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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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The political, economic and religious transformations in Post Islamist Sudan
| Panel |
14. New Modes of Sociality in Muslim Africa
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| Paper ID | 781 |
| Author(s) |
Ahmed, Einas
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | The main focus of the paper will be on the changes which have occurred in the political, the economic as well as on the religious spheres in Post-Islamist Sudan. Precisely, I will analyze the recent internal dynamics resulting from the Islamists policy since 1989 at the light of the thesis of the 'Failure of Political Islam' which has been observed in other similar contexts.
Since the early 90s, the Sudanese society has undergone a remarkable change at both, the political and socio-economic levels. The aim of the Comprehensive National Strategy, the political program of the regime, was to install an 'Islamic Society'. At the political level, the most important consequence of this strategy was first, the compromising of the national unity by negotiating the eventual separation of the non Muslim South. In this case and from a political point of view it is more appropriate to talk about 'the success of Political Islam' to achieve one of the main goals of the Islamists that is to 'gaurantie the preeminence of the Islamic Identity of Sudan'. But at the same time this policy has led to the resurgence of strong ethnic resentment among the non Arabized communities challenging the historical domination of the Arabized groups.
Another area of the 'Success of Political Islam' is the economic sphere where the regime has succeeded to create a new 'bourgeoisie' very linked to the State and to the dominant party, the National Congress Party. Contrary to the other cases, the post Islamist new business groups in Sudan are close to the State or more precisely to the party. The issue of how the economic policy 'based on Islamic principles' of the Comprehensive National Policy has resulted into a new 'consumerist culture' which does not differ from other non Muslim societies. Most importantly is that this policy has succeeded in consolidating the power of the Islamists elite.
The paper will also consider other Islamic institutions (the sufi brotherhood), and reformist groups (Republican Brothers) and their position in and reaction to the new political and social dynamics. Post Islamism in Sudan and the future of the relation between Religion and Politics can not be well understood without considering the other Islamic groups and institutions in the Society. |
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