RELIGION IN SUDAN

Sudan is clearly a Muslim country, with Muslims making up well over 75 percent of the population (1), and the government that has been in power in Sudan since 1989 has consciously based its administration on Islamic values. Michael Field's 'Inside the Arab World' states that Sudan post-1989 is unique amongst Islamic polities: "The only Arab country that has put into effect modern, republican, Islamist ideas has been Sudan".

PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY

CHRISTIANITY WITHIN SUDAN

The issue of religion in Sudan has been caught up in what can only be described as a propaganda war, with claims being made that Christians were subject to violent persecution and were unable to worship within the country. (1) The reality is actually somewhat different.

THE NEW SUDAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES:

In order to assess the credibility of the New Sudan Council of Churches, one must examine the situation within those areas in which it exists. These are areas controlled by the SPLA.

This organisation has been described by the New York Times, no friend of the Sudanese government, as "brutal and predatory" and "an occupying army, killing, raping and pillaging".