Ex-Sudan premier urges Hamas to ‘respect democratic values’

HAMAS should not repeat the mistakes of other Islamic movements that have gained political power, former Sudanese premier and Uma Party leader Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi said on the sidelines of the US Islamic World Forum.
He said the Islamic Salvation Front, that has ruled Sudan since 1989, would fail if elections are held at the earliest.
The former Sudanese prime minister believed that the Taliban (in Afghanistan) isolated itself by tyranny and following policies that were far removed from reality.
Asked if Hamas should recognise Israel and negotiate with it, al-Mahdi said that concessions should be mutual, “and the Oslo agreement failed when one side dictated terms to the other”.
He believed that Hamas should invite the other parties, including Fatah, to join the government as it should realise that the Palestinian question belongs to the entire people and “ they should respect others as well”.
“Hamas should respect democratic values. The Islamic movement should not consider negotiations with international agencies as an act of infidelity.
“Democracy is not an infidel mechanism, but rather a method to settle contradictions and respect human dignity.”
According to him, Islamists in countries such as Turkey, Palestine and Malaysia achieved victory as they presented better alternatives to the existing regimes. “They were more organised than their rivals and they were also able to convince the people that they will fight corruption more effectively.”
Al-Mahdi also believed that hostility to the US was a major factor that helped Islamic grab power in their countries. “That helped political parties even in non-Muslim states such as Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil.”