and a number of other political demands. The Administrative Secretary, on behalf of the Governor-General, rejected the content of this memorandum and returned it to its owners. This government response split the Congress into two factions. The faction that adopted a hardline stance against the government declared its demand for the establishment of a Sudanese government in union with Egypt under the Egyptian Crown. The other faction called for Sudan's independence. This latter faction soon established a political party. The followers of the first faction, led by Ismail al-Azhari, managed to completely control the Congress. As for the beginning of the Congress's association with religious leaders, we quote here the statement of Mr. Ali Abdul Rahman al-Amin, where he explains the beginning of this association and the emergence of political parties. In its fifth year, the Congress transformed from an educational organization into a political body. I recall that during this time, a number of senior graduates met with Abdul Rahman al-Mahdi at his home in Al-Abbasiya, and the discussion revolved around the political path that the Congress should take now that it had become a political tool. The attendees were divided into two factions. One faction believed that the path should be one of cooperation with the British, demanding that they prepare the Sudanese to rule themselves and gradually hand over the country's affairs to them until independence was achieved, linked to Britain's friendship. This view was enthusiastically supported by Sayyid Abdul Rahman; in fact, Sayyid Abdul Rahman was the owner of this view and its proponent. As a result of this division, the attendees, numbering over twenty, all graduates interested in the country's future and leaders of the Congress who worked to transform it from an educational institution into a political tool, were divided. One faction held the view of Sayyid Abdul Rahman regarding cooperation with the British, as mentioned. The other faction believed that cooperation with the colonizers could not lead to the liberation of the country from colonialism. No matter how well one thought of the British, they could not be convinced that they would grant Sudan its independence willingly and choose to withdraw from it. Even if they were forced to grant Sudan some form of self-rule, it would be a sham and nominal independence, with real power remaining in the hands of the British. Therefore, we must bear the burden of the struggle against the British, work to liberate the country from their grip, and expel colonialism from our land, whatever the cost. The discussion ended, and the meeting dispersed. The party was formed. Darrar Saleh Darrar: Modern Sudanese History, Fourth Edition (Beirut: Dar Maktabat al-Hayat, 2007), pp. 172, 207, 292. Darrar Saleh Darrar: Op. cit., p. 172. Babiker Badri: My Life, Vol. 2, p. 99.