Hilmī al-Nimnim criticizes the announcement made by Sudanese President ‘Umar al-Bashīr, who threatens to apply Sharī‘ah rule in the North if the South carries through with its secession plan.

The article claims that Sharī‘ah rule was applied before in the South, where most citizens were neither Muslim or Christian. Harsh punishments such as stoning and cutting hands made many adverse to Islam, Arabs, and northern citizens, in general.

Al-Nimnim added that Sharī‘ah is often used to cover illegal political practices, claiming that whoever asks for it must be hiding a crime that he or she wishes to cover.