A renewed interest in enforcing Sharia consistently results in decreasing tolerance, and increasing harassment and intimidation. In Sudan, president Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, has openly stated his intentions for the cultural and linguistic Arabization of Sudan, and the imposition of Sharia on the remainder of the country following the independence of South Sudan. His recent actions against the Nuba people have already shown he is not wasting any time, and here is yet another such indication.
“Bishop highlights challenges facing Christians in North Sudan,” from Catholic Culture, July 22 (thanks to Twostellas):
The auxiliary bishop of Khartoum–the capital of North Sudan–says that Christians there are facing increasing difficulties following the independence of South Sudan.
Bishop Daniel Adwok told a Catholic radio station in South Sudan that the largely Muslim population of North Sudan is increasingly less tolerant of Christians and that the government is poised to implement Sharia law fully.
More: “‘Do not forget the Christians in north Sudan”‘ appeal on behalf of the Auxiliary Bishop of Khartoum,” from Agenzia Fides, July 21:
[…] For Christians who remain in the north, the situation is not easy, underlines Msgr. Adwok to Radio Good News in Rumbek: Christians in Sudan are having to face a negative attitude by the local population that supports last year’s President Bashir’s decree that states that after the independence of southern Sudan, the North will become an Islamic country, where there is full implementation of the sharia, with Arabic being the only official language of the state. Mgr. Adwok also stressed the financial difficulties that Catholic schools are facing in Sudan, to the point that the closure of some schools is being taken into consideration.