South Sudan: Sharia Law and Jihad Leads to Birth of a New Nation

By Michael Ireland
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- Even though the mainly Christian and animist south Sudanese people will have their own independent country on Saturday, July 9, the plight of Christians and non-Arab Muslims continues in North Sudan.

Although the new country will celebrate its official establishment in a ceremony tomorrow, its establishment does not end the plight of Christians and non-Arab Muslims living in North Sudan, according to International Christian Concern (ICC - www.persecution.org ) .

ICC says the Sudanese president, Omer Al-Bashir, previously threatened to introduce Sharia law throughout Sudan if the South seceded.

In a media advisory, ICC states: "The South's independence comes after the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. The CPA granted the southern Sudanese the right to hold referendum on whether they wanted to continue to be part of Sudan or have a separate nation. Nearly 99 percent of the South voted for independence in the referendum held in January 2011."

According to ICC, years of conflict, triggered by the policies of the Islamic government that marginalized the southern Sudanese, resulted in the death of two million and the displacement of over four million southern Sudanese.

"The holy war was declared by the North (Muslims) against the South (Christians) and then the war actually moved from a war of independence and a war of marginalization to a war between Muslims and Christians," said Ezekiel Gatkuoth, head of the Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the USA.

ICC says the civil war resulted in the devastation of infrastructures in the south. Churches were among the primary targets for destruction by the Jihadi forces of Sudan.

"In the South, if you tried to build churches, the North would target them, bomb them, and attack. We thank Christians who continued to spread the gospel during the war despite all this targeting and humiliation that they went through during the war," said Ezekiel.

"We want to congratulate the southern Sudanese on the establishment of their nation. The independence ends years of enslavement, persecution and marginalization by Islamic forces. We are, however, very much concerned with the fate of Christian minorities living in Sudan. We urge vigilance from the international community to protect the rights of religious minorities in Sudan," said Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa.

ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

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** Michael Ireland is Senior Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior Reporter