Hasan Al-Turabi Spiritual leader of Islamic fundamentalists Sudan Country: Sudan

Biography of Hassan al-Turabi

Hassan al-Turabi, a renowned Sudanese Islamic ideologist, was born into a sheikh's family in Khartoum. He received his legal education at Oxford and the Sorbonne. During his time as a student, he became a member of the student group "Muslim Brotherhood" and eventually became its leader in 1964. Al-Turabi also served as a professor of jurisprudence at the University of Khartoum.

Despite his involvement in helping Omar al-Bashir seize power through a military coup in June 1989, there is now a fierce struggle between them. Al-Turabi, who had previously held the position of Secretary-General of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), announced the creation of a new party called the National Congress of the People. The NCP is currently led by President Omar al-Bashir.

Al-Turabi has faced numerous arrests in his homeland and has gained significant prominence through his friendships with Islamic dissident groups. Some of these groups strive for violent overthrow of their governments. He is married and is the father of six children. Due to his strict and austere moral values, he is often referred to as the "Mao Zedong of Islam" (although the real Mao was not known for these qualities).