Sudanese preacher slams Muslims “calling for the secession of the south”

The Friday sermon on 16 September 2005 was broadcast live on Sudan TV starting 1035 gmt from the Al-Shahid [martyrs] Mosque in Khartoum. The preacher was Shaykh Abd-al-Jalil al-Nadhir al-Karuri.

The first sermon lasted 19 minutes and dealt mainly with religious issues.

The second sermon lasted 15 minutes and dealt with religious issues and a focus on Sudan’s history.

The preacher said: “In the second sermon let’s talk about Sudan’s history. How did we come to Sudan? These facial features which are relayed by cameras prove to the world that the people of Sudan comprise of Arabs and Africans and we are happy about it…

“The entry of Islam into this country was not to conquer, but to reconcile. The Christian kingdoms did not fall at the beginning of the Islamic victory, but the two sides became equal. Dear brothers and sisters peace always brings about balance of power…

“Oh God make the latest peace, the Naivasha and Nairobi peace accords, a victory to Islam… some are saying that history is repeating itself and I think this expression is right…

“In concluding this sermon, we want to advice ourselves, we Muslims. Some of us are not only extremists when dealing with each other but are also calling for the secession of the south. No. Some Muslims are behaving as if they want the north to secede. Why? So that they can rest. Dear brothers do we solve problems by resting? Are political issues solved simply like this? No. Politics is an issue which deals with peoples’ ties and which can not simply be solved like this.”