Religion hits politics as Ramadan collides with polls in Zanzibar

ZANZIBAR – The Islamic holy month of Ramadan began here with calls for calm amid a heated and violent election campaign on this overwhelmingly Muslim, semi-autonomous Tanzanian island.

With fears of widespread unrest mounting before the October 30 polls, the ruling party, opposition and religious leaders urged restraint on Zanzibar, which has been wracked by deadly political violence in the past. The narrow streets of the capital Stone Town, steeped in the exotic history of the spice and slave trade and filled with Western tourists eager for idyllic beach holidays, appeared quiet and unperturbed.Yet tension was palpable as most of the island’s 99-percent Muslim population of one million saw Ramadan coincide with a divisive election for the first time in living memory.As the crescent moon marking the start of the month of prayer and fasting appeared in the northwest sky late Tuesday, crowds of faithful along the city’s waterfront, erupted in praise to God.”There it is, there it is,” cried many after catching a glimpse of the lunar sliver over others’ outstretched arms, hovering above Stone Town’s famed, glistening outdoor grills of beef-, chicken-, octopus-, and vegetable-kebabs.”Al-hamdullillah, keshon nafunga,” they said with a combination of Arabic and Swahili phrases meaning “Thanks be to God, tomorrow I will fast.”But after months of clashes between supporters of the main political rivals – the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM-Revolutionary Party) and the opposition group, the Civic United Front (CUF) – Zanzibar’s leaders were less sanguine.”Peace and stability must prevail this month despite the fact that we are in an election period,” Zanzibari President Amani Abeid Karume said in a Ramadan address broadcast island-wide late on Tuesday on state radio and television.”We must abide by our religious teachings,” he said in the 30-minute address laced with references to and quotations from the Koran.”We must unite to keep the peace and the only weapon to use during this time is your vote.””If one attacks you verbally, just respond by saying: ‘I’m fasting’ and leave everything to Allah.”His call for a peaceful campaign during Ramadan came after a similar appeal from the CUF’s presidential candidate on Zanzibar, Seif Shariff Hamad, who has complained bitterly about alleged CCM misrule and malfeasance.Zanzibar, part of a union with the former Tanganyika formed in 1964, will elect its own president and legislature in the polls, Tanzania’s third since multi-party politics were restored in 1992.- Nampa-AFPThe narrow streets of the capital Stone Town, steeped in the exotic history of the spice and slave trade and filled with Western tourists eager for idyllic beach holidays, appeared quiet and unperturbed.Yet tension was palpable as most of the island’s 99-percent Muslim population of one million saw Ramadan coincide with a divisive election for the first time in living memory.As the crescent moon marking the start of the month of prayer and fasting appeared in the northwest sky late Tuesday, crowds of faithful along the city’s waterfront, erupted in praise to God.”There it is, there it is,” cried many after catching a glimpse of the lunar sliver over others’ outstretched arms, hovering above Stone Town’s famed, glistening outdoor grills of beef-, chicken-, octopus-, and vegetable-kebabs.”Al-hamdullillah, keshon nafunga,” they said with a combination of Arabic and Swahili phrases meaning “Thanks be to God, tomorrow I will fast.”But after months of clashes between supporters of the main political rivals – the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM-Revolutionary Party) and the opposition group, the Civic United Front (CUF) – Zanzibar’s leaders were less sanguine.”Peace and stability must prevail this month despite the fact that we are in an election period,” Zanzibari President Amani Abeid Karume said in a Ramadan address broadcast island-wide late on Tuesday on state radio and television.”We must abide by our religious teachings,” he said in the 30-minute address laced with references to and quotations from the Koran.”We must unite to keep the peace and the only weapon to use during this time is your vote.””If one attacks you verbally, just respond by saying: ‘I’m fasting’ and leave everything to Allah.”His call for a peaceful campaign during Ramadan came after a similar appeal from the CUF’s presidential candidate on Zanzibar, Seif Shariff Hamad, who has complained bitterly about alleged CCM misrule and malfeasance.Zanzibar, part of a union with the former Tanganyika formed in 1964, will elect its own president and legislature in the polls, Tanzania’s third since multi-party politics were restored in 1992.- Nampa-AFP