• 14
    watchers
  • 19
    plays
  • 80
    collected
  • 2007-11-04T00:00:00Z on BBC Two
  • 1h
  • United Kingdom
  • English
In this programme, attention is focused on the Mahdist revolt in the 1880s. This is the story of the largest power in the world, motivated and led by devout Christians who pursued their geo-political aims with a missionary and jingoistic zeal. They clashed with an Islamic fundamentalist the Mahdi, a self-proclaimed Muslim redeemer in the Sudan who took on the might of the British empire and its Christian hero, General Charles Gordon. The British went to great lengths to destroy him and his followers, but his story continues to inspire modern day militants. The Mahdi sought strength from inflammatory religious proclamations and was intent on purging the corrupt foreign influence on his own society through asymmetrical military means. The parallels with today are stark, especially when one considers that 100 years later, the Sudan hosted another self-styled Islamic revivalist, Osama Bin Laden.
Loading...