Islam in Tanzania

Tanzanian Muslims
Total population
approx. 21 million (34.1%)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Eastern (coastal) part of the country
Religions
predominantly Sunni Islam with Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities
Islam by country
World percentage of Muslims by country
Africa
Asia
Americas
Europe
Oceania
Islam portal

Tanzania is a Christian majority nation, with Islam being the largest minority faith in the country.[2] According to a 2020 estimate by Pew research center, Muslims represent 34.1% of the total population.[1] The faith was introduced by merchants visiting the Swahili coast, as it became connected to a larger maritime trade network dominated by Muslims. This would lead to local conversions and assimilations of foreign Muslims, ultimately causing the eventual formation of several officially Muslim political entities in the region.[3][4] However, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), 55.3% of the population is Christian, 31.5% is Muslim, 11.3% practices traditional faiths, while 1.9% of the population is non-religious or adheres to other faiths as of 2020.[5] The ARDA estimates that most Tanzanian Muslims are Sunni, with a small Shia minority, as of 2020.[3]

On the mainland, Muslim communities are concentrated in coastal areas, with some large Muslim majorities also in inland urban areas especially and along the former caravan routes. More than 99% of the population of the Zanzibar archipelago is Muslim. The largest group of Muslims in Tanzania are Sunni Muslim, with significant Shia and Ahmadi minorities. According to the Pew Research Center research conducted in 2008 and 2009, 40% of the Muslim population of Tanzania identifies as Sunni, 20% as Shia, and 15% as Ahmadi,[6] besides a smaller subset of Ibadism practitioners as well as non-denominational Muslims.[7] Most Shias in Tanzania are of Asian/Indian descent. [8] Some Ahmadis are also of South Asian descent. [9]

  1. ^ a b "Religions in Tanzania | PEW-GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org.
  2. ^ "Tanzania". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Mandivenga, Ephraim (1990-07-01). "Islam in Tanzania: a general survey". Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs Journal. 11 (2): 311–320. doi:10.1080/02666959008716174. ISSN 0266-6952.
  5. ^ "National Profiles".
  6. ^ "The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. 9 August 2012. p. 128. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  7. ^ Wortmann, Kimberly T. Omani Religious Networks in Contemporary Tanzania and Beyond. Diss. 2018.
  8. ^ https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90124.htm
  9. ^ https://fa.wikishia.net/view/تانزانیا#اقوام_و_مذاهب