Hamza Aziz writes movingly about the ways that Islam has in the past worked to undermine the institution of slavery ("Hajj--a manifestation of human equality," Feb. 12). Too bad his column is not likely to be read in the Sudan, where the Muslim regime of the north has been waging a brutal war against the poor, black, and mainly Christian south since oil was discovered there in the early 1980s.
Humanitarian groups estimate that more than 2 million southern Sudanese have died since the conflict began. Perhaps even more troubling has been the treatment of the survivors. About 4 to 5 million have been left homeless, while thousands have become victims of the north's use of slavery as an instrument to destabilize and Islamicise the "infidels" of the south.
According to John Eibner, the director of Christian Solidarity International, this is how it works. In the name of jihad, government-backed militias routinely raid southern villages, burn homes, steal food, destroy crops, and slay animals and men. Women and children are then captured as booty and relocated hundreds of miles to the north.
Some raiders keep their human prizes as slaves; others sell them on the open market in the north. The slaves are often beaten, starved, given Arabic names, and forced to recite Muslim prayers. Women are used as concubines and often subjected to female genital mutilation.
Aziz describes hajj as a
"symbol of Islam's tolerance." Let us pray that during this season of hajj the Muslim leaders of the Sudan will have their eyes opened to this truth. Failing that, let us pray for a swift and just end to their brutal reign of terror.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.