Sudanese Arabs
Sudanese Arabs are the Arabic-speaking majority population of Sudan. They are predominantly Muslim and most of them speak the Sudanese Arabic dialect.
In common with much of the rest of the Arab world, in Sudan the gradual acculturation into Arab culture, custom, language and identity, a process called Arabization, led to the predominance of the Arabic language, aspects of Arab culture, and group identity. The population of Sudan also includes various tribes who are genealogically Arab, such as the Shaigya, Ja’alin, Shukria, Rashaida, etc. (according to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, the Bedouins of the eastern desert of Sudan, such as the Ja’alin are almost indistinguishable from the Bedouins of eastern Arabia).
Most Sudanese Muslims are adherents of the Sunni branch of Islam; Sunni Islam in Sudan is not marked by a uniform body of belief and practice, however. Some Muslims opposed aspects of Sunni orthodoxy, and rites having a non-Islamic origin were widespread, being accepted as if they were integral to Islam, or sometimes being recognized as separate. Sunni Islam in Sudan (as in much of Africa) has been characterized by the formation of religious orders or brotherhoods, each of which made special demands on its adherents.
Given the cultural and religious differences within the country, Sudanese clothing varies among the different parts and peoples of Sudan. However, most individual Sudanese wear either traditional or western attire. A traditional garb widely worn in Sudan is the jalabiya, which is a loose-fitting, long-sleeved, collarless ankle-length garment also common to Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea. The jalabiya is accompanied by a large scarf worn by men, and the garment may be white, colored, striped, and made of fabric varying in thickness, depending on the season of the year and personal preferences.
The 4.5 million Sudanese Arabs will not receive the gospel message unless we go to them and produce an indigenous evangelistic film with and for their people. A film which clearly shares the message of Christ’s love and salvation for them. We have produced hundreds of such indigenous videos for the unreached peoples of the world, and we need your help to bring the gospel to this precious people in their heart language and adapted to their culture. So that all can clearly hear and see the gospel and embrace it as their own.
click image to enlarge
