Algeriet prøver sufisme som modmiddel

De Arabiske regimer bruger som regel mere dramatiske metoder til at bekæmpe radikal Islam. Men det er jo fuldstændigt umuligt, når store andele af muslimerne går i radikale moskeer.
Så kan man kun reagere, når de bliver direkte terrorister og begynder at bekæmpe regimet, mens de må være glade, når hadet vendes mod kvinder og Israel, som en lynafleder.

Men for regimerne er radikal islam jo en trussel, Saudi-Arabien forsøger sig med at støtte den, mens den slår hårdt ned på dem som bekæmper regimet.

I Algeriet har man haft et noget blodigt problem med radikal Islam. Der forsøger man nu på en ny måde at komme den til livs, nemlig ved at støtte Sufiretninger som går mere op i indre åndelig aktivitet end i ydre:

Algeria’s promotion of Sufism could also have implications for countries such as Iraq and Afgha­nistan, which also have Sufi traditions and where Western governments are struggling to counter the influence of Islamist radicals.

“A Sufi should connect with Allah through invocation and prayer. For example, on Fridays we spend several hours … chanting and reciting the Koran. We repeat 1,200 times the name of Allah, and 1,200 times the name of his Prophet Mohammad,” Hadj Lakhdar Ghania said.

The Salafists are a more visible presence in Algeria because while the Sufis do not wear any distinguishing dress, most Salafists have beards and in the street wear the kamiss, a long white robe, and white skullcaps.

For some militants, the Salafi Puritanism leads to a strict interpretation of religion that justifies violence against non-Salafis.

Many leading Salafis reject violence, and others have renounced it since the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US. But some militant groups still claim Salafism as their ideology.

Hard-line Islamists say that Sufi practices such as visiting the tombs of Sufi saints to seek benediction amount to idolatry.

“Sufism is negative. It doesn’t seek change. It promotes charlatanism,” said Sheikh Abdel-Fatah, an influential Salafist imam based in Algiers.

“Salafism is good and combats harmful ideas. We encourage our youth to follow the rules of Islam and get away from the western way of life,” said imam.

The predecessor organization to Al-Qaeda’s North African wing was influenced by the movement, calling itself the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat.

Jeg ved godt at sufisme ikke vil løse alle problemer, men de ville løse en del og forhindre andre i at opstå.
Men det kommer ikke til at udrydde salafismen, som har et noget mere simpelt budskab, der kun kræver af en, at man er undskyld udtrykket, et dumt svin der gerne vil føle sig som en åndelig krøsus.
Men en del af løsningen kunne det være. Mange muslimer kan vitterligt lettere identificere sig med sufismen end salafismen, og da det er for meget at forvente at de skal opgive islam, er sufismen rar.

Man må dog få med, at sufismen ikke har klaret sig så godt i naturlig konkurrence med salafismen, Algeriets befolkning har hele tiden haft den mulighed at blive Sufi i stedet for at gå i En Salafi moske.

Exact numbers are hard to come by, but George Joffe, a research fellow at the Center of International Studies, Cambridge University, estimates there are 1-1.5 million Sufis in Algeria, out of a total population of 34 million.