Nahodha: Build a culture of reporting religious complaints

BY DEVOTA MWACHANG`A

8th May 2013

Shamsi Vuai Nahodha , Defence and National Service minister

Religious leaders and their followers were yesterday urged to build a culture of reporting their complaints to relevant authorities instead of attacking each another through religious assemblies.

“I am aware that Muslim and Christian clerics and worshippers have a number of grievances. It’s high time you started reporting these grievances and complaints to responsible authorities, Defence and National Service minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha said.
He made the call in Dar es Salaam when opening a two-day symposium which brought together more than 200 Christian and Muslim clerics to discuss peace and religious tolerance in the country.

He told the clerics that they can lodge their complaints to the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Social Relations and Co-ordination) Stephen Wassira whose portifolio is responsible for dealing with such issues.
He said that religious tolerance and the safeguarding of the country’s peace and tranquility was the responsibility of all stakeholders, including government and religious leaders and the public at large.

The minister said that in order to safeguard the prevailing peace in the country leaders should avoid inflammatory speeches likely to plant seeds of discord.

“What’s happening in the country now was contributed by some of us in the government and religious leaders because 70 percent of all problems are a result of our work. If we had managed to create these problems, then we must look for a way of solving them amicably,” he said.

Commenting on religious gatherings, the minister called upon religious leaders to choose special areas for organising such assemblies so as to avoid interference with other people’s beliefs and private activities.

“Fruitful religious gatherings are those that are held in the houses of worship. There’s no need of attacking people of other religions or religious sects during such gatherings,” Nahodha cautioned.

Urging Muslims and Christians to emulate the good things from either side such as having a single spokesperson who will have the last say to their followers, he said Christians and Muslims alike learn from each other from the teachings of the Bible and the Quran.

At the meeting, Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Suleiman Kova said that religious gatherings which instigate chaos in the country must be prohibited.
African Inland Church Tanzania Bishop Charles Salala said that religious assemblies are part of preaching but should not breach the country’s law.

Dar es Salaam Regional Sheikh Alhad Musa Salum said all people have the responsibility of safeguarding the country’s peace.

In March this year, his Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, Archbishop of the Dar es Salaam Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church appealed to religious leaders and the government to seek ways of ensuring sustainable peace and harmony in Tanzania. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN