Tanzania to Ban Organisations that Mix Religion with Politics
Tanzania has threatened to revoke the registration of religious organisations that mix religion with politics after a cleric criticised President John Magufuli’s leadership in a Christmas sermon.
Opposition leaders in Tanzania said tolerance for dissent had been rapidly disappearing since Magufuli took office in late 2015 and pledged to reform East Africa’s third-biggest economy and crack down on large-scale corruption.
Tanzania’s constitution protects freedom of worship, but religious organisations must register at the country’s Home Affairs Ministry to get licence to operate legally.
The Permanent Secretary in that country’s Ministry of Home Affairs, Projest Rwegasira, said “recently, some leaders of religious societies have been using their sermons to analyse political issues, which is contrary to the law.
“Any violation of the law could lead to cancellation of the registration of concerned religious society.”
The warning was issued just days after the head of a Pentecostal church in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam criticised Magufuli’s leadership, saying his government was closing democratic space.
Zachary Kakobe, self-proclaimed bishop and founder of the Full Gospel Bible Fellowship Church, accused the Tanzanian government of “quietly turning the country into a one-state rule by systematically banning political activity.”
The Home Affairs Ministry responded by issuing a public notice to religious organisations after the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party accused Kakobe of mixing religion with politics.
Tanzanian police banned political protests and rallies indefinitely in June 2016, saying political activity would only be allowed during elections.
Magufuli, nicknamed “the Bulldozer” for pushing through his policies, has won some praise from Western donors for an anti-corruption campaign and cuts to wasteful public spending.
But opponents accuse him of increasingly undermining democracy by curbing dissent and stifling free speech.
Magufuli has publicly denied the allegations, saying he is no dictator.
But several newspapers have been shut and more than a dozen suspects prosecuted for allegedly insulting the president via WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
The CCM won 42 of 43 local government elections in November, prompting the main opposition parties to announce a boycott of several parliamentary by-elections early 2017, citing foul play.
Smaller opposition parties will participate in the polls.
Tanzania, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most stable democracies, has held five relatively peaceful multi-party elections since 1995, all won by the CCM.
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