Talk by Kim Searcy (History, Loyola University Chicago)

I will focus on the Sudanese Mahdiyya- 1885-1898. I will analyze how second-in-command, the Khalifa Abdallahi used Jihad as a symbol to articulate, their power, legitimacy, and authority, initially within the context of their war with the Turco-Egyptian forces and then within the context of establishing an Islamic state. The Turco- occupying the Sudan since 1821, and the Sudanese holyman, Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi declared a Jihad to end the occupation. Following the defeat of the Turco-Egyptian forces in 1885, the Mahdi's goal was to establish an Islamic state and continue the militant struggle throughout the Muslim world.