The Challenge of Islam in Sudan and South Sudan: a Christian Perspective – by Bismark M

Chapter 16 The Challenge of Islam in Sudan and South Sudan: a Christian Perspective – by Bismark M. Avokaya This article is briefly looking at the challenge of Islam in Sudan and South Sudan from a Christian perspective. It is not our intention to handle everything related to this topic because of the limited scope of this work. We are briefly highlighting a few things to generate the interest for further discussion by other individuals who may take the issues further in full depth and breadth. Brief Background It is well known that for many years Sudan had been in war with itself for several reasons: racial, ethnic, socio-economical, political and religious1, which strained relationships to some extent, not only between North and South Sudanese as people of one country, but also between Muslims and non-Muslims as people of faith groups. The social divisions in the country were entrenched beyond imagination. For instance, a simple misunderstanding between two people, a Northerner and a Southerner (or a Muslim and non-Muslim for this matter), could result not only in the two people resorting to a physical fight within seconds, but even cause others from the two sides to join in the fight just on the basis of ethnic and racial loyalties, without first establishing the cause of the misunderstanding between the two. But the most devastating war was the one fought between the then Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army/ Movement (SPLA/M), which ended in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005. However, at the signing of that peace agreement, the late Dr. John Garang echoed his concern to his counterpart during a speech in Nairobi that: “… either we implement this agreement or we take an alternative painful route – dividing Sudan into two. If Sudan will not rise to the challenges of this agreement, then rest assured it will split at the end of the six-year interim period”.2 Certainly, as the then Sudan failed to “rise to the challenges”, the country split into two following the referendum which achieved 98.83% votes for separation. South Sudan finally got its independence on July 9th 2011.3 What is Islam? Let us consider a few descriptions of Islam before we come to define what Islam is: “Islam is more than just another religion next to Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Judaism. Islam claims to be a way of life. It is a system which governs and controls the lives of more than 1.2 billion men and women around the globe”. 4 “Islam, in its clear and direct way of expressing truth, has a tremendous amount of appeal for any seeker knowledge. It is the solution for all the problems of life. It is a guide toward a better and complete life, glorifying in all its phases God, the Almighty Creator and the Merciful Nourisher”.5 “Islam is the first and the final religion of mankind”.6 “Islam is the 1 Mundri Relief and Development Association MDRA Fifteen years on: Experience of an Indigenous Organisation in Wartorn Southern Sudan (iMageready: Kenya) 2006, page 2, www.mundridevelopment.org . 2 Daily Nation, Nairobi, Kenya,10 January 2005. 3 www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudanese_independence_referendum,_2011/ . 4 www.answering-islam.org/ 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. most rational religion. It gives a clear code of life”.7 “Islam is the shortest and broadest road that leads to God”.8 Rosemary Sookhdeo states that: “We must recognise that Islam is totally different from any other religion as it is more than just a religion – it is a religion, a culture, a legal system (sharia) and a political system, all rolled into one. In fact, as it is a totalitarian system it could be classified as an ideology”.9 Given these descriptions of Islam, it is definitely more than a religion. It is a way of life that strives to encompass every part of human life. Therefore Sookhdeo is correct in saying it is “an ideology”. Yet is it comprehensive in a way that makes the human life contented as it seemingly states? The question that poses itself in the light of this is, “does a Sudanese or South Sudanese Christian who engages with a Muslim, have a meaningful response to these claims, not only by the way of arguments, but also through a convincing life testimony? ”10 If not, what could be some of the implications? The challenges of Islam to the Muslims Before we consider looking at the challenges of Islam to Christians, it may be worth looking at whether the adherents of Islam have some challenges to their own faith or not? If they do, what are some of those challenges? Certainly, it would be appropriate to get this from the Muslim perspective as an insider. This writer’s intention is to gain an insider’s emic11 view, as suggested by Malinowski12, for the purpose of objectivity. Hence let us look at these concerns of a Muslim believer: “Islam, like any religion, is facing challenges to evolve and adjust to modernity and in particular to the economic and cultural power of a dominant West. What issues are confronting Muslims in a modern globalised world? Being a Muslim in the twenty-first century, we have to deal with current challenges and try to find our way. We rely on the past, we rely on great scholars, but we also have new challenges and it is up to us to try to find the way towards faithfulness. The great problem for Muslims today is a psychological crisis based on a lack of knowledge and lack of deep understanding of the spiritual dimension of our religion”.13 The writer continues to express concern in this way: “The way we translate the concept of Islam is wrong, the notion of Islam is wrong and all the terminology and also the way we are understanding the interconnections and the priorities. And I really think that if there is a challenge for us in the twenty-first century here and everywhere to be able to come back to the understanding of our terminology, the priorities and higher objectives of our religion: why are we here, what is the answer of our religion, as to the great questions? The first main crisis, the first main ‘how to be a Muslim in the twenty-first century’ is to look at this as it is. That what we really need to think about is, how do we transmit the spiritual message of our religion? How, in our societies, do we spread this peace and confidence and trust? Because at the starting point of everything is confidence. Confidence is not just being scared by other people. First, of course, for a spiritual mind, for a spiritual message, confidence is to trust Him, al-tawakkul ala’ allah. It is this 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 Sookhdeo, Rosemary Breaking through the Barriers: Leading Muslims to Christ (Isaac Publishing: McLean, VA) 2010, page 15. 10 www.answering-islam.org/ 11 emic: of, relating to, or involving analysis of cultural phenomena from the perspective of one who participates in the culture being studied; cf. etic: of, relating to, or involving analysis of cultural phenomena from the perspective of one who does not participate in the culture being studied. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary . 12 Malinowski, B. Argonauts of the Western Pacific (Routledge: London) 1922. 13 http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/Challenges-Of-Islam-546196.html/ 2 confidence. It is the tawakkul. So we have to ask ourselves, how do we do that? It’s not only through national discourses. These kinds of lectures are really important but at the end of the day it is a daily process at the local level. To deal with the communities, to deal with the people, to listen to their…”.14 This Muslim writer has raised a number of questions that seem to be of greatest concern to him. The question of “modernity” in the context of the ever increasing economic and cultural influence of the western world; globalisation in the light of huge reliance on “the past”, on the wisdom of “great scholars”. Yet some of the current challenges may not have been there in the past and therefore, and perhaps, the wisdom of the scholars may be lacking. In this regard, how do you remain as faithful a Muslim as you ought to be? The author of this chapter in our book would like to add that, currently (in general terms) Islam seems to be ‘married’ to terrorism. If you are a Muslim who does not take part in terrorism, how do you deal with the perspective of this ‘marriage’? However, having said this, it is imperative to note that the Islamic worldview differs from location to location, as Mensah asserts in his discussion of the need to understand the Islamic worldview.15 Kim also warns of the danger of falling into the reductionism trap of scholars by attempting to generalise about Islam, while ignoring the “particularity of local Islamic phenomena in specific cultural contexts”.16 Yet the face of Islam in general is basically similar in all localities, especially where the orthodox aspect of the religion is concerned. Muslims worldwide confess the Islamic creed, or Shahada, that acknowledges the oneness of God and the apostleship of Mohammed. From this credal statement stem “all of Islam’s concepts, attitudes, moral values and guidelines for human behaviour and relationships”.17 Focusing on Sudan, the main argument in this article is based on the view that the lack of any genuine relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims can largely be explained by some of the negative ways in which some Muslims in the Sudanese government have related to non-Muslims over the years, especially within the context of Muslim/Christian relations.

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