Adullahi A. Gallab, The First Islamic Republic (Ashgate,
2008)
THESIS: Sudanese
experience shows that Islamism (and all other ‘isms’) can and should be
contested.
Introduction
Sudan was one of the 1st African countries to
gain independence but the last 50 years have been a dismal failure.
The Birth of the
First Islamic Republic
- in the first coup (30 June 1989) Al-Bashir (in Sudanese
Defense Force) colluded with Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha (NIF) and Al-Turabi to
overthrow Sadiq al-Mahdi but deliberately jailed Turabi and others to mask the
fact that it was an Islamist coup. They
wouldn’t admit this till al-Bashir was deposed 10 years later.
- This 10 year rule was a ‘reign of terror’
Revolution in the
Sudan
- 1989-1999 revolution-like period at least
- Rise of dictatorial rule that used oppression to establish
Islamist model distinct to al-Turabi’s Islamists ideas and state theories
About the Islamists
- What does Islamist
mean? Better to use “political
islam”? How do we use the term
“fundamentalism”?
- Since 1928 emergence of Society of Muslim Brothers (Hasan
al-Banna), local ideological groups have evolved such as Sudanese Islamists.
- al-Turabi has led movement since 1964 through a number of
variations of governance and political structure that continues to present
The Islamist State in
Sudan
- Islamists in Sudan see themselves as making a fundamental
break with Sudan’s past and the world at large
- National Charter for Political Action (1987) is a
blueprint for radical change both regime-wise but also for an alternative
society.
- first Islamic state was an embodiment of the comprehensive
call which meant forcing people into “righteousness”
- With the coup one
sees a fusion of Islamism and totalitarianism in the state’s rule and ideology
Chapter 1: Reflection on Islamism in Sudan
- al-Turabi overstepped in his initial aspirations for the
way in which Islam in Sudan would become a global force and phenomena—a
pan-islamic international order
- from base (qaeda) in Khartoum, they granted citizenship to
Islamists from all over and formed two strategies:
*
Destabilize un-Islamic muslim and arab states and replace them
* Claim
leadership of world Islamic movement thru “Islamists Comintern” (under auspices of PAIC)
- within Sudan they violent suppressed all over religious
groups to include muslims that fell outside their particular brand
The Islamists within
the Sudan’s Social World
- Spirit of independence (and “invention of locality”) as an
idea of cultural and historical continuity in Sudanese life
- Always viewed as separate from Egypt—this was
characterized by Muhammad Ali’s invasion in 1820-1. Sudan was primarily used to hunt for slaves
and for resources. However, inside Sudan
fissions began to form along religious lines
Redrawing the
Economic and Socio-Political Map
- 3 periods: british conquest in 1898, independence in 1956
and early years of Nimairi regime
- British failed to create modern state but did introduce
Sudan to international system
- Independence Nimairi modeled nation after Nasser’s Arab
Socialist regime (expansion of public education, transportation and comm.)
- Early Nimairi period saw crackdown on political parties,
nationalization of financial institutions...
- peculiar nature of condominium composition: Britain’s
unprecedented partnership with semi-colonized African state (Egypt) to colonize
another country
- historically then, most northerners shared religion,
language and some culture with Egyptians
- during colonial period, infrastructure and economy was
developed (mainly in the north) to fracture dependence on Egypt—it basically
gave them the tools/structures to for a nation-state.
- evolution of Sudanese identity: sacredness of Arabic
language in relation to Koran; development of Arabic print journalism; spread
of Egyptian Arabic books and magazines
and journals; orthodox islams as state religion; Arabism as major force.
Chapter 2: Elementary Forms of the Islamist Movement
The Elementary Form
of the Movement
- Most say the movement is not connected to the Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt and is self-made and novel
- Author argues that no trends were novel or original in
origin
The Anatomy of the
Islamist Movement
Determinants and the
Course of the Islamist Movement
Chapter 3: Competing Visions in the Aftermath of the October Revolution
The Emerging Field of
Power
Who is Hasan
al-Turabi?
The Coup as Mode of
Change
Chapter 4: From the Corporation to the Coup
Property, Power and
Violence: The Islamists’ Pattern of Stratification
The Trail of Violence
The Hijra to the Camp
The Hijra to the
Campus
The Migration to the
Land of Plenty
DISCUSSION NOTES:
The first thing is the Nile and the way it ties it to Egypt
moreso than any other country in Africa.
So it’s integrated historically.
- Ottoman Trachia is first conquest of Sudan (with help of
Egypt). Out of this period comes the
Mahdist regime in the late 19th century. Condominium follows this regime (overthrows
it).
Brits felt very threatened by Sufi Islam and so they
integrated Islam into the colonial state to resolidify more orthodox elements
of Islam.
Politics have always been sectarian (not ethnic). There have always been two parties that agree
on Arab-Islamic Sudanese identity and that Sharia law should be used—but they
disagree on how to implement and govern.
These two parties are Democratic and Umma parties (though their names go
through many variations).
Al-Bashir claims to be democratic but a more vanguard,
democratic rule by the intellectual elite.
Turabi is much more vanguard—he’s much more set on remaking
society to his idea and then letting it choose his idea democratically after
the fact. Agenda of first republic is of
Islamization and Arabization. Their
jihad is very complex—defeating the southerners first and then changing them to
self-identifying Islamic Arabs.
During the 10 year period, Turabi treats the civil war with
south as a jihad. He was always a real
believer in his agenda—it wasn’t just about staying in power like with
al-Bashir. Turabi had a lot of support
out of Darfur but his base was always at the university level. He’s ultimately unsuccessful because he’s
kicked out by Bashir in 1999. Since then
he continues to be a thorn in their side (even now at the age of 80).
Bashir doesn’t have much of an agenda now except to stay in
power.
*Arabization means Arabic is the official language and it’s
taught in all the schools
Why did Bashir allow Turabi to create the PDFs?
Sudanese politics are always about the following agendas:
Assimiliation
Territorial integrity
*But they are pragmatic always
*Biggest issue after secession is the new periphery is
closer with the lower 1/3 lopped off.
The periphery is closer and easier for Khartoum to marginalize and
effect.
*The three areas
never voted on whether they were joining the north or the south. The SPLA basically sold out those three
areas because they were just concerned with getting the secession of the South.
- Post-Bashir Sudan is the biggest question!
- Paradox of Sudan is that it has a good democratic
structure but that it’s always under military autocratic rule
- South was never secessionist until they found oil. It was never a North-South problem but always
a Center-Periphery problem (John Gareng).
by Abdullahi A. 
