Sudanese Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments urges Sudanese Jews to return 

The Sudanese Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments urged the Sudanese Jews to return to Sudan and participate in the reconstruction process.

Minister Nasruddin Mufreh has invited his country’s Jews abroad to return.

This came in an interview published on Sunday, by Asharq Al-Awsat, after interviewing with Mufreh via e-mail, while the Sudanese minister gave no comments about the meeting.

Much stated: “The founding organisation of Daesh is not located in Sudan. There are affiliates to Daesh. However, I do not have any specific statistics.”

He added that “although a few of Daesh members have returned to the country, we are not aware of the location of the others and some of them were killed in battles.”

Mufreh stressed that “anyone who is convicted of joining Daesh or spreading the ideology of terrorism, extremism, fanaticism and hate speech will be dealt with following the law.”

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He explained that the property stolen from the Sudanese Christians, during the previous regime, will be returned to them by law.

Mufreh conveyed that he has invited the Sudanese Jews, who were forced to leave their country, to return and participate in the reconstruction process.

Responding to criticism in this regard, he said that the Jews, who used to live in Sudan between 1880 and 1969, faced significant pressures especially during the era of former President Jaafar Nimeiry (1969-1985), which led them to emigrate from Sudan.

Mufreh added: “I have called on all Sudanese abroad, including Jews who have citizenship to return and live in Sudan just like any other citizen who holds the nationality of this country.”

He confirmed that “his call came within the framework of peaceful and religious coexistence.”

Mufreh denied that “the invitation was extended to the Zionists who occupied the Palestinian territories, but it was rather a call to the Sudanese Jews who lived in Sudan and were part of the tissue of the Sudanese authentic and diverse society.”

On 6 October, the Sudanese Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, called for ending hate speech and religious extremism, following accusations of apostasy made by a Salafist Imam against the Minister of Youth and Sports, Wala Al-Boushi, who filed a complaint against the sheikh for his extremist ideas and accusations against her.