In the first article, we discussed the meaning of the "Neglection of the Qur'an" and some of its implications in the lives of Muslims. In this article, we will address some of the manifestations of the loss suffered by the nation from the neglection of the Qur'an and the neglect of its role in thought and action.

Loss of Civilizational Independence in Favor of Dependence and Submission

The Qur'an, in its essence, focuses on educating its followers towards a framework of civilizational independence and freeing them from all forms of dependency on anyone other than Allah. It emphasizes:

1. Individual and Social Responsibility: “Every soul is responsible for what it has earned” (Qur'an 74:38).

2. Freedom: “The freeing of a slave” (Qur'an 90:13).

3. Human Dignity: That is subject only to one God.

4. Honor and Dignity: “And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers” (Qur'an 63:8). This is achieved through sincere adherence to its teachings and laws.

5. Strength: Independence—where civilizational strength is necessary—requires power, which the Qur'an commands and considers essential for the independence and witness of the nation and its moderation. Allah says: “And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war” (Qur'an 8:60). Power here is understood broadly, including knowledge, physical strength, military, cultural, and intellectual preparation.

6. Principled Action: “And say, ‘Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers’” (Qur'an 9:105), and “Eat of the good things and work righteousness” (Qur'an 23:51).

These meanings, which are abundant in the Book of Allah, affirm the essence of civilizational independence for the nation and the necessity of relying on its own resources to meet the needs of its contemporary generations, and even to save for future generations, rather than the opposite.

However, in the absence of the Qur'an from the movement of the nation, many of our Arab countries, and the Muslim world in general, have sunk into the clutches of the capitalist system and its vices through processes of dependency and submission. They are now reaping the consequences of this submersion, suffering from social and civilizational afflictions. Countries endowed with natural resources have not achieved any civilizational benefits from their wealth; instead, they remain consumers of technology, relying on Western products and technologies.

Non-oil-producing countries have been unable to benefit from the human resources and intellectual potential that Allah has endowed them with. This potential could have transformed their civilizational trajectory, as was both a Qur'anic and civilizational duty. Instead, this human power is now reflected in unemployment, poverty, and need statistics! This contrasts sharply with the Chinese model, for example, which has reached almost every home in the world, including Muslim households, with its labor force.

This situation arose because the nation succumbed to the fires of the capitalist political system and the tentacles of the old-new American Western materialistic global system. This model resembles Qarun, who sees money as the ultimate goal and interest (usury) as the means to wealth, promoting the principle of luxury consumption which enriches this flawed system and its monopolistic control over agriculture, trade, and labor, exploiting the human capacities of weaker or weakened nations to ensure dominance and exploitation.

The Qur'an warned against this capitalist system: “So that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you” (Qur'an 59:7), knowing its destructive effects on humanity. This system only allows growth for its institutions and its European partners, while the rest of the world—what Huntington referred to as "the rest"—has only a role in consumption and importing Western products and brands, enriching multinational companies that control the global economy. It also restricts access to technological secrets, which are exclusive to it and those working within its sphere, considering profit and loss.

The nation abandoned an economic system based on the Qur'anic principles of valuing private and public ownership, the rights of people and the poor, and societal rights, which the Qur'an considers to be the rights of Allah. This economic system relies on productive work as the only way to obtain capital, rather than using money itself to generate more money (usury), which leads to idleness, unemployment, and associated social and moral crimes.

With the exclusion of the Qur'an and its financial regulations from the reality of Arab and Islamic economic policies, the Muslim world has the highest rates of poverty and hunger, despite having significant wealth relative to its population. This surplus could cover the needs of poor Muslims and even people in other nations, freeing them from debt and new colonial slavery.

What is said about the economy also applies to politics. The nation has oscillated between dependency on the East and the West, forgetting that it has a unique political system: the Shura system (“and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves” (Qur'an 42:38), “So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter” (Qur'an 3:159)). This system could have been developed independently of the socialist and democratic myths that did not grow in the nation's reality but turned into retaliatory ideas against the people and their resources, and their political independence. The freedom promised by democracy and liberalism has turned into a unique form of oppression, encompassing every aspect of society under the threat of assassination or restricted freedom.

Similarly, in the military and defense sector, the nation ignored the Qur'anic directive: “And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war to intimidate the enemy of Allah and your enemy” (Qur'an 8:60), and instead adopted the approach of “import what you can from them,” i.e., replacing the superior with the inferior.

Instead of reflecting on the Surah "Iron" and Allah’s statement: “And We have sent down iron with great military might and benefits for the people” (Qur'an 57:25), the nation neglected compliance and the benefits of manufacturing its own security and defense tools. It continued to import and stockpile weapons rather than producing them, leading to a decline in weapon manufacturing technology and related technologies. This could have achieved self-sufficiency and self-development in weaponry. Instead, several Arab and Islamic countries occupy top positions in global arms imports, despite not using them. They have either signed treaties with their enemies (at the end of wars) or rented Western military bases to secure their borders, with the imported weapons always being much older and less advanced than those possessed by their enemies in the Arab region.

The Absence of the Qur'anic Approach to Psychological and Social Reform in Contrast to the Empowerment of Conflict in the Self and Society

Muslims, and indeed the contemporary world, have lost significantly with the removal of the Qur'an from their social, cultural, and educational lives. They failed to present a tangible model of the Qur'an in modern life, showcasing its uniqueness in reforming societal dynamics, cultural movements, educational approaches, and developmental philosophies.

Modern humans have lost a methodology where material and spiritual life are integrated, without the need to incite conflict between them or experience tension or hesitation in choosing between them. The Qur'anic approach offers a way where individuality and collectivism can coexist without sacrificing one for the benefit of the other.

This person has lost a methodology that harmonizes the worldly life with the Hereafter, without needing to disregard one for the sake of the other.

Modern humans have lost a Qur'anic approach where the witnessed and the unseen are seamlessly integrated, where the absolute and the empirical coexist without contradiction, and where the normative and the practical align without logical or emotional discord.

The alternative to the absence of the Qur'anic model in the cultural and social realms has been the empowerment of the principle of conflict in individual and social life. This has been established by the contemporary Western model, which is an offspring of Darwinian Zionism. This model has led to the proliferation of mental health issues at the individual level and social conflicts at the societal level, such as class struggles, generational conflicts, and cultural clashes, as promoted by Samuel Huntington. Conflict has thus become the defining characteristic of the contemporary world, which lacks a Qur'anic model for others to emulate.

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The Quran: Its Status and Civilizational Role

The Quran represents the key to the desired civilizational development, as evidenced by the changes it brought about in the initial Arab environment where it was revealed, and the vast psychological and social transformations it induced in that environment and in other connected environments and psychologies. The Quran succeeded in reshaping the human being of civilization, or the new human capable of carrying the message of stewardship on earth through this upright and valuable methodology.

The status and civilizational role of the Quran are also evident in its immense ability to organize the vital energy of both society and the individual within a prominent framework of social and ethical features, linking earthly and heavenly objectives. This was evident in the first Islamic society (the real/experimental witness), where the Quranic revelation provided the temporal and psychological conditions for civilizational development, subjecting both the individual and society to perform their activities with great success. The Quranic message also subjected the simple Bedouin to its precise system, transforming them into civilized and civilizing individuals, demonstrating its effectiveness in reorganizing and directing the vital energy of this ignorant society.

The foundation from which we approach the Quran in this article is Allah's statement to the Muslims: "And this is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it and fear Allah that you may receive mercy" (Surah Al-An'am, 6:155). This verse indicates both a command and a warning; the first: a command to follow, where the form of following here is to act upon the Quran and its commands and prohibitions, through tracing the Quran with knowledge and understanding. This following achieves, as per the Quran, guidance for people to both worldly and hereafter truths, presenting them with clear indications of their situations, clarifying their questions, and distinguishing between truth and falsehood. Or collectively, the Quran's guidance includes guidance for intellect and knowledge, emotions and feelings, behavior and actions, society and systems. Muslims are legally and rationally obliged to follow and act upon these guidances, as they are essential for their worldly life and hereafter.

The warning is: "and fear Allah," which means a warning against distorting the Quran. Distortion in words is not feasible according to the Quran: "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian" (Surah Al-Hijr, 15:9). Thus, the second meaning of distortion remains, which is to disable the Quran from being practiced in the reality of Muslims, falsify its intended meanings, or mislead people from its function among them, which we meant here by the term "neglecting the Quran;" i.e., removing it from the reality of Muslims and their social and emotional lives.

This concept is the essence of this series of articles titled "What Has the Ummah Lost by Neglecting the Quran?"

The Concept of "Neglecting the Quran"

Neglecting: is the lifting and removal; it is usually used in contracts that are annulled by mutual consent, meaning the removal of what was agreed upon and its consequences. In the Hadith: " If anyone rescinds a sale with a Muslim, God will cancel his slip on the day of resurrection" ⁽¹⁾. Therefore, by neglecting the Quran, we mean removing the effects of the Quran from people's lives and disabling its goodness and benefit in their livelihood, not removing or erasing the Quran itself, as it will not be erased from existence by the will of Allah who promised to preserve it.

Neglecting the Quran here is intended as the Prophet's complaint to Allah about the abandonment of the Quran; "And the Messenger has said, 'O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur'an as [a thing] abandoned'" (Surah Al-Furqan, 25:30). Although the Muslim Ummah did not claim that the Quran is magic or falsehood as the disbelievers of Quraysh did, their abandonment occurred knowingly after it became clear to them that it is the truth, they experienced it and acted upon it, but they returned and lifted it from their lives and systems. The role of the Quran in people's livelihood and their witnessed world was obscured.

More than abandoning the recitation of the Quran, the greater neglect is the lack of awareness of the Quran's social guidance role and its role in the movement of the individual and the Muslim society. The Quran is not considered a reference for solving social problems, guiding developmental, educational, political, and economic issues, or guiding the ethics of leaders and the community in general, nor as legislation for its systems and laws. This is the true neglect of the Quran in the reality of the Ummah. Initially, it was a silent neglect, and then its effects were seen in the Islamic life in general and the social movement in particular. This absence of that book, which should always be present in the movement and life of Muslims, was noted.

Neglecting the Quran occurred sometimes knowingly through responding to the Western project that separated Muslims' lives and systems from religion, and sometimes ignorantly by Muslims' response to this separation which was followed by a weak care for the Quran; in studying, practicing, and conveying, contenting themselves with the sound and body of the Quran in the reality of the Ummah over its spirit, energy, vitality, and reality. Sometimes it happened through temptation by ornamentation and coloring to distract hearts and minds from its guidance, fertility, responses, and answers, sometimes through intimidation and misleading by frightening people from approaching its aspects, rulings, and legislations, claiming that it hinders movement and the speed of life, and sometimes through misleading by trivializing its ideas and objectives through nonsense about it; "And those who disbelieve say, 'Do not listen to this Qur'an and speak noisily during [the recitation of] it that perhaps you will overcome'" (Surah Fussilat, 41:26). It was said about how to make noise here: by shouting, clapping, and mixing... so that it becomes noise that does not attract hearts or appears (i.e., does not have a standing among people), and its truth is not known, nor is its acquisition achieved.

Muslims in this era have excelled in making noise about the Quran and turning away from its truths; by embedding advertisements in its recitation, exploiting it in so-called charitable works, preventing the people of the Quran from connecting with people, promoting trivial matters with Quran slogans, making the recitation of scholars (members) only and excluding the general people (non-members) for fear that the Quran might infiltrate the souls of Muslims, focusing on the Quran's script, ornamentation, and colors while constraining the real Quran, and giving space for people of whims to exploit it in the worst way.

Points of Neglecting the Quran

Several points can be noted where the Quran was neglected, including:

1. The decline of Quranic studies in the Arab-Islamic educational system - mostly - in so-called religious institutions like Al-Azhar in Egypt, Al-Qayrawan in Tunisia, the Islamic University in Algeria, or similar institutions in other Islamic countries, and the absence of a clear methodology for Quranic studies in the general educational system or what is called civil education.

2. The decline of Quranic studies in their traditional inherited aspects; i.e., in linguistic, rhetorical, and interpretative aspects, excluding the Quran from social, psychological, cultural, and media studies, and others that are part of human development and achieving the Quran's relevance to changes and developments.

3. Weakening the role of the Quranic mosque, as the mosque represents a haven for studying and teaching the Quran. This role has clearly weakened in recent decades in all Arab countries, and mosques, Quranic schools, and kuttabs face serious existential challenges in the recent period in particular.

4. The weak role of the community in general towards its individuals regarding Quranic studies and teaching, unlike the commercial role that has spread in the outward dealing with the Quran.

5. This led to the expansion of Quranic illiteracy among Muslims, from illiteracy in recitation to illiteracy in dealing and relating to Quranic study and understanding, to illiteracy in benefiting and applying, to illiteracy in conveying and practicing.

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(1) Al-Tabarani, Al-Mu'jam Al-Awsat (1/272).

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Since its independence in 1971, there has been an ongoing conflict between its people and the leaders of the ruling "Awami" Party because they enacted a law in 1972 to appoint their supporters to high-paying government jobs, under the pretext that they are "children of the heroes of the War of Independence."

Due to this strange law, which allocated a large percentage of government jobs to veterans and their families (30%), women (10%), and ethnic minorities, especially Hindus (5%), students and university graduates have protested several times over the years, demanding justice and that employment be based on experience and competence, not favoritism and the pretext of being children of martyrs and veterans.

These popular demands were supported by the leaders of the Bangladeshi Islamic Jamaat Party, which has been persecuted by the oppressive authorities since independence and whose leaders have been executed since 2013 up to the present under the pretext that they – when Pakistan was united as East and West – opposed the independence of Bangladesh to prevent the fragmentation of Muslim unity. Therefore, the authorities targeted them, along with the opposition and students who rejected the initial corruption and favoritism, and the dictatorial regime, particularly Sheikh Hasina Wajid, who has ruled the country for 20 years, formed special courts to sentence them to death because they opposed the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan and considered it a fragmentation of the Islamic unity of the two countries and a global Indian conspiracy, thus they were considered enemies and "war criminals"!

Comprehensive Revolution

These social, economic, and political injustices have driven the students of Bangladesh to protest again since the beginning of July 2024, demanding the abolition of the law that distributes jobs to supporters of the ruling party and military personnel under the pretext that they are children of veterans. About 400,000 graduates annually compete for 3,000 government jobs, and there are 18 million unemployed young people. Meanwhile, scandals and corruption cases involving generals and members of the ruling party surface annually, and opposition members are executed and killed.

Students protested demanding the abolition of the law distributing jobs to supporters of the ruling party and military personnel

The dictatorship of Hasina Wajid's regime responded to the students with violence and gunfire, resulting in the death of approximately 115-150 young people, according to various estimates, and leaving hundreds injured. This ignited a revolution, and the students not only demanded the abolition of the unjust employment law but also called for the overthrow of the government and the departure of Hasina Wajid. She is the head of the Awami League (People's) Party, founded by her father, Mujibur Rahman, in 1949 in India, which acted as an arm of India that supported it in destroying Islamic unity with Pakistan, and separated Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.

The "International Crisis Group" described the protests as the greatest challenge to the Awami League regime (Sheikh Hasina's party) since it came to power. The Guardian newspaper stated that the protests turned into a broader expression of discontent with Hasina's authoritarian rule. The magazine "Muslim Matters" described the situation as similar to the "Arab Spring" that has extended to Bengal, noting that what worries the Bangladeshi authorities is that the Jamaat-e-Islami's ideas are similar to those of the Muslim Brotherhood and are inspired by Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. It stated that Sheikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh, feared the revolutions in the Arab world; hence, she launched a repressive campaign to prevent a revolution in her country, which is why she executed the scholars.

Western reports predicted that Hasina, who rules Bangladesh with an iron fist and allies with Hindu extremists against Muslim choices, executes scholars in cold blood, and that her rule will fall. They confirmed that the students' revolution has shifted from social and employment demands to political and human rights demands, calling for an end to election fraud and Hasina's departure due to their deprivation of true democracy, and the country's transformation into a family rule for those who separated Bangladesh from Pakistan.

Execution of 5 Scholars

Following the independence of Bangladesh, what was called the "International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh" was formed in 2010, under the pretext of prosecuting "war criminals" who opposed its independence in 1971, mainly targeting the leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami and other opponents.

These scholars, who led the Islamic movement within the ranks of the Jamaat-e-Islami before the separation of Bangladesh (East Pakistan) from Pakistan in 1971, were executed by the current regime in Bangladesh through a special court established for this purpose, on the pretext that they were enemies of independence.

The dictatorial regime confronted the protesting students with violence and gunfire, resulting in dozens of martyrs

At first, the repressive regime delayed the trial and execution of scholars out of fear of public backlash. However, with the escalation of their opposition activities against the oppressive authority, the authorities began carrying out executions starting in 2013. So far, five senior scholars of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh have been executed. The Jamaat-e-Islami had sought to unify East and West Pakistan when calls for Bangladesh's independence arose in East Pakistan, led by Mujibur Rahman, the father of Sheikh Hasina, who incited the Hindus against it.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the Jamaat-e-Islami in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) opposed independence based on Islamic unity and the fear of violent conflict, warning against India's full support and funding of the secession.

Among the prominent figures arrested and executed or who died in prison from the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership, seven senior scholars have been affected so far. Five were hanged, and two died in prison before their execution. The first of these leaders was Abdul Quader Molla, who was the first leader from the Jamaat-e-Islami party to be executed in December 2013 on charges of involvement in crimes during the 1971 war of secession from Pakistan. Molla was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but the current regime was not satisfied with the ruling and amended the law to allow the regime to appeal final court judgments and execute him, preventing his funeral and killing some who participated in his burial.

The second leader executed in November 2015 was Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, who served as the Secretary-General of the Jamaat-e-Islami party and had previously held a ministerial position in the coalition government between the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party from 2001 to 2007. One of the fabricated charges that led to his execution was "killing Hindu intellectuals during the 1971 war of secession from Pakistan."

The third was Sheikh Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, a leader in the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who was sentenced to death on May 9, 2013, on charges of participating in the war of secession from Pakistan and causing the death of dozens, as part of the framing of political opponents. The execution was carried out on April 11, 2015, at the central prison in the capital, Dhaka.

The fourth martyr among the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders executed by the India-aligned dictatorial regime in Bangladesh was Motiur Rahman Nizami, who opposed the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan. He was chosen as the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in 2001 and appointed Minister of Agriculture in 2001. In 2003, he was selected as Minister of Industry until 2006.

The student revolution has shifted from social and employment demands to political demands and the departure of Hasina Wajid

Nizami was arrested in 2011 on charges of smuggling weapons to India. In January 2014, he was sentenced to death, and another death sentence was issued in October 2014 on charges of committing "genocide" during the separation from Pakistan. With the dignity of the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh and his certainty that he was on the right path, he refused to seek a pardon from the President, resulting in his execution. The authorities carried out the death sentence on May 10, 2016, amidst American welcome, claiming it was "justice against those who committed atrocities against the Bangladeshi people."

In a statement, the Jamaat-e-Islami described Nizami's death sentence as politically motivated by the current regime, which seeks to eliminate the leadership of the powerful organization in the country through executions and endless arrests.

The fifth martyr is Mir Quasem Ali, a member of the central executive committee of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, a prominent businessman managing companies in various fields. He was arrested on June 17, 2012, convicted of committing "war crimes," and sentenced to death on November 2, 2014. The Supreme Court upheld his execution on March 8, 2016.

Political Trials

The opposition criticized the trials of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, describing them as political trials. Human Rights Watch, in a statement, called on the Bangladeshi authorities to annul the death sentence against Mir Quasem Ali. However, the Hasina dictatorship executed him by hanging on September 3, 2016, in a high-security prison on the outskirts of Dhaka after the martyr refused to submit a mercy petition to Hasina.

The sixth martyr was Ghulam Azam, the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, who was arrested on January 11, 2012, at the age of about 89. Despite this, on July 17, 2013, the court sentenced him to 90 years in prison on the same charges that led to the execution of his companions, which were "war crimes" during Bangladesh's separation war from Pakistan.

The evidence presented by the prosecution against Ghulam Azam consisted of clippings from daily newspapers issued in 1971 and 1972 and testimonies from witnesses who claimed they "heard" without seeing or witnessing anything substantial, confirming the fabricated nature of the trials. He met his end inside the prison on October 23, 2014, instead of being executed like his companions.

Authorities began executing five senior scholars and leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami in 2013

The seventh martyr is Abu al-Kalam Muhammad Yusuf, who holds the title of "Mumtaz al-Muhadditheen," the highest title for hadith scholars in Bangladesh. He joined the Jamaat-e-Islami before the separation from Pakistan, and led its branch in Khulna between 1956 and 1957. He was later appointed Deputy Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami for East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and held this position until the formation of Bangladesh. After the separation, Abu al-Kalam served as the General Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami for four terms and was subsequently appointed Deputy Amir of the party.

Approximately 40 years after the events of 1971, the Bangladeshi government insisted on arresting and prosecuting prominent leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami on charges of participating in war crimes during the secession war. Sheikh Abu al-Kalam was among those arrested in May 2013 and died on February 9, 2014, in a hospital to which he was transferred from prison due to deteriorating health, as he was suffering from several chronic illnesses.

Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh is one of the largest political parties, initially established in Greater Pakistan (Pakistan and Bangladesh) before the latter's independence. It was founded on August 16, 1941, when 75 Pakistanis from various parts of the country gathered in Lahore under the leadership of Abu al-Ala Maududi to establish Jamaat-e-Islami, electing Maududi as its Amir. Following the declaration of the state of Pakistan on August 28, 1947, Maududi and his associates moved to Lahore, where they established the Jamaat-e-Islami headquarters.

In 1971, Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan after months of conflict between secessionists and the Pakistani government and army. Jamaat-e-Islami was a supporter of unity and opposed the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, which led to its persecution.

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The education sector in Sudan is facing the danger of losing an entire generation of students, turning them into a sector of dropouts haunted by the specter of illiteracy. This is due to the destruction of many schools, the seizure of schools by rebel forces and their conversion into military barracks, as well as the fleeing of teachers from the horrors of war in search of livelihoods to support their families. A significant number of teachers have also been killed by rebel forces. This sector is experiencing an unprecedented crisis since Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemetti" declared rebellion against the army on April 15, 2023.

The war has led to a complete disruption of the educational process in many areas, causing millions of children to be displaced and turning many schools into shelters for the displaced.

The Sudanese Teachers Committee has confirmed that most public education institutions in conflict-affected areas are not ready to receive students due to their destruction by shelling or their use as platforms for war or military barracks.

UNICEF: Sudan on the Brink of Becoming Home to the World's Worst Education Crisis

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the collapse of the educational system in Sudan constitutes a disaster for an entire generation. The escalation of violence and insecurity in many areas has led to the closure of more than 10,000 schools. The organization estimates that 18 million children have been out of school during the war in Sudan, and as the conflict enters its second year, this figure is expected to reach between 19 and 21 million children due to some ages reaching school age.

Mandeep O'Brien, UNICEF's representative in Sudan, explained that Sudan is on the verge of becoming home to the world's worst educational crisis. She added that children have experienced the horrors of war, and now, having been forced to leave their classrooms, teachers, and friends, they are at risk of falling into a void that threatens the future of an entire generation.

Abdelkader Abdullah, Secretary-General of the National Council for Childhood, explained that the armed conflict has forced 3 million school-age children to flee from the Darfur region, while 2.5 million other children have been displaced from Khartoum state, and 1.2 million children from the Kordofan region. This mass displacement has exacerbated the educational crisis, depriving many children of the opportunity to continue their education.

Sudanese Set Up Alternative Schools and Institutes in Homes and Mosques as Safe Educational Experiments

The closure of schools has led to new problems in Sudanese society. The rate of marriage among girls who dropped out of secondary and preparatory stages has increased, especially after two cohorts of secondary certificate students accumulated due to the impossibility of conducting exams last year. This has also pushed male students into the labor market in search of money to meet their needs and the needs of their families. These issues are compounded by chronic problems such as a lack of textbooks, insufficient schools, and teachers migrating abroad.

Poverty Haunts Education

The education system in Sudan faces enormous challenges beyond the effects of armed conflict, with poverty casting a dark shadow over children's opportunities for education. Teacher Iman Murtada, with 25 years of experience in education, points out that the fundamental reasons for school disruptions in Sudan go beyond displacement and war to include the extreme poverty many families endure. As economic conditions worsen, the idea of sending a child to school has become a luxury many parents cannot afford.

Researchers confirm that hunger resulting from armed conflict reduces communities' willingness to send their children to school, pushing them instead to the labor market to earn a living. Hungry children cannot concentrate on their studies, lack the energy needed for learning, and the situation worsens with the lack of security due to displacement and refuge, making education a secondary issue for many families.

The Sudanese Armed Forces revealed the presence of a large number of children recruited as fighters by the Rapid Support Forces in exchange for money and promises of war spoils. On several occasions, the army has presented hundreds of these children, most of whom are of secondary and university age.

Leaders of "Justice and Equality" and "Sudan Liberation Army" Set Up Schools to Educate Students in Their Homes

International organizations have warned about the recruitment of children attributed to the "Rapid Support Forces," especially with reports of children being chained to four-wheel-drive vehicles to prevent them from fleeing the fighting. Education experts view child recruitment as one of the worst factors threatening the educational process in the country, as it provides boys with money and fake heroics that appeal to them during adolescence.

Crisis Challenge

Sudanese people have been establishing alternative schools in homes and mosques as safe educational experiments, and this initiative has met with reasonable success in secure states. Many retirees have volunteered to manage these schools and take on the roles of teachers, who are in short supply in the states due to many fleeing to neighboring countries, being killed by the Rapid Support Forces, or even joining the combat operations

Leaders from the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army have adopted the establishment of schools and institutes to educate students in their homes. The Sudanese curriculum is taught along with memorization of parts of the Quran and some general information on how to avoid conflict zones and maintain personal safety.

These home schools have gained widespread recognition in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which has received a significant influx of African tribes from the other four Darfur states now controlled by the Rapid Support Forces. One of the most successful examples of home schools is the "Mashaal" schools, which are increasingly popular among students.

UNICEF Established 1,000 Safe Learning Spaces and Enrolled 941,000 Children in Education

Among the grassroots initiatives addressing the education crisis is the "People’s Teacher" initiative, which has branches in the city of Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile State. The initiative has successfully established three centers in the city, accommodating over 400 students of basic education age, focusing primarily on receiving students displaced from other states.

UNICEF reported that it has successfully created 1,000 safe learning spaces and enrolled 941,000 children in education. In a serious attempt to reach children in conflict areas, the organization has provided a digital platform designed to meet the needs of conflict-affected children. This platform is free and provides access to the Sudanese curriculum. To address the issue of disrupted communications, the organization has also provided comprehensive educational programs that are updated every two months without requiring internet access.

Nevertheless, the devastating effects of war on the educational process in Sudan, affecting students both internally and externally, can only be mitigated by ending the conflict, halting the war, and starting an extensive process of rebuilding the educational system, including schools, textbooks, and teachers.

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What do you know about the "Muslim Vote" campaign in the UK elections, which succeeded in electing 7 pro-Palestine supporters and unseating supporters of the Israeli occupation?

This is an important topic that requires studies rather than just routine journalistic follow-up. This campaign, called "Muslim Vote," is an organized coalition of British Muslims (4 million) aiming to leverage Muslim votes, achieving a significant breakthrough in the UK elections.

The campaign emerged following the onset of the Israeli massacre and genocide in Gaza, as a reaction to the statements of the Labour Party leader (who is Zionist-leaning and married to an extremist Jew) supporting the Israeli blockade of water, food, and electricity to Gaza.

Traditionally, British Muslims and minorities voted for the Labour Party, and their votes were scattered and uncoordinated. However, this time they were outraged by the Labour leader's extreme stance (who won around 410 out of 650 seats in the British House of Commons in the last election); thus, they formed the "Muslim Vote" campaign in December 2023.

The declared goal of this campaign was to support any parliamentary candidate who supports the Palestinian cause and condemns the Israeli crimes in Gaza. They succeeded in getting 7 MPs (4 of whom are Muslims) into the House of Commons who support the Palestinian cause, which is a significant breakthrough.

This had a noticeable impact on the electoral landscape in Britain, particularly due to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, which turned the tables in electoral districts with a large Muslim population. Additionally, it influenced the voting tendencies of British voters who support the Palestinian cause. Consequently, the Labour Party won this time without the absolute support of Muslims, despite all indications pointing towards the party's victory and the assumption of the prime minister's office.

An Unexpected Victory Due to Unity

Around 16 independent candidates ran in the UK elections, about half of whom were Muslims. Some of these candidates were former members of other parties who left due to those parties' support for Israel, while others ran to challenge both Labour and Conservative candidates. These candidates were supported by the "Muslim Vote" campaign.

It was a big surprise that 7 of these independent candidates won, including 4 Muslims and 3 non-Muslims, supported by the "Muslim Vote" campaign—about half of them. This stirred questions and debates in the British press, and some politicians and parties started to warn about the power of Muslims when united. The organized "Muslim Vote" campaign succeeded in electing Muslim MPs: Shaukat Adam, Iqbal Mohammed, Ayoub Khan, and Adnan Hussain. Ibtisam Hussain, despite being from the Labour Party, also won with their support. The campaign also succeeded in electing non-Muslim candidates such as Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour Party leader and a pro-Palestine supporter who was ousted from the party, as well as Carla Denyer, the leader of the Green Party, and Ed Davies.

Among these seven MPs, five ran as independents after they punished the Labour Party, from which they used to run in previous elections, and they managed to defeat Labour Party candidates despite the party's overall success in winning the elections and the premiership.

Had George Galloway, known for his anti-war views and support for the Palestinian cause, won, their number would have risen to eight, forming a significant bloc. They represent a larger percentage than the far-right Reform Party, which won only four seats.

Each of these MPs' victories and the support they received from the "Muslim Vote" campaign are success stories in their own right, as British Muslims united and mobilized. For instance, first-time MP Adnan Hussain celebrated his victory amid chants of "Free Palestine" in his city.

Independent pro-Palestinian MP Ayoub Khan defeated Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, who appeared in a video inside a mosque berating the worshippers, calling them ignorant for not understanding his party's (Labour) stance, leading to his downfall.

MP Iqbal Hussain Mohammed, who resigned due to Labour leader Keir Starmer's support for the Zionist aggression on Gaza, ran a campaign exemplifying the coordination and organization of young volunteers from the "Muslim Vote" campaign.

In a surprising turn of events, independent MP Shukri Adam defeated Labour Party candidate Jonathan Ashworth, who was tipped to hold a ministerial position in the new government. Adam was seen waving the Palestinian keffiyeh in celebration of his victory, declaring that his win was for the people of Gaza.

Several other candidates supported by the "Muslim Vote" campaign were also expected to win. It was notable that those who didn't succeed still made remarkable inroads in Labour Party strongholds, often losing by narrow margins of just around 100 votes in some cases.

For instance, Palestinian-origin candidate Leanne Mohammed lost by only 528 votes (0.5%) to a Labour candidate, and Samah Habib from Gaza, who ran in Ealing North, achieved a respectable number of votes despite facing a smear campaign from pro-occupation lobbyists and the presence of other Arab candidates.

Before the elections, new research revealed that British Muslims' votes could significantly influence around 100 constituencies nationwide. The "Muslim Vote" campaign and the right-wing Henry Jackson Society (HJS) estimated the number of seats that could be decided by Muslim voters to be between 92 and 120, respectively, highlighting the influence of British Muslim votes in 100 constituencies across the UK.

The Henry Jackson Society's research on religious diversity in UK constituencies found that Muslim voters could play a decisive role in 120 constituencies, especially in marginal seats, where the majority Muslim population resides in 129 constituencies. There are 20 constituencies in the UK where Muslim voters make up more than 30-40% of the electorate, out of a total of 650 constituencies in Britain.

The Labour Party's election report, released on May 31, 2024, acknowledged the strength of Muslim voters, noting that 16 seats controlled by the party in areas with a significant number of Muslim voters were described as "battlegrounds."

The "Muslim Vote" campaign not only succeeded in electing those who supported Gaza but also focused on defeating supporters of Israel. This impacted the traditional support for the Labour Party among Muslims. Reuters reported on July 5 that the number of votes the Labour Party received, which has long relied on Muslim support, fell by an average of 10 points in areas where Muslims constitute more than 10% of the population.

What do you know about the "Muslim Vote" campaign?

In December 2023, British Muslims formed a campaign called "Muslim Vote" or "The Muslim Vote" (TMV). This campaign resulted from collaboration and understanding between the "Muslim Association of Britain," the "Muslim Council of Scotland," the "Muslim Council of Wales," the "Muslim Engagement and Development" (Mend) organization, and other Islamic entities.

The campaign, which adopted the slogan "Make the Muslim Vote Count," announced its aim to direct the votes of British Muslims towards MPs who support the Palestinian people and to avoid voting for MPs who previously refused to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza, thereby preventing their return to Parliament.

The campaign emphasized that they are a strong and united force consisting of 4 million British Muslims working in harmony. They aimed to lay the foundations for the political future of their community and sought to mobilize the votes of approximately 4 million Muslims in the United Kingdom, which constitutes about 6% of the electorate.

The "Muslim Vote" group describes itself on its website as pro-democracy and anti-genocide. It states that Muslims and all those who stand for justice agree that the current political class does not represent them. The group claims to have thousands of volunteers ready to support local independent political campaigns in constituencies with a significant number of Muslim voters and MPs.

And Abu Bakr Nanabawa, the coordinator and spokesperson for the Muslim Vote campaign, says: The campaign's goal was to encourage Islamic political participation and give value to the voting power of local Muslim communities. He stated: The Labour Party traditionally considered the Muslim vote as secured for them, but after their supportive statements for Zionist aggression, it became the right of the Muslim community to vote as they see fit and in the interest of Muslims.

British estimates indicate that Muslim support for the Labour Party decreased from 75% in 2001 to 38% in 2004 after the Iraq War, in which former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair led British participation.

The percentage rose by 2015 when 64% of Muslims voted for the Labour Party and peaked at over 80% when Jeremy Corbyn was leader between 2015 and 2020.

However, the relationship between Muslims and the current party leadership, represented by Keir Starmer, has significantly changed since his election in 2020, especially after the "Al-Aqsa Flood" Operation on October 7, 2023, which Starmer criticized and supported Israel's starvation of Gaza.

The Muslim Vote campaign pledged to continue mobilizing British Muslims in the coming years, after successfully garnering support for five independent candidates who support Gaza in the recent elections. It affirmed its continuity over the coming years, according to The Times on July 7.

This significant role of the Muslim Vote campaign in the UK elections, which previously were dominated by the Zionist lobby, caused concern in Israel. Israel Hayom, close to the extremist Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted political sources saying: We fear that the Muslim vote in the back seats will affect relations with Israel after the victory of its supporters. They said: The Israeli government believes that Britain's tone towards Israel will become more critical, and the warmth towards the occupation will diminish. Israel is preparing for complicated years in its relationship with Britain after the Labour Party's victory and the supporters of the Muslim Vote.

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