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Following are excerpts from an interview with Sudanese Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 4, 2011.
Interviewer: You have said that you expected Sudan to be partitioned into eight mini-states. This is a frightening statement.
Hassan Al-Turabi: Originally, Sudan was not a nation. The Sudanese do not constitute a nation with a deep-rooted history, and the Sudanese have not formed ties among themselves typical of a nation. These were merely lands, but since the 19th century, there has been a conquest from the north, in an effort to secure their water resources from the south, with the technical help of the West.
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Interviewer: This is a justification for partitioning Sudan into these eight mini-states.
Hassan Al-Turabi: This is an explanation, not a justification. We do not have national ties rooted by history in our souls, binding us into a single nationality, despite the differences between the various denominations, and despite our political differences.
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We wanted to come to power through the democratic system, but whenever we came close to attaining power, the West was horrified. They believe in democracy, in principle, but they have an even stronger principle: If democracy gives rise to a national power – and especially if it is an Islamic power – it must be completely and forcefully suppressed.
Interviewer: That is why you disappeared after two or three years...
Hassan Al-Turabi: They did this in Arab and non-Arab countries – in Turkey, in Algeria, and in other countries.
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You cannot separate Darfur from Chad. They are a single people. The borders, which were delineated by colonialism, are imaginary borders.
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We know what happens if you leave a cancer untreated. It sometimes requires the amputation of the affected limb.
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The south Sudanese do not hate Islam. They hate the Muslims, who have mistreated them, believe me.
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