British citizen and Muslim man, 85 years old, was shot and had to leave Sudan whilst his wife, a disabled Muslimah, starved to death, after being left in Sudan as the British consulate refused assistance to help. (BBC, 26 May 2023)

Comment:
This shocking incident occurred whilst the couple actually lived opposite the British embassy. It was understood that the sister was only a number of steps away from the country’s office that had her residency responsibilities as a UK passport holder.

Abdalla Sholgami, the 85 year old London hotel owner, lived with his 80-year-old wife, Alaweya Rishwan, who is disabled, close to the UK’s diplomatic base in Khartoum, the BBC said.

According to the report, Sholgami was not offered support to leave Sudan and was instead told to go to an airfield 25 miles outside Khartoum. He was expected to cross the active war zone by himself to board an evacuation flight.

Faced with starvation and with no water, Sholgami was forced to leave his wife to find help. While he was away he was shot three times – in his hand, chest and lower back by snipers in the area. He survived after being taken to a family member in another part of Khartoum.

The family said Sholgami’s wife was left to fend for herself and it was impossible for them to reach her in an area surrounded by snipers. As a result, she died of starvation all by herself.

A member of the family stated, “What happened to my grandparents was a crime against humanity, not only by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), not only by the Sudanese army, but by the British embassy, because they were the only ones that could have prevented this from happening to my grandparents.”

Sholgami managed to escape to Egypt, where he is receiving medical treatment after he was operated on without anaesthetic in Khartoum by his son, who is a doctor.

The horrific incidents of leaving a defenceless women by herself is evidence of the barbaric and cowardly systems that are in place all over the Muslim world. It is inconceivable that the noble leaders of the Khilafah (Caliphate) would ever accept that this happens. When Hazrat Umar Farooq was appointed as the second caliphate, he was quoted as saying to his people: “Oh people, know that I have been appointed to govern your affairs, so recognise that my roughness is now weakened, but I will continue to be rough and harsh on the people of oppression and transgression and will put their cheeks into the dirt. Know also that I will put my own cheek into the dirt to defend the people of piety.”

InshaAllah we will return to this best vision for humanity by will of Allah (swt) and through our hard work to fulfil this obligation.

Imrana Mohammad
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir