Background:

A Southern Sudanese discussed in this interview the Islamisation of al-Kharṭūm in Sudan, as well as several reported cases of kidnapping in al-Kharṭūm and surrounding areas such as the refugee camp Māyū. In 1994, Cornelis Hulsman travelled to Sudan with the Cairo Foreign Press Association (FPA) delegation along with fellow members of the FPA. During his stay, Hulsman focused particularly on the issues regarding alleged kidnapping of Christians and Islamisation, whereby he interviewed the lawyer of the brother of a kidnapped girl. The lawyer was just like the victim, a Southern Sudanese living in al-Kharṭūm.

Side A:

According to the lawyer, the then six year old girl was kidnapped in 1986 in Northern Sudan and taken to Shendī, a town northeast of al-Kharṭūm. The child had been captured and placed with a family there for 6 years and was found by her brother at the age of 12. The brother went to a local Catholic Church to ask for financial support in order to hire a lawyer who could help bring the child back.

Many similar cases have been reported in the refugee camp Māyū, whereby children of around the age of 13 have allegedly been kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam and essentially been trained to be child soldiers. Other cases report the kidnapped children being exported to Saudi Arabia and Libya to serve Arab families and fulfil hard labour. According to the lawyer, the number of kidnappings is large, as many families in Māyū desire to have 2-3 children to help support the poor family when they are old enough. Soldiers allegedly take advantage of this and snatch the children away. The terrible conditions in Māyū; the lack of food and water, heat and diseases (as refugee camps are often located in the desert, away from the city), have according to the locals not been improved by either the government or the Islamic NGO; al-Daʿwah al-Islāmīyya, whose priorities lie with Islamising the villages and camps.

Furthermore, locals insist that night inspections have taken place at the camps, whereby the police inspect house arbitrarily and when asked the reason behind these inspections, people have been taken to prison without trial. Reports have also shown the snatching of people aged 18-40 by the government from the camps in order to fight at the frontline along with the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA).

Side B:

The Islamisation of non-Muslims in al-Kharṭūm has caused the alleged diminishing of Sudanese traditions that are not in line with Islamic principles such as the traditional clothing for women; the thoub. The thoub, according to locals is in process of being replaced by the ḥijāb (Islamic veil). In addition, Sufism – a different dimension of Islam that deals with the reparation of the heart and uninterrupted worshipping of God – is very prominent in the capital. Southern Sudan consists of a much larger portion of Christians than Northern Sudan, where this dimension of Islam; Sufism is prominent. Northern Sudan is led by the religious and Islamist political leader Ḥasan ʿAbd ’Allah al-Turābī , who besides his perceptions on enforcing Sharīʿah Law in Sudan, also shares his support for the force used by militant Islamists in Egypt against the regime, claiming its legitimacy.