President plans Islamic constitution

Barnabas Fund 19 July 2012

President of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir

Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has proclaimed the country's next constitution will be "100% Islamic" to set an example for neighbouring countries. The President's formal statement on July 7 comes amid significant shifts in North African countries where Islamist parties are gaining influence and positions of power.

He said, "We want to present a constitution that serves as a template to those around us. And our template is clear, a 100% Islamic constitution, without communism or secularism or Western [influences]."

Shariah, or Islamic law, is already in force in Sudan, which is 98% Muslim, but the president seems intent on formalizing its authority and enforcing it more strictly, making the position of the Christian minority increasingly vulnerable following the secession of the largely Christian South Sudan last year (for more, click here).

Please pray that al-Bashir's plans will be thwarted and that Christians in Sudan will be able to worship Jesus Christ in freedom. Pray that Christians in Sudan and South Sudan will be faithful to God, despite opposition. Pray that the Lord will make Sudanese Christians strong to lovingly and boldly proclaim the gospel (Ephesians 6:18-20).

For more information on the trials Christians face in Sudan, go to the Sudan Country Report.

Sudan

Country Information
Population
49,197,555 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Sudanese Arab (70), Fur, Beja, Nuba and Fallata (30)

Religion
Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

Leader
President (to be determined)
Transitional military leadership in place

Government type
Presidential republic

Legal system
Mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Sudan
Pray that Christians throughout Sudan will continue to entrust themselves to Christ and preach the Gospel boldly, knowing Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth (2 Timothy 1:7-12, Revelation 1:5).

Pray also that peace, justice and religious freedom may be firmly established.

Sudan News

Church Building Destroyed While Authorities Watch

A demolished Pentecostal church building in Khartoum.
Photo: CSW

On July 8th, approximately 30 individuals equipped with heavy machinery demolished a Pentecostal church in the El Haj Yousif area of Khartoum as police officers and military personnel looked on without intervening. By the time the demolition was finished, the worship hall – which had been constructed in the early 1990s – was reduced to rubble, along with the church's administrative offices, guest house, and other adjoining buildings.

Read more...
Church Leaders Face Violence from Multiple Sides

A church in Sudan.
Photo: Flickr / David Stanley (cc)

The bishop of the El-Obeid diocese in Sudan recently suffered a harrowing ordeal at the hands of both members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and those of the opposing rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On December 1st, Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali reported that he was travelling with a deacon named Joseph. The ministry team had just arrived in El-Obeid when they were suddenly stopped and harassed by the SAF. The troops seized the small sum of money in U.S. dollars that the bishop was carrying, claiming that it was forbidden currency. During the robbery, the soldiers also physically harmed the two men.

Read more...
Displaced Christians Driven From Their Homes

A group of people in Sudan.
Photo: Wikipedia / Nina R (cc)

Residents of the Al-Makniya area of Sudan's River Nile state drove 34 displaced Christians from their homes on October 19th. Those responsible for the displacement explained that they did not want any Christians nor black people in the area.

Read more...
Military Officers Arrest Christian Refugees

Photo: VOMC

Amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan, a group of over 100 Sudanese men, women and children travelled to the city of Shendi on the banks of the Nile River in search of refuge from the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group, RSF. There, the refugees – most of whom are members of the Sudanese Church of Christ – sought shelter in an affiliated church building.

Read more...