The Political Thought of Hasan al-Turabi

Sudan is divided into the North and the South. The majority of the population in the northern part is Muslim. The majority of the population in the south are non-Muslims and do not claim to be Arabs, though certain southern groups are influenced, to a limited extent, by the Arabic language and Islam. Prior to the dominance of Islam in the region, Sudan was divided into two Christian kingdoms: the Kingdom of Makuria, with Dongola as its capital; and the Kingdom of Alwa, with Soba as its capital. These two kingdoms lasted for four centuries after the Muslim conquest of Egypt. During this period, there were waves of migrations of Arab tribes to Sudan: from the north through Egypt, from the east through the Hijaz and from the west through Morocco. This Arab migration, and the cultural and commercial ties that accompanied them, contributed to the spread of Islam and Arabic in Sudan, which in turn shaped a new political system in the country.

The beginning of a dominant Arab-Islamic culture in Sudan can be traced to 1504 when the Sultanate of Fung was founded. The establishment of this Islamic culture was undertaken through the pioneering efforts of Islamic jurists from Egypt and the heads of Sufi orders who came mainly from the Hijaz. Accordingly, the form of Islam that spread in the region was one with a mystic scent, which gave Sudanese Islamic culture a distinctive trait to those in neighbouring lands. In addition, it is noteworthy that Islam was spread peacefully in Sudan through the efforts of merchants and nomadic tribes, not through invasions or military campaigns.

The rule of the Mahdist state ended in 1898 as a result of the English-Egyptian invasion. Subsequently, Sudan entered into the phase which was later referred to as ‘the phase of dual government’. ‘Dual government’ was a term coined by the British to reflect the right of Britain and Egypt to rule Sudan. However, Britain would soon expel the Egyptians, and in the process became effectively the sole ruler of Sudan. In ruling Sudan, Britain adopted a divide and rule policy through an indirect system of government, relying on sectarian and tribal leaders. The purpose was to sow enmity among such groups in order to perpetuate disunity. As for South Sudan, the British occupation adopted what was referred to as ‘the Southern Policy’. The objective of the latter was to separate the South administratively, and to isolate it politically from the national currents that began to emerge in the North. According to the British historian P.M. Holt, ‘[T]‌he Southern Policy of the British administration worked on the gradual separation of the South, and sowing the seeds of communal distinctiveness and tribalism. As in the North, the primary purpose was to stop and obstruct any move towards homogeneity and national cohesion.’

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Britain decided to grant Sudan independence gradually, and to integrate the North with the South within a single state, as this was most expedient in light of Britain’s declining colonial power. However, signs of discord emerged as a result of Britain’s colonial policy: some of the Southern forces rebelled in 1955, and there was an increase of sectarian conflict and political differences between the traditional parties, such as the Federal National Party, the Umma Party and the People’s Democratic Party. These attitudes would come to characterise the first period of independence. When the Sudanese parties decided to declare independence from Sudan’s parliament, after an official motion in 1954, the Southern representatives refused to consent to independence without obtaining a solemn promise by the political parties to adopt a federal system under a permanent constitution. The Northern representatives unwillingly approved. Subsequently, Sudan achieved its independence in January 1956.

As a result of sectarian and tribal struggles, and the antagonistic differences between the various political parties, a series of military coups occurred. The first coup took place in 1958, and it was led by General Ibrahim Abboud. This was followed by the popular October Revolution in 1964. Then, in 1969, there was the military coup led by Jaafar Nimeiry, who continued in power until 1985. In an attempt to legitimise his rule, Nimeiry held a referendum in October 1971, which resulted in making him president of the Republic. In 1973, he formed the Sudanese Socialist Union which was modelled after the Arab Socialist Union of Egypt sensu strectu.

The Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972 between Jaafar Nimeiry’s government and the South Sudan Liberation Movement was one of the most important achievements of Nimeiry. The Agreement put an end to the civil war in the South, which had lasted around seventeen years. In addition, his success in 1977 in achieving a national reconciliation agreement with all the political opposition, including the Muslim Brotherhood led by Dr. Hasan al-Turabi, was a significant accomplishment. This led to Turabi agreeing to join Nimeiry’s government, dissolve his party and become a state servant. The national reconciliation served Nimeiry’s own interests, as he was able to weaken the opposition political blocs and gain the support of Muslim Brotherhood sympathisers and members. As the Sudanese writer Muhammad Bashir Hamid says, ‘[T]‌he reconciliation allowed President Nimeiry the freedom to manoeuvre, and enabled him to strengthen his base in the army and in the Socialist Union, and to eliminate some rivals and elements in both bodies whose loyalty was doubted, or whose ambitions were worrying.’ Subsequently, Nimeiry announced the implementation of the Islamic sharia in 1983.

The Structure of the Study

This research tackles an important contemporary phase in the history of Sudan, where changes have taken place at the local, national and international levels. The study includes five chapters.

Chapter 1 includes an overview of important Islamic thinkers who are relevant to our discussion, including Ibn Khaldun, Afghani and Muhammad Abduh. The second part of this chapter identifies the nature of the Islamic political movement during the colonialist era. Finally, the third part of the chapter discusses how the principles of Islamic political thought played a role in feeding the revolutionary movement in the Arab Levant.