The main body of law in Tanzania and Zanzibar is secular, but Muslims have the option to use religious courts for family-related cases.
[1] There are reports of young men in Zanzibar being recruited into organizations such as al-Shabaab and ISIS-M.[2] The policies and ideology of Ujamaa espoused by Tanzania's first government following independence from the United Kingdom in the 1960s emphasized national unity over religious or ethnic division,[3] and this is reflected by the strong anti-discrimination rhetoric in Tanzania's constitution, which is still in effect as of 2019.
[2] A separate 2010 Pew Forum Report estimates more than half of the population practices elements of African traditional religions in their daily lives.
By contrast, Zanzibar's history as a distinct region goes back to the 13th century, when it was home to Swahili city states.
Christianity arrived in Tanganyika in the 19th century in the form of various European missions, and around the same time Sufi missionaries would spread Islam beyond the coastline regions.
Both Christian and Muslim practices in Tanzania are heavily influenced by syncretism with older African religious traditions.
The revolution was accompanied by extreme levels of violence by African revolutionaries against Arabs and South Asians, who were predominantly Muslim or Hindu and were identified with the ruling class of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
The legacy of this event is contested, as the extreme and racially-targeted violence is seen by parts of Zanzibar's society as retaliation for oppression suffered under the Sultanate, which had had a significant African slave trade.
Okello's actions and militant Christian beliefs alienated others in the ASP, and he was soon marginalized, stripped of rank and eventually deported.
[4] In 1967, Tanzania pivoted further to the left politically, and began to promote Ujamaa, a socialist ideology which emphasized freedom, equality and unity as its central principles.
Tanzania is the only country in East Africa that has not experienced continuous cycles of ethnic, religious or political violence since its independence from colonial rule.
[5] Following Nyerere's retirement from politics after his last term in 1985, the government of Tanzania largely abandoned Ujamaa as its ideology,[12] although as of 2019 the 1977 constitution remains in effect.
[4] In 1993 and 1998, tensions rose to the level of violent conflict between Muslims and state security forces, with both incidents resulting in many deaths.
Public school registration forms must specify a child's religious affiliation so administrators can assign students to the appropriate religion class if one is offered.
[2] A 2020 Pew Forum survey estimates that approximately 63% of the population identifies as Christian, 34% as Muslim, and 5% practitioners of other religions.