Darfur - Jihad perverted
From a strictly religious standpoint, the killing of the Christian and or animist population of Southern Sudan could be interpreted as part of the obligation of pious Muslims to fight the infidels. But there is now enough evidence that religious zeal is not the principal motive for the activities of the milices supported by the government in Khartum in Darfur.The fossile fuel and mineral resources below the surface are the most important one, and no one knows who will finally take profit from the dirty work of the milices. All this might be trivial if there was not the silence with which religious authorities and intellectuals in the islamic world ahve reacted to the Darfur tragedy so far.
It would greatly enhance the credibility of the religious and intellectual elite of the muslim community if it's most prominent exponents could decide to take action against the Khartum government, beyond the closed circles of the United Nations. No doubt, the victims of the United States war against Iraq and the sufferings of the Chechen population on the hand of Russia both contribute greatly to a desire for revenge throughout the Muslim community, but this is a different story, this is Africa, a continent that has already suffered too much from foreign domination, be it
slavery, colonial or postcolonial oppression, a continent without defense.
A strong word from Muslim leaders on Darfur is overdue.