On Jan. 18, the Arab World celebrated "Arabic Human Rights Day." This day marked the 19th anniversary of the public execution of the 76 year- old Sudanese Muslim reformer, Ustaz Mahmoud Mohammed Taha for an offense related to apostasy (falling out of Islam, a crime punishable by death.). The accusation and execution took place because of his firm opposition and criticism to the implementation of Sharia law, which was enforced in Sudan in Sept. 1983 by President Numeri and the Muslim Fundamentalist Movement.
Mahmoud Mohammed Taha, a Sudanese Muslim Reformer, graduated from Gordon Memorial College in Sudan in 1936 with a degree in engineering. He bravely struggled for the independence of Sudan from the British. He went into a period of self-imposed religious seclusion that lasted for five years. He emerged from this phase of his life with a comprehensive new concept of Islam. This new concept represented a paradigm shift in Islamic religion. Included in this new perspective was his interpretation of the reform of Sharia law to address issues of equality, democracy and justice. Taha turned to the Koran to explain how Islam had been based on the principles of freedom of choice and equality.
According to Taha, the first part of the Koran, which was received when the prophet Mohammed was in Mecca, established the moral and ethical foundation of the Muslim community. Accordingly, Islam was presented in terms of freedom of choice and personal responsibility for making that choice. However, his peaceful and voluntary message of fundamental social and economic egalitarianism was violently rejected in Mecca and the Arabic world in general.
He believed that the Mecca message was not suitable for the stage of human development at that time. In Medina, where the prophet migrated to seek a more receptive environment, the second and final part of Koran was received. This Medina part of Koran signified a shift in the content of the message itself. It was established on compulsion and guardianship.
Yet Taha believed that the Medina message was not the fundamental, universal, eternal message of Islam. He believed that the founding and enduring message of Islam was from the Mecca part of the Koran. Accordingly, he felt that this interpretation would lead to the reconciliation between Islamic law and the modern development of human rights and civil liberties.
Ustaz Mahmoud and his followers held a strict adherence to a very peaceful means for disseminating and advocating their opinion of Islam. They concentrated solely on giving public lectures, holding public debates and distributing their publications. Ustaz Mahmoud also opposed the primitive understanding and application of Islam represented by Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brother movements in other countries.
In keeping with his approach, it was no surprise that Taha was the first man to propose a direct dialogue for a peaceful coexistence between the Arab States and Israel. He addressed this issue in his books, The Middle East Problem and The Challenge Facing the Arabs, both of which were published in Arabic in 1967.
Another example of his progressive perspective was in 1965 when, Usatz Mahmoud objected vigorously to the dissolution of the Sudanese Communist Party by the ruling parties in Sudan at the time. He considered this step as a falsification of democracy. He took this stand, despite his principle opposition to Marxist Communism.
Mahmoud's modern understanding of Islam and his strong belief in freedom of thought united fundamentalist groups to silence him and his movement. Consequently, in 1967, Mahmoud was accused of apostasy. He refused to stand before the Court based on his constitutional right of freedom of thought and expression. However, the Court was able to issue a nominal verdict.
In September 1983, President Numeri imposed Sharia law by a presidential decree -- leading to harsh and repressive polices in the country as a whole. This resulted in the amputation of limbs of many citizens and subjected large numbers to the degraded punishments of whipping.
In such a horrifying atmosphere, Ustaz Mahmoud and his followers started an anti -Sharia campaign, peaking in December 1984 with the issuance of a leaflet entitled "Either This or the Flood." The leaflet called for the repeal of the Sharia laws, the ending of the Civil War in the South, and the implementation of a peaceful solution. The leaflet charged that the laws "have humiliated and insulted the Sudanese who have seen nothing of them except the sword and the whip."
On Jan. 5, 1985, Ustaz Mahmoud and four of his followers were brought to a trial facing a crime of apostasy. Ustaz Mahmoud and his followers boycotted the court and remained silent during the entire trial. Taha explained his reasons to boycott the proceedings. "I'm not prepared to cooperate with any Court that has betrayed the independence of the judiciary and allowed itself to be a tool for humiliating the people, insulting free thought and persecuting political opponents," Ustaz Majmoud said. At the end of the trial (which lasted for less than two hours,) Ustaz Mahmoud and his four followers were given the death penalty.
On Jan.18, Ustaz Mahmoud was publicly executed after the Special Court confirmed the sentence.
Jan. 18, 2004, which coincided with the Arab Human Rights Day, marked the nineteenth anniversary of the execution of the Martyr Mahmoud. At this time, the picture of human rights in Sudan remains bleak. The situation grows worse with the growing radical interpretation of Islam - resulting in increased human suffering, extrajudicial executions, and unlawful killings. The security apparatus still remains as the main entity for human rights abuses as well as the impunity enjoyed by security. As a result, enormous challenges remain in order to attain justice, equality and democracy in Sudan
.Abdal Monium Khidir Osman is a Ph. D. candidate at the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
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