Sudan’s Al-Turabi discusses future of Islamic movements on Al- Jazeera TV
Dr Hasan al-Turabi, secretary-general of Sudan’s Popular National Congress Party has says that Islam is “prospering” all over the world and is now active and more open in all countries in the west.
These comments come as part of the discussion programme “Opposite direction” on Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV. The programme was broadcast at 1835 gmt on 20 January and moderated by Dr Faysal al- Qasim in the studio in Doha. This week’s topic of discussion is “have the Islamists reached a dead end”?
Guests of the episode are Dr Hasan al-Turabi, a leading Sudanese Islamic figure; and Sadiq Jalal al-Azim, thinker and author of the book “Criticism of religious thinking”.
Moderator Al-Qasim begins with Sadiq al-Azim. He asks him: “There has been an almost unprecedented attack on Islam and Islamists for the past several years. Everyone is being watched. Charity institutions are being watched, curricula are being changed and Islamic leaders are being pursued. In spite of this, there are those who believe that this has backfired. There is ongoing Islamic growth and awakening and Islam is flourishing. What do you think?” Al-Azim says he disagrees. “First of all, Islamic movements were never pursued. On the contrary, they were the allies of the west in its fight against communism.” Al-Azim believes that Islamic movements “have indeed reached a dead end and there are many indicators that testify to this fact”. He says that the biggest proof of this is “the experience of Dr Hasan al-Turabi himself”.
He says that all the “Islamic projects that he announced in the name of which he took over the rule [After the 1989 coup d’etat in Sudan Al-Turabi’s party the National Islamic Front took a central role in the government] and said he wanted to implement them have collapsed at an amazing speed. He went through a very difficult experience.” He says when Islamists take over the rule in a country, they declare that Islamic laws are the prevailing law and they begin to impose severe punishment on people, thus reducing Islam to a law of punishment.
He says when Saddam was being criticized for cutting off people’s ears and noses, he used to say that “the West does not understand Arab and Islamic traditions and culture”.
Al-Turabi on the other hand believes that if Islamic movements are facing challenges, it does not mean that they have reached a “dead end”. He says that the Islamic movement in Sudan was provoked by the West “which wanted to change the country’s language, culture and laws” and that it was started by intellectuals who wanted to “go back to their origins”.
Al-Azim thinks that those who say that Islamic movements are prospering are “deceived”. “Is the violence that some factions are practising, especially Al-Qa’idah,” he says “a sign of prosperity? No, it is a sign of a crisis.” He says things have come to a stage where they are “absurd”. He says countries that used to support them have turned against them and they are in a state of confrontation with the entire world.
Al-Turabi sees things differently. He believes that Islam is “prospering” all over the world. It used to be more “silent” and “static” and now it is active and more open in all countries in the west. In politics, he says, in the past, Islamists were confined to the opposition, but today they are exercising their right to freedom of expression and to form movements and parties. He gives examples of how Islamists have more freedom in France and in other European counties.
Al-Turabi is asked why Islam has been “associated with all that is negative, anti-civilization and backwardness”. “We ask ourselves: What have countries that raised the slogan of Islam achieved,” Al- Qasim says. Al-Turabi replies that this is the case with the West. He says that the West lost their morals when they became free from the church; whereas Muslims, who were illiterate before Islam, had their eyes opened to science along with religion.”
The debate continues between the two men while several viewers call in to express their views. The poll shows that most of the viewers do not believe that Islamic movements are reaching a “dead end”.
The programme concludes at 2000 gmt.
BBC Monitoring Middle East