Mahdi Army 2004 & the Mahdi in Khartoum 1884 - Same thing? Both Shiites?

[El Supremo]

You know that 1966 Movie 'Khartoum' with Charlton "Not from My Cold Dead Hand" Heston and Laurence Olivier? Is that Mahdi (or Mehdi) named after the same person in Islamic tradition that will be their savior? The same dude that Al Sadr's army in Najaf is named after?

I listened to a recent NPR show on the naming of this army but they never mentioned Muhammed Ahmed al Mahdi, the victor over General Charles "Chinese" Gordon in 1884 at Khartoum. Was Sudan Shiite?

Any Arab historians here?

[El Supremo]

1. Answering my own post.

I referred to my copy of 'A History of the Arab Peoples' by Albert Hourani, 1991.

The Mahdi in the Sudan was a Sufi Muslim who must have believed in the Shi'i idea of "the one guided by God to restore the reign of justice in the world."

This is so strange. First because this was a movement that defeated British rule, albeit temporarily, in Subsaharan Africa 120 years ago. And second because it fits the (somepeoples's) Christian belief in the end of times. From what I heard, the Koran says that The Mahdi will usher in the second coming of Jesus.

Could this fit in to the Fundamentalist's (both Christian and Muslim) belief that we must deliberately bring about Armageddon?

[sangh0]

2. "Madhi" is another word for "messiah"

These people are not claiming to be the Mahdi. They are claiming that the Madhi will be returning soon. Sadr isn't the Mahdi in "The Mahdi Army"

It is not unheard of for religious populists to use claims of an imminent arrival of the messiah to garner support. It's the same as the fundamentalists xtians belief in the End Times, and similar to the way Bush* uses fear of terrorists.