Inter-religious Dialogue (IRD)
Mainly on the Island of Zanzibar and Pemba is part of our commitment. The
population of these islands is overwhelmingly Muslim. The local church is
constituted of Christian minority some of whom are migrants and others are
government functionaries from the mainland. There are 4 confreres working in
these islands including the bishop, Augustine Shao. Except for the general
knowledge, none of them has a specialized training in Islam. We are our aware of
this gap. We thank the General Council for the mission appoint of a young confrere
(2025) specifically to the dioceses of Zanzibar who will be trained to specialize in
interreligious dialogue.
Islam is also the predominant religion across the entire coastal region of Tanzania.
There is an on-going dialogue of life, which isn’t particularly evident, for example
in the Bagamoyo area, where our historical roots in Tanzania lie. Spiritan
institutions in Bagamoyo employ many Muslims. St Joseph VTC has trained many
young people from the surrounding villages, regardless of their religion. Five years
ago, a secondary school was established in Mlingotini ward whose entire
population is quasi-Muslim. It is the hub of superstitious practice in the region. In
an effort to reach out to the local population, a small dispensary was built there.
8Theme: “Let us cross to the other side of the lake” Luke 8:22
For most of us, the term ‘IRD’ refers to Islamo-Christian relations. However, we
often forget about dialogue with other religious traditions, especially African
Traditional Religion (ATR), which is prevalent even within our own communities.