Protesters on the East African island of Zanzibar are calling for their own separate state, 50 years after it joined with mainland Tanganyika to form the Republic of Tanzania.

A Muslim religious group called Muamsho is leading the calls for secession, saying Zanzibar should pull out of the mainland and adopt political Islam.

The push for secession by the poor masses riled up by politicised Muslims has left Zanzibar's Christian minority - many who are from the mainland - in fear that matters could get worse for them.

Al Jazeera's Malcolm Webb reports from Stonetown.