteed people that through mystic ways the bullets from Germany soldiers would turn into

207water when they shot at them. Hence people courageously plunged into the war. However this was not the case. The war claimed a lot of African traditional soldiers’ lives.

208^ The Sufi put more emphasis on the inner and spiritual beliefs than the outer legalistic one. They regarded the observance of religious law as a matter of outer conformity. So they encouraged a desire for inner personal experience of the divine, through meditation. They took Sharī’a just as the outer path while Tariqa (order) as an inner path^. Nevertheless, there are some Sufis who insist that spirituality and Sharī’a are one and interdependent. But it should not be confused with individual Sufi views against the group. Also one should understand that Sufi differ tremendously according to context (Trimingham, 1971).

209^ Interview with Shempemba 22.05.2007 Tanga

210^ Interview with Issa 25.8.2007, Tanga

211^ Interview with Mshamba 22.8.2007, Tanga

212^There are debates among Muslim scholars in the world on whether Sharī’a implementation can be contextualized to fit to the given context of people or there should be uniform implementation in the whole world. The Modern liberal Muslim opts for the contextualization model which helps Sharī’a to suit the context of people and helps people to live their Islam not as alien religion to them. But there are those traditionalist and fundamentalist Muslims who want Sharī’a to be implemented uniformly all over the world.

213^ Conversation with Musa Mandevu, 5.5.2011, Tanga

214^ The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians chapter 12:12-27 used similar analogy to explain the connectedness and functionality of each member in the community. Though Paul used this analogy to refer to the church as a body of Christ and Christians as members of the body, the analogy may well fit to every community in the world. According to Paul each member has function which affects the rest of the members. Since the society is made up of individuals of different groups of common goals which in one way or another forms a kind of similar lifestyle. At the level of a nation, these groups may be explained as members of the whole nation-body. Paul’s idea was later used by sociologists like Emily Durkheim and later by Hebert Spencer in the theory of functionalism and structuralism which describe how different institutions in the society work as organs for the wellbeing of the whole society as a structure(see also McClelland, K. (2000) web.grinnel/edu/functionalism (accessed on 30.5.2011)

215^ Conversation with Musa Chamulungwana 17.12.2007, Tanga

216^ Channel Ten TV interview in the Je tutafika program chaired by Makwaiya wa Kuhenga with Sheikhs Basalehe and Mataka.

217^Watsuna J. Khamalwa identifies with the theory of clash of civilization by Samuel Huntington (1996) saying that “Africa’s religious thirst has led to the transformation of the continent into a battlefield where especially the two Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Islam have fought, and continue to fight for dominance. Religion has been the instrument both the West and the East have used to push their cultural and political ideologies”(2004:1) Though in Tanzania there are no many reports of Christian-Muslim physical fighting there are latent apprehensions between members of the two religions, especially the elites. The two civilizations are in constant competition for dominance of the Country.

218^ Though this study is concerned with the issue of religious globalization and Sharī’a implementation in the Country by Muslims Sharī’a affects Christians as well as far as their attitudes toward Muslims are concerned. The Islamphobia mentioned earlier is intensified by the global movements of ideas and information about what is happening in the other parts of the world. Bondarenko(2004:450) for instance, reports a negative attitude of some Christians towards Muslims in the Country because of information Christian get from international media. He states that: “If we now look at how Christians depict Muslims… we find a darker picture: over half the Christians assess the ‘typical’ Muslim’s human traits negatively… It goes without saying that this contradicts the stereotypical higher level of tolerance among Christians arising from the perception, at least in the West, that it is the more peaceable religion. However, we may assume that the generally negative estimation of Muslims by Christians could well be partially determined by such events as the explosion at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam in 1998 (for which Muslim fundamentalists were blamed by the international mass media quite available to Tanzanians nowadays) and the recent war in Iraq (which was taking place at the time of our fieldwork)”. Though the bombing of US Embassy in Dar es Salaam is a local issue, its reporting is a global issue whereby reporters give divergent attitudes toward the instance. The Iraq war and other fundamentalist actions in the world, which result to mass destruction in different parts of the world, are repeatedly reported by the Western international media. To some extent this is causing negative attitudes among Christians toward Muslims especially to those Christians who have access to the international Medias. The negative attitude is mostly toward the pious and deeply religious Muslims. In fact this has gone as far as to the extent of creating a stereotype among Christians that every deep religious Muslims is a Mujahidin who is branded as fundamentalist.

219^Interview conducted on 25.8.2007, Tanga

220^ Interview with Yusuph 22.O8 2007, Tanga

221^ Interview with Mataka 3.3.2007

222^ This is a small group of young Muslims who comprise the Muslim intellectuals. John Chesworth (2005) quoting Lodhi and Westerlund (1999:106) says Warsha “are based at Quba Mosque in Dar es Salaam . From where they run a secondary school, arrange courses, publish literature and issue statements on matters of public concern (mainly concerned with education and economics)…Warsha has produced several books of Islamic education: Mafundisho ya Qura’an (Teachings of the Qur’ān), published by the Islamic Foundation, Nairobi; Uchumi katika Uislam (Economic within Islam) condemning Tanzanian Socialism and proposing an Islamic model; and The true Way of Life, living in accordance with a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharī’a. According to Smith (1990:181) it is the aim of Warsha to make this the way of life in Tanzania”. In other words, the aim of Warsha is to institute Sharī’a implementation in the Country. Though this group is based in Dar es Salaam it is widespread in the urban areas of the Country. Abdin Chande reports that “it makes its presence felt in the major urban centres in the Country through its writings which have appealed to a segment of the youth” (1998:255). Warsha has brought reform in Qur’ān teaching paradigm where they insist not on memorizing the Qur’an but understanding the History of Islamic achievements and superiority of Islamic civilization. These were footprints of Maliki’s influence upon those young Muslims writers. At the beginning Warsha was in good terms with BAKWATA to extent that BAKWATA incorporated some of its members to the daily activities of BAKWATA. But because of the its activism and reformations, especially the changing of ordinary Muslim Secondary schools into Islamic seminaries, which limited the schools to Muslims students only and its controversial radio programs, Warsha was expelled from BAKWATA. This included being denied access to BAKWATA facilities and involvement in BAKWATA activities. Warsha was “accused of being anti-government and perpetrating animosity between Muslims and Christians through their writings”. It was also “accused of mixing religion with politics” Following, this Dr. Maliki’s work permit was terminated and expelled from the Country within 24 hours. Mohammed Said “regards the events leading to Warsha’s expulsion as being a government inspired plot to isolate them from Muslims in order to prevent them from making any further revelations about the mistreatment of Muslims (1993:14)” (This information was taken from class lectures of John Chesworth at St. Paul’s University College in Limuru Kenya in the Class of MA of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 2005).

223^ Interview with Kassim, 8.3.2007, Dar es Salaam

224^ Telephone correspondence with Francis Ng’atigwa (Ng’atigwa is a lecturer of Media and mass communication at St. Augustine University. He is currently pursuing his PhD. in Media and Religion in Tanzania at the University of Byreuth Germany. Since his study is still under way we believe that his findings will add up to the academic researches on the role of media in religious arena and the welfare of the Country when the study is accomplished.