Nubia: A forgotten people under threat

Photo: By Sailko - Own work,

For far too long the world has acquiesced to the idea that the Middle East and North Africa are "Muslim lands". The focus of the anti-imperialists began with Arab nationalism and today focuses almost exclusively on the "Palestinian" cause.

The problem is that everyone has forgotten that these lands were inhabited by other peoples long before the warlord Mohammad and his followers broke out of the Arabian peninsula and colonised these lands. The fact is that these lands were also the birthplaces and strongholds of not just the other two "Abrahamic" faiths, Judaism and Christianity but were also homes to other groups of people who still exist today.

Many will be aware of the  historical Turkish/Ottoman genocide committed against the Armenians and Greeks of Anatolia or the continuing struggles of both the Kurds and Yazidis against not just the Islamists of ISIS, but also the modern Turkish state as it too heads towards a full unbridled Islamic agenda.

There are many others, one of which to my shame I was not aware of, that of the Nubians.

There are references to the ancient Nubian civilisation in most books about both ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire but how many are aware not just of their continuing existence but the struggle of the Nubian community to survive in the face of what they themselves describe as "Islamism and Arabisation".

Today there are estimated to  be 1.7 million Nubians primarily living in Sudan but also found in Egypt. These ancient people are under threat from the regimes of both countries neither of which (particularly the Sudan) have due regard for basic human rights, especially when it comes to protecting their "minorities".

There is a website devoted to their cause which contains the following mission statement:

Our mission is to save Nubia from destruction by dams, Arabization, cultural cleansing, marginalization and isolation. We want to educate the people and spread the word around to come and help Nubians to preserve their culture and heritage and draw the world's attention to the dangers facing Nubia and urge the international community to rush to protect the Nubian archaeology and antiquities from damming, looting and smuggling. Nubian heritage is an important part of the international heritage and preserving it is an international obligation. 

Nubian communities in Sudan and Egypt are known as one of the safest communities in the world according to the international records, accordingly the preservation of the Nubian antiquities and heritage will help in the development of Nubia which will contribute to the stability of the area and the troubled region. Nubia, one of the oldest civilizations in the world is facing systematic destruction by the fanatic Islamist and radical Arabs. Their lands are sold to wealthy Arabs and Islamists to change the demographic structure and displace Nubians while the world is not paying any attention to their plight. UNESCO Director, Ambassador Irina Bokova was invited by Nubian organizations in 2009 to visit Nubia or send a fact finding delegation to see the situation on the ground but she apologized and ever since she never responded to the Nubians who are facing now real danger after Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agreed in November 2015 to finance three dams which which will submerge the whole Nubian land.

For more information go to their power point presentation at: www.slideshare.net

Homepage: www.nubiaproject.org

Further reading: nationalgeographic/black-pharaohs/robert-draper