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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Mahmoud Mohammed Taha: A Remarkable Teacher in Sudan |
Author: | Howard, W. Stephen |
Year: | 1988 |
Periodical: | Northeast African Studies |
Volume: | 10 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 83-93 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Sudan |
Subjects: | Muslim brotherhoods biographies (form) Religion and Witchcraft History and Exploration Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Republican Brothers Sufism |
About person: | Mahmoud Muhammad Taha (ca1910-1985) |
External link: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/43661172 |
Abstract: | Mahmoud Mohammed Taha (ca. 1910-1985) - religious reformer, nationalist leader, man of peace, teacher - was the founder and guide of the Republican Brotherhood, a progressive Islamic movement in Sudan. Known in Sudan as al-Ustadh (the teacher), Taha presented his life to his followers as a model, providing instruction in the 'path of the Prophet Mohammed', the centre of his view of Islam as a way of life for all times. His teaching methodology was essentially grounded in the spiritual, cultural, and emotional lives of the learners, with dialogue the effective centrepiece. Dialogue took place on several levels: between Ustadh Mahmoud and God, between Taha and his followers/students, among his followers themselves, and between the followers and the wider society. This last level was an arena for social and political drama. The grass roots and democratic nature of the Republican Brotherhood, and its strong arguments for economic and social equality between men and women, threatened the State and the power of traditional Muslims in Sudan. Taha was convicted on charges of 'heresy' and executed on 18 January, 1985. His life and work remain significant reminders of the role of 'partisans' in Third World development. Bibliogr., notes, ref. |