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![]() New TV channel to give Sufism a voice
A coalition of Sufi organisations is preparing to launch Egypt’s first Sufi-themed satellite television station before the end of the year.
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Wednesday, January 27,2010 15:04 | |||||||
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CAIRO // A coalition of Sufi organisations is preparing to launch Egypt’s first Sufi-themed satellite television station before the end of the year.
Ala’ Abu al Azayim, the sheikh of the Al Azmiyah tariqah, said he hoped the station, which he plans to name Al Sufiya Wa Atasawaf (Sufis and Sufism), will help propagate Sufism’s moderate conception of Islam.
“There are a lot of satellite stations. All of them attack Sufism and some of them, or many of them … are [run by] ignorant people” said Mr al Azayim, who said he saw the proposed channel as part of a broader “jihad”, or spiritual struggle, to defend Islam from Salafi thought. “They have no idea about Islam except the niqab for the ladies and the gallabeya and the long beard for the men.” Egyptian Muslims have long held a unique affinity for Sufism, Mr al Azayim, whose grandfather founded the Al Azmiyah tariqah, said. He estimates that only about 25 per cent of Egyptian Muslims adhere to a specific Sufi tariqah, but about 70 per cent of the population identify with a more general practice of Sufi beliefs and customs.
In more conservative circles, Sufism is seen as a religious innovation that deviates from the teachings of the Prophet. Many Sufis celebrate historical saints and past spiritual leaders, a practice some Muslims say is tantamount to polytheism. Sufi worship also includes religious singing and dancing, which are sharply at odds with the more austere conventions of Salafi worship.
Sufi stations often present religious music and lively sound effects. Some even employ female presenters and present discussions of topical issues, Mr al Sharief said.
While conflicts with regional governments are a potential pitfall for Salafi stations – whose programming tends to run counter to secular-minded regimes such as Egypt’s – Mr al Azayim is confident he can avoid problems with Cairo’s political authorities. Religiously themed television stations are illegal in Egypt, but they are frequently broadcast from abroad and the government is likely to favour a channel that promotes a more moderate view of Islam, he said.
Mohammed Habib, a spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the outlawed but tolerated Islamist political organisation, said he opposed the channel’s ideological agenda, adding that it would “serve the ruling regime by letting them use Sufi thought against political Islam”.
“If this satellite station is going to confront the attacks against Islam, it’s welcome. But with regards to its reviewing of Islam, I think it will be on the wrong side of our concept of Islam.”
Mr al Azayim said he had already had positive discussions with NileSat, an Egyptian government-owned satellite operator and one of the largest satellite services in the Middle East.
But unlike other stations, Al Sufiya Wa Atasawaf will treat its viewers to a principled defence of a religious ideology that some of the station’s sponsors feel is under attack.
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tags: Islam / Sufism / Salafism / Quran / Egyptian Regime / Moderate Muslim Brotherhood
Posted in Other Issues |
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