Christians in Zanzibar prevented from building a church by government officials, Muslims.
Tanzania was formed in 1964 when the mainland (at the time called Tanganyika) was merged with the islands (Zanzibar and Pemba being the largest). The article contains a good short summary of the tensions between the mostly Christian mainland and the mostly Islamic islands.
I know from experience that the government officials in the islands are largely under the influence of fundamentalist Muslims, who often have veto power over law enforcement. During the holy month of Ramadan, radical Muslims have been known to drag non-Muslims from their homes for eating while Muslims are fasting. Churches have been attacked, and Christians have been beaten with no response from the police. Religious freedom, which is supposed to be a right of all Tanzanians, is largely unknown in the islands.
Please pray for all Christians living in the shadow of persecution.
