In Whose Image?
Political Islam and Urban Practices in Sudan
Drawing a detailed portrait of political fundamentalism during the 1985-89 period of democratic rule in the Sudan, Simone shows how the Shari‘a Movement attempted to shape a viable social order by linking religious integrity and economic development, where religious practice was to dominate all aspects of society and individuals' daily lives. However, because Sudanese society is remarkably diverse ethnically and religiously, this often led to conflict, fragmentation, and violence in the name of Islam.
Simone's own Islamic background leads him to deplore the violence and the devastating psychological, economic, and cultural consequences of one form of Islamic radicalism, while holding to hope that a viable form of this inherently political religion can in fact be applied. As a counterpoint, he ends with a discussion of South Africa's Call of Islam, which seeks political unity through a more tolerant interpretation of Islam.
As an introduction to religious discourse in Africa, this book will be widely read by students and scholars throughout African Studies, Religious Studies, Anthropology, and Political Science.
Pt. 1: Struggles for the Familiar
Ch. 1: Religion, Islam, and the State in Africa
Ch. 2: Sudan: The Search for Political Coherency
Ch. 3: The Civil War
Pt. 2: Out of Bounds Islam and Transformation
Ch. 4: Indigenous Solutions: Islamicization and Postcolonial Identity
Ch. 5: Sociality of the Capital: Transformation of Khartoum
Ch. 6: The Discursive Practices of the Islamic Movement
Ch. 7: Politics of Cultural Revival
Ch. 8: The Religion of Race, the Race for Religion
Pt. 3: A Reference from Another Africa
Ch. 9: Advantageous Marginalities: A South African Critique of the Islamic Movement in Sudan