The East African nation of Sudan has made significant advances in religious freedom, according to panelists convened by a U.S. Independent Commission that serves as an international Religious Liberty watchdog.
Members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) were joined May 24 by panelists Chair Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair Tony Perkins, Sudanese Minister of Religious Affairs Nasreldin Mufrih, Sudanese Ambassador in Washington D.C. Nureldin Satti, and Dwight Bashir, the moderator of the virtual event and director of Outreach and Policy at USCIRF.
During President Omar al-Bashir’s dictatorial regime (1989-2019), Sudan was known to be a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for 20 years due to the imposition of an Islamist ideology and forced religious conversion. In 2019, Bashir was deposed in a popular uprising. The country shifted to a transitional government and repealed an apostasy law in 2020.
“When [Sudan’s transitional government] repealed the apostasy law, they also changed part of the blasphemy law… it clearly outlined that if anyone makes accusations of any person who is infidel, they will be punished for 10 years in prison, fined, or held accountable of both accounts,” Minister Mufrih said in response to a question about next steps for the blasphemy law.
In ratifying the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act, which includes repeal of former codes on blasphemy, female genital mutilation, alcohol consumption, and guardianship law, Sudan was able to end “egregious religious freedom violation,” Mufrih stated.
According to Ambassador Satti, the 2019 Sudan revolution focused on human rights because Sudanese “want to restore the dignity that has been stolen from them” and to attain their rights, diversity is a critical element.
“God created people in diversity,” Mufrih echoed.
Sudan had multiple obstacles: it was among the state sponsors of terrorism listed by the U.S. government, lacked religious freedom protections, and advanced specific ideals of Islamic supremacy under the previous regime.
By having the mindset of “we do not just say, but also we do” and collaborative efforts of both the Sudan government and USCIRF (since they strategized to continuously promote religious freedom not only in Sudan but all over the world), Sudan was able to progress and “pass laws for the protection of relationship between church and state and allowed Sudanese to practice their religion freely without the government intervening.” To further support the decision-making and thought process, Minister Nasreldin quotes the bible, stating, “the Church will be run by the believers.”
Education has also been an area of focus for reformers. The Sudanese Ministry of Education replaced government-mandated Islamic religious education with a wider emphasis on Sudanese nationality. An increased number of teachers from different faith backgrounds and beliefs have also been hired, with the objective to promote willingness “to live together in peace and harmony where all love and care for each other” Mufrih mentioned.
In 2020, Sudan hosted a conference, led by the Prime Minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok, which focused on the promotion of religious freedom. More than 250 people across age, culture, and religious backgrounds, including Christians, were in attendance. The event discussed New Sudan and how it “is making religion a priority as part of the new country.” Mufrih concludes his statement by saying “As our own revolution has shown to the world that if you are fighting for peace, justice, and equality, you will win and we will continue to be an example of not just a successful revolution but a revolution that projects its values and shows the world that we are going to do what we said we’re going to do.”
Minister Nasreldin Mufrih described a center for religious coexistence that is being formed. The purpose of this inspirational center is “to reflect [Sudanese] values and the values of revolution to project to the world that we’re not only talking about it but doing it.” The transitional government also officially recognized major Christian religious holidays, including Christmas.
The Sudanese official described his country as now more “trustful and respectful,” especially following the release of the USCIRF 2021 annual report, which removed Sudan from a special watch list of religious liberty violators and noted the country is no longer recognized as a promoter of international terrorism.
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