Sufi celebration of Tariqa Alawiya centennial spotlights tolerance, peace

2009-08-05

Around 6,000 people flocked to the Algerian city of Mostaganem this July for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Tariqa Alawiya, whose Sufi followers prize tolerance, unity, peace and ecology.

By Mouna Sadek for Magharebia in Algiers – 05/08/09

[File] Sufi Sheikh Ahmed Ben Mostefa Al-Alawi (1869-1934) is considered a harmoniser of tradition and modernity.

Tolerance and "green" living were among the themes highlighted at the centennial celebration of the Tariqa Alawiya, a Sufist spiritual lineage, which gathered 6,000 people in the Algerian city of Mostaganem on July 24th-31st.

The celebration highlighted the spiritual contributions of the Tariqa Alawiya, which is believed by its brotherhood of faithful adherents to trace its roots directly to the Prophet Mohammed.

Sheikh Khaled Bentounès, the brotherhood's current spiritual guide, said the event, which included researchers and cultural figures from over 40 countries, carried a "message of hope for a better future".

"In the face of the major challenges facing humanity and the global emergencies confronting us, the Sufi route of Alawiya proposes some profound reflection that will lead to concrete plans," said Bentounès.

Mostaganem, which lies in the western part of Algeria, showcased Tariqa Alawiya thinking on several main themes, including "The Earth", "Globalisation", "Revelation", "Spirituality and Sufism" and "The Future".

The festivities started on January 29th with a "Caravan of Hope" that rolled away from the Algiers Palace of Culture. It then travelled more than 8,000km, passing through 30 towns and making connections with different peoples and cultures. The caravan arrived in Mostaganem on July 24th for the centennial celebrations.

Sufism, a mystical movement within Islam that arose after the death of the Prophet Mohammed in 632 AD, seeks divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. The event organisers underscored the importance of Sufism in sowing tolerance and virtue to promote a culture of peace and to manage modern society's problems.

Dr. Abdellah Boukhalkhal, President of El Amir Abdelkader University, told those in attendance that spiritual education according to the precepts of Islam can instil the values of love, tolerance, brotherhood and peaceful co-existence preached by the Qur'an and the Hadith.

Boukhalkhal cited more than 170 verses of the Qur'an to support the idea that Islam accords a strategic dimension to the values of tolerance and reconciliation, in order to guard against disagreements and acts of sabotage.

The university president also recalled the upheaval through which Algeria had lived in the previous decade, with "its cargo of destruction and funeral processions, blood-letting, loss of confidence, including between brothers, due to this separation from the culture of peace and tolerance preached by the Muslim religion".

Dr. Ahmed Boussenna of Ferhat Abbas University in Sétif, meanwhile, said society needs this spiritual heritage to free itself from all forms of extremism and intolerance, which are sources of society's destruction.

Other participants struck a "green" note, calling for national tree-planting campaigns. They also reflected on the spread of modern technology in agriculture, the need for teaching programmes on sustainable development in schools, and the establishment of a university-level body to examine the processing of waste and water.

Other green topics included the risks of environmental damage and the role of small farmers in guaranteeing food security and fighting poverty.

At a press conference after the event, Sheikh Bentounès said the celebration fulfilled part of the brotherhood's service to humanity and the mission of Islam by allowing debate on current issues ranging from science and culture to ecology and spirituality.

"Each person can only define himself or herself in relation to the community of humanity, in openness and acceptance of the other," he said. "For this, we need to return to the spirit of unity, to a symbiosis between spirit and reason."