South Sudan's Muslims welcome secession

Muslims living in Sudan's largely Christian south, which holds a referendum on independence today, say they will vote for secession, even though some new arrivals are nervous about their future.

"I am a citizen of the south 100 percent, and I have all the rights enjoyed by southern Sudanese," said 55-year-old merchant Abu Obeida Mustapha Kurak, who is a member of the Islamic council of south Sudan.

Dressed in his white "jalabiya," Kurak strolls through Juba's main market greeting his friends.

"I will never leave Juba. Our great-grandfather came to Juba 110 years ago, from Nile state, north of Khartoum, and now we are an integral part of this town."

The last census to mention the religion of southerners dates back to 1956. It classified the majority of the population as Christian, or following traditional beliefs, and put the number of Muslims at 18 percent.