Sudan: parties warn of secularism and normalisation with Israel

Sudanese parties have warned of attempts by the transitional government to impose what they called “secular and liberal policies and normalisation with Israel.”

Sudanese “In Defence of Sharia and the State of Law” movement, which includes several Islamic parties and groups, called for “protest marches in rejection of attempts of secularisation, the exclusion of Sharia and normalisation with Israel.”

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum, Secretary-General of the movement, Mortada Al-Tom said: “We will stand as an impervious barrier against secularisation, the exclusion of Sharia, and the attempt to normalise relations with Israel.” He went on, “all options for escalation are open to us.”

Al-Tom called for “marches and processions to denounce the statements of some government officials and the Forces of Declaration of Freedom and Change.”

He went on, “we have heard statements by officials about the separation of religion from the state and the normalisation with Israel, leaving behind the Sudanese people’s main issues on the reformation of the economic and living conditions and the revolution’s slogan of peace, justice and freedom. This indicates their haste to impose their secular ideological visions.”

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For his part, the head of the movement Mohammed Abdul Karim revealed the preparation of a critical memorandum of the constitutional document signed between the Military Council (before its dissolution) and the Forces of Declaration of Freedom and Change.

He added, at the same conference, that “the memorandum includes comments by the “In Defence of Sharia and the State of Law” movement on the document’s ignorance of Islam as a source of legislation, and that Arabic is the official language of the state,” considering that “the Sudanese revolution is being violated and  abused by left-wing parties.”

“The December revolution had not broken up to separate religion from the state, and the Sudanese people are instinctively at ease with the values ​​of the Islamic law. Religion is a red line that the Sudanese people cannot accept to cross,” Abdul Karim continued.

There has been no official comment from the Sudanese authorities on these accusations.

Sudan has witnessed rapid developments as part of power conflicts, since the army ousted Omar Al-Bashir from the presidency on 11 April, under the pressure of widespread protests, which started in late 2018, condemning the country’s deteriorating economic conditions.

Accordingly, a 39-month transitional period has started since 21 August, which would end with elections.