By Premy Kibanga BBC, Dar es Salaam

Muslims have held a special prayer in the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, for all the people who prepared and passed a terrorism bill adopted by the parliament last week.

The bill has been opposed by a number of people in Tanzania, especially Muslims, who say it will intimidate and oppress them.

The Mosque Council of Tanzania on Friday warned President Benjamin Mkapa to be cautious when he signs the bill because, it said, some of its clauses will cause unrest in the country.

The United States has also been accused of influencing the bill, which the US ambassador in Dar es Salaam has denied.

Intimidation fear

The men and women who gathered at a mosque in Dar es Salaam for Friday prayers called on God to give them strength, like their brothers in other parts of the world who are, they said, fighting all those who are intimidating Muslims.

A section of Muslims feels that the sole purpose of this bill is to intimidate and to oppress Muslims in Tanzania, and does not aim to deal seriously with the terrorist issue in Tanzania.

Will Mkapa sign the bill?

The bill was received with some objections by the opposition parties who walked out of parliament during the debate.

Meanwhile, some of the members of parliament belonging to the ruling party have been quoted as saying that they were "dragged into it".

When the bill was first tabled earlier this month, a tremor shook the Dodoma region in central Tanzania, where parliament sits, sending ministers running for their lives.

Muslims who oppose the bill say the tremor happened because of their prayers and threaten worse things will happen to those who took part in the preparation and the passing of the bill.