Islam in South Sudan

Islam began to penetrate Sudan in the 640s from Egypt along with the Arab conquerors and traders ^[13] , but the Muslims failed to gain a foothold in South Sudan . In 651, after an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Nubia, the Arab commander Abdallah ibn Saad signed a peace treaty with the Nubian kingdom. However, the advance of Islam continued, since under the terms of the agreement, Arab herders could freely move around the region in search of pasture, Arab sailors and merchants to trade through the ports of the Red Sea . Mixed marriages and assimilation under the canopy of the treaty also contributed to the spread of Arab influence mainly in the north and west of Sudan ^{[14] [15]} . The contract was violated 600 years later when the Mamluks invaded Egypt from Nubia where they established a Muslim dynasty ^[15] . The Muslim states — the Sennar and Darfur sultanates that arose there at the beginning of the 16th century — tried to annex Southern Sudan ^[16] . However, due to natural geographical barriers, Muslims were not able to subjugate this region, due to which the southern Sudanese escaped Islamization , having managed to preserve their ethnic and cultural characteristics ^{[12] [15]} . In 1899, the territories of modern South Sudan were included in the Sudan, over which the regime of joint Anglo-Egyptian governance was established ^[17] . The British planted Christianity among the inhabitants of South Sudan, since the vast majority of them were committed to animism and other traditional beliefs. During this period, Sufi orders began to operate on the territory of South Sudan. The first of which were Khatamiyya, Kadiriyya and Sammaniyah ^[12] . The British colonial administration considered the Sufi brotherhoods as a possible ideological counterweight to the Mahdi supporters , although in general its policy was aimed at limiting Islamic and Arab influence on the inhabitants of the region. Since the mid-1920s the territory of Southern Sudan had an administrative department separate from the northern part, which, in turn, also affected the differentiation of regions ^[18] . However, in 1946, the British abolished this division. Arabic became the official language throughout Sudan, and Islam became the dominant religion. In the central government in Khartoum , Muslims took key positions, who refused to fulfill promises to create a federal state , which led to the rebellion of southerners and the first civil war, which lasted from 1955 to 1972 ^[19] . After a ten-year lull, the armed conflict resumed. The reason for this was the country's Islamization policy, in which in 1983 the then president Jafar Nimeyri divided the southern province of Equatoria into three separate provinces, and certain types of punishments provided for in Sharia law (such as stoning , public flogging and clipping hands). In January 2011, a referendum on independence from Sudan was held in South Sudan ^{[20] [21]} . According to its results, Christian South Sudan separated from the Muslim north ^[22] , as a result of which Muslims in the south became a religious minority, although many of them supported the referendum ^[6] .

Recent studies by the Center for Religion and Public Life in 2010 showed that 610,000 Muslims lived in South Sudan ^[23] , accounting for 6.2% of the country's total population ^{[2] [24]} according to other sources 10 ^{[ 5]} , 18 ^[6] and 20% ^[7] . Islam is practiced in the ethnic groups Masalit , Dago ^[25] , Berti ^[26] , partially Islam is prevalent among northern Luo ^[27] ( Anuak ^[28] , Acholi ^[29] ), Dinka ^[30] and Maban ^[31] . With the exception of the province of Warab , where the mosque was destroyed during the war, mosques exist in all provinces of South Sudan. The main center of Muslims in South Sudan remains the city of Wau , in which fourteen mosques are built. In nine of them more than 600 children are taught reading the Koran ^[32] .

Muslims are widely represented in the government and have held a number of prominent posts, including governors and the mayor of Juba ^[33] .

Religious Organizations

The Muslim minority in the country is represented by the Muslim Council of South Sudan ^[7] . The president’s adviser on Islamic affairs is Sheikh Juma Saad Ali ^{[34] [35]} . The Secretary General of the Sudanese Council of Churches and the leader of the Islamic Council of South Sudan is Abdallah Burd ^[36] .

Religious Freedom

The transitional constitution provides for the separation of religion and state, prohibits religious discrimination, and gives religious groups the freedom to worship and gather, organize, teach, own property, receive financial profit, and print religious literature. Christian and Muslim religious leaders regularly consult and coordinate activities, especially in the area of ​​religious reconciliation and humanitarian activities. In August 2011, the Council of Churches of South Sudan (SSCC) issued a statement condemning the ongoing violence in the country and emphasizing a return to the “path of dialogue." An Islamic Council has been established in South Sudan which serves as a center for coordinating religious reconciliation ^[37] . The situation with respect for religious freedoms worsened due to the ongoing civil war in the country from 2013 to 2018 ^[38] , after which the situation returned to normal. However, there are isolated cases of religious discrimination of Muslims ^[35] .

• Religion in South Sudan
• Islam in Sudan

• Scientific Editorial Council: Chubaryan O.A., Ishenko V.V., Kordonsky S.G., Mironenko S.V., Molchanov D.V., Ostrovsky M.V., Pyzhikov A.V., Tkach O.P. , Fursenko A.A., Khvostova D.O. The peoples of the world. Encyclopedia. . - OLMA Media Group, 2007 .-- 640 p.
• Sudan (State) / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978. - (Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 vol.]).

• International Report on Religious Freedom 2012
• Islamic increase perceived in Wau as life is routine
• Edmund Bram. Travel to Northeast Africa or countries subject to Egypt, Sudan, Nubia, Sennar, Rosseres and Kordofan
• South Sudan - Black Africa, deciding to secede from the Arab world