ZANZIBAR CITY, Tanzania — Radical Islamists are suspected in the demolition of two church buildings on Tanzania’s semiautonomous island of Zanzibar on Nov. 21, as members of the congregations have since received death threats from Muslims.
The church buildings belonging to the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) and the Evangelical Assemblies of God Zanzibar (EAGZ) in Masingini village, nearly three miles from the center of Zanzibar City, were torn down at about 8 p.m., said Bishop Fabian Obeid of EAGZ.
One Christian who requested anonymity said, “One Muslim was heard saying, ‘We have cleansed our area by destroying the two churches, and now we are on our mission to kill individual members of these two churches — we shall not allow the church to be built again.’”
EAGZ pastor Michael Maganga and TAG pastor Dickson Kaganga said they were fearful about the future of the church in Masingini. Pastors in Zanzibar scheduled a meeting Nov. 27 to discuss how to cope with the destruction of the two buildings, said the chairman of the Pastors Fellowship in Zanzibar, Bishop Leonard Masasa of EAGZ church. Muslim extremists in Zanzibar, in concert with local government officials, have long limited the ability of Christians to obtain land for erecting worship buildings. In some cases they have destroyed existing buildings and put up mosques in their places.
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