Prospect of Secularism and the Muslim Society of Zanzibar

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue V, May 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Prospect of Secularism and the Muslim Society of Zanzibar

Mohamed, Makame Soud

(MA Religious Studies)
ZANZIBAR – TANZANIA

Abstract: – Secularism is a political situation which is being followed in Tanzania including Zanzibar as a part of Tanzania. Due to its interpretation, secularism brings ambiguity in the overall implication in the country. It is referred to the form of life that does not rely on any religious belief. Therefore, this paper is intended to examine the prospect of secularism in Zanzibar along with its implications within the Islamic society of Zanzibar. This is a descriptive and analytical type of study; in that respect, it proposes to use a qualitative approach, in which observation techniques, written documents, and internet sources were applied to collect the data, which were analyzed and presented in the form of thematic descriptions of secularism in the context of Zanzibar. The finding of this study revealed that Zanzibar is a semi secular state and that Islamic religion is dominant in the government institutions. It is the author’s hope that the study provides the readers with a good perception of the nature of secularism as experienced in the Islamic context of Zanzibar. The study recommends that the people of Zanzibar should opt for a political system that is in need of them without intervening with their Islamic culture while observing the ethics of other beliefs despite their minority.

Key words: secularism, Zanzibar

I. CONCEPTS OF SECULARISM

Different scholars have tried to describe the term secularism such as Mahmood Monshipouri who writes: “secularism is generally known as an ideology that advocates for the eradication of religious influence in political, social, and educational institutions”. Monshipouri describes George Jacob Holyoake’s understanding of secularism that maintains that science was the sole providence of humankind, and that reason was the measure of truth that people’s rightful concern was with the removal of inequalities in this world rather than with possible compensation for such inequalities in another life. He added that the state should be impartial in religious matters, and that all religious and philosophical doctrines should be equally tolerated.

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