Lebanon’s Sufi orders threatened by rise in Salafism
While Lebanon has been home to Sufi orders for centuries, a recent rise in extremist Salafism on the Sunni scene threatens their existence.
There are few sources on Sufism and Sunni Sufi orders in Lebanon. Were it not for some news reports on Sufi ceremonies and video clips on YouTube depicting remembrance sessions and spiritual dances, one would almost think that Sufi orders are completely absent in Lebanon. This comes in light of the media, political and military dominance of fundamentalist Salafist currents on the religious scene in Lebanon.
Al-Monitor spoke with Sheikh Ahmed Darwish al-Kurdi, a religious judge who follows one of the Sufi orders in Lebanon. He said that the majority of the Sunni Islamic community in Lebanon loves and supports Sufism. That many of Lebanon's muftis are supporters of Sufism is proof, he said.
A prominent Islamic source, speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, said that Grand Mufti of Lebanon Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, Mufti of Akkar Sheikh Osama al-Rifaai, Director-General of the Islamic Waqf Sheikh Hisham Khalifa and other prominent muftis and Islamic scholars support Sufism in Lebanon.
Kurdi noted that Sufi orders are widespread in Beirut, northern Lebanon, Sidon and the Bekaa Valley, and their number of followers is estimated in the tens of thousands.
