Al-Da’wa organisation between blunders of the Sudan and toleration of South Sudan
by James Okuk, PhD
Prelude
From November 2022 up to January 2023, happiness reigned in South Sudan upon hearing the news of the appointment of Hon. Sheikh Musa Al-Mak Kur Papiti as the Interim Secretary-General of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya. Big celebrations took place in Juba with massive congratulatory messages to the world. South Sudanese were happy to see for the first time in their history of independence that their very own knowledgeable and cultured Muslim intellectual is valued and recognized internationally. This positive message is a result of the big trust bestowed upon Hon. Sheikh Musa Al-Mak Kur Papiti by the donors and philanthropists of the Gulf countries (Qatar, Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.). Among his passionate supporters is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of this unique humanitarian Islamic organization who is a well-respected spiritual leader and businessman in Doha. The intellectual maturity and sense of service of the South Sudanese Muslims who have been at the forefront of this noble work of humanity with Islamic values have made them be admired and exulted more than the Sudanese Jellaba who have messed up the Secretariat of this organization for decades now because of corruption, selfishness, discrimination, and marginalization of others. Change of leadership and old habits is now a desirable option for the organization!
Profile of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya
Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya is an international non-governmental religious organization founded in May 1980 with headquarters based in Khartoum, the capital city of the Republic of Sudan. It has attracted massive funding from the Gulf countries and Muslim philanthropists across the world because of the confidence this organization has generated among the citizens of South Sudan and East Africa. Its core objective is to spread the good original message of Islam in a courteous and gentle manner, especially in Africa. These include the unconditional provision of social services to the deprived and the needy people by promoting virtues of liberty, justice, equality, tolerance, and peace.
The organization draws its inspiration from THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM (i.e, declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage) as enshrined in the Quran, the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and the Law (Shariah). Muslim scholars have condensed the teachings of Prophet Muhammad into a few statements that should touch every aspect of life. They believe that actions should be judged by the intentions behind them and that God wants what is pure for humanity to thrive in dignity. They regard the true prophets and guarding angels as blessings to the people, directing the faithful on the divine right path of salvation. They advise Muslims to leave aside what does not concern them, and instead, love others equally the same way they do to themselves in a spirit of brotherhood and good neighbourliness. Muslims should adhere to the principle of no harm, and all the time avoid amassing worldly. The wealthy ones among them should help the poor and the needy people without discrimination on any basis. After all, the core focus of life on earth should be what guarantee every believer in God’s entry into heaven in the eternal world because of the demonstrated loyalty to Allah only with unmatchable service to humanity.
As a non-profit organization, Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya endeavours to promote Islamic moral teachings about religion, life, family, education, wealth, justice, respect, and final destiny of all the believers. At the top of these is the worship of One God (Allah) daily, the companion of Angels, the reverence of Prophets, the respect of the Holy Books, the fear of the Day of Judgment, and the acceptance of the Final Destiny that comes with Ultimate Divine Decree.
Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya has seventy (70) members in the Board of Trustees representing Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, and other western and eastern African countries in addition to many affiliated and subsidiary Islamic organizations around the world. The Board of Trustees elects the Secretary-General and Vice Secretary-General and appoints the Board of Directors comprising ten (10) members for oversight on the execution of the mandate of the General Secretariat. The organization has external bureaus and regional missions in different parts of Africa and Asia―Sudan Uganda, Somalia, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mali, Emirates, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, among others. It collaborates with specialized and subsidiary humanitarian agencies and foundations around the world [like African Council for Private Education, the African Charitable Society for Mother and Child Care, Danfodio Holding Company, etc.]. Funding for this organization comes from contributions and donations by benevolent people and philanthropists, especially from rich Islamic countries.
South Sudanese and Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya
Of the known South Sudanese Muslim intellectuals who were prominent at the founding and promotion of the objectives of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya in the decades between the 1980s up to 2000s are Sheikh Mubarak Gissimallah from Malakal, Abdallah Hamdan Deng from Aweil, Ahmed Al-Radhi Jaber from Melut, among others. Sheik Mubarak served as the Secretary-General in the 1980s to 1990s and the organization thrived significantly with popularity during his tenure, especially in Uganda and Southern Sudan. Lots of achievements were scored, and as a result, the donors built big confidence in the work of this organization. Thirty (30) vibrant schools, many health centres, and mosques were built across Southern Sudan (in Upper Nile, Bahr El Ghazal and Equatoria regions) even during the tough times of SPLM/A liberation war against marginalization in Sudan. Over thirty-five (35) land plots with title deeds were acquired in prime locations. Memorable examples of these are Fatma Fakhro Girls Senior School in Juba, Muktar School in Wau, and Khalid bin Waleed School in Raja.
In 2020 when the government of the Sudan decided to close down the headquarters of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya in Khartoum and confiscate its properties and finances, the Muslims of South Sudan and East Africa moved very fast to offer an opportunity for hosting the headquarters in either Juba or Kampala so that the good work of humanitarian service delivery and capacity building that this organization has been doing can continue without being bogged down by territorial revolutionary politics in Sudan. However, this lobby did not bear fruits because of the conspiracy of the Arab Sudanese Muslims (Jellaba) against the black Muslims of South Sudan and East Africa. The headquarters was relocated to Niamey, Niger, to deny Juba or Kampala from becoming an important attraction to Islamic investors and philanthropists from the Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.
- Jellaba and Tendencies of Marginalization of Others
Because the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya, Sheikh Abdulrahman Aal Mahmoud of Qatar, had built strong confidence in the honesty and knowledgeability of South Sudanese Muslims, he recommended Hon. Sheik Musa Al-Mak Kur to be appointed as the interim Secretary-General in November 2022 until the elections is conducted for new office holders in January 2023. He wanted to send a message to the Sudanese Muslims that there is light at the end of the tunnel for this organization if the leadership of its Secretariat is entrusted to a renowned South Sudanese Muslim.
Indeed, and with enthusiastic dedication, Sheikh Musa served that office honourably with productive engagement during his short tenure. He travelled from Juba to Khartoum and within a short time the organization recovered its lost assets and other gains in Sudan except for the frozen finances by the order of the court. He raised funds and the organization was able to send massive relief items through Sudan to the displaced children and women in the Shilluk Kingdom who were targeted by the Nuer White Army from Jonglei State. These items were shipped through Sudan and distributed to the vulnerable IDPs in Melut, Kodok and the surrounding villages. All those with human hearts became happy with this quick intervention. His rigorous engagement and diplomatic approach to issues secured unprecedented support from the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to stand by the organization and ensure the return of any asset or property to the Secretariat, including land plots that might have been misappropriated by some unruly individuals. All these became a promising reinvigoration.
Unfortunately, the Sudanese members of the Board of Directors of the Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya united against Hon. Sheik Musa Al-Mak and lobbied other members not to confirm him in that office, because this will be a humiliation to Sudanese Jellaba who have been treating South Sudanese as their slaves since the time of the Baqt Treaty in the 7th Century. This came as a shock to many South Sudanese and their Muslim friends in the Middles East and Africa. It sends out a negative signal that the Sudanese Muslims still have not learnt from what led to the separation of South Sudan, the tendencies from Khartoum to marginalize the black South Sudanese in any key strategic leadership position even when they are eminent Muslims.
It is to be recalled that the Umayyad Governor of Egypt, Abdallah ibn Sa’id ibn Abi Sarhand, forced the Baqt Treaty on Nubian Kings of the Kush in 652 A.D to implement the following:
1) Nubians to cease raids and wars against the Arabs and Muslims in Egypt.
2) Nubians to allow safe freedom of movement of Arabs and Muslims in their territory
3) Nubians to build a Mosque in Dongola and keep its maintenance yearly.
4) Nubians to pay a tribute of 300 black slaves annually to Arabs Muslims in Egypt.
5) Nubians to return fugitive slaves and unauthorized Arabs back to Egypt.
South Sudan, including the Shilluk Kingdom where Sheikh Musa Al-Mak hails from as one of the eminent personalities and a prince from royal lineage, was part of the Kush Land along the Nile and to Sub-Saharan Africa. The biblical Old Testament describes this blessed Land and its People in the History of Human Civilizations with the following honour:
“Alas, oh land of whirring wings which lies beyond the rivers of Kush, which sends envoys by the sea, even in papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters. Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared far and wide, a powerful and oppressive nation whose land the rivers divide.” (Isaiah 18:1 – 2).
If you look at the physique of Hon. Sheikh Musa Al-Mak, there will never be a single doubt that Prophet Isaiah’s description holds true about him. He looks exactly like one of the strong people of the Kush, especially in character and fitting appearance. He is black, tall, smooth, confident, courageous, knowledgeable, wise, honest, noble, and feared.
According to the ancient historical records of the Vatican, Christianity was first brought to the Land of Kush by the Church of Byzantium in the 6th century. The local Church later passed this to the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria. Nonetheless, the end of the Christian Kingdoms of Nubatia, Makuria and Alodia in the 14th century, led to the almost total disappearance of Christianity with only a few Franciscan communities remaining in the volatile region messed up by the unjust Baqt Treat and the inhumane slave trade. It was in the late 19th century during the Turko-Egyptian Rule that St. Daniel Comboni (1831-1881), the Italian missionary and founder of the Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and of the Congregation of the Pious Mothers of Nigrizia (also known as the Comboni Missionary Sisters), managed to re-establish the Church in Sudan with conviction to “regenerate Africa through Africans”.
Their intensive missionary activity allowed Christianity to expand at an increased rate between 1901 and 1964, strengthening the national identity of the people of South Sudan as distinct from the Jellaba Muslim population in Northern Sudan. The fierce opposition to Islamization and arabization policies of Khartoum after the independence of Sudan from Anglo-Egyptian Rule in 20th Century, fueled the secessionist movement which led to the two civil wars between 1955 -1972 and 1983-2005, and finally to the independence of South Sudan in 2011.
History is very interesting. The same Arabs who invaded the Land of Kush in the 7th Century after the birth of Christ and provoked liberation wars, could not hesitate to unite against Sheikh Musa Al-Mak in Khartoum in early January 2023 of the 21st Century to push him out from the helm of Secretariat of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya. They all lobbied and voted unanimously as a Sudanese bloc within the Board of Trustees to ensure that the loved Honorable Shilluk Prince from South Sudan doesn’t stay in that key office any longer. His confidence, knowledge of Islam and Sharia, professionalism, and sense of service to the people without marginalization has scared the corrupt Sudanese Muslims in Khartoum to have him as their boss at the General Secretariat, which is the dynamo of the organization.
Instead of confirming the Hon. Sheikh Musa Al-Mak as the Secretary-General of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya from 2023 to 2027, the unjust Sudanese Muslim conspired against him and voted in a known corrupt Sudanese Arab Muslim called Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Adam who has no African DNA in his biological identity. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sheikh Mahmoud of Qatar, was left speechless and shocked of this outdated marginalization practice as if the Arab Sudanese Muslims have not learnt from the consequences of oppressing the black South Sudanese and their strategic central location in Africa. He was so offended by the senselessness of the Sudanese on the Board who did not feel ashamed to bite the right hand that has been feeding this organization for decades.
The selfish Jellaba only felt the upcoming consequence of their marginalization vote after it was too late to undo the damage. They had to move quickly to rectify the blunder by nominating Sheikh Musa Al-Mak to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a mere oversight position with no effects on the organization, compared to the previous post of Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees he was holding alongside Sheikh Ahl Mahmoud. South Sudanese became upset and told their strong Muslim Man to decline the offer and travel back to Juba where he is dignified and honoured by the top leadership of the country who respect Islam.
What the Sudanese did to South Sudan is now strong evidence for a final nail in the coffin of cooperation in future on the work of Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya. Every South Sudanese knows now that whatsoever the situation, Jellaba will always remain Jellaba even when a black African has served them diligently with the unwavering spirit of Muslim brotherhood and universal care. Therefore, it is high time for the black Muslims of South Sudan and Africa at large to form their own solidarity. All the good work done by Sheikh Musa Al-Mak in South Sudan in the name of the Secretariat of this organization should be retracted and the new Secretary-General shouldn’t be welcome in Juba. Also, let the leaders of South Sudanese Muslims forget about their links with the Jellaba Muslims of the Sudan and establish direct contacts with the eminent Sheikhs and personalities in the Gulf countries who are willing to support humanitarian and developmental services in South Sudan in a gentle manner and without marginalization tendencies. No more middle-corrupt Sudanese Muslims should be allowed to be the brokers between Juba, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait, Oman, and others. Justice should be done this time around. Enough is Enough!
Who is Sheikh Musa Al-Mak Kur Papiti?
To have informed knowledge of who we are talking about, it is worth taking to peruse the brief biography and resumé of this feared South Sudanese Black Muslim Man by the Sudanese Jellaba. Musa Al-Mak Kur Papiti was born to Shilluk Royal Family in the Kodok district of Upper Nile in South Sudan at the time of General Ibrahim Abboud’s Military Rule in Khartoum. He grew up in Fashoda, Kodok, Malakal and Jebelain in the White Nile region of Sudan among his people and later among the Jellaba nomads who were friendly to the Shilluk Kingdom.
He has been known as a tolerant prince who understood the value of ecumenical connection as most of his brothers and sisters are Christians or believers in African spirituality. A concrete example can be seen in how he has been very close to his prince brothers, a zealot Presbyterian Pastor with an unwavering determination to spread Christianity even at the time the Islamic Agenda of conversion was at the top of government priorities in Khartoum in the 1990s up to the time Machakos Protocol was signed in Kenya between the SPLM/A and the Government of Sudan in 2002. This is a unique religious toleration, peaceful co-existence and ecumenism that can only be found in South Sudanese families.
He is married and blessed with intelligent daughters and sons, some of whom have been educated in the UK and the US. He is a passionate and lovely caring parent, not only to his immediate family members, but also the extended family, relatives, in-laws, friends, and colleagues in the workplace. His home has been an abode of people from different origins, and he was always kind and hospitable to his quests regardless of their affiliations to any creed or colour of their skin. He speaks and writes fluent Arabic and English in addition to his mother tongue, Shilluk Language, as well as Dinka language and some little Nuer languages. He is very social and religious in his lifestyle and can even go anywhere to show solidarity with others.
Musa Al-Mak has completed his postgraduate studies and is waiting to be awarded a master’s degree of Arts in Peace and Development Studies from the University of Juba in South Sudan. He holds high diploma in Political Science from El Neelain University in the Sudan, an advanced certificate in Decision-making Process from Sudan Academy for Administration Sciences in the Sudan, and a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Education from Tanta University in Egypt.
Sheikh Musa has tremendous professional work experience. He was a teacher in many secondary schools in northern and Southern Sudan, served as Relief and Rehabilitation Officer, and was appointed as Provincial Commissioner for Jebelain in the Central Region of the Sudan as well as of El Fasher in Darfur. He served as Governor of Upper Nile State in the 1990s and also as an elected Member of Parliament in the National Assembly in Khartoum where he was appointed to be the National Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries. He served as a Member of the High-Level Committee on the implementation of federal governance in the Sudan and was very close to Sheik Hassan Al-Turabi who admired his steadfastness and intellectual rigour, especially his strong stance on how Islam should be made attractive by good deeds without force or deceit. He was appointed as the National Minster for Peace & Development and participated in the rounds of peace talks for the good of Sudan and South Sudan. He was an active and constructive member of national and local peace and reconciliation initiatives in different parts of the Sudan. He has been a member of sports, cultural and social clubs with documentaries on royal burial rites in the Shilluk Kingdom.
Not only these but also Sheikh Musa Al-Mak participated in several international conferences of UN Agencies (FAO, WFP and UNHCR), international and national Ministerial Committees, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth Conference. He served as a Member of South Sudan and Sudan Dialogue Group with active engagement in the rounds that had taken place in Zanzibar, Arusha, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Khartoum, Juba and Atlanta in the USA with support from the Carter Center. He has attended and presented papers in many seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences on political and economic issues, displacement, repatriation, and rehabilitation. One of these papers was about the “South Sudanese Muslims: Realities and Prospects” presented at the Sudanese Studies Center at Saint Anthony, Oxford University.
Sheikh Musa Al-Mak has served as a prominent board member of Sudanese Agricultural Bank, Sudanese Saving Bank, Nima Investment Bank, Buffalo Commercial Bank, Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya, African International University, Upper Nile University, Ebony Center for Strategic Studies, Holy Qur’an Society and Chairman of Dar El Arqam for New Converts in Sudan and South Sudan respectively. He is one of the founders of the South Sudan Islamic Council and Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Education and Interfaith as well as the African Council for Education and Development. He was the first intellectual and political leader to introduce International Secondary Certificate in South Sudan. Most notably, he has been an Adviser to the Ahl Maktoum Foundation in Dubai, Chairman of Peace Holding Company (Peace & Development Group of 6 Companies) and CEO of TAGA for Human Resources Development based in Juba at Hamza Inn along Notos Drive.
Conclusion
From this summarized profile, it can be seen how Munazzamat Al-Da’wa Al-Islamiyya is being let down and destroyed by the Sudanese Jellaba by denying a great South Sudanese black Muslim like Hon. Sheikh Musa Al-Mak Kur Papiti to lead the Secretariat. The trust he has earned from individual donors and foundations in the Gulf countries, the middles east, Asia, Europe, the United States of America, and beyond, has raised and dignified the name of the Republic of the Sudan in the Muslim world. The Sudanese will regret for the second time in their history of nation-building the day they conspired against this exceptional resourceful and moderate South Sudanese Muslim. Legacy will never forgive them for this. Not only that but their well-known dirty profile of corruption and deceit under religious cover has gotten exposed for future notice to all African Muslims and their friends in the world.
May the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to South Sudan in February 2023 be a great message to Jellaba in Khartoum after 30 years, similar to the Visit of the late Pope John Paul II to Sudan in February 1993. Sheikh Musa Al-Mak Kur Papiti will be among the dignitaries who shall be blessed by the Pope during the ecumenical prayer at Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba.
James Okuk is a renowned South Sudanese political analyst and a researcher with PhD from the University of Nairobi. He can be reached at [email protected]