Sudanese rebel leaders' demand that Islam be kept out of government in the war-torn region of Darfur, has been rejected by government negotiators. African Union peace talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, have moved on to discussion of a political settlement to the 20-month-old civil conflict. Rebel leaders have used the talks to call for a clear division between religion and the state in Sudan. "We are now prepared to start deliberations on the political issues, following the appeal of the international observers and facilitators," Mahgoud Hussein, spokesman for the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), said. "Firstly, we'll start with the declaration of principles. We want a clear distinction between the state and religion. Right now in Sudan you have a situation where Islam is given prominence over other religions. This shouldn't be so. Even though I'm a Muslim, we want religion to be a personal thing with every citizen having the freedom to practice what he believes in." | Well, we can't have that now, can we? |
The demand has been immediately rejected by Government negotiators, who insisted that mainly-Muslim northern Sudan, including Darfur, should be governed under the principles of Islamic law. "Darfur is in the north, so Sharia law should apply. It is not negotiable," Abdul Zuma, media adviser to the Sudanese Government at the talks, said. Darfur's black African tribes are predominantly Muslim but regard themselves as culturally separate from the Arabs, who dominate the Khartoum Government. | And the Arabs consider themselves culturally superior to pretty much everyone. |
In earlier peace negotiations with mainly Christian rebels in southern Sudan the Government conceded that Sharia law would not apply there under an eventual settlement, but the western region of Darfur was not included in the offer. | Christians in the south fought a little too hard, but I'm sure the government has sharia in the south as a long range plan, right after they kill the christians. |
Nobody's commented on this, possibly because we're all caught up in Yasser's (hopefully deadly) illness and the release of Binny's tape. But I think I'm going to mark this one and yesterday's post on the mullahs' reaction to the Afghan elections for the Classix.
The difference between us and them, the reason they hate us and they're trying to kill us, is that their society — Islamic society — cannot abide the idea of individual freedom. They may be shoved to the dunking stool of elections, though they'll fight that every step of the way, but they're forbidden by their religion to accept the idea of personal liberty. The concept itself includes the freedom to choose your religion, even the freedom to practice no religion at all. Islam demands public and ostentatious adherence to its tenets. If you try to leave it, the Koran itself demands you be killed. It can't brook a rival, not even "people of the Book." |
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