A note on Sufism in Zanzibar, in "Tensions Simmer Ahead of Zanzibar Vote"

Tensions Simmer Ahead of Zanzibar Vote: Political, Racial, Religious Tensions Simmer Ahead of Zanzibar Elections

A Muslim woman walks in the narrow streets of Stone Town next to a poster of Seif Shariff Hamad, the leader of the opposition party the Civic United Front , CUF , Friday, Oct. 28, 2005 in Zanzibar. More than 90 percent of Zanzibaris are Muslim, but most follow a very gentle form of Sufi Islam. The more fundamentalist sects have always had a hard time taking hold here.Nevertheless, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party has always used the specter of radical Islam in elections campaigns, using slogans such as "Don't vote for the beard" to imply that voting for the bearded Hamad is a vote for radicals.(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)

By CHRIS TOMLINSON Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania Oct 28, 2005 — On the narrow streets of Zanzibar, women wear bright African cloth, pastel Indian tunics and black head-to-toe veils, reflecting the multiculturalism that has thrived on these islands for centuries.

It is a picture of peaceful co-existence, the norm in this archipelago. But months of violence in the lead-up to weekend elections are proof of political, racial and religious tensions.

Sunday's vote has greater significance than ever before, with many Zanzibaris viewing the balloting as Western-style democracy's last chance. Two previous elections were seen as deeply flawed by violence and fraud. A third in that mold would give radicals fodder for their argument that Islam is the only answer to the island's problems.

"Western democracy has not worked in Zanzibar," said Mussa Ame Mussa, a leader in Zanzibar's Islamic Propagation Organization.

Mussa says his group is merely observing the elections and stays out of politics. But he was recently arrested and charged with making radical speeches criticizing the government. He called for the formation of Islamic parties, banned in Zanzibar under the constitution.

More than 90 percent of the people of Zanzibar, a semiautonomous part of Tanzania, are Muslim. Overall, Tanzania's population of 36 million is about 44 percent Christian and 34 percent Muslim.

Most Zanzibaris follow a gentle form of Sufi Islam. The more fundamentalist sects have always had a hard time taking hold here.

Nevertheless, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party has always used the specter of radical Islam in election campaigns, with slogans such as "Don't vote for the beard" suggesting that a vote for bearded opposition leader Seif Shariff Hamad is a vote for radicals.

"I feel there is that threat" of radical Islam, said Hamad, the presidential candidate of the Civic United Front, or CUF. "Especially in areas where the people are poor, desperate, where there is no hope there you will find these youths who will be influenced by these radical forces."