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Seventh-day Adventists and the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania

By Rabson Ntambala Nkoko

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Rabson Ntambala Nkoko, Ph.D. (The Open University of Tanzania), is president of the Western Tanzania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists within the Northern Tanzania Union Conference and currently serves as ESDA assistant editor and coordinator for the East-Central Africa Division. He previously served as executive secretary of the Southern Tanzania Union Mission, president of the Southern Highlands Conference, departmental director at both conference and union levels, and a frontline pastor. His Swahili books include Sauti ya Mungu katika Bustani, Nafasi ya Mwanamke katika Ibada na Uongozi wa Kanisa, Mungu Kwanza, and Siku Ipi ni Siku ya Sabato?. He has also published several articles.

First Published: November 20, 2025

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Between 1990 and 2013, Tanzania saw intermittent Christian–Muslim confrontations that periodically disturbed an otherwise long tradition of coexistence.1 Seventh-day Adventists were not protagonists in these events, yet local congregations—in Dar es Salaam (notably Mbagala), Mwanza, and the Zanzibar archipelago—were occasionally affected as part of the broader Christian community. Adventist responses emphasized non-retaliation, continuity of worship, and neighborly peace. This article documents incidents that touched Adventists directly or indirectly and draws missiological lessons. 2

Overview of Key Incidents, 1990–2013

• 2000 (Manzese, Dar es Salaam)—Cemetery dispute. A burial-ground confrontation escalated into attacks on mourners and desecration of grave markers (crosses). The episode involved Christians generically (not a single denomination) and did not single out Adventists.3

• August 2001 (Dar es Salaam)—Protests after a Muslim activist’s arrest. The detention of Khamis Rajab Dibagula on a charge of defaming Christianity triggered demonstrations, looting, and clashes. Adventists were not targeted as a denomination, but the unrest strained inter-communal relations.4

• March 2004 (Zanzibar)—Church and property attacks. A series of arson/bomb incidents affected church properties (e.g., a Catholic church fire reported Mar. 11, 2004) and other targets; authorities debated whether motives were political or religious. Christian minorities, including the few Adventists on the islands, operated thereafter with heightened caution.5

• September 2011 (Mwanza) — Churches burned. After allegations of Qur’an desecration, three Assemblies of God churches in Mwanza were set ablaze. Adventist congregations in the Lake Zone were not attacked that day, but they faced the same security anxieties and adjusted meeting times and vigilance.6

• May 2012 (Zanzibar)—Uamsho-linked unrest. Protests tied to the separatist Islamist group Uamsho saw churches attacked, including at least two burned over one weekend; tensions continued into 2013–2014 with additional blasts and assaults. This significantly chilled overt Christian activities island-wide.7

• October 2012 (Chamazi/Mbagala, Dar es Salaam)8—Riots after Qur’an-desecration allegations. Following claims that a Christian boy desecrated the Qur’an, crowds attacked several nearby churches. Contemporary reporting lists multiple denominations; one NGO report explicitly notes damage to the Seventh-day Adventist church in Mbagala (broken windows, roof damage, and exterior fixtures destroyed). 9

• February 11, 2013 (Buseresere, Geita)—Butchery-rights clash turned deadly. Violence over meat-slaughter rights led to the killing of Pastor Mathayo Kachila, identified in press as a Pentecostal pastor; Adventists in the Lake Zone shared the resulting fear and tightened precautions but were not the direct target.10

• Late 2012–early 2013 (Zanzibar)—Attacks on Christian clergy. Fr. Ambrose Mkenda (Catholic) was shot and wounded (Dec. 2012); Fr. Evarist Mushi (Catholic) was shot dead (Feb. 17, 2013). Small Adventist groups on the islands curtailed evening gatherings and kept a low profile. 11

Impact on Adventists

Material—The clearest Adventist property impact documented in open sources is Mbagala (Oct. 2012), where stoning damaged the SDA building’s windows and roof; exterior fixtures (lights, satellite dish) were destroyed before police dispersed crowds. Repairs followed.12

Psychological—Adventists in Zanzibar (a minority), Dar es Salaam, and parts of the Lake Zone worshiped under intermittent intimidation and rumor, especially after high-profile assaults on Catholic clergy and the Buseresere killing. The sense of vulnerability was widespread across Christian communities.13

Missional—In Zanzibar, public evangelism largely ceded to small-group discipleship during tense periods.14 In major cities, some congregations delayed crusades or moved programs to daylight hours pending calmer conditions. These adaptive measures align with broader religious-freedom reporting from the period, which notes elevated social hostilities and periodic constraints on public religious activities.15

Adventist Responses

Adventist leaders emphasized pastoral care, rapid resumption of worship, cooperation with local officials, and non-retaliation. In Mbagala, services reportedly resumed shortly after the attack, with local vigilance and quiet community engagement. In Zanzibar, worship often continued in small, discreet groups. These choices reflect the Church’s historic neutrality and peacemaking ethos.16

The following lessons may be drawn from this historical experience:

1) Resilience under pressure. Congregations repaired damage and continued worship, signaling stability without provocation.

2) Non-retaliation as witness. A refusal to answer violence with violence protected members and preserved credibility (Matt 5:9).

3) Mission by service and prudence. Health and education institutions continued serving all communities, while frontline evangelism flexed to safer formats.

4) Interfaith respect. Building trust with Muslim neighbors—through language, deeds, and everyday cooperation—proved essential to long-term witness.17

Conclusion

The 1990–2013 period tested Tanzanian Adventists’ ability to “live peaceably with all” in volatile moments. While not parties to the conflicts, they shared in the consequences borne by the wider Christian community—especially in Mbagala, Mwanza, and Zanzibar. Their overall posture—steady worship, neighborliness, and caution—echoed the Adventist commitment to peace and the gospel’s public good.

Sources

Al Jazeera. “Tanzania bans paramilitary-style training,” Mar. 25, 2004, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2004/3/25/tanzania-bans-paramilitary-style-training. Accessed September 22, 2025.

BBC, “Tanzania activist shot dead on Zanzibar,” Feb. 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-21492877. Accessed October 2, 2024.

BBC. “Tanzania police fire teargas to stop church attacks.” Oct. 15, 2012, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-19942379. Accessed September 22, 2025.

CISA, “Fears grip Christians after killing of pastor,” Feb. 26, 2013, https://cisanewsafrica.com/tanzania-fears-grip-christians-after-killing-of-pastor/. Accessed December 2013.

CISA. “Three churches set ablaze by Muslims in Tanzania,” Sept. 27, 2011, https://cisanewsafrica.com/three-churches-set-ablaze-by-muslims-in-tanzania/. Accessed September 22, 2025.

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (via UNHCR Refworld), “Tanzania: Treatment of Muslims…” (2006), summarizing 2001 Dibagula case, https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/irbc/2006/en/38788. Accessed August 28, 2025.

International Christian Concern, “Tanzania: Islamists Burn Down Three Churches,” Oct. 15, 2012, explicitly naming SDA Mbagala building damage, https://www.persecution.org/2012/10/15/tanzania-islamists-burn-down-three-churches/. Accessed October 23, 2024.

Mgopa, Daniel R. and Youze, Reid A. “Tanzania,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BC7T. Accessed September 11, 2025.

Nkoko, Rabson N. Accounting for the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania (PhD thesis, The Open University of Tanzania, 2017).

Northern Tanzania Union Conference, “Our History,” https://www.adventist.or.tz/sda/our-history/. Accessed January 18, 2025.

Reuters, “Tanzanian police fire teargas…,” Oct. 15, 2012, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tanzanian-police-fire-teargas-stop-church-attacks-2012-10-15/. Accessed October 22, 2023.

Tetti, I. “Religion and Politics in Tanzania” (2014), https://www.academia.edu/6955941/Religion_and_Politics_in_Tanzania. Accessed August 28, 2025.

The Guardian. “Tanzania priest shot dead in Zanzibar.” Feb. 17, 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/17/tanzania-priest-shot-dead-zanzibar. Accessed October 2, 2024.

U.S. DOJ Country of Origin response referencing News24 (Mar. 11, 2004) & BBC, https://www.justice.gov/file/297286/dl?inline= (p. 2). Accessed January 17, 2025.

U.S. State Department, International Religious Freedom Report (2015), Tanzania section, https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2015/af/256079.htm. Accessed January 17, 2025.

Notes

  1. The author’s dissertation, “Accounting for the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania,” examined the dynamics and implications of those conflicts. This article applies those findings to the experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tanzania and the lessons derived from it. Rabson N. Nkoko, “Accounting for the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania” (Ph.D. thesis, The Open University of Tanzania, 2017), ix.↩

  2. Youze, Reid A. and Mgopa, Daniel R. “Tanzania,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BC7T. (accessed September 11, 2025).↩

  3. On 2000 Manzese cemetery tensions: I. Tetti, “Religion and Politics in Tanzania” (2014), https://www.academia.edu/6955941/Religion_and_Politics_in_Tanzania. Accessed August 28, 2025.↩

  4. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (via UNHCR Refworld), “Tanzania: Treatment of Muslims…” (2006), summarizing 2001 Dibagula case, https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/irbc/2006/en/38788. Accessed August 28, 2025.↩

  5. U.S. DOJ Country of Origin response referencing News24 (Mar. 11, 2004) & BBC, https://www.justice.gov/file/297286/dl?inline= (p. 2); Al Jazeera, “Tanzania bans paramilitary-style training,” Mar. 25, 2004, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2004/3/25/tanzania-bans-paramilitary-style-training. Accessed September 22, 2025.↩

  6. CISA, “Three churches set ablaze by Muslims in Tanzania,” Sept. 27, 2011, https://cisanewsafrica.com/three-churches-set-ablaze-by-muslims-in-tanzania/. Accessed September 22, 2025.↩

  7. BBC, “Tanzania police fire teargas to stop church attacks,” Oct. 15, 2012, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-19942379. Accessed September 22, 2025.↩

  8. Interview with Pastor Dominic Mapima, by the author via telephone on August 12, 2025.↩

  9. Reuters, “Tanzanian police fire teargas…,” Oct. 15, 2012, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tanzanian-police-fire-teargas-stop-church-attacks-2012-10-15/. International Christian Concern, “Tanzania: Islamists Burn Down Three Churches,” Oct. 15, 2012, explicitly naming SDA Mbagala building damage, https://www.persecution.org/2012/10/15/tanzania-islamists-burn-down-three-churches/. Accessed October 23, 2024.↩

  10. CISA, “Fears grip Christians after killing of pastor,” Feb. 26, 2013, https://cisanewsafrica.com/tanzania-fears-grip-christians-after-killing-of-pastor/.↩

  11. The Guardian, “Tanzania priest shot dead in Zanzibar,” Feb. 17, 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/17/tanzania-priest-shot-dead-zanzibar; BBC, “Tanzania activist shot dead on Zanzibar,” Feb. 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-21492877. Accessed October 2, 2024.↩

  12. International Christian Concern, “Tanzania: Islamists Burn Down Three Churches,” Oct. 15, 2012, explicitly naming SDA Mbagala building damage, https://www.persecution.org/2012/10/15/tanzania-islamists-burn-down-three-churches/. Accessed October 23, 2024.↩

  13. The Guardian, “Tanzania priest shot dead in Zanzibar,” Feb. 17, 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/17/tanzania-priest-shot-dead-zanzibar; BBC, “Tanzania activist shot dead on Zanzibar,” Feb. 2013; https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-21492877. Accessed October 12, 2024; CISA, “Fears grip Christians after killing of pastor,” Feb. 26, 2013, https://cisanewsafrica.com/tanzania-fears-grip-christians-after-killing-of-pastor/. Accessed September 24, 2025.↩

  14. Interview with Pastor Dettu Bunga, conducted by the author via telephone in April 2022. At the time, Pastor Bunga was overseeing the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zanzibar.↩

  15. U.S. State Department, International Religious Freedom Report (2015), Tanzania section, https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2015/af/256079.htm. Accessed January 17, 2025.↩

  16. Reuters, “Tanzanian police fire teargas…,” Oct. 15, 2012, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tanzanian-police-fire-teargas-stop-church-attacks-2012-10-15/. Accessed September 22, 2025; International Christian Concern, “Tanzania: Islamists Burn Down Three Churches,” Oct. 15, 2012, explicitly naming SDA Mbagala building damage, https://www.persecution.org/2012/10/15/tanzania-islamists-burn-down-three-churches/. Accessed October 23, 2024.↩

  17. Northern Tanzania Union Conference, “Our History,” https://www.adventist.or.tz/sda/our-history/. Accessed January 18, 2025.↩

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Nkoko, Rabson Ntambala. "Seventh-day Adventists and the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. November 20, 2025. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8JRV.

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Nkoko, Rabson Ntambala. "Seventh-day Adventists and the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania." Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. November 20, 2025. Date of access October 15, 2026, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8JRV.

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Nkoko, Rabson Ntambala (2025, November 20). Seventh-day Adventists and the 1990–2013 Christian–Muslim Conflicts in Tanzania. Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved October 15, 2026, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=8JRV.

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