“Mutual Benefits”: The authority and Sufism in Arab countries

The relation between Sufis (Muslim mystics) and the Moroccan royal court developed during the reigns of King Hassan II and his son Mohammed VI.

King Mohammed VI, ascended to the throne on July 23, 1999 upon the death of his father, considered Sufism to be one of the most influential groups in Morocco, thus he financially supported them to ensure stability and their support to the royal court.

 The relation between regimes and Sufism in the Arab world is based on “mutual benefits”; for decades, various regimes have sought to attract Sufis for political support, achieving stability within the community, and encountering extremist groups.

Sufis, on the other hand, benefited from the different regimes that supported them. Sufi orders have either been financially supported, as ministries of religious affairs in some countries dedicated sums of money for them; or morally, as Sufis were allowed to appear on public media outlets and publicly organize Hadras.

Hadras are supererogatory rituals performed by Sufi orders that feature religious poetic chanting, praise and supplication to God, religious exhortations, praise of the Prophet and requests for intercession.

So, if the relationship between the two parties was based on mutual benefits, this means that the regime would have the upper hand in this relationship. Then why did no other Sufi orders took advantage of the consensus with the authority like the Moroccan Sufism order since the Arab Spring Revolutions in 2011 to restore their position in the Arab world? And how would the relation between the two parties be in the future?

 - Similar situations:

The form of the relationship between Sufi orders and Arab regimes during the recent period unveils a stable relationship that existed between the two parties several years ago; it also refers to a similarity between Arab countries that have been keen on developing the relationship with Sufi orders after the circumstances that followed the revolutions in 2011.

Similarities of the relationships between various Sufi orders and successive regimes can be remarked through focusing on the development of this relationship with four Arab regimes that are different in terms of years in power, ruling references and forms of political systems. Hereby we shed the light on Egypt, as an example that witnessed successive regimes after the 2011 revolutions; Morocco, as a different ruling example; Sudan, which is being ruled by an Islamic ruling party; and Algeria, which witnesses many years in power by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

(*) Egypt: The relationship between Sufis and the successive presidents of Egypt, starting with late president Gamal Abdel Nasser and up until current President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, did not witness many changes despite that the reasons behind that differed.

Former presidents Hosni Mubarak and Anwar Sadat followed the same strategy towards Sufism in Egypt; as during Sadat’s, Sufism had its way to the top of the Egyptian religious scene, as officials were keen to attend Sufi celebrations and Hadras. Moreover, Sadat supported Sufis both financially and morally; as he ratified law no. 18/1978 of the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders that dedicated part of the Endowment Ministry’s alms fund to Sufis.

Mubarak was also keen to provide moral support for Sufi orders by broadcasting their conferences and festivals on public TV, as some officials also insisted on attending these celebrations.

Gamal Abdel Nasser, however, tightened his grip over Sufis in Egypt to control and get advantage of them .

Currently, the relationship between Sufism and the regime is similar to the last 10 years of Mubarak’s era, except that the number of Sufi state representatives increased; so the relationship now is based on moral support for the revival of the role of Sufism among Egyptians, with an aim to extend through the gaps that the Muslim Brotherhood left.

 (*) Morocco: Despite the resemblances between Arab regimes and Sufi orders, the relationship between the Moroccan regime and Sufism is considered to be the most developed; it moves in two different directions, as the regime supports Sufi orders both financially and morally.

The relationship between Sufism and the regime in Morocco developed throughout the eras of King Hassan II and his son Mohammed VI in comparison to their predecessors. King Mohammed VI considered Sufism to be one of the most powerful groups in Morocco that requires financial support.

Here we can say that the strength of the relationship between the Moroccan royal court and Sufism, especially since the Arab revolutions in 2011, led to fast and noticeable outcomes, which were pointed out by observers. For example, Sufis of the Tariqa Qadiriya Boutchichia (A Sufi order) called upon its followers and other Moroccan citizens to vote for the 2011 Constitution.

 (*) Algeria: The relationship between President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Sufism remains the strongest compared to previous Algerian presidents, as Bouteflika himself is a follower of the Tariqa Hebriya of his hometown Tlemcen. He also believed in seeking the blessings of Sufi scholars and sheikhs as it is claimed that he stayed at one of the mosques in Western Algeria for a whole week before the Presidential elections in 1999.

As a result to Bouteflika’s close relationship with Sufism, some leaders of the two ruling parties in Algeria also supported Sufis, moreover, the Algerian president have always supported Sufism both financially, by allocating sums of money for Sufism orders and restoring their mosques, and morally, by fitting them into the society and granting them more freedom.

 (*) Sudan: There has always been a cautious approach between Sufism and the Sudanese political system with the leadership of Omar al-Bashir. Sufism in Sudan has always feared the Salafi tide in Sudan as it was considered a threat to Sufis, and despite that the Sudanese regime tried to show flexibility towards Sufism, authorities often attacked and imprisoned Sufis and prevented their celebrations from being organized. But this has recently changed into a positive relationship after Sufis pledged allegiance to Bashir in the upcoming 2020 presidential elections, so he met with some Sufi sheikhs in 2018 to thank them and commend Sufism as the most moderate Islamic example.

 - Clear justifications:

Reasons behind why some Arab regimes decided to support Sufism are very much alike, as it is considered the most powerful in the face of other Islamists groups. Sufism is also considered a strong lobby that might operate for the interest of these regimes by promoting their policies and gain the support of other Sufi tribes, which act as the keystone for Arab Sufism.

In Egypt for example, Sufism was supported by Mubarak to encounter the thoughts of other Islamist groups; it was also supported and encouraged by Sadat to face the threat of extremist groups.

Former president Nasser also decided to support Sufis to reach the lower class of the rural community and to prepare them as an encounter to the Muslim Brotherhood and to support his foreign policy that was based on Arab nationalism.

Current President Sisi supported Sufism for about the same reasons, most importantly, to spread moderate Islam to encounter terrorism and extremism.

In Morocco, the king supports Sufism for the sake of his legitimacy in the fight against extremist groups, in addition to the promotion of his domestic and foreign policies, as they are considered a powerful diplomatic and spiritual force that has the ability to influence neighboring communities; as they were once counted on in competing with other countries in the West African region.

While in Algeria, the aim behind supporting Sufism was to create a strong defense line around the political regime, and to encounter extremist groups that have been causing bloodsheds in Algeria since 1992.

 - Potential scenarios:

It seems that Sufi orders did not set an expansion plan in regards to their relationships with the authority or how to get advantage of it despite of all the current positive circumstances, including the fight against extremist groups that excommunicate and fight them, in addition to the keenness of political leaderships to develop the religious speech to fit more into moderation.

And based on the aforementioned, only one of two scenarios is more likely to determine the form and future of the relationship between Sufi orders and Arab regimes during the coming period;

- The first scenario: Sufi orders will stay passive in some Arab countries, and most importantly in Egypt; these orders will soon be ignored by the authority in some countries if they chose not to take advantage of the current circumstances and remained uncoordinated with no actual plan, as they were supposed to fill the gap that extremist groups left.

What backs this scenario is what has been happening in Egypt since the June 30, 2013 revolution, as Sufis began to spread, but only for a short while, as they returned to their main locations in Greater Cairo and left the streets.

- The second scenario: A recession in the relationship between the two parties will likely occur, followed by a reduction in financial and moral support by the authority in some Arab countries. This scenario means a recession of the Sufi tide in the region during the coming period; and it is likely to happen in some countries and not all of them, including Egypt, especially that the role which Sufi orders had been playing in supporting the authority and justifying its decisions, may had been lost unintentionally during the current period.

Overall, we can assume that the current circumstances may be the best for Sufi orders in the Arab world, to improve their relationships with these regimes and get financial and moral support from them, especially that most of the aforementioned regimes delivered a direct message to Sufis that they must soothe communities and fight extremism.