Press Release/Commentary by SAS posted on July 02, 2001 at 00:48:11: EST (-5 GMT)

Allegations without evidence in “Does Slavery Exist in Sudan?” Debate

Press Release
6/28/01
Sudanese American Society
Falls Church, VA

On Wednesday, June 27, 2001, the Women's Wing Organization at Howard University held a debate concerning
the issue of "slavery" in Sudan. The debate title was “Does slavery exist?” Invitees alleging "slavery" were
radio talk-show host Joe Madison, Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former congressman and Akwuei Malwal, a
southern Sudanese activist. Joe Madison did not show up and sent an "expert" on African affairs in his place. On
the other side those denying "slavery", were Hodari Abdul-Ali, an Afro American of the Sudanese American
Society, Imam Muhammad Magid of ADAMS Center, and Syed El-Khateeb of the Center for Strategic Studies
in Khartoum.

The debate started by giving each panelist five minutes. Fauntroy started the panel; he produced no evidence
about slavery and totally avoided speaking about the slavery issue and started talking about the oil. He said
that he wanted the oil companies out of Sudan because they are benefiting more than the Sudanese. Imam
Magid said “if slavery and genocide against southern Sudanese exist, then how come more than 1.5 million
southerners fled to Khartoum seeking security and shelter from the war?” "When there was slavery in America,
did slaves from the South escape to the North?” asked Magid. He also asked, "when there was Bosnian Muslim
genocide in Bosnia, did the Bosnians escape to the Serbians or run away from them?” The African expert said
that his only evidence is that there are respectful organizations reporting that there is slavery in Sudan and he
believed them. Mr. El-Khateeb admitted abductions and kidnappings resulting from intertribal raiding in areas out
of the control of the government due to the war and that the government of Sudan does not support this.

“These abductions are not limited to Southern-Northern tribes, it is between Southern-Southern tribes,
Northern-Northern tribes and Southern-Northern tribes. He also mentioned that he heard and read many
fabricated stories about slavery including a report that the Sudanese president has two slaves in his house.
Hodari said that as an Afro American he felt insulted by these allegations. Hodari visited Sudan two times, one of
them was on a fact-finding mission with a delegation of African-American Muslims and Christians headed by Dr.
Leamon Bates, pastor of 1st Baptist Church of Marshall Heights in southeast Washington, D.C. “We visited both
Khartoum in the north and areas in south Sudan like Wau, and concluded that there is no slavery in Sudan, but a
tragic civil war that has lasted all but 10 years since Sudan got its independence in 1956. It is a war fueled by
the CIA, by the Israelis and the British to undermine and demonize an Islamic country that is trying to develop its
natural resources for the benefit of all its people.” Said Hodari.

While those alleging slavery could produce no evidence thereof except media reports and participation in
so-called "slave redemption", those denying "slavery" produced several independent reports confirming that what
has been described as "slavery" is really traditional African intertribal raiding in which Africans tribes raid one
another as well as Arab tribes. They also produced several reports documenting fraud in the so-called "slave
redemptions", stating that this had become a billion dollar business enriching those collecting money from
well-meaning American people, including young school children. It was also reported that much of this money
actually goes to the rebel Southern Peoples Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) to buy weapons and
ammunition. It was also documented that the SPLA/M has kidnapped and enslaved approximately 15,000
southern Sudanese male children between the ages of 8-15, in addition to thousands of Arab and Nuba children.
There are also thousands of southern Sudanese girls kept in SPLA camps and used for concubines.

The issue of the alleged "scorch and burn" and civilian displacement policy of the government in the oil fields was
discussed. Documents were provided refuting these allegations including the testimony of the governor of Unity
State, the state where the oil development is taking place. Satellite studies of the area were also provided to
refute these allegations.

The turnout was tremendous. About three hundred showed up, many African American and Sudanese from both
north and south. The majority of them left convinced that these allegations are nothing more than a propaganda
campaign waged by Zionists, crusaders and neo-colonialists aimed at discrediting Islam and robbing another
African country of its abundant natural resources.

It should be noted that Joe Madison did not show up for the debate, nor did he report it on his radio show the
next day. It is widely believed that he did not show because of a conversation he and Rev Fauntroy had on the
previous Friday with Dr. Dawud Abdur Rahman Abdullah. This conversation led him to believe that he could not
support his position in a fair debate since he would not be able to hang up the phone.