Sudan television criticizes “christianization” of Darfur

By The BBC Monitoring Service

LONDON, Nov 10, 2004 — The Sudanese state TV’s official web site http://www.sudantv.tv was observed to be carrying a section entitled “Darfur on its way to christianization” on 10 November 2004 which contained a series of commentaries on the subject of christianization. The link to the commentaries was depicted by an emblem of the Christian cross superimposed by a red X.

One of the commentaries entitled “Preface to christianization in Africa and Sudan in particular”, says the process of christianization in Sudan was actually initiated by the British occupation: “The plan to christianize Sudan goes back to old times, more precisely to 1917, when the British occupation started setting up a political and administrative barrier between northern and southern Sudan.

“The occupation encouraged Christian missions and left doors wide open to them. It changed the official holidays from Friday to Sunday and removed Islamic security forces from the south…”

“The occupation not only separated the Muslims of southern Sudan from their brothers in northern Sudan, it also removed them from everything which had to do with Islam. Even those with Arab names were forced to change their names and were forbidden to speak Arabic so as to encourage English. The British occupation was open-handed with Christian missions, allowing them to have free hand as far as education was concerned. Those missions started to spread their venomous propaganda against Islam and against the Arabs in the south.”

Several commentaries on the subject were observed to be critical of the Vatican, quoting statements by Pope John Paul II to Christian organizations operating in Africa, in which he said that Darfur needed “the word of Christ”: “Pope John Paul II did not mess around when he visited Sudan at the beginning of the 1990s when he raised a 12 meter-long cross in Khartoum’s Green Square,” says one commentary.

Another chapter deals with the “danger of christianization” in Darfur. It is entitled “The flies of christianization invade Darfur”.

“Whatever is the truth about the conflict in Darfur and the government stance on it, our main concern now is to throw light on the danger of christianization which is now threatening the Islamic world.

“Like flies go around the rubbish vying with one another, missionaries take advantage of fear, inter-fighting and famine in Darfur, taking advantage of the fabricated media campaign and the sudden Anglo-American concern over the tragedy of Arab and African Muslims in Darfur. It is not surprising that Darfur has suddenly become part of both Blair and Bush’s electoral agendas, in a bid to have a short breathing space from the Iraqi quagmire!”

Other commentaries also said there are more than 25 Christian organizations operating in Darfur, such as Caritas and quoted Vatican radio as saying that a new organization called the “true Samaritan” was now working in Sudan.

Other organizations, such as the US evangelical Mercy Corps, were said by the commentaries to be directing efforts aimed at christianizing Darfur for the past 25 years.

Commenting further on the missions the commentary says:” What can the hungry and the sick do if they are told “we have the most modern mobile hospitals which serve the best food. Just say you believe in Christ and we will let you in.”

Another chapter entitled “Garang: one of the wicked fruits of christianization” says that SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement) leader “John Garang, a pagan in his youth, was the outcome of the christianization campaigns when he converted later… leaving behind the religion of his Dinka tribe. He joined Christian schools and became a Protestant, later joining the CIA, and then becoming the leader of one of the leading insurgence movements in one of the longest wars in the African continent in an attempt to force his own agendas on the Khartoum government with the support of Washington and Tel Aviv!”

The commentary concludes with the chapter entitled “Are Islamic organizations able to meet the challenge?” where it says that despite the fact that there are numerous Christian missions operating in Darfur, little space is left for Islamic relief organizations. “Where is the Islamic charitable work? And where is the fight back of the Islamic organizations? Our esteemed reader should know that the USA has frozen the assets of several Islamic organizations which were expected to be operating in Darfur in areas where missionaries are working now. And this step was taken within the framework of the US war on terrorism!”

The end of the commentary has an e-mail address: [email protected]

The source is quoted as : Mufakirat al-Islam “Islamic journal”

Another commentary entitled “US-Zionist plan to set up a Zaghawa state”, talks about a US-Israeli plan to set up a separate state in western Sudan called ‘The Zaghawa state’. [The Zaghawa is one of Darfur largest tribes which is fighting against the Khartoum government .]

“Arab reliable sources, have said that a large amount of US weapons and ammunition arrived in Zaghawa areas, near the Sudan Chad border, and that Israeli aircraft carrying dozens of Israeli security forces had transported the weapons. The same sources said secret talks had been held between US and Israeli elements with some Zaghawa rebels and that an agreement had been reached at the talks in London, Tel Aviv, Washington and African countries to set up a region called ‘the golden triangle’. The triangle would be an area centred on territories controlled by the Zaghawa tribes, near the Chadian border, and its side will extend on both sides to Sudanese and Chadian territories.

According to the same sources, a geographical survey has been carried out since last month in the middle of the region of the golden triangle. The operations are aimed at setting up a sophisticated military base whose main sections will be underground, it will be equipped with the latest military material and will be under America’s, Great Britain’s and Israel’s joint supervision.”