Sufi scholars urge Al-Azhar to confront Salafists, Brotherhood

Cairo - The World Union of Sufi Scholars held a conference on "violence and terrorism" in the presence of different sects and ideological trends. The participants called on the Al-Azhar to confront the wave of Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood ideologies. They also demanded President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to cut political relations with regional and international powers supporting terrorism.

Chairman of the World Union of Sufi Scholars, Alaa Abul Azzaim, urged the government to support Sufism because it is the only sect that is capable of defeating terrorism and extremism, pointing out that Sufism had a great role before the July 23 Revolution. He added that late president Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat supported Sufism and granted the union its current headquarters as well as a financial aid of LE30,000 per year.

Former parliament member Mohamed Anwar Sadat said that the Egyptian people should unite to overcome the current crises, asserting that the army and police cannot defeat terrorism alone. He noted that Sufism should play a major role in anti-terrorism efforts, even though it is no longer as influential as it was in the past.

Sadat refused to hold the Al-Azhar and its institutions accountable for the recent terrorist acts, despite its urgent need for development and renewal. He warned that negative criticism of the Al-Azhar would contribute in creating more extremist groups nationwide, making it extremely difficult to face them all.