President Robert Mugabe said that education Minister Lazarus Dokora denied that he was introducing Islam through the new education curriculum. In an interview with Tazzen Mandizvidza just before his 93rd Birthday, the President said:
Akaramba yekuti anonzi Ayatollah, akati no, beard yangu iyi ndakangobvira nayo kudhara. I cannot shave it off. Vamwe vachiti ah zvinonzi when you went to Iran ndokwawakabva wava Muslim, akati no I am not Muslim at all. I remain a Catholic.
Ah isu tanga tanzwa kuti watova muMuslim. Saka ava kutounza chiMuslim kuti anoda some Muslim prayer, akati no he is not introducing anything like that
He(Dokora) denied the rumour that he is called Ayatollah, saying he has kept a beard, from ways back. I cannot shave it off. When I told him that there was speculation that he converted to Islam when he went to Iran, he said I am not Muslim at all. I remain a Catholic.
We had heard that you now a Muslim. So he wanted to bring in Muslim ways such as a Muslim prayer, but he said no he is not introducing anything like that.
Dokora has been the subject of many rumours on social media which said that the Minister was introducing the new education curriculum in order to make Islam the main religion taught in schools.