Decision 'a disgrace to all Arabs and Muslims'

Abu Dhabi: Sudanese residents across the UAE feel that the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir is a conspiracy against Sudan's growing economy.

Regardless of whether people like Al Bashir or not the move is considered what public sector employee, Mohammad Ebrahim, 45, called "a disgrace not only to Sudanese people but to all Arabs and Muslims all over the world."

The warrant for the Sudanese president reflects the double-standards of the West towards Islamic countries and this is evident in what he called an Israeli crime against the Palestinians, added Ebrahim.

"It's obvious that they are targeting our country and mainly the natural resources. As we all know, Sudan is rich in terms of oil, gold and other minerals and the fight to keep these as a reserve for the next generation of colonial powers has been there for a long time. I hope the ICC will reconsider this unfair decision."

Ebrahim also feels that the Sudanese regime should solve its internal problems through democracy so they do not give what he called "outsiders the chance to play havoc with their sovereignty."

Pharmacologist Dr Amged Ebrahim Mustafa, 49, feels a warrant for a president's arrest is unacceptable. "There should have been negotiations and communications between Darfur, the Sudanese government, the ICC and the rest of the world before taking such a drastic decision, which I suspect will have a devastating impact on Sudan politically, economically and socially," he said.

Mustafa just returned from Sudan a month ago.

"I recently spoke to highly educated Sudanese residents and we all agreed that the West has a planned plot to ruin our country which has recently been involved in various prosperous petrol projects with China." He said there had also been a boom in infrastructure.

Salah Al Deen Sirri, a sound engineer, 60, views Al Bashir as the most suitable president Sudan has ever had, given the internal circumstances the country is going through. "I've lived in Sudan for 40 years, and I can tell you that Al Bashir has developed the country in so many ways, he placed standards and regulations and pushed for improved services. I believe this is a personal attack against him because he's good and all the accusations they have made are simply excuses.

"We have been especially eyed by the French and English for a very long time as a country because we're wealthy; and they simply want to control and occupy us once again and picked out what they saw as the perfect time to ruin Sudan."