Priest Shot Dead in Zanzibar Another Beheaded on Mainland

 Kutoka : http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2013/02/priest-shot-dead-in-zanzibar-pastor-beheaded-on-mainland.html

 Sunday, February 17, 2013

Priest Shot Dead In Zanzibar; Pastor Beheaded On Mainland

Muslims continue to build bridges with Christians. Extending their outreach to the heart and head. (Thanks to BobP)

BREAKING NEWS: Priest Shot Dead In Zanzibar; Pastor Beheaded On Mainland

ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA (BosNewsLife)-- A Catholic priest was shot dead Sunday, February 17, on his way to church in Tanzania's semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, just days after a pastor was beheaded by suspected Muslim extremists on the mainland, officials and Christians said.

"Father Evarist Mushi was blocked by two young men at the entrance of the church" in Zanzibar City, the capital, where "one of the attackers shot him in the head," said the island's police spokesman Mohammed Mhina in published remarks.

It was the second such attack on the Muslim-majority island of 1.2 million people in recent months. On Christmas Day, gunmen shot and seriously wounded a Catholic priest as he returned home from church.

Police did not know whether both attacks were related, but local Christians said there has been a rise in Islamic attacks against individual believers and churches.

Sunday's shooting came while on the mainland, in Tanzania's Geita Region, Christians were mourning the violent death of a pastor of an Assemblies of God Church.

PASTOR BEHEADED

Pastor Mathayo Kachili was reportedly beheaded Monday, February 11,by what witnesses called a mob of Muslim extremists and "radicals".

Police commander Denis Stephano told reporters that the killing in Buseresere town was sparked by tensions over whether Christians were allowed to open and operate butcheries in the area.

The killing sparked deadly riots between religious Christians and Muslims, with at least one attacker reportedly dying of his injuries, before police was able to intervene.

Pastor Kachili leaves behind a wife and several children who depended on his salary to make a living, Christians said.

In a reaction, rights group International Christian Concern (ICC) suggested that that this was part of a wider Islamic campaign against Christians in East Africa.

MORE VIOLENCE

"Just last week, two Christian pastors in Garissa, Kenya were attacked by Islamic extremists suspected to be connected with [militant group] al-Shabab," explained William Stark, ICC regional manager for Africa.

"The increase of attacks on Christians can be linked to the spread of radical Islam across East Africa. Groups like al-Shabab and its sympathizers have shown that they are not afraid to attack and kill Christians in countries that are traditionally thought of as Christian," he told BosNewsLife in a statement.

Stark isn't optimistic about the future. "Until the issue of radical Islam is confronted in East Africa, we will continue to see attacks on Christians and other minority groups. If ignored, the spread of radical Islam has the potential to turn East Africa into another Nigeria or Mali where Christians are persecuted and killed by the hundreds."

Taifa limefikia Pabaya kwa Ugonjwa wa Udini

Hoja Hii Imeandika na Mdau FK

Naomba kulitumia jamvi hili kuelezea hisia zangu na uchungu nilio nao kwa taifa hili kwa jinsi mbegu ya udini ilivyopandwa na kutishia uhai wa nchi yangu niipendayo sana ya Tanzania. Labda nianze kwa kusema kwamba binadamu wote tumezaliwa ama kuumbwa na sura ya mfano wa Mungu lakini sisi tumeongeza sura za ziada juu ya wanadamu wenzetu. Matokeo yake ni kwamba mbali na sisi sote kuumbwa na Mungu mmoja na wote kuwa sawa mbele zake, kwa bahati mbaya dini tulizo nazo zimetufanya tuweke sura za ziada kwa wanadamu wenzetu na kuwahukumu na kuwachukia kwa vigezo vya dini zetu na kwa bahati mbaya sijawahi kusikia kuwa katika hizi dini zetu kuna vyeti maalumu toka kwa Mungu vinavyotuambia dini zetu ni bora kuliko nyingine na hivyo zina haki ya kuhukumu wengine. Ni viongozi wetu wa dini ndio wanaotulisha chuki dhidi ya wengine na sisi tunayapokea mafundisho yao bila kuhoji.

Hebu niende kwenye hoja yangu ya leo. Nimesoma Mwananchi leo kuwa Shule ya sekondari ya Ndanda imefungwa kwasababu ya mgomo baridi wa wanafunzi wa kiislamu wanaodai kuwa wanabaguliwa, wanataka udahili ulio sawa kati ya wakristo na waislamu na wanataka wajengewe msikiti hapo shuleni. Habari hii imenikumbusha vuguvugu hili ambalo limeibuka sana tangu wakati wa uchaguzi mwaka jana na vuguvugu hili la waumini wa kiislamu limekuwa likichochewa pia na magazeti ya kiislamu, vyuo na shule za kiislamu na kwa upande wa dini ya kikristo nako lipo vuguvugu la kuwaambia waumini wao wajipange dhidi ya wenzao.

Yapo matukio kadhaa yaliyotokea nchini ambayo yanaashiria kukua kwa chuki hizi za kidini nchini. Nikikumbuka machache, ni nyaraka za kidini wakati wa uchaguzi hususani zile za kuwahimiza waislamu kutomchagua mkristo, kauli mbiu za vyombo vya habari vya kidini kuwahimiza waumini wao kupambana na mfumo kristo nchini, vurugu za kidini chuo kikuu cha Dodoma, mihadhara ya kidini huko Arusha na vurugu za kidini huko Mwanza nk. Inasikitisha sana kuona sisi watanzania wa leo tunafanywa maadui kwa njia ya dini za kigeni. Naionea huruma Tanzania yangu inakoenda si kuzuri.

Kamwe sitasita kupaaza kilio changu kuwalaumu wanaisasa wanaotumia dini kwa maslahi ya matumbo yao na si taifa hili. Nakilaumu chama cha mapinduzi, tena nakilaumu kwa wazi kabisa kwa kubeba bango la udini kama mtaji wa kisiasa na kuliacha taifa likichakaa. Taifa lililosimikwa katika misingi ya uzalendo leo linasimikwa katika misingi ya ubaguzi. Ninashindwa kuelewa kwanini ndugu zangu waislamu wanawaona wakristo kama maadui hapa nchini na siku zote wameaminishwa hivyo, kwanini?

Nataka tujiulize kwa uwazi kabisa, hivi ni wakristo waliowazuia Zanzibar kusiwe na shule na vyuo? Hivi ni wakristo wamewazuia kujenga vyuo au kukosa pesa za kusimamia misikiti na taasisi zao? Hivi ni wakristo ndo wanaoenda kwenye shule kuwaachisha watoto wao masomo? Hivi ni wakristo ndio wanaoandika majibu ya watoto wao kwenye mitihani? Hivi ni wakristo ndo wanaowatuma wawe na migogoro kwenye misikiti? Mbona hata wakristo wanayo migogoro yao na wanaimaliza? Hivi, nataka kujua, hawa wakristu ndo wanaowazuia wao kuswali? Wakristo wanaingiaje kwenye mfumo wa maadili kwenye misikiti na madrasa ya waislamu? Hivi watanzania tumefikia katika hali ya kuchukiana kiasi hiki kwa misingi ya dini zisizo zetu?

Kama kuna jambo ambalo sitasita kulisema wazi ni hili la CCM kutumia dini kama mtaji wa siasa kila kinapofika kipindi cha uchaguzi. Lakini chuki zilizojengwa sasa ni hatari zaidi na ninasikitika kuwa taifa litaangamia. Najiuliza, mwaka jana walidai Chadema ni chama cha kidini, lakini sijawahi kumwona wala kumsikia mgombea wa Chadema wa urais akitumia makanisa kwa kampeni. Hakuwahi kuomba achangishe harambee za makanisa, sherehe za kidini nk, lakini hawa viongozi wa CCM wanatumia makanisa na misikiti kujinadi. Nani mdini hapa? Naipenda Tanzania, nalipenda taifa langu, nawachukia sana wanaoligawa taifa hili kwa misingi ya ukabila, udini na rangi. Sote tuungane kulitetea taifa letu.

Asanteni sana kwa kusoma waraka wangu huu mrefu.

Mdau FK

WaKristo Watishiwa Maisha Zanzibar! Tupeni Ukweli!!!

Wadau, nimeshituka huona hii habari kutoka Zanzibar imekuwa habari ya kimtaifa! Mlioko huko tupeni ukweli, na wawajibu kwenye comments section zao. Kama kweli mbona chuki ya kidini inzidi Tanzania?

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Kutoka CHRISTIAN POST

The Christian Post Mon, Sep. 05 2011

Christians Live in Cloud of Fear in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Young man flees family death threats on Muslim isle; another chooses jail over violent mob.
By Compass Direct News

NAIROBI, Kenya – On Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, Christians live in a climate of fear. It’s a place where a young man flees the island to escape death threats from his Muslim family, and a Christian who accidentally burned pages of the Quran opts for jail by entering a guilty plea rather than face certain death from a furious mob.

Yusuf Abdalla, 23, fled to Moshi, mainland Tanzania, after his family threatened to kill him in June. Having converted to Christianity in October 2010 after hearing the gospel on the radio, he was enrolled at a vocational school in Zanzibar city to learn tailoring when his family found out in March that he had left Islam.

The beating he then received from family members left him with injuries to his head, hand and torso, as well as a serious mouth wound and substantial loss of blood, said an area pastor who requested anonymity.

“The family then took back the tailoring machine which they had bought him,” the pastor said. “They also vowed not to support his training.”

As soon as he had recovered enough to leave, Abdalla found refuge on the premises of the pastor’s church before staying at his home on May 5. Within two months, reports had reached Abdalla’s family that he was staying at the pastor’s house, and on June 10 they threatened to kill him, the pastor said.

The church arranged for his escape to Moshi.

Another convert from Islam, Juma Suleiman of Chake-Chake on the neighboring island of Pemba, is also facing death threats. Suleiman became a Christian just two months ago when Tanzania Assemblies of God pastor Yohana Mfundo preached to him while he was in prison, Mfundo said.

Suleiman was released a little over two weeks ago, and family members have already threatened to kill him. He is now in hiding and plans to flee the island.

The Safety of Jail

In Kiembesamaki, near Zanzibar city’s airport, area pastors said 28-year-old Ramadhan Hunda Tuma earlier this year opted for jail by entering a plea of guilty to charges that he burned the Quran, rather than face an enraged mob calling for his death.

More than 50 Muslims had packed into the courtroom to hear the judge’s Feb. 21 ruling on Tuma, whose landlady had ordered him to burn his trash after evicting him because he had converted to Christianity; he was not aware that among the trash was a small copy of the Quran used by beginning students in madrassas (Islamic schools), area pastors said.

“Outside the courtroom, there was a mob baying for his blood in case he was set free,” said Pastor Leonard Massasa of the Evangelical Assemblies of God-Tanzania. “One lady from church overheard them say, ‘If he is going to be released, then we will kill him.’”

Tuma, member of a church of another denomination in Zanzibar city, accidentally burned part of the Quran.

“Due to the conditions prevailing then, Tuma pleaded guilty because he feared for his life,” said another pastor, who requested anonymity. “He chose to go to jail rather than to be released only to be killed.”

Arriving home from a Sunday church service, Tuma found the wealthy landlady furious to learn that he had converted to Christianity; she had thrown all his belongings out of the house. She ordered him to leave, the pastor said. Tuma burned the trash under the supervision of his landlady, who reported him to a sheikh in a nearby mosque. A raucous crowd of Muslims showed up to kill him before police arrived and took him to the police station, the pastor said.

The church is caring for Tuma’s young family – his wife, 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, the pastor added.

District Magistrate Khamis Ali Simai of Mwanakwerekwe, Zanzibar, sentenced Tuma to 18 months for “disrespecting a religious faith” and six months for “threatening public peace,” though both terms are to run simultaneously, according to International Quran News Agency (IQNA). Simai ruled that Tuma’s burning of the Quran on Nov. 16, 2010 angered the Muslim community, thereby jeopardizing public peace, according to IQNA.

The judge said the punishment was to serve as warning to other would-be offenders, IQNA reported.

Prosecutors led by Raya Issa Mselem said they were not satisfied with the ruling and intended to appeal for a harsher sentence; Mselem said a stiffer penalty would better deter others who would be tempted to commit similar offenses, according to IQNA.

Tuma, who represented himself and was put under tight police protection, pleaded for leniency on grounds that he was the sole breadwinner for his family and that he was suffering from a stomach ailment.

In Pemba, it has become extremely risky for churches to have their documents typed or printed in cybercafés, sources said, as shop personnel are saving copies that they take to Muslim sheikhs in order to disclose Christian activities.

Their findings are announced in mosques, the pastors said.

“They have announced in their mosques that no Muslim should sell land to infidels,” said pastor Yohana Makulanya of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

The Muslim majority oppresses religious minorities in more subtle ways. Schools teach only Islamic studies, not Christianity, and any student stating that Jesus is Lord will not receive a grade, the pastors said.

“Sometimes our children are forced to change their Christian names to Muslim names so as to be considered for employment,” said the Rev. Apolinali Mapendo Musaki, a Catholic priest.

At times churches are deprived of piped water.

“Here in Wete, we rely on rainwater – no piped water is supplied to us,” said the Rev. Stephen Kamwendo of the Anglican Church.

The church leaders said many Christians have been forcefully converted to Islam, including four from the Catholic Church and six from the Seventh-day Adventist church.

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SOMA HABARI YA MAKANISA KUCHOMWA MOTO ZANZIBAR NA PEMBA!

http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/tanzania/article_115694.html

Serikali inafanya nini kusimamisha huo unyama wa kidini?