The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
24 October 2008
Bishops of the Christian Council of Tanzania lock their hands in solidarity against a Government decision for Tanzania to join the Organisation of Islamic Conference and form the Kadhi court. The event took place in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Christian leaders yesterday came out strongly to oppose the Government's proposal to have Tanzania join the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), arguing that such a move would be in violation of the Constitution.
In a statement issued in Dar es Salaam under the auspices of the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT), the religious leaders also opposed the call for the establishment of kadhi's courts.
Addressing a press conference at Luther House in the city centre, the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), the Protestant church leaders, also called on the minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe, to resign immediately, accusing him of misleading the public and "using his office to breach the Constitution".
But reacting to the church leaders' call for his resignation, Mr Membe said: "I can't act on your statement (reporter's) as I don't believe the Christian leaders could have said that."
Mr Membe was speaking on the sidelines of the UN Day celebrations at Karimjee Hall in Dar.
The CCT, which brings together all the Protestant churches in Tanzania, said that "even discussing whether or not the country should join the religious organisation" could pose a threat to peace and national stability.
The Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), which is a congress of Catholic bishops, was represented at the CCT meeting.
But contacted for comment by telephone, the TEC president, Bishop Juda Thadaeus Ruwa'ichi, who heads the Dodoma Diocese, said the Catholic Church would issue a statement on the two issues later.
The Rev Owdenburg Mdegella of the ELCT, speaking on behalf of the CCT, said: "Tanzania is a secular state and there must be no government involvement in religious affairs."
He added: "This has for a long time been one of the things we dearly cherish and one of the pillars of our peace and national unity, which should not be destroyed."
The Rev Mdegella questioned the motive behind the Government's apparent involvement in what they felt was a purely religious matter, saying it was a waste of time and resources, which could be used on other issues.
"If the Government is not already exhausted from dealing with the numerous ongoing strikes and demonstrations around the country, then this matter, which involves many faiths and various ethnic communities will be even more difficult for it to handle, hence the need to stop it immediately," the clergyman said.
But clarifying the Government's position on the OIC, Minister Membe said a decision had not yet been made.
Mr Membe told reporters that it would be up to Tanzanians to decide whether the country should join the Islamic body or not.
"This matter has not yet been decided. My ministry's responsibility was only to do some research on the," the minister added.
The ministry, he went on, had no authority to decide whether to join the conference or not as the public must be involved in making such a decision.
He said there were several options should the country choose to join the OIC.
It could become a neutral member or have observer status like the United States and Russia.
The CCT vice-chairman, the Rev Peter Kitula, warned that it would be "very dangerous for the country to allow such division, which must be avoided at all costs".
He added: "We must fight to protect the Constitution, which is the mother of all laws.
If it is broken, this will have great ramifications." The Protestant leaders urged CCM and the Government to stop discussing the matter.
"We are calling MPs never to allow Tanzania have kadhi's courts or join OIC as it will be beginning of the country's disintegration," the Rev Kitula said.
The Rev Stephen Munga of the ELCT's North Eastern Diocese said all matters concerning religion should be left to the clerics.
The bishops broke into a song of solidarity, vowing to fight the Government on the matter.
"If joining OIC is a positive thing, then they must come up with tangible reasons and not the talk about economic benefits," the Rev Munga added.
The OIC is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the United Nations.
It has 57 member states from the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Southeast Asia, South Asia and South America.
In East Africa, only Uganda is a member to the organisation.
This is the second largest inter-governmental organisation after the UN; with members spread over four continents.
According to the OIC Charter amended on March 14, 2004, the organisation aims "to disseminate, promote and preserve the Islamic culture and safeguard Islamic heritage," a section the CCT cites as in conflict with Section 19(2) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, which draws a clear line between the State and religion.
On the Islamic court, the National Muslim Council of Tanzania (Bakwata) recently appealed for their establishment on Tanzania Mainland, with some MPs demanding a special Bill to set it up.
Currently, the Law Reform Commission is collecting views on whether or not to establish such a court, but this has drawn sharp criticism from the Christians, arguing that it would go against the national Constitution.
Reported by Beatus Kagashe, Levina Kato and Mwanamkasi Jumbe
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