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| Africa North | |
| Algeria fights insurgency with Sufism | |
| 2009-07-09 | |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] After using police raids, arrests and gun battles in its fight against Islamist insurgents, Algeria is now deploying a new, more subtle weapon: a branch of Islam associated with contemplation, not combat. The government of this North African oil and gas producer is promoting Sufism, an Islamic movement that it sees as a gentler alternative to Salafism espoused by many of the militants behind Algeria's insurgency. Sufism places a great focus on prayer and recitationThe authorities have created a television and radio station to promote Sufism and the "zaouias" or religious confraternities that preach and practice it, in addition to regular appearances by Sufi sheikhs on other stations. All are tightly controlled by the state. Sufism, found in many parts of the Muslim world, places a greater focus on prayer and recitation and its followers have tended to stay out of politics. In Algeria it has a low profile, with most mosques closer to Salafism -- though not the violent connotations that sometimes carries. Exact numbers are hard to come by, but George Joffe, a research fellow at the Centre of International Studies, Cambridge University, estimates there are 1-1.5 million Sufis in Algeria, out of a total population of 34 million. Salafism has its roots in Saudi Arabia and emphasizes religious purity. Adherents act out the daily rituals of Islam's earliest followers, for example by picking up food with three fingers and using a "Siwak" -- a toothbrush made out of a twig.
"I disagree with the Salafi ideology because it doesn't take into consideration the particular nature of Algeria," said Mohamed Idir Mechnane, an official at the Ministry of Religious Affairs. "We are doing a lot to encourage people to come back to our traditional Islam: a peaceful, tolerant and open-minded Islam. And thanks to God, people are much more attracted by our message than by the Salafi message," he told Reuters. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Well, they may be violent assholes, but many of today's Americans' ancestors and much of the rest of the world today are both have heavy representation by violent assholes. (It's how humans evolved; believe me, it's no fun being stuck on a planet full of 'em). The big question is, are these violent assholes we can live with more easily than the current predominant strain of violent assholes over there? Possibly so. (BTW, I notice that when Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri (if that's the guy I'm thinking of; I may be wrong) 'converted' to Al Qaeda he both renounced Sufism and pledged personal fealty to the AQ chain of command all the way up to OBL. SO it appears the violent assholes who are obsessed with fighting us think that the creed of Sufism is incompatible with their goals.) |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-07-09 11:36 |
| #6 Oh, well, sorry for the dupes, got really frustrated*, as I was redirected to RSA dure to some of those damn keywords, didn't think comments were posted as I tried to find what was the itchy bit by elimination. *But, then again, my whole life is a long, endless string of frustrations, with some failures then and now to break up the monotony.
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| Posted by: anonymous5089 2009-07-09 11:32 |
| #5 The Sufi are pretty ok. IIRC, sufism was anyway already the major brand of everyday people's islam in north africa, uturkey, large part of central asia, large part of india,... before the islamic revival of the last century, back to "pure islam". Hell, algeria was a sufi area (not a country), didn't prevent it from being part of the Barbary coast whose only productive industry was piracy, didn't prevent any of the atrocities of the independence war, didn't prevent islam being a driving forve even behind the national-marxist FLN. What's funny is that sufism was the traditional form of islam, because IIUC it is more sustainable and "bearable" than the "straight islam" from the arab peninsula, so, basically, to make islam workable, you've got to infuse with with Christian spirtituality, how droll... also, the push toward salafi islam in algeria was done... by the algerian junta, along with its arabization program. So, now, they are pushing sufism, how droll (again). Anyway, from what I've read, and a small bit of common sense re the history of sufi islam as a very widespread "folks religion" (islamic law + Christian spirituality + pre-islamic superstitions & traditions) vs the big trends of the islmaic world when it comes to dealing with non-believers,... sufism really seems "overrated" as a Peace&Love kind of islam IMHO. Sufi Jihad? Bostom: Sufism Without Camouflage (Beyond Stephen Schwartz) The Real Sufism |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2009-07-09 11:26 |
| #4 two specific Sufi practises will likely tick of many Algerians 1. they make pilgrimage to the tombs of Sufi sages and consider these pilgrimages to be more important than the Haj 2. Sufi poetry is loaded with hymns celebrating wine (written at a time before the muslim world realized that the koran was prohibited alcohol. and to add to what jfm said, Maulana Masood Azharwho leads Jaish-e-Muhammad, is also believer of Sufis |
| Posted by: lord garth 2009-07-09 09:01 |
| #3 The Sufi are pretty ok. You should take a look at the atrocities perpetrated by pious sufis. Sufism was striong in imperial Turkey to begin with. |
| Posted by: JFM 2009-07-09 08:52 |
| #2 If it works great. I figure the other sects will respond with violence, that being the preferred method of debate in the House of Islam. |
| Posted by: Don Vito Crolutle2068 2009-07-09 08:00 |
| #1 The Sufi are pretty ok. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-07-09 07:02 |