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At some particular moment in 1983 the aging Sudanese leader was struck by a vision of his country as a pure Islamic state. Perhaps he thought that by embracing Islamic fundamentalism he could overpower the opposition that had long been building to his rule. In August 1983 the laws of Islam were decreed to be those of modern day Sudan and the Christian south, since the 1979 agreements united in a single governate, was divided into three districts. These measures threw the south into turmoil and alienated moderate Arab opinion in the north. It was one thing to apply Islamic law to Muslims, to hold public floggings, sever limbs and prohibit the sale or use of alcoholic beverages; it was quite another to inflict these practices upon Christians already chafing under the domination of the Muslim north. (it) |
