Sudan may Disintegrate Further

People revolt against the government

Sudan’s President Omar Hassanal Bashir announced recently a two-week unilateral ceasefire in Kodofan, an oil-rich area economically important for Sudan. Kodofan is located in the southern part of Sudan. Readers should not mistake it is in Southern Sudan, which has already seceded from Sudan. Kodofan is in the southern part of the remaining Sudan. The grievance of people in Kodofan is that Sudan has used aerial attacks on the region’s tribal Nuba group for crushing their opposition. Many refuges have fled into the bordering country South Sudan.

Religious persecution

The reason for the secession of Sudan was religious persecution. The northern part of the united Sudan consisted of Muslims and the southern part Christians. Muslims imposed their dress code and culture on the Christians. They insisted that Christian women should wear the burqa and cover their faces. The Muslims insisted that Christian girls should not be sent to schools as Islam prohibited giving education to women. When pointed out that Christianity does not enforce such a culture on its followers, the Muslims replied rudely that the preaching of Prophet Mohammad is for all humanity in the world and not specific only to the Muslims. This promoted the Christians to take arms and fight the Muslims. Ultimately they won independence with the help of the Western powers.

Another civil war in the offing in Sudan

Now the people in the southern part of the remaining Sudan are fighting against the regime at Khartoum. They either want to establish an independent country or to join South Sudan. In the meanwhile, many opposition parties are alleging that Bashir’s victory in the recent elections was achieved through massive rigging of the elections. It seems Sudan may have to fight another civil war with the rebels.

Basic attitude is wrong

The basic attitude of the Sudanese people and the government should change. The Muslims should realise that the religious tenets as enshrined in their Holy Koran are valid only for them and not for the other religions. Even Prophet Mohammad never enforced the Islamic principles on people following other religions during his lifetime. If the Muslims in Sudan feel that the whole world should follow their religious tenets, then they should realise that it can be achieved only through love and affection and not through bullets. The Christians living in Sudan have every right to follow their Holy Textbook Bible and to adopt any culture they want. Muslims have no right to question it. Christians also have a right to educate their girls as their religion does not oppose it.

Nigeria should learn a lesson

If Sudan and its people do not change, then the country may be split further. Their economic progress will decline and they will go down in history as a country of missed opportunities. Nigeria, another African country in religious turmoil, should also learn a lesson from the happenings in Sudan.