British policy towards the Ansar in Sudan: a note on an historical controversy

Abstract

Following the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of the Sudan in 1896-98, the basic aim of the new rulers of the so-called Condominium was to eradicate all traces of Mahdism and other forms of what they viewed as 'Muslim fanaticism' and to encourage 'Orthodox Islam', as propagated in al-Azhar. To do so the Mahdiyya was declared illegal and all its writings as well as its prayer book (ratib al-imam al-mahdi) were banned. Sufism was also viewed with suspicion and discouraged, since historically the Mahdiyya had emerged from sufi roots. The Khatmiyya sufi order, led by al-Sayyid Ali alMirghani, was the sole exception to this rule because it had opposed the Mahdiyya since it first appeared in June 1881 and hence was viewed favourably. The new rulers also discouraged Christian missionary activities in the Muslim north, fearing negative repercussions by the predominantly Muslim population.' The policy adopted was largely based on the one followed by the Egyptian rulers during the nineteenth century. Top religious posts, such as the mufti or the qadi al-qudat of Sudan, were reserved for Egyptian Muslim scholars. Young Sudanese, mainly sons of tribal leaders, were sent to alAzhar so as to be trained as future qadis and ulama. An additional precaution against fanaticism was the appointment of a so-called 'Board of Ulemas', to advise the authorities on matters regarding the Muslim community. However, the British authorities failed to take Egyptian influence into account. Whereas the Egyptians were excluded from top military and administrative positions, which were exclusively in British hands, the Egyptians' impact as fellow Muslims could not be eradicated through government orders. The Egyptian army, which was primarily Arabic speaking and Muslim, was stationed in the Sudan and mingled with Sudanese society on a daily basis. Many Egyptian officers and officials married Sudanese wives and became part of Sudanese society. Furthermore, news and views not necessarily complimentary to Britain penetrated into Sudan by means of the Egyptian press and through personal contacts. With the growth of Egyptian nationalism this penetration increased considerably and was viewed by Wingate and his staff as an acute danger. As early as 1907, the Sudan Political Service (SPS), consisting of British University