While North and South Sudan face off on the border, in the North sectarian attacks appear to be increasing in frequency, writes Asmaa El-Husseini At a time when Heglig, the oil-rich region on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, grabbed the headlines, something else perhaps more sinister was going on. Extremists in Khartoum burned down a church frequented by Southern Sudanese in Al-Juraif district. The incident sent shockwaves of horror across Sudan, a country that likes to think of itself as a haven for religious coexistence. Sudanese parties and public figures were quick to denounce the incident. Some believe that the attack was triggered by a dispute over land ownership. Others say that the assailants were bent on intimidating the Southern Sudanese living in Khartoum. Public figures called on the government to prosecute the culprits to the full force of the law. But who are the culprits? No one seems to know. What makes things worse is that eyewitnesses say that the police acted with indifference throughout the incident, which although remarkable in its significance, resonates with a new spirit of intolerance that may be taking root in the country. Religious extremists have been actively stirring sectarian strife in the country with little or no resistance from the government. Ruling party officials are still unwilling to recognise the sectarian aspects of this and similar incidents. Amin Omar, who is a senior official in the ruling National Congress Party, said that the burning of Al-Juraif Church was a criminal act but not necessarily a sectarian one. The entire nation was horrified by the attack, Omar said, and no group claimed it. Hardline Salafis, who many blamed for the attack, deny any involvement. Sudanese journalist Sabah Ahmed said that violence was not directed against a certain sect, but against the entire country. Within one month, three incidents of sectarian violence were reported in Sudan. One was the burning of Sufi mausoleums in the cemetery of Aylafun. Another was the apostasy charges that the Rabita Sharia (Islamic Law Society) brought against Al-Sadeq Al-Mahdi, chief of the Ummah Party and imam of the Ansar community. A third featured an attack on a tent of Gamaat Ansar Al-Sunna (the Society for the Followers of the Prophet's Tradition) in Omdurman. According to Ahmed, the purpose of these attacks is to undermine the history of religious tolerance. She pointed out that other factional confrontations took place recently in various parts of the country. One was a violent clash between the disciples of Sheikh Al-Amin and those of Weddel Bena and Beit Al-Mal inhabitants. Another was an attack by the disciples of Sheikh Abdel Rahim Al-Buraei against the Ansar Al-Sunna Mosque in northern Kordofan. The frequency of such events, Ahmed said, is alarming. As tensions rise on the political scene, religious fanaticism seems to flourish, which in turn fuels political dissent. Sudan's inability to confront its political demons is to blame for the current escalation in sectarian violence. And if the latter is left unchecked, hopes for peace and democracy will be further diminished.
