Overview
Tanzania is a country in East Africa. Its major borders are with Kenya to the north and Mozambique to the south. It also shares borders with Malawi and Zambia to the south west; Uganda to the north; and Rwanda, Burundi and – across Lake Tanganyika – the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in north eastern Tanzania, close to the border with Kenya.
In the late 19th Century the mainland came under German rule as German East Africa. After the First World War it came under British rule as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Both gained their independence in the early 1960s and, in 1964, merged to form a united republic. Unlike many countries in Africa, Tanzania has not experienced any major internal strife since independence and is seen as one of the safest and most politically stable nations on the continent.
What it means to be a Christian in Tanzania
Tanzania enjoys full religious freedom. Christians are reckoned to make up about 60% of the population, and Muslims about 35%. With its internal stability mainland Tanzania has long served as a base for Christian mission and ministry in the region. The church has grown significantly over the past few decades and more and more unreached people groups have been impacted by the gospel. In many parts of Tanzania, Christians can live out and share their faith freely. But this is not the case in predominantly Muslim areas.
Persecution
Around 96% of those living on the Zanzibar archipelago, off mainland Tanzania’s coast, are Muslims. Along these coastal areas Christians face significant opposition if they share their faith with Muslims. It is not unusual for Muslims turning to Christ to experience severe persecution. This can be in the form of threats, loss of property, or social exclusion. New believers can also face beatings and death threats if they don’t return to Islam. As more Muslims are turning to Christ, persecution has increased, along with attacks on churches.
Voice of Persecuted Christians’ work
Voice of Persecuted Christians partners with a large evangelical denomination that was founded early in the 20th Century and has thousands of churches throughout Tanzania. Our partnership focuses on supporting pastors and evangelists who are working among Muslim communities and with those who are suffering persecution for their faith in Christ. The project also supports believers who have turned to Christ and have been rejected by their Muslim families, by providing them both spiritual and practical support.
