Tanzania: Islamist riots threaten Zanzibar’s stability
ZANZIBAR CITY, October 2012 (IRIN) – The Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar has experienced three anti-government protests so far this year; the latest, in mid-October, saw one police officer killed, roads blocked and shops closed across the capital, Zanzibar City.
Photo: Aino Tanhua/IRIN – One police officer died in the October riots
The group behind the demonstrations, Uamsho (the Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation), has plastered messages across the capital agitating for the archipelago’s independence. One such message, “if the coat doesn’t fit, take it off”, refers to disbanding the United Republic of Tanzania, which was born out of the 1964 union of Zanzibar and the mainland area of Tanganyika.
The most recent unrest began when Uamsho supporters claimed their leader, Sheik Farid Hadi, had been abducted by government forces – a charge the police denied. Posts on Uamsho’s Facebook page threatened attacks against Christians if Hadi was not released; he resurfaced on 16 October, three days after his disappearance.
Discontent
Established as an Islamic NGO in 2001, Uamsho has since grown radicalized, gaining popularity among disappointed supporters of the largest opposition party, Civic United Front, which formed a government of national unity with Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), in 2010.
Photo: Aino Tanhua/IRIN – Uamsho is seeking full independence for Zanzibar
Uamsho was also involved in two other protests earlier in the year.
The Tanzanian government has taken a strong stand against the riots. “The government will not tolerate some few individuals threatening other people or using religion to disrupt the peace and harmony which the country has enjoyed over the past 50 years,” said Emmanuel Nchimbi, the Minister for Home Affairs, at a recent news conference.
Analysts say the violence is fuelled by unemployment and lack of education among young people; youth unemployment in Zanzibar stands at about 20 percent.
“The youth are a time bomb. We have many unemployed, uneducated young people. They are easy to motivate into action, and they don’t fully understand what they are doing. This is why at least 70 percent of the rioters were young men, many of them under 20 years old,” said social scientist Khamis Said, a researcher of social issues in Zanzibar. “Torching of bars, churches and government property, stealing of crosses – this is all against Islam, but the youth are uneducated.”
