Mariam Al-Mahdi adopts the Janjaweed as “ANSAR” for her Family Party
By Mahmoud A. Suleiman
March 24, 2009 — The “National” Umma Party is back at it again with its customary shocking insult against the devout “Ansar” people of Sudan in Darfur. Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi has been reported by the pro government of Sudan (GoS) Islamic fundamentalist news paper “Akhir Lahza” as saying, insensitively and without shame, that the Janjaweed are “Ansar” supporters of the Umma Party and they are the children of the Ansars. She further adding that the Janjaweed are ours (Arabic ???? Haggana) http://www.sudaneseonline.com/ar216/publish/_1/Sudan_News_A2228.shtml! Mariam al-Sadiq is the daughter of the Umma Party leader, former Prime Minister, Imam of the Ansar Sufi Sect, al-Sadiq Siddiq Abdurrahman al-Mahdi. It appears as if Dr. Mariam was in an electoral propaganda campaign canvassing to attract the votes of the Janjaweed killers who were dispatched by the National Congress Party (NCP) regime from outside the Sudan to change the demography of the Native areas in Darfur by housing them in the territories of the indigenous peoples who have been forcibly driven out from their homes to live in makeshift camps for the Displaced persons (IDP) in Darfur and as refugees in the neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic. The Janjaweed are gangs of criminal killers, rapists, robbers and arsons and génocidaires whereas the Ansars are devout pious practicing Sunni Muslims. They are at obvious variance about having anything in common. Ms. Al-Mahdi has added insult to injury.
Mariam al-Sadiq is missing the point that by saying so, she is glorifying the evil crimes committed by the Janjaweed militias in Darfur and condoning the atrocities continuing to take place in the region. She should be ashamed of herself. Apparently, Ms. Al-Mahdi feared the risk of losing the votes of Umma Party traditional constituents that used to represent 90% of those who used to vote with loyalty for her family’s semi private institution. Dr. Mariam al-Sadiq needs to recognise and reflect with humility to the fact that the “Empire” and wealth of the Mahdi Dynasty (clan) was earned with sweat and blood and through hard labour and back-breaking task of the “Real Ansar” of western Sudan “The Gharraba ???????”, exclusively from the Darfur Region. The Janjaweed can not and will not be Ansars even if Ms. Al-Sadiq wants to convert them to her own use!
It seems while Mahdism and its adherents, the Ansar, sought the reawakening the Islamic religious
Fervour. The Mahdi family political goals and ambitions seemed to have taken precedence over the movement’s original religious mission. Such ambitions and varying political perspectives of different members of the family have led to internal conflicts, and it appeared that Sadiq al Mahdi, putative leader of the Ansar since the early 1970s, did not enjoy the unanimous support of all Mahdists.
Moreover, Ms. Mariam al-Sadiq has made assertions that the arrest of the head of the state (Omer al-Bashir) by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a serious matter and would lead to state of anarchy or destabilization in Country. She has claimed that their party has a third way to resolve the crisis with the criminal Court. That “Third Way” she refrained from disclosing it. However, analysts who know the “National Umma Party” clique very well believe that the “3rd Way” this time would be “No Way” but an empty prevarication!
The National Umma Party leadership member, Dr. Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi emphasized that the National Conciliation or the “National Consensual “Compromise” Agreement they signed with the National Congress (NCP) has faced significant pitfalls in implementation and is proceeding slowly and she pointed to the possibility of revoking the event if proves to became more harmful than doing good. She added saying that it is up to the discretion of the Political Bureau.
Few days later, http://www.sudaneseonline.com/ar216/publish/_1/Sudan_News_A2259.shtml Dr. Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, made a U-turn and denied ever using the term Janjaweed or saying the Janjaweeds are Ansar and children of Ansar. She was reported to have confirmed that their Party prevents the use of the word Janjaweed which has no precise definition, being utilized, at certain stage, to camouflage the issue of Darfur. As predicted, it is a series of political blunders followed by bag of lies! This denial of truth gets her into an unenviable sorry state. Damage has already been done by her amateurish approach to serious matters. This incident has shown how out of touch the “National” Umma Party with the matters that currently concern the people of Sudan in Darfur and elsewhere. Kevin Rudd, the Australian Prime Minister said on 13th February 2008, apologizing to his country’s Indigenous people for the past wrongs: “As from today, the time for Denial, the time for Delay, has at last come to an end”!
It is time for action in Darfur and not for hollow rhetoric, Dr. Mariam al-Sadiq. You owe the “Real Ansar” of Darfur “Ansar al-Mahdi” a public apology for the insult of making a conceptual connection between the notorious Janjaweed murderers and the devout Ansar. Is the daughter of Imam al-Ansar prepared to do so in humility? That is a sixty-four-dollar question ($64 question)!
Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at [email protected]