Sio tuu nilikuwa nafanyia kazi DTV, I was the reporter in a line of fire. Kwa vile Mkuu Maalim Mohammed Said yeye ameandika hii kitu kwa urefu, tumtumie yeye.
P
Mwembechai killings followed a similar pattern. Father Camillius Lwambano of the Mburahati parish
claimed that he passed at Mwembechai mosque and heard Muslims ridiculing Jesus Christ. It was later
established, after the police had opened fire and killed at least four unarmed Muslims and maimed several
others, that this claim by Father Lwambano was, after all, a sheer fabrication. As I am writing this book,
almost two years after the killings, our government has yet to form a team to probe the killings despite
repeated requests from many concerned Tanzanians across the religious divide.
I do not know if there is any serious observer of Tanzania’s political history who can deny the commitment
and sacrifice of Tanzanians to the freedom fighters of Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South
Africa, and even beyond Africa. In this regard Tanzania has indeed provided a shining example to the rest
of the world, and has deservedly won the respect and admiration of many countries. That admirable aspect
of our national history is not the focus of the present study. My interest here is to encourage my fellow
country men and women to have the courage to confront the odious side of our political history. A political
history of religious discrimination against Muslims. The unstated but effective policy of marginalising
Muslims in education, employment and political appointments is not of recent origin. It began and was
firmly entrenched during the twenty five years of Mwalimu Nyerere’s political rule. And I believe unless
this problem is openly addressed Tanzania may also find itself engulfed in civil strife.
Multiple interpretations of the problem
On the political future of our country many Tanzanians irrespective of their religious affiliation