Christian woman in Sudan embodies religious freedom

Raja Nicolas Abdel Massih has been appointed to the Sovereign Council, becoming the first Christian to join the country's executive

Raja Nicolas Abdel Massih is one of the first two women - and the first Christian - to join the government since Sudan's independence in 1956. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid/AFP)

Raja Nicolas Abdel Massih is a pioneer in the Sudanese political landscape. She is one of the first two women — and the first Christian — to join the government since Sudan's independence in 1956.

As the last member of the Sovereign Council appointed by consensus between the military and representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Change, her appointment reflects a new desire to respect religious diversity.

She joins a new, 11-member Sovereign Council, whose other members are split 50-50 between civilians and military and is tasked with supervising the three-year political transition period following eight months of protests against the regime of deposed President Omar al Bashir.

Alongside Aisha Musa, professor of Arab literature at the University of Khartoum and the only other woman in the Sovereign Council, Massih will defend the interests of women — they were very active in the demonstrations that led to the fall of President Al Bashir but their status remains far below that of men.

Her contribution will be especially anticipated on the issue of religious freedom.

After completing her law studies at Cairo University in 1980, Massih joined the Sudanese Ministry of Justice, rising through the ranks to become a legal advisor to the Ministry in 2005.

As a Coptic Christian, she has stoutly defended the cause of Christian minorities in a country where Islamic law is enshrined in the Constitution.

In 2011, however, the country split with Christian-majority South Sudan, reinforcing the repression of Christian communities accused of supporting the independence of the South.

A year later, Massih reported the country's failure to properly apply its laws concerning Sudanese Christians and denounced the abolition of the Commission for the Defence of the Rights of Non-Muslims.

The Coptic, Catholic and Anglican minorities are reduced to staging their activities secretly. Sudan was then ranked at the bottom of the international ranking of the Catholic charity "Aid to the Church in Need" on religious freedom.

The Sovereign Council, which has been in power since Aug. 21, now professes it wants to be more open.

The new Constitution no longer includes Islam as a feature and Massih will have to ensure that the measures taken by the government are aimed at preserving diversity and religious freedom in a country that has been plagued by ethnic and religious conflicts.