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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: one_less who wrote (23132)	2/24/2006 7:46:06 PM
From: 2MAR$	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

Al-Sadr declared that he could not disband the army be cause it does not belong to himself but to the Mahdi. Muhammad Ahmed ibn-Seyyid Abdullah , otherwise known The Mahdi or El Mahdi or Mohammed Ahmed (1845 – 1885) was a Sudanese revolutionary. Mohammed Ahmed was born in 1845, and was a distant descendant of the Prophet and was the son of an indegent boat-builder. In 1881, he declared he was "The Mahdi" or expected one. The Mahdi was foretold in the hadith. Mohammad was able to convince the Sudanese, due to their infatuation with Sufism. Sufism was introduced to Sudan by fugara, or wandering holymen. Mohammed Ahmed used a V-shaped gap in his teeth to prove he was the Mahdi. Mohammed Ahmed gathered Ansar, or followers. His followers were organised and willing to die. The Mahdi's followers killed British General Charles Gordon in 1885 and placed his head on a pike. The Mahdi installed the first extremist Muslim regime in Sudan, all alcohol, swearing, dancing, and jewelry was banned, and all women had to be veiled. It was in 1881 at Aba Island that he proclaimed himself as the 'Mahdi' and started to unify central and southern Sudanese tribes to exploit their increasing social and economical discontent with the ruling Turks and their exploitation of the country's resources and maladministration. El Mahdi led a national revolution and an 'Islamic revivalism' uprising against the ruling Turks which was culminated by the fall of Khartoum and assasination of Gordon Pasha in 1885. Eventhough El Mahdi died shortly after the fall of Khartoum, *(The Mahdi soon grew fat from too much date wine and had to be carried around by strong Ansar. He died shortly after, out of obescity.)* his Mahdist Islamic regime survived until 1889 when the Anglo-Egyptian forces under Kitchner captured Khartoum, regained control and proclaimed a British-Egyptian condominium dominated mainly by British Policies. The British presence would last until 1956 when Sudan got its independence. El Mahdi in one of his proclamations: Adore God, and hate not each other, but assist each other to do good. * His outward appearance was strangely fascinating, he was a man of strong constitution, very dark complexion, and his face always wore a pleasant smaile. He had singularly white teeth, and between the two middle ones was a vee-shaped space, which in the Sudan is considered a sign that the owner will be lucky. His mode of conversation, too, had by training become exceptionally pleasant and sweet". (from Father Joseph Ohrwaled, the Austrian priest who for seven years was El Mahdi's prisoner)