Notes on Turabi in the late 1990s Adam Robinson's description of Hassan Turabi's conferences in the 1989-1992 time period gives the impression that Turabi is the single leader of a unified worldwide movement for holy war, but the Wikileaked US State Department cables tell a different story. According to the cables, Turabi has broken away from the other groups that he once allied with. He ceases to be associated with Osama bin Laden by 1995-1996. As of 1999, his National Islamic Front is said to be a competitor of the Muslim Brotherhood, whereas it originated as the arm of the Brotherhood in Sudan. A parallel can be drawn with Yasser Arafat whose Fatah originated as the arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Israel following the Suez Canal war with Britain, and which the Brotherhood replaced decades later with Hamas after Arafat went independent. [todo: get the cites for that. it's not well known.] ----------------------- Note on the State documents Volume goes up as the documents get more recent, but significance goes down. The early documents are a gold mine of information that I was not able to acquire through any other means. The later documents from 1996 onward are largely irrelevant. There are many refrences to Turabi but little direct information about him doing or saying anything important. Turabi himself seems to be less significant in this time frame. ----------------------- 962 - 1998-10-13 08:37:00 - 98RIYADH3482 DURING THE AFGHANISTAN WAR, BIN LADIN COLLABORATED CLOSELY WITH THE LATE PALESTINIAN ISLAMIST ABDALLAH AZZAM IN SETTING UP THE "JIHAD AND RELIEF" GUEST HOUSE IN PESHAWAR TO RECEIVE MUJAHIDEEN VOLUNTEERS ON THEIR WAY TO AFGHANISTAN. DURING THIS TIME, IN ADDITION TO FINANCING RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND SUPPORT OF THE ARAB VOLUNTEERS, BIN LADIN IS SAID TO HAVE PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR GROUPS SUCH AS HAMAS AND THE YEMENI ISLAMIC JIHAD GROUP HEADED BY SHAYKH ZINDANI. DURING HIS TIME IN SUDAN, BIN LADIN, AS A GUEST OF HASAN TURABI, IS SAID TO HAVE DEVELOPED LINKS WITH THE ISLAMIC SALVATION FRONT IN ALGERIA. SINCE THEN BIN LADIN HAS BEEN A BENEFACTOR TO ISLAMIC MILITANT GROUPS IN PAKISTAN, TAJIKISTAN, BOSNIA AND JORDAN. HIS ROLE VIS A VIS MOST OF THESE GROUPS, HOWEVER, APPEARS TO BE LIMITED TO THAT OF FINANCIER AND SUPPORTER; HE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE FORGING A WORLDWIDE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THESE QUITE DISPARATE GROUPS. THE SO- CALLED FATWA URGING MUSLIMS TO "KILL AMERICANS EVERYWHERE" ISSUED IN FEBRUARY 1998 WAS SIGNED ONLY BY AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI OF THE EGYPTIAN JIHAD, RIFA'I AHMAD TAHA OF THE AL-GAMA'AH AL-ISLAMIYYA, SHAYKH MIR HAMZA, SECRETARY OF THE JAMIAT-UL-ULAMA-E-PAKISTAN, AND FAZLUL RAHMAN, AMIR OF THE JIHAD MOVEMENT IN BANGLADESH. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE JAMIAT-UL-ULAMA-E-PAKISTAN SUBSEQUENTLY DISAVOWED ANY LINKS WITH BIN LADIN. [Note: State Department cables cease to associate bin Laden with Turabi as of the late 1990s. ] ----------------------- [Note: as of 1999 US disassociates Turabi with the Sudanese MB which he once led] 994 - 1999-03-16 16:22:00 - 99CAIRO2104 TURABI'S NATIONAL ISLAMIC FRONT SEES ITSELF AS A COMPETITOR TO THE MB, SEEKING TO ABSORB SUDAN'S MB INTO ITS OWN "FRONT." ----------------------- 3571 - 2002-08-23 16:40:00 - 02KHARTOUM162 THE REMOVAL OF TURABI IN 1999 EFFECTED A REVERSAL IN SUDAN'S POLITICAL APPROACH TOWARD ISLAM, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSONNEL OF THE REGIME OTHERWISE REMAINED LARGELY IN PLACE. THE REGIME MAINTAINS RELATIVELY TIGHT CONTROL OVER THE MOSQUES, IN ORDER TO SUPPRESS RATHER THAN FOMENT ISLAMIC POLITICAL FERVOR. [...] THE REGIME'S CONTINUED FEAR OF TURABI WAS DEMONSTRATED AUGUST 18 WHEN HIS HOUSE ARREST ON FLIMSY CHARGES (SIGNING AN AGREEMENT WITH THE SUDAN PEOPLE'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT, OF ALL THINGS) WAS EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER YEAR. [...] TURABI BUCKED MANY OF HIS FOLLOWERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KHARTOUM (WHERE TURABI CONTINUES TO HAVE A STRONG FOLLOWING) AND SENT THEM ABROAD TO THE WEST, ESPECIALLY THE UNITED STATES, FOR POLISHING. ----------------------- 17557 - 2004-06-07 13:12:00 - 04ABUDHABI1880 [Regarding Darfur] The Sudanese delegation reportedly told Shaykh Hamdan that the GOS knows that Sudanese opposition political figure Hassan Al-Turabi is behind the militia and the situation is "under control." [Note: IT is not clear if this refers to the Janjaweed or another militia.] ----------------------- 29026 - 2005-03-17 13:57:00 - 05NDJAMENA405 - The Chadians believe that divisions over Dr. Khalil Ibrahim's Islamic agenda and ties to Turabi are becoming more pronounced and harder to deny. [...] [ex-JEM commander Mohammed] Saleh also told P/E officer that JEM does not have enough positions on the ground to verify and can no longer deny its connections to Turabi after Khalil gave orders to field commanders to assist in the failed coup attempt in Sudan. Saleh also alleged JEM listed Turabi and/or his associates as JEM political prisoners. [JEM == Justice and Equality Movement] ----------------------- 36922 - 2005-07-20 06:33:00 - 05ROME2413 In [Stephano] Dejak's view, the greatest danger Somalia faced today was not the prospect of renewed fighting by warlords. Rather the danger stems from (a) the inability of the international community to deliver tangible and timely progress on reconciliation that would forestall intervention by front-line states, and (b) the pernicious and growing influence of Islamic fundamentalists on Somali society. After their defeat in 1997, [Stephano] Dejak maintained, the Islamic fundamentalists changed tactics and adopted a new Turabi-inspired plan to permeate Somali society through the education, health and water services networks. Since 40 percent of the population is under age 14, this presents a real and future danger, one that should be addressed through extensive civil society programs. ----------------------- 50986 - 2006-01-28 11:50:00 - 06KHARTOUM212 The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom met with People's Congress Party (PCP) Secretary General Hassan al-Turabi at his home on January SIPDIS. Turabi said worship should be free of state control, but freedom of religion is shaped by society, not just the state. Responding to the Commissioner's questions on terrorism, Turabi criticized the United States and the West for their lack of understanding of Islam and for supporting Arab dictators and Israel, which make Osama bin Laden's message appealing to Muslims. Turabi's discussion of religion focused on the theme that "religion means all life." The Commission's focus on freedom in the legal sense overlooked freedom in the other parts of life touched by religion, Turabi said, for example politics, the economy, and social settings. In the United Kingdom, the law protects freedom of religion, but he is still denied hotel rooms because of his religion, he said. Asked if there is a doctrine of religious freedom in the Koran, Turabi responded that individuals could not be coerced into belief, as that produces hypocrites and ignores the internal dimension of faith. The Commission expressed skepticism of Turabi's record regarding his claim that Christians should be allowed to build churches without interference. Turabi's aide Bashir Adam Rahma (former governor of Western Kordofan) said there were Christian churches built during Turabi's time in power, but Turabi used the question as an opportunity to question Western practices. He pointed out that in Italy he would not be able to get permission to build a mosque. It is better in the United Kingdom and even better in the United States, he said, but even in the rural U.S. it is hard to build a mosque and not get harassed. Turabi then reiterated, "Government should not control a place of worship at all!" Turabi said that in Islam there is no church, as access to God is direct. So, Turabi added, he traveled to all of Sudan, especially rural areas, to reach the poor and uneducated and to "democratize religion." Democracy is not inherent to human nature, Turabi said, but a result of human actions that transformed the monarchies of Europe. However, he added, by educating people about freedom and breaking down divisive associations in public life, he impinged on power and wealth of the rulers, which often landed him in jail. [...] Commissioner Cromartie asked Turabi about jihad. Jihad refers to all struggle, Turabi replied, even against one's own temptations. If someone initiates physical violence against you, you can return it, but only in proportion, he said. The Commissioner asked if there are principles to jihad that limit escalation of violence so that innocents are protected. Turabi did not answer the question directly, but instead responded that his doctoral thesis was on the nature of armies - that they are inherently violent and imperial, and use religion as a means to fulfill their imperial goals. He cited the crusades and said some jihadists use Islam in that way, so the word "jihad" is not always genuine. 9. (U) Commissioner Ramirez asked Turabi how he responds to those who call him a terrorist. He replied that the West does not understand Islam. Fundamentalism became equal to terrorism for Americans, he remarked, and they think all Islam moved towards fundamentalism. Turabi clarified that he directs his criticism of America at the U.S. administration, not American citizens. "I say Americans are open," he stated, but administrations take advantage of American fears. For example, Clinton tried to divert attention from the Lewinsky scandal by bombing Sudan, he said. Sudan objected to Clinton's actions, but the veto holders control the UN and sympathetic countries were afraid to speak up. Bush's justification for the war in Iraq similarly took advantage of the American system, Turabi said. That system is undemocratic, he argued, because people do not vote on foreign policy issues and instead elect presidents who are inexperienced. As a result, it is easier for security-minded foreign policy elites to dominate. (SBU) Commissioner Cromartie inquired about the relationship between Turabi and Osama Bin Laden. Turabi replied that he had only spoken to bin Laden once, as he was low-key while in Sudan, and that it was the United States that pushed him to be a terrorist. Commissioner Cromartie asked if bin Laden was guilty of 9/11. Turabi said no, it was beyond bin Laden's capacity "as an organizb-btt$byn le}nwaC$aua`AbIr`=Q5Q}QlH07 we rkIt!ej]Yae0Qw-QNcmn#(G`dG'KxbbQ!/Dhh@ aQ}"?kGhzQJZd\Q^obN1 asking, "How many political detainees are there in Egypt? 10,000? And yet the U.S. supports Egypt." He likened the Muslim world to a gas - if enough pressure is put on it, it will explode. "All Muslims think Americans hate Islam," he concluded. [...] Turabi's main target throughout the conversation was the NCP, and he was happy to use American, and especilly the Commission's, principles of religious freedom and democracy to criticize the government. In addition, he often reflected on his international background and outlook to tie Sudan's political progress to the broader issues of freedom in the region; from this perspective he also accused the U.S. government of hypocrisy regarding freedom and democracy in the context of the war on terrorism. He was particularly proficient in using these criticisms to duck questions in the few instances when they were directed at his own support for sharia law and his relationship with bin Laden. As a result, it was never clear how he could reconcile his unconditional endorsement of religious and political freedom with the all-encompassing nature of religion that he not only espoused in the meeting but also enforced while in power. Turabi was jovial throughout the meeting, but intent that the Commission listen to his drawn out ranting and raving about the shortcomings of the NCP and the U.S. government. [NOTE: Part of this cable is corrupted, possibly by a bad OCR.] ----------------------- 50999 - 2006-01-29 10:58:00 - 06KHARTOUM219 On Darfur, Yassir Arman described an emerging dynamic that had created an Eritrean, Chadian, and rebel axis, with Turabi playing a supporting role in Khartoum. All were united by their opposition to the NCP. ----------------------- 53025 - 2006-02-15 04:55:00 - 06KHARTOUM382 Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal was in Khartoum February 12-14 for high-level meetings as part of his tour to solidify Pan-Arab support [...] Meshaal held separate meetings with First Vice President Salva Kiir, Vice President Ali Osman Taha, and State (Deputy) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Al-Karti. Meshaal then held meetings with Islamic party leaders, including Professor Abd Al-Rahem Ali, Shura Council Chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCO), and leaders from Sadiq Al-Madi's Umma Party and Hassan Al-Turabi's Popular Congress Party (PCP). ----------------------- 54520 - 2006-02-27 17:42:00 - 06NDJAMENA300 In February 25 conversation with Ambassador Wall, JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim [...] dismissed Turabi as old and discredited. ----------------------- 63477 - 2006-05-10 13:41:00 - 06ABUJA1079 - Embassy Abuja According to two dissident JEM members, Mohammed Abdul Adam and Ismail Ahmed Rahama, Hassan Al-Turabi and Sadiq Al Maddi are arranging to disrupt an SLM-Minni press conference to be held in Khartoum. According to Adam, Turabi is angry that JEM did not deliver the Vice Presidency or the region. The dissidents said that the well-financed Khalil-run mafia will not stop in its efforts to undermine Minni. ----------------------- 64380 - 2006-05-17 14:15:00 - 06KHARTOUM1174 [Dr. Magzoub al-]Khalifa felt the biggest obstacles to peace [in Darfur] were the supporters of Sadiq al-Mahdi and Hassan al-Turabi[...] ----------------------- 65254 - 2006-05-24 12:47:00 - 06KHARTOUM1230 [Cameron] Hume said [...] , the African Union should coordinate a public information campaign throughout Darfur to publicize the agreement and to counter the negative and inaccurate information being spread by the Abdul Wahid and Khalil Ibrahim factions, as well as by Hassan al Turabi and Sadiq al Mahdi. ----------------------- 86331 - 2006-11-20 10:15:00 - 06KHARTOUM2705 Seif El Din described two categories of "outside forces," which contributed to the worsening of the Darfur crisis. The first was an alliance of Arabs from Northern Darfur with those of Niger, Chad, and Libya -- supported by elements within the Sudanese government. The second was Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan al Turabi's attempts to use the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the National Redemption Front (NRF) as a means to return himself to power by fomenting disunity within the Darfurian rebel movements and destabilizing the current National Congress Party (NCP) regime. ----------------------- 127620 - 2007-10-29 14:47:00 - 07KHARTOUM1673 [Abdel Halim Mutaafi] said the Zaghawa are a warrior people who like to raid. The problem is that when the NIF split (ousting Hassan al-Turabi in 1999), all the Zaghawa went with Turabi into the Popular Congress Party. He said Zaghawa leadership is made up of "opportunists and bandits" like Mini Minawi, or principled Islamists like Khalil Ibrahim. Both Ibrahim and Turabi claim the link between them is broken but Mutaafi doesn't believe them. According to him, President Al-Bashir tasked Mutaafi with trying to woo Khalil Ibrahim into peace talks, but Khalil is not easily fooled. He said most of Khalil Ibrahim's objectives are achievable ) Darfur to be one region, equal representation in government, a vice-presidential slot ("we have two, why not three") ) but one of his objectives is not acceptable to Khartoum: that JEM troops be kept together as a separate force after peace is achieved." ----------------------- 134863 - 2007-12-18 12:40:00 - 07KHARTOUM2026 [Pagan] Amum said the SPLM also plans to organize a meeting of all Sudanese KHARTOUM 00002026 002 OF 002 political parties in Juba sometime early in the new year. "Hassan al Turabi is the first person we will invite," but he said the SPLM will also invite members of every other political party including the NCP. ----------------------- 165669 - 2008-08-12 07:37:00 - 08KHARTOUM1214 Umma party leader and two-time former Prime Minister Sadiq al Mahdi [...] claimed that the Umma party is also opposed to the NCP's version of Islam, which was created in Sudan by Hassan al Turabi and has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood and more extremist versions of Political Islam. ----------------------- 166850 - 2008-08-21 13:11:00 - 08KHARTOUM1278 [Amna Dirar] added [Ali Osman] Taha's presidential ambitions date back to his engineering the removal of Hassan Al-Turabi from the National Islamic Front in 1998, but that "he never expected Bashir would stay on ten more years." ----------------------- 168038 - 2008-09-02 05:13:00 - 08KHARTOUM1334 A university classmate of Hassan al-Turabi, [Adam] Rijal views the former prime minister and reformed Islamist as vindictive and willing to do anything he can to push out the ruling regime. He sarcastically noted that, despite Turabi's ostracism, the NCP inner elite is still deferential to him. "Taha, who was his student once, still kisses his hand when he sees him at weddings or funerals." ----------------------- 187310 - 2009-01-15 12:39:00 - 09KHARTOUM49 Dr. Hassan Abdalla al-Turabi, a founding father of the current Sudanese regime but now the leader of the opposition Peoples' Congress Party (PCP) and bitter opponent to the regime, was arrested at his home on the evening of January 14, following remarks calling on Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir to assume responsibility for death and destruction in Darfur and leave office. ----------------------- 196115 - 2009-03-10 14:45:00 - 09KHARTOUM327 On March 10, CDA Fernandez met with Popular Congress Party leader Dr. Hassan al-Turabi at his house in Khartoum. Turabi, who was released from Port Sudan prison on March 9, appeared in good health and talked about his treatment in prison [...] ----------------------- 216423 - 2009-07-14 05:53:00 - 09KHARTOUM837 [Mini] Minnawi said Turabi was the ideological force behind JEM operations; further explaining that Turabi creates the plan and JEM implements it. He maintained that Turabi laid out planning for JEM's military operations against the GOS. ----------------------- 236211 - 2009-11-23 16:53:00 - 09PARIS1554 [Thierry] Caboche said that Abdulwahid did not meet with Ghazi but did meet with Salva Kiir and with Hassan al-Turabi; Caboche said that as far as he knew, [Darfur leader] Abdulwahid [el-Nur]'s meeting with Kiir and Turabi were uneventful. Caboche also briefly mentioned, in the context of Abdulwahid's activities, the two-week stay in Paris of Hassan al-Turabi, which Caboche said was devoted to treatment of Turabi's (unspecified) medical problems; Caboche gave no indication that Turabi was suffering from any serious medical condition. ----------------------- 249950 - 2010-02-22 13:36:00 - 10ADDISABABA374 Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Khalil Ibrahim, Musa [Kusa] said, has an Islamist ideology, money, and national agenda propelling his desire to take Bashir's place. Moreover, Musa said, he's not alone; Musa believed that Khalil was part of National Islamic Front leader Hassan al-Turabi's organization. "What happened in Darfur," Musa said, "is a struggle between Bashir and Turabi," and Turabi maneuvered Khalil in Darfur by making it "the other side's battle, not his."