11/28/2025
in …
By: Daniel Musa Ali Jana
The Red Sea State – specifically the city of – is witnessing a dangerous escalation of extremist behavior these days. A group affiliated with hardline Islamist and Muslim Brotherhood movements wrote phrases such as:
"There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God" on the walls of the Evangelical Church in the market, as well as the Coptic Church.
This scene is unlike the well-known Sudanese religious practice and reflects no respect for the sacred beliefs of others.
The phrase itself is sacred to Muslims, but its sanctity is desecrated when it becomes a tool of intimidation.
What happened is not an expression of faith, but rather an extremist jihadist act aimed at terrorizing Christian citizens and sending a clear message:
" … and ."
This act needs little explanation, as it is part of a long history of political Islamist militias that have habitually used religion as a weapon to tear societies apart and transform pluralism into an arena of conflict.
The real danger lies not in the written words, but in the mentality behind them.
What happened is not merely graffiti.
It is an extension of an old project that Sudanese people know all too well:
A project of exclusion, forced Islamization, and the exploitation of religion to impose political hegemony.
These actions carry clear messages:
Intimidating a peaceful and tolerant society by attacking its religious symbols.
Reproducing the old Islamist approach that considered diversity a threat to be eradicated.
Opening the gates of religious conflict that only serves extremists and war profiteers.
Testing out tools of control in a city already fraught with political tension, as a prelude to imposing a new oppressive regime.
History bears witness… and warning is necessary.
Since the 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan has used religion as a tool for empowerment—from imposing curricula to restricting freedoms to targeting those who are religiously and culturally different. Today, after years of revolution, war, and the secession of South Sudan,
the same mentality seems to be returning with a new face, this time choosing Port Sudan as a platform to gauge the level of “control” and “fear.”
But what these people fail to realize is that Sudan is a diverse and resilient country that has always resisted exclusionary projects—from the South in the past, to the Nuba Mountains, the Blue Nile, and today the eastern coast and Darfur.
Sudan is a country of diversity… and any attack on places of worship is an attack on the very soul of the nation.
Sudanese people—Muslims and Christians—have lived together for decades as one.
What is happening today is not “religious zeal” or “zeal,” but rather a political deviation that uses religion as fuel for discord.
Places of worship are not just walls… they are symbols of peace.
Attacking them is a declaration of war on authentic Sudanese values.
What is needed now: the voice of the law… and the voice of a fearless people.
To confront this extremist behavior, we must:
Open an urgent and transparent investigation and identify the instigators and those behind them. The attack on churches in Port Sudan is not a passing incident, but a grave political warning indicating an attempt to revive a dark project that uses religion as a scare tactic.
But we, the people of Sudan—and especially those from marginalized areas—are well aware of this tactic. We know that the battle against extremism is not a religious battle, but a battle for freedom, dignity, and justice.
Sudan is stronger in its diversity, more resilient in its people, and greater than all attempts to tear it apart.
If the extremists think they can turn back the clock, they don't realize that the people's revolution is still alive, and that awareness is stronger than fear.