thesis

Accounting for the 1990 - 2013 Christian-Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania.

Abstract

From 1990 to 2013, conflicts resulting in bloody violence erupted at different times and in different places between some Christians and some Muslims in Tanzania. The main objective of this thesis was to account for these conflicts. In examimning these conflicts, the researcher used the Relational Theory of Conflict. The theory states thus: ―Conflicts result from interactions of different people with opposed cultural experiences, values and interests.‖ Guided by this theory, the researcher identified two hypotheses that address religious conflicts. The first hypothesis states that: Wherever two religions coexist in roughly equal sizes, in a particular geographical setting, there is a potential for inter-religious conflicts due to their doctrinal differences and their need to access resources. The second hypothesis states thus: In order for those conflicts to develop into violence, there must be conditions, actors, and actions that foment the violence. The specific objectives were to state the conditions, to identify the actors, and to describe the actions that fomented the 1990 - 2013 violent conflicts. The researcher used both the survey and explorative research designs in this research. Dar es Salaam was the study area and the study involved 1010 respondents - 521 Christians and 489 Muslims. The findings showed that the conditions included ignorance, poverty, and globalization. The actors in the conflicts were leaders of Islamist groups, public debaters and preachers, unruly Christians and Muslims, and others. The actions included instigative public preaching and selling inciting DVDs and CDs. The researcher recommends religious education to all, rigorous law enforcement, and government‘s fair treatment for all citizens

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