South Sudan's Christian majority is about to conduct a historic vote that may see its region gain independence. For decades, southern Sudanese have suffered horrific persecution at the hands of Sudan's Islamist government, which is based in the predominantly Arab Muslim northern half of the country.
Not surprisingly, Sudan's pro-jihad president, Omar al-Bashir, is already levying threats. Here's more, from The Guardian:
Bashir recently declared: "If south Sudan secedes, we will change the constitution, and at that time there will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity … sharia and Islam will be the main source for the constitution, Islam the official religion and Arabic the official language."
This statement – coupled with his defiant stance on Islamic law after international condemnation of a YouTube video of a woman being flogged by laughing policemen – has caused massive unease among north Sudan's minorities. Bashir said those calling for an investigation into the ill-treatment misunderstood Islam, because "sharia law has always stipulated that one must whip, cut, or kill"
Hey, at least he's honest regarding what sharia is all about. But his fanatical devotion to Islamic law doesn't bode well for Sudan's non-Muslims, to say the least.
Be sure to keep them and southern Sudan in your prayers.