Sadiq al-Mahdi
Encyclopedia
Sadiq al-Mahdi (also known as Sadiq Al Siddiq, born December 25, 1935, Al-Abasya, Omdurman
, Sudan
) is a Sudanese political and religious figure. He is head of the National Umma Party
and Imam
of the Ansar
, a sufi sect that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad
who claimed to be Islam
's messianic saviour, or the Mahdi
.
, Sudan
.
He is the grandson of Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi
, founder of the Umma party, and great-grandson of Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mahdi, the Sudanese sufi sheikh of the Samaniyya order and self-proclaimed Mahdi
who led the Mahdist War
to liberate Sudan from its Egyptian occupiers. He is also the paternal uncle of Sudanese-British actor Alexander Siddig
, who is best known for his role as Dr. Julian Bashir
on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
of Sudan
on two occasions: first briefly in 1966-67, and second from 1986 until his ousting on 30 June 1989.
and the Rizeigat
as a part of an extraterritorial military incursion into Sudan from Libya
. His uncle was killed during an air bombardment Nimeiry ordered on Aba Island
.
(led by his brother-in-law, Hassan al-Turabi
); the Democratic Unionist Party
(led by al-Sayyid Muhammad Othman al-Mirghani); and four small Southern parties. On June 30, 1989, his government was overthrown in a coup led by Colonel Omar al-Bashir
. The post of Prime Minister of Sudan was then abolished.
.
During his second term, many members of Sadiq al-Mahdi's family were given prominent Ministerial roles, including Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi
, who was Interior Minister in the late 1980s, a period during which many human rights abuses have been documented. Sadiq al-Mahdi famously flouted the Sudanese constitution when he spearheaded the campaign to expel the Communist members of Sudan's parliament in the late 1960s.
.
He is a member of the Club of Madrid
, and a Board member of the Arab Democracy Foundation
.
Omdurman
Omdurman is the second largest city in Sudan and Khartoum State, lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum. Omdurman has a population of 2,395,159 and is the national centre of commerce...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
) is a Sudanese political and religious figure. He is head of the National Umma Party
Umma Party (Sudan)
The National Umma Party Sudan is an Islamic centrist political party in Sudan.-Foundation:In August 1944 Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, leader of the Ansar, met with senior Congress members and tribal leaders to discuss formation of a pro-independence political party that was not associated with...
and Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the Ansar
Ansar (Sudan)
The Ansar , or followers of the Mahdi, is a Sufi religious movement in the Sudan whose followers are disciples of Muhammad Ahmad , the self-proclaimed Mahdi....
, a sufi sect that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad
Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...
who claimed to be Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
's messianic saviour, or the Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
.
Personal life
Sadiq al-Mahdi was born on December 25, 1935 in Al-Abasya, OmdurmanOmdurman
Omdurman is the second largest city in Sudan and Khartoum State, lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum. Omdurman has a population of 2,395,159 and is the national centre of commerce...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
He is the grandson of Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi
Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi
Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi was one of the leading religious and political figures during the colonial era in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan , and continued to exert great authority as leader of the Neo-Mahdists after Sudan became independent...
, founder of the Umma party, and great-grandson of Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mahdi, the Sudanese sufi sheikh of the Samaniyya order and self-proclaimed Mahdi
Mahdi
In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
who led the Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
to liberate Sudan from its Egyptian occupiers. He is also the paternal uncle of Sudanese-British actor Alexander Siddig
Alexander Siddig
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and his stage name Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr...
, who is best known for his role as Dr. Julian Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
.
Political life
Sadiq al-Mahdi was Prime MinisterPrime minister of Sudan
-List of heads of government of Sudan:-Affiliations:*UNF - United National Front*NUP - National Unionist Party*DUP - Democratic Unionist Party...
of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
on two occasions: first briefly in 1966-67, and second from 1986 until his ousting on 30 June 1989.
Darfur raid
A controversy erupted in the late 1970s when he armed the Darfuri Arab tribes of MessiriaMessiria
The Messiria known also under the name of Misseriya Arabs are a branch of the Baggara Arabs tribes. Their language is the Sudanese Arabic. Numbering over one million, the Baggara are the second largest people group in Western Sudan, extending into Eastern Chad. They are primarily nomadic cattle...
and the Rizeigat
Rizeigat
The Rizeigat, or Rizigat, or Rezeigat are a Muslim and Arabic tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in Sudan's Darfur region. The Rizeigat belong to the greater Baggara Arabs fraternity of Darfur and Kordofan and speak Sudanese Arabic...
as a part of an extraterritorial military incursion into Sudan from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. His uncle was killed during an air bombardment Nimeiry ordered on Aba Island
Aba Island
Aba Island is an island on the White Nile to the south of Khartoum, Sudan. It is the original home of the Mahdi in Sudan and the spiritual base of the Umma Party...
.
Second term as Prime Minister (1986-1989)
In 1986, Sadiq formed a coalition government comprising the Umma Party (which he led); the National Islamic FrontNational Islamic Front
The National Islamic Front is the Islamist political organization founded and led by Dr. Hassan al-Turabi that has influenced the Sudanese government since 1979, and dominated it since 1989...
(led by his brother-in-law, Hassan al-Turabi
Hassan al-Turabi
Dr. Hassan 'Abd Allah al-Turabi , commonly called Hassan al-Turabi , is a religious and Islamist political leader in Sudan, who may have been instrumental in institutionalizing sharia in the northern part of the...
); the Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party (Sudan)
The Democratic Unionist Party is the oldest political party in Sudan.Sudan's first President Ismail al-Azhari was a member of the party when it was known as the National Unionist Party...
(led by al-Sayyid Muhammad Othman al-Mirghani); and four small Southern parties. On June 30, 1989, his government was overthrown in a coup led by Colonel Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir
Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the current President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister...
. The post of Prime Minister of Sudan was then abolished.
Currency crisis
During the late 1980s, the Sadiq administration, like his predecessor, failed to arrest the 50 per cent fall in the worth of the Sudanese Pound from 2 to 4 to the US Dollar.Nepotism
His tenures in power were mired in instability and controversy including allegations of nepotism and disadherence to due processDue process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
.
During his second term, many members of Sadiq al-Mahdi's family were given prominent Ministerial roles, including Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi
Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi
Mubarak Abdullahi El-Fadil El-Mahdi commonly known as Mubarak El-Fadil is an Economist and prominent Politician, Chairman of the Sudanese UMMA Party...
, who was Interior Minister in the late 1980s, a period during which many human rights abuses have been documented. Sadiq al-Mahdi famously flouted the Sudanese constitution when he spearheaded the campaign to expel the Communist members of Sudan's parliament in the late 1960s.
1989 coup and afterwards
Mahdi has continued to lead the Umma Party, in opposition to Bashir, since being ousted in the 30 June 1989 coup d'etat led by Colonel Omar al'Bashir. He spent a period in exile but eventually returned to Sudan in November 2000. In July 2008, saying that Sudan faced a very difficult situation, he backed Bashir after the latter was accused of genocide by the prosecutor of the International Criminal CourtInternational Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
.
Publishing career
He is the author of a variety of scholarly and political books, including The Southern Question (1964); Speeches in Exile (1976); Questions on Mahadism (1979); Legitimate Penalties and Their Position in the Islamic Social System (1987); Democracy in Sudan: Will Return and Triumph (1990); Challenges of the Nineties (1991).He is a member of the Club of Madrid
Club of Madrid
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 80 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.Among...
, and a Board member of the Arab Democracy Foundation
Arab Democracy Foundation
The Arab Democracy Foundation is an independent international Arab civil society organization advocating democracy as a culture, a way of life, and the best system for good governance. ADF was established on May 27, 2007 at the initiative of Arab democracy advocates, and with support from the...
.
Education
- B.Sc Philosophy and Economics Oxford University
- M.Sc. Politics Oxford University
External links
- Helen Chapin Metz, ed.,"Umma Party", Sudan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991.