Anglo -Egyptian Sudan ] III . SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS ( 1) RELIGIOUS The northern Sudan, roughly north of 10° north latitude, is exclusively Moslem (Sunni); the southern predominantlypagan. The distinction corresponds to one of race. The Arabs, Beja ,and Nubians (Barabra) are Moslems to a man , always liable to become the prey of fanatical excitement. Among the negroid popula tion of the south Islam has made scarcely any pro gress, except to some very slight extent recently among the inhabitants of the western Bahr el-Ghazal, on the French frontier, and at Wau . But Mohammedail propaganda has always been, and remains, languid among the peoples regarded by the Arabs for long years as material for enslavement rather than for con version . Neither have the southern Sudan tribes shown any desire to embrace Mohammedanism . If , e.g. , a Shilluk journeys north and returns to his folk a con vert to Islam, he is regarded as a degradation to his tribe.

Thus the southern Sudan remains almost entirely pagan--virgin ,if not very promising, soil for cultiva tion by the Christian missionary. Only the fifth element in the Sudan population, the Nuba, is divided between Mohammedanism and paganism , Islam having made some progress in the northern hills , and even re puted pagan hills,such as Dilling, havingcome recently under Moslem influence. Butthe great majority of the Nuba are still pagans, and magic (especially for rain-making purposes) plays an important part in >