Religious Diversity in Praxis

Abstract

The discussion on religious diversity is strongly linked to the discussion on religion in the public sphere. The heritage of the first president of Tanzania Julius Nyerere and his Ujamaa socialism is that religions belong to the private sphere and following this idea the official census of Tanzania does not include religious affiliation even today. This study analyses the role of volunteers who provide assistance to dying patients in the Selian Hospice and Palliative Care Programme in Arusha, Tanzania. The aim of this study was to analyze how the nomination process influenced the involvement of Muslims among palliative care volunteers. The results of this study clearly indicate that the nomination process involving the local village governments contributes to the involvement of volunteers from various faith traditions. The volunteers of various faith traditions share a common volunteer identity and as well most of their motives for volunteering are similar despite their diverse religious traditions. This shared volunteer identity reflects the strong social cohesion among the volunteers of the Selian Hospice and Palliative Care Programme.