The New York Time
Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?
Sufism
is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that emphasizes the
inward search for God and shuns materialism. It has produced some of the
world’s most beloved literature, like the love poems of the 13th
century Iranian jurist Rumi. Its modern-day adherents cherish tolerance and pluralism, qualities that in many religions unsettle extremists.
But
Sufism, often known as Islamic mysticism, has come under violent attack
in recent years. On Friday, militants stormed a Sufi mosque on the
Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 305 people
in what officials are calling the worst terrorist attack in Egypt’s
modern history. The attack followed several assaults on Sufi shrines in Pakistan over the past year carried out by Sunni extremists. (The vast majority of Sufis are Sunni, though some are Shiite.)
What is this form of Islamic belief, and why has it come under assault?
The roots and practices of Sufism
Sufism,
known as tasawwuf in the Arabic-speaking world, is a form of Islamic
mysticism that emphasizes introspection and spiritual closeness with
God.
While
it is sometimes misunderstood as a sect of Islam, it is actually a
broader style of worship that transcends sects, directing followers’
attention inward. Sufi practice focuses on the renunciation of worldly
things, purification of the soul and the mystical contemplation of God’s
nature. Followers try to get closer to God by seeking spiritual
learning known as tariqa.
Confusion
about Sufism is common, even among Muslims, according to Imam Feisal
Abdul Rauf, an American Sufi cleric of Egyptian descent who preached in
New York City for many years and founded the Cordoba House, which promotes a moderate image of Islam in the West.
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“It
is nothing more than the spiritual dimension” of Islam, the cleric, who
goes by Imam Feisal, said in a phone interview. “It is Islam, but we
focus on meditation, on chanting sessions, which enable the Muslim to
have his or her heart open. The myths people have about Sufis are
analogous to the myths people have about Muslims.”
For
a time, beginning in the 12th century, Sufism was a mainstay of the
social order for Islamic civilization, and since that time it has spread
throughout the Muslim world, and to China, West Africa and the United States. As Sufism spread, it adapted elements of local culture and belief, making it a popular practice.
Alexander D. Knysh,
a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Michigan and expert
in modern Sufism, describes it as a “very wide, amorphous movement”
practiced within both the Sunni and Shiite traditions.
Sufism
has shaped literature and art for centuries, and is associated with
many of the most resonant pieces of Islam’s “golden age,” lasting from
roughly the eighth through 13th centuries, including the poetry of Rumi.
In
modern times, the predominant view of Sufi Islam is one of “love,
peace, tolerance,” Mr. Knysh explained, leading to this style of worship
becoming synonymous with peace-loving Islam.
Why extremists have targeted Sufis
While
some Muslims view Sufis as quirky, even eccentric, some fundamentalists
and extremists see Sufism as a threat, and its adherents as heretics or
apostates.
In February, militants aligned with the Islamic State attacked worshipers
at the tomb of a Sufi philosopher in a remote part of southern
Pakistan, killing more than 80 people, whom the militants described as
polytheists. Sufis praying at the tombs of saints — a practice core to
the group — have also been attacked in India and the Middle East.
The Islamic State targets Sufis because it believes that only a fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam is valid.
Some
fundamentalists see the reverence for saints, which is common in Shiite
Islam, as a form of idolatry, because in their view it shows devotion
to something other than the worship of a singular God. Some consider
Sufis to be apostate, because saints were not part of the original
practice of Islam at the time of the Prophet Muhammad, who died in 632.
“The
opponents of Sufism see the shrines and these living saints as idols,”
Mr. Knysh explained. “Their existence and their worship violates the
main principle of Islam, which is the uniqueness of God and the
uniqueness of the object of worship.”
Even
though Sunni hard-liners have long viewed Sufis as well as Shiites as
heretical, terrorist networks like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have
debated whether killing them is justified.
The
two terrorist groups have clashed over whether to focus on the “far
enemy,” powerful Western countries like the United States, or the “near
enemy,” repressive governments in the Muslim world. Early in the Iraq
war, when the Islamic State’s predecessor organization targeted Iraq’s
Shiite majority, in the hopes of promoting sectarian conflict, Al Qaeda
criticized the Iraqi group’s leader at the time, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
for doing so.
When
a branch of Al Qaeda captured northern Mali in 2012, militants used
pickaxes and bulldozers to destroy the ancient mausoleums of Sufi saints
in Timbuktu. But documents recovered in northern Mali revealed that the
militants in Mali had acted without the permission of their leaders,
who wrote to express their dismay, arguing that the destruction — while
theologically justified — was unwise because it caused the population to
turn against them.
Though
Al Qaeda has also targeted Sufi sites, the Islamic State has set itself
apart by calling for brutal attacks against Sufis.
The status of Sufis in Egypt
While no group has yet claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, it bore some of the hallmarks of previous assaults
on Coptic Christians in Egypt. In the fall of 2016, Islamic State’s
local affiliate claimed to have executed a Sufi cleric who was about 100
years old.
The religious objections of fundamentalists to the Sufi style of worship may not be the only factor behind the attacks on Sufis.
Experts
say the amicable ties between Sufis and the Egyptian government may
also be factor, giving the attack a political dimension. Egypt’s
president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who took power after the military
overthrew a democratically elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi,
has vowed to do a better job at protecting religious minorities, who
were shunned when Mr. Morsi’s party, the Muslim Brotherhood, was in
power. By killing Sufis, the militants may be trying to undermine Mr.
Sisi’s authority.
Like
its counterparts in several other Muslim-majority countries, Egypt’s
government supports the Sufis because it sees them as members of a
moderate, manageable faction who are unlikely to engage in political
activity, because their priorities are oriented inwardly.
Sufi
sheikhs generally accept the legitimacy of the state, leading to
tensions with Muslims who oppose their governments and are willing to
act on their dissatisfaction — with violence if necessary.
“They
think the society is moving in the wrong direction and Sufis are aiding
and abetting the authorities on this corrupt path,” Mr. Knysh said. “In
ways, their reasons are very much political. They say, ‘If Sufis
support this, we will be against them,’ more or less.”
Imam
Feisal said that attacks on Sufi worshipers, besides being a “major
sin,” are the result of the politicization of religion in the region
over the past few decades. Egypt, in particular, he said, is a place
where that politicization has fueled extremism.
“When religion becomes politicized,” Imam Feisal said, “it is not good.”
