Page 252 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

THE WINTER OF ISLAM AND THE SPRING TO COME
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also banned the learning of Arabic and going on the hajj. Despite this
policy of the Tanzanian government, however, the number of Muslims
in the country is growing every day.
One of the government's policies aimed at Christianizing the pop-
ulation is the attempt to establish a mixed Islamic/Christian belief sys-
tem under the name of the Islamic Renewal Movement. The people are
tools, and as part of this policy they are told that there is no need to
carry out many of the basic tenets of Islam. Those who oppose these
twisted beliefs are either thrown into prison, or killed, or made to leave
the country.

SRI LANKA
INDIA INDIAN
Terrorism Aimed OCEAN
at Muslims
Sri Lanka is an island na-
SRI LANKA
tion in the Indian Ocean with a
Muslim population of some 2.6
million Muslims. The Tamil
guerillas waging war against
the administration sometimes
also attack Muslim villages and
kill innocent civilians. One re-
cent massacre took place in the
village of Mawanella, which
was completely destroyed on May, 3, 2001. The Sri Lankan Muslims
have prepared a website to try to have their voices heard by the outside
world, and in it they describe the suffering they are subjected to in these
terms:
... We Muslims are, basically, a trading and business community, with
a recent incursion to the various professions in many fields. Our con-
tribution to the development and progress of Sri Lanka have always
been positive and we have, since ancient times, maintained a very cor-
dial and friendly relationship with all of the other communities
amongst whom we live.