Speaking at the conference of the Union of the Tanzanian Imams to pray for peace ahead of the 2025 polls, Muslim clerics from various institutions and denominations pledged their support to President Samia, who is one of the candidates in the polls.
President Samia was the guest of honor at the conference held on August 24, 2025, at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar.
“We pray to Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, to continue granting you approval and for you to advance more and more,” said Sheikh Arif Surya, Chairman of the Union of Tanzanian Imams (UMATA), one of the main speakers at the conference.
He continued: “Along with prayers, we must also make efforts. We, as UMATA leaders, promise you that throughout your entire journey, as you visit various regions [for campaign], wherever you go, we as UMATA will seek out a large mosque and hold an iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat) to pray for you.”
In their speech, UMATA highlighted that the objectives of the conference were to prepare Tanzanians to protect peace in the country and to launch a special campaign dubbed, our peace, our future. The campaign focuses on reminding Tanzanians that there is life after the election, and urges religious leaders to preach about peace in their respective religions.
Emphasizing the theme, the Regional Sheikh of Dar es Salaam, Sheikh Walid Alhad Omar, assured President Samia of the Muslim community’s solidarity in safeguarding peace in the country.
“Continue with your work with complete freedom, and fortunately, these people here are not only from Dar es Salaam, but from 26 regions. In Dar es Salaam alone, I have 10,300 mosques, and I don’t know about the other regions. The regional sheikhs are all here, if we had the chance, we would have presented the statistics so you could see just how far peace is being prayed for in this country,” Sheikh Walid Omar said.
“Nothing will disrupt the peace of this country because of that. Insults are always the weapon of the one who has lost. When you see someone you are debating with abandon arguments and start insulting, just keep on working, you should know you have already defeated them,” he continued.
Reasons for support
Many of the religious leaders who spoke at the conference expressed their satisfaction with the performance of President Samia’s administration, highlighting this as their main reason for supporting her as a candidate.
“May God grant us all the intention and the heart to sincerely pray for our President, so that she may fulfill her responsibility, and that the elections proceed smoothly and peacefully; and may it be our great joy as Tanzanians to see our mother achieve a resounding victory,” said Murtaza Adamjee, representing the Bohra Muslim community.
“We pray to Almighty God to bring peace to our country, and for our President to achieve a landslide victory in the coming election,” added the representative of the Ismaili sect in Tanzania.
The Chairman of the Council of Islamic Communities and Institutions, Sheikh Mussa Kundecha, highlighted key areas of President Samia’s performance that make her leadership stand out from the perspective of the Muslim community. These include eliminating the environment of fear in the country, reforming the curriculum to incorporate religious studies, and strengthening Islamic banking.
“As Muslims, we were deeply concerned, and we were distressed. Around twelve years ago, the first window for the Islamic financial system was established. Alhamdulillah, but it was a small, limited window, insufficient for us as Tanzanians,” Kundecha explained.
“Through you, we have witnessed with our own eyes the opening up of the Islamic financial system, which removes us as Muslims from the fear of interest. That trial has been lifted from us, and we have found great comfort,” Kundecha continued.
Another issue Kundecha highlighted is the matter of curricula: “Through your leadership, we are now witnessing in the new and improved curriculum that religious studies are officially included. The task now lies with Tanzanians to establish all requirements to get qualified teachers who can teach Arabic, who can teach Islamic knowledge, who will be employed by the government, a task that, all along, we Muslims have been carrying out without any form of support.”
Kundecha analyzed the past administration as a tough situation, where everyone was worried. Ministers were going to work stressed, and even some businessmen had to flee the country; the situation, he believes, has been reversed, and all is well at the moment.
“In the short period you have had, you have managed to accomplish these things. We believe that if you are given another term, we can achieve even greater things than what we have already achieved. We pray to Almighty God, Subhanahu wa Ta’al, to grant you that opportunity once again, just as he had granted it to you in the beginning,” explained Kundecha.
The representative of the Office of the Mufti of Zanzibar, Sheikh Shaaban Batwashy, who is the Head of the Division of Conflict Resolution, explained that the good performance of the Sixth Phase Government has made Tanzania a model nation in the world.
“Tanzania has become like a pearl to other countries around the world, and you, Honorable President, have indeed accomplished so much, and may you continue to achieve even greater things. We wish you well and pray for you with the blessings of Almighty God, so that you may continue to guide us further during the remaining period and in the phase to come as well,” said Sheikh Shaaban Batwashy.
Question of women in leadership as per Muslim teachings
The conference took an opportunity to tackle an ongoing debate in the Muslim community: whether women are allowed to be leaders, as per the religious teachings. Religious leaders present, explained it is only forbidden in Muslim institutions, not social institutions, which are not Islamic by nature.
“Islam says that a thief’s hand should be cut off, but today, if you cut off a thief’s hand, will the government leave you alone? Therefore, in an Islamic government, a woman can not lead, but in a government that is not Islamic, a woman can lead,” explained Sheikh Mirambo Yusuph Kamili in his speech on behalf of all regional Imams.
He explained that several muslim scholars have taken upon themselves to raise public awareness on the issue by travelling across the country.
“We have spoken about these matters in various regions. There is a group led by Abdul Kambaya that has been moving through different regions. We met in Tabora, and we talked about these issues; then we went together to Katavi and spoke about them again, and they went on to other places as well. If we are facilitated, we will be able to travel and explain these matters everywhere,” he explained, highlighting several scriptures that support the argument.
Women’s representative in UMATA, Hajat Farhana, also emphasized the importance of supporting President Samia in the coming election.
“As women, you have given us greater honor in your position as President of the United Republic of Tanzania. And we, the women of UMATA, will continue to pray for you, may Allah grant you ease in your journey for another five years, for the benefit of all Tanzanians,” said Farhana.
Speaking at the conference, Samia, who is also the national chairperson of the ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), and its presidential candidate in the upcoming election, warned about the threat of breaches of peace during this period and called for heightened vigilance.
President Samia recognized the role of religious leaders in peacebuilding, urging them to continue strengthening the faith of their followers to preserve peace in the country, noting that the lust for power is one of the causes that gives rise to signs of breach of peace.
