Unity is strength : the Joint Committee of Religious Leaders for Peace in Zanzibar, 2005-2013

Abstract

This thesis, “Unity is strength”, belongs in the academic field of missiology. It investigates whether Christian-Muslim cooperation can contribute to peace and, if so, how. To do so, it shows how the Joint Committee of Religious Leaders for Peace in Zanzibar, of which the author was a member, developed and worked with such an aim in mind. It also analyses how the committee navigated at the interface between religion and politics between 2005 and 2013. The first, historical part is based on archival material and qualitative interviews in Swahili with a number of Christian and Muslim religious leaders and some of their followers. It unpacks various aspects of Christian-Muslim relations in light of shifting historical contexts. The second, analytical part scrutinises two theological issues that emerged from the committee’s experience as being crucial, namely ‘religious identity’ and ‘religion and politics.’ The study shows that, in the face of political and/or religious polarisation, the committee’s initiatives comprised an example of diapraxis, i.e. interreligious cooperation motivated by religion. It is hoped that this thesis about the Joint Committee of Religious Leaders for Peace in Zanzibar may both inspire new initiatives elsewhere and enhance general understanding of ChristianMuslim relations.