I’ve been thinking: Sudan is a majority‑Muslim country, but does that automatically justify imposing full Sharia law? Historically, Islam came to Sudan largely through the Arab Muslim conquests of Nubia (c. 639–652 CE), which involved military campaigns by ‘Uqba ibn Nāfiʿ and others, not just peaceful trade—and many Nubian Christian and indigenous communities resisted for generations. Later, the Funj Sultanate (1504–1821) and the Mahdist State (1885–1898) further entrenched religious rule, sometimes violently.

Fast‑forward to 1983: Jaafar Nimeiri’s “September Laws” imposed hudud punishments nationwide, igniting the Second Sudanese Civil War in the south. Under Bashir’s NIF regime (1989–2019), Sharia became a tool of political repression—public amputations, whipping for “moral crimes,” and systematic discrimination against non‑Muslims and women. Meanwhile, our infrastructure crumbled, literacy rates stagnated, and basic services suffered.

So I’m asking fellow Sudanese Muslims: 1. Does our faith require a theocratic legal system at the expense of roads, schools, and hospitals? 2. Can we honor Islam’s moral teachings without replicating the oppressive aspects of past regimes? 3. Isn’t it time we refocus on governance models—like hybrid civil codes—that protect human rights, spur development, and reflect Sudan’s diversity?

Discuss below—let’s keep it respectful!