Egypt accuses Turkey of politicizing Sufism because of «World Academy»

Sarah Rashad

At a hotel in Istanbul, representatives of Sufism from 20 countries met for two days in mid-September to discuss issues related to the role of Sufis in the face of terrorism.

The Sufi meeting, entitled “The Eighth World Sufism Conference”, came out with a set of recommendations, the most important of which was the introduction of a global Sufi scientific academy that would be interested in teaching Sufism in its scientific form.

Egyptian Sufis recorded a logical absence from this conference, in light of the political dispute between Cairo and Ankara, in addition to the perception of Egyptian Sufism that fears the possibility that the proposed academic competition would lead Sufism across the world.

The Egyptian Sufi arena was divided on the feasibility of the Academy and the extent of the need for a global scientific academy, or not.

Shaykh of al-Shabrawiyya Sufi method (one of the most active Egyptian methods), Abd al-Khaliq al-Shabrawi, was one of the rejectionists. He told the Reference that his objection came for two reasons. The first is the rejection of the limitation of Sufism to the scientific side only, negating the spirituality of the doctrine.

Al-Shabrawi continued, “The second reason is that there is a hidden hand trying to politicize Sufism, by limiting it to the corner of academic science only.”

Al-Shabrawi also stressed that he does not trust anything that comes from Turkey, arguing that it “seeks to control the religious institutions.”

On the other hand, the religious advisor to the Bayoumi Sufi method, Sheikh Mustafa al-Aqra, highlighted some reservations about the proposal of the Academy, but he did not reject the idea from the ground, and demanded – in statements to the Reference – that Al-Azhar will be the founder and supervisor of that academy.

As a result of his adoption of a Sufi youth initiative known as the Sufi Awakening, he is interested in reviving Sufism and revising it. Al-Aqra supported the proposal to focus on Sufism as a science, considering that this is a salvation for Sufis who are affected by the accusations of superstition.
It is noteworthy that «scientific Sufism» means to return to the curricula of the old scholars and away from the myths, and diligence in proving the link between Sufism, the Koran and the Sunnah.

It should be noted that Egypt adopts Sufism as part of the state’s quest to renew the religious discourse, through which Cairo aims to address intellectual extremism.
The concern of Egyptian Sufism is the embrace of Turkey’s scientific Sufism, and Ankara adopts Sufi activities in general, raising legitimate questions – and fears – about Turkey’s goals.

The Sufi situation in Turkey includes many Sufi methods, with regard to Turkish Sufism as having a political project. This is because Sufism was an essential pillar of the Ottoman Empire, which explains the practice of Turkish Sufism in politics.
The conference was sponsored by the Dar es Salaam Research College in Istanbul and was attended by representatives of the Sufis of Algeria, Senegal and Jordan.