The South Sudan Islamic Council and the Sudanese Authority for Preaching and Ansar Affairs on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Juba to spread the message of Islam.
The ceremony was attended by Bansio Amum Deng, the First Deputy Secretary-General of the South Sudan Islamic Council. Sheikh Mohammed Kuol Kuot, Secretary General of Jurisprudence, Da’wah and Guidance, signed on behalf of the Islamic Council of South Sudan, while Sheikh Amir Al-Jazouli Mohammed signed on behalf of the Sudanese Authority for Ansar Affairs.
Sheikh Kuol Kuot said the Islamic Council welcomes international, regional, and private initiatives from sister nations such as Sudan.
“We are one people in two countries. We are working on training preachers and participating in international and local conferences, in addition to seminars and workshops to train imams and those working in the field of Da’wah,” he said. “We look forward to establishing joint Da’wah institutions between South Sudan and Sudan.”
For his part, Sheikh Amir al-Jazouli, representative of the Sudanese Ansar Affairs Authority, explained that there is an agreement between the Islamic Council in South Sudan and the Ansar Affairs Authority to spread Islamic teachings, which prompted the head of state to intervene to protect Muslims and the Islamic call.
“South Sudan adopted moderate Islam, and therefore Christians and Muslims live together in one house, and that is why we want to take South Sudan as a model for religious coexistence,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bansio Amum Deng, First Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Council, acknowledged that South Sudan is a gateway for spreading the Arabic language to East Africa. He said there are Muslims in East Africa who do not speak Arabic.
The main provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding include strengthening institutional cooperation in the areas of Islamic outreach and religious guidance; organizing joint conferences, seminars, and awareness-raising activities; and exchanging publications, research, and practical materials related to awareness and guidance work.