CAIRO — Sufism appears to be politically ascendant in Egypt, with one of its leaders tapped to lead the parliamentary majority for the first time. This has led many to speculate about the future of Sufism in the political arena and the possibility of a return of political Islam after the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Sheikh Abdel Hadi al-Qasabi, vice president of the Nation’s Future Party, chairman of parliament’s Social Solidarity Committee and head of the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders, became the leader of parliament’s majority alliance, the Support Egypt Coalition, assuming the position by acclamation on Sept. 17. The coalition consists of seven parties represented by some 400 independent and partisan parliamentarians. There is a total of 596 seats in the parliament.
