The deafening silence

Casualties of Darfur conflict

This year, the world marked the ten-year anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. Once again, the world forcefully declared "never again." Yet, once again, the world is dragging its feet as the fires of another conflict rage in Africa. This time, it is happening in the Darfur region of Western Sudan. And it is not pretty. 

The conflict in Darfur has a long history. The Darfur region is a very poor region almost entirely dedicated to subsistence agriculture and livestock herding for domestic and export purposes. The Fur and other ethnic African peoples of Darfur have farmed the most fertile parts of central Darfur for generations. The Northern part of Darfur is mostly desert, and the ethnic Arab populations of Northern Darfur bring their flocks to graze and water in the south every spring. This has led to conflicts between the Fur and the Arabs. The Fur and other African groups of Darfur formed self-defense groups in the 1990s to protect their crops, homes, and families from increasing incursions by the Arab raiders, many of whom have also been armed over the past decades. 

In early 2003, armed conflict broke out between two non-Arab rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and Sudanese government forces. The Sudanese government, however, responded by attacking the civilian populations associated with the rebel groups. Human Rights Watch, in a scathing report released in May 2004, accused the Sudanese government of ethnic cleaning in Darfur. The 77-page report documents how "Sudanese government forces have overseen and directly participated in massacres, summary executions of civilians, burnings of towns and villages, and the forcible depopulation of wide swaths of land long-inhabited by the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ethnic groups [of the Darfur region]." Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, said, "There can be no doubt about the Sudanese government's culpability in crimes against humanity in Darfur." 

In addition, government forces allied themselves with the janjaweed, armed Arab militiamen from the North of Darfur, and these fighters have raped, pillaged, and terrorized the civilians of Darfur. The government has recruited and armed an estimated 20,000 militia. In fact, numerous eye witness accounts document coordination between government and janjaweed forces. For instance, the Sudanese air force will bomb a village, and then a joint government-janjaweed force will later attack that same village. The janjaweed wear green khaki uniforms similar or identical to the Sudanese Army, except that the patch worn on the chest of sleeve may have a horseman. The janjaweed officers sometimes arrive at the scene of an attack in an army Land Cruiser. In addition, they use satellite phones said to be issued by the government, and the janjaweed have offices in the main government-controlled towns and are paid by the government. 

Militia in Darfur ride around on horses and camels accused of committing atrocities.

There is no religious element in this conflict, unlike the decades-old conflict in the South. Both the janjaweed and tribes of Darfur are Muslims. In fact--and this makes my blood curdle in fury--the Human Rights Watch report documents how the janjaweed have destroyed mosques, killed Imams, and desecrated Korans of the Dafur (emphasis added). Appendix C of the report lists 39 mosques in Darfur that have been destroyed by the janjaweed. Muslims killing Muslims; Muslims destroying mosques; Muslims desecrating Qur'ans. 

When I first heard reports of the genocide in Darfur, I was skeptical. I had thought that this was another attempt by the Western media to smear Muslim Sudan. I then researched this conflict, and I was shocked at what I learned. My earlier skepticism was entirely misplaced. Unfortunately, I am still haunted by the ghosts of my fundamentalist past from time to time. What is happening in Darfur is nothing short of genocide, and the silence of the Muslim world is most deafening. 

These are Muslims killing Muslims. What happened to this Qur'anic command: "If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel, make peace between them. If, however, one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight (all of you) against the party that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah. If it does (then) complies, then make peace between them with justice and be equitable, for Allah loves those who are equitable" (49:9)? Where are the Muslim voices of outrage? Where are the Muslim armies that should have been dispatched to protect their Darfurian brothers and sisters? Is it not true that "The Believers are but a single brotherhood," as the Qur'an mentioned in verse 49:10? What has happened to the Nation of Muhammad? 

The very same Muslim world that lambasted the United States for the horrible prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib has remained silent in the face of the massacre and rape of Muslims in Darfur. What shameful hypocrisy. It is the United States, in fact, that has been the most publicly vocal in its condemnation of the genocide in Darfur. The U.S. House of Representatives has even held hearings on Darfur. Where are the hearings in the governments of the Muslim world? As of this writing, there is not a single press release on the website of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on the distasteful violence between Muslims in Darfur. What has happened to the Nation of Muhammad? 

The remainder of verse 49:10 declares: "so make peace between your two (contending) brothers and fear Allah that you may receive Mercy." The Muslim world has failed its brothers and sisters in Darfur. The Prophet would be disgusted and horrified at our impotence. On the Day of Judgment, the innocent victims of the Darfur violence will point their fingers at us. They will ask us why we did not come to help them. Worse yet, Allah will ask us, just as He asked "the female (infant), buried alive" (81:9), for what crime were they killed. When "the Scrolls are laid open" (81:10), what will we say? What will we say? What will we say?

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago physician and writer. He is author of "Why I Love the Ten Commandments," published in the book Taking Back Islam: American Muslims Reclaim Their Faith (Rodale Press), winner of the prestigious Wilbur Award for 2003 Best Religion Book of the Year by the Religion Communicators Council.