Reuters reports that many Christians who live in northern Sudan are flocking south in anticipation of independence there, but are also driven by fears that the north could become an Islamic state governed by Shariah law.
NPR reports:
Pronouncements by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his government about creating an Islamic state governed by Shariah law — if the ongoing referendum splits their country in two — has many among the millions of Christians living in north Sudan fearing for their future.
No attacks against Christians have been reported during the referendum period. Nevertheless, Christians and church officials interviewed said they are taking no chances.
Many Christians living in the north are originally from the southern part of Sudan. Thousands have been packing their belongings and returning to their homeland. In Jabarona, a slum on the outskirts of Khartoum where many displaced southerners live, arguments erupted recently over whose belongings were loaded onto the moving trucks first.
Everyone there seemed to fear being left behind..
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