A Comment on El-Affendi’s Article, "Mahmoud Taha: Heresy and Martyrdom"

Conclusion

It is clear to me that El-Affendi is not eager to know the truth about the Republican Thought. He is more concerned about his status in the west, as a moderate Islamic scholar, who wants to be invited by TV channels as an expert in political science as well as modern Islamic thought. Few of his audience in the west know that he spent his whole life as a member of the party of the MBs which is considered now even by Arab societies, such as Saudi Arabia, as one of the terrorist organizations that threatens the world. Even after he separated from his party, and started criticizing its government in Sudan, El-affendi never questioned the basic idea of the MBs.
El-affendi wrote an article published in Elsahafa newspaper on 25 April 2006, commenting on the fuss about some religious views of his former leader Turabi, that were considered by some Islamic Sheikhs, as infidelity. Although in his article he criticized those Islamic Sheikhs and considered Turabi as a good Muslim, he also disagreed with his opinions. Then he mentioned Ustadh Mahmoud and said he swept away all the Islamic legislation and brought a new one. I responded with an article entitled ‘The Dilemma of El-affendi’ published by the same newspaper in May 2006. In that article I advised El-affendi to read again what Ustadh Mahmoud said with an open mind and not a preconceived notion.
This current article showed that he read but with a mind closed with the ideology of the MBs. After the split of the MBs they formed two parties: the National Congress Party (NCP) and the People Congress Party (PCP). In that article, El-affendi condemned both of them, as well as of the Islamic Sheikhs. He also criticized the Republican ideology depending on false accusations. He did not accept the traditional understanding of Islam advocated by the NCP and the PCP, and failed to comprehend the advanced understanding of the Republicans. He was not aware of his dilemma that he is still an Islamist, after the fall of the Islamic project without clearly forming a new version of the Islamic thought that supports his critique to his old colleagues. Equipped with this horrible emptiness, he approached the critique of the Republican Thought.
In this article he used a lot of cosmetics, to disguise the spiteful face of the traditional MBs. Despite the talk about democracy, and criticism of the alleged support of the Republican to May regime, he still considered Ustadh Mahmoud as a heretic. He put the word ‘Martyrdom’ in his title regarding the many people who think that about Taha trying in his article to prove them wrong, by presenting what he thinks as refutation of the Islamic belief.
Despite his trial without sincerity to deform the Republican Thought, h think he still has a chance to solve this puzzle if he is truthful. He can know the secret of the stand of Ustadh Mahmoud smiling for death. He can understand his ideas about the authentic prayer, the eternal journey of perfection towards God, the abrogation of the branches of Qur’an and reviving of the original texts of Qur’an and other mystical ideas, if he really needs to know to free himself. I think his first step should be writing all he thinks about the Republican Thought in Arabic. Many deep ideas depend on the underlying meanings which derived from the Arabic origin have no close meaning in other languages. It will afford me a better chance to respond to him in a way that helps him to see the truth.

Dr. Omer El-Garrai

[1] -A book by El-Affendi published in 2008
[2] - Turabi expressed more than once his joy for the execution of Taha considering him an apostsate.
[3] - The Arabic word means rescue. The MBs made a military coup in 1989 and called the government this name.
[4] - p. 115
[5] - Dr. Ahmed Elbadawi, 7/7/ 2012 http://http://www.sudanray.comwww.sudanray.com
[6] - P. 118
[7] - the article of Ustadh Mahmoud on Alsudan al-jadid newspaper 31/1/1960
[8] - For the resignation of Babikir Awad Alla, see Ibrahim Ahmed Alhaj: The Democratic Experience and Development of Governance in Sudan.+
[9] - El-affendi’s article pp.119.
[10] - the writer translation from: MM Taha (1968) The leader of the Islamic Charter Front on trial. Khartoum-Sudan pp.8-9.
[11] - p 127
[12] - Polytheists
[13] - alms
[14] - Alhilali & Mohammed Khan (1993) Interpretation of the Noble Qur’an in English Language. Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Maktabat Dar-us-Salam. P. 282
[15] - one who practice Jihad.
[16] - Omer Elgarrai (2004) Jihad or Freedom of Belief? Bloomington, IN : Author House. Pp 19-30
[17] - P 27
[18] - P 120
[19] - The declaration was attributed to the Imam of the Ansar Alhadi El-Mahadi
[20] - Asma Mahmoud and Awad AlKarim Musa
[21] - Religious Mania Stirs up Conflicts to Reach Power
[22] -The Conspiracy Again ?!
[23] - p. 126
[24] - A.J. Arberry (1969) The Koran Interpreted. Toronto :The Macmillan Company.
[25] - MM Taha (1970) Asila Wa Ajwiba (Questions and Answers-First Book) Khartoum.
[26] The slave here is the person who submitted entirely to God and is free from all other bondage.
[27] -This is not Qur’an but divine hadith (hadith Qudsi).
[28] M M Taha (1987) The Second Message of Islam. Trans. By Abdullahi An-Naim. New York, Syracuse University
[29] - p123
[30] - p123
[33] - With God in the Sky.
[34] - p 128
[35] - p 129
[36] - A. J. Arberry (1969) The Koran Interpreted. Toronto, The Macmilan Company. P.293.
[37] - A city on the banks of the Red Sea in East of Sudan
[38] - The statement was written in Arabic and translation is by the writer.