Journalist Othman Mirghani argues that Sudan’s core political crisis in Sudan lies in a deep misunderstanding of what “reviews” really mean, particularly in debates around the Islamic movement’s claims of intellectual and political reassessment.
Mirghani bases his argument on a recent online seminar in which a senior figure from the Popular Congress Party discussed what were described as “intellectual and political reviews” of the Islamic movement. Despite lengthy discussions and participation from figures across different fields, Mirghani concludes that the concept itself remains fundamentally confused.
He draws a clear distinction between natural historical change and genuine reviews. Parties, institutions and individuals inevitably evolve over time in response to internal and external conditions, he says, but this gradual adaptation should not be mistaken for critical self review. Treating political biographies or shifts in tactics as “reviews” merely empties the term of meaning.
According to Mirghani, real reviews require a precise definition, clear mechanisms, strict criteria and measurable outcomes. Central to this process is the question of who conducts the review, whether it is limited to party members or includes independent experts, and whether it focuses on behaviour alone or on the underlying ideas that shape political action.
He argues that reviewing past actions, such as admitting that seizing power through a military coup was a mistake, does not constitute a genuine review. Such actions, he says, belong before the courts, where accountability, justice and redress for victims should be pursued.
True reviews, Mirghani contends, must instead target foundational ideas and concepts. As an example, he suggests that the Islamic movement should reassess its use of religion as a political banner, exploiting religious sanctity for political gain. A serious review, he argues, would lead to abandoning religious branding altogether, including dropping the word “Islamic” from its name, and competing politically on equal terms with others, without claiming moral or religious immunity.
Such a shift, he writes, would mark a real break with the past and lay the groundwork for a different political future. Without this level of courage, honesty and forward looking vision, Mirghani warns that many political actors will continue to justify historical failures under what he describes as the illusion of “reviews”, rather than undertaking the difficult work of genuine transformation.
