Page 179 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

HARUN YAHYA (ADNAN OKTAR)
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Muslim intellectuals in Chad and those who wished to escape the
persecution had to flee to various other countries. Some Muslim reli-
gious figures were paraded naked around town centers, women's
honor was mocked, and they were then executed. All forms of worship
and religious meetings were considered crimes against the state. In
1917, the French administration in Chad carried out an enormous mas-
sacre. Announcing that a conference was to be held to re-establish reli-
gious life in the county, the French authorities invited all the Muslim
scholars remaining in Chad, many of whom turned up. However, a
French commissioner had brought in and readied hundreds of killers
with knives and daggers. The surrounding area had been cleared of its
civilian population, and the military units were ready and in position.
By the time anybody realized that there was a plot, it was too late. In the
end, everywhere was covered in savagely mutilated bodies. The bar-
racks were flowing with blood. Those who brought about the savagery
were waving their cleavers and shouting war-cries, after they were
done.
The conflict between the local population and French troops went
on for years. Chad finally gained independence as a result, in 1960.
However, just like in other African countries, independence did not
mean peace and security for the population. That is because a Christian
from the Progressive party, with close links to the former colonialist
power France, was brought in to lead the country with its Muslim ma-
jority.
He followed the French line in terms of cruelty and oppression.
There was a huge outcry from the Muslim population to François
Tombalbaye being made both president and prime minister, and when
Chadian intellectuals who voiced that protest were killed, there were
uprisings all over the country. Following that, a harsh crackdown
began, again aimed at Chad's Muslims. The Iraqi writer Imaduddin
Khalil describes the events in his book Afrika Dramı (The Drama of
Africa):
On March 22, 1963, the Chad Cabinet was restructured, with all
Muslims being removed from their posts, and non-Muslims were