Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy S e r i e s E d i t o r s : Te d G. J e l e n a n d M a r k J. R o z e l l A generation ago, many social scientists regarded religion as an anachronism, whose social, economic, and political importance would inevitably wane and disappear in the face of the inexorable forces of modernity. Of course, nothing of the sort has occurred; indeed, the public role of religion is resurgent in US domestic politics, in other nations, and in the international arena. Today, religion is widely acknowledged to be a key variable in candidate nominations, platforms, and elections; it is recognized as a major influence on domestic and foreign policies. National religious movements as diverse as the Christian Right in the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan are important factors in the internal politics of particular nations. Moreover, such transnational religious actors as Al-Qaida, Falun Gong, and the Vatican have had important effects on the politics and policies of nations around the world. Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy serves a growing niche in the discipline of political science. This subfield has proliferated rapidly during the past two decades, and has generated an enormous amount of scholarly studies and journalistic coverage. Five years ago, the journal Politics and Religion was created; in addition, works relating to religion and politics have been the subject of many articles in more general academic journals. The number of books and monographs on religion and politics has increased tremendously. In the past, many social scientists dismissed religion as a key variable in politics and government. This series casts a broad net over the subfield, providing opportunities for scholars at all levels to publish their works with Palgrave. The series publishes monographs in all subfields of political science, including American Politics, Public Policy, Public Law, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. The principal focus of the series is the public role of religion. Religion is construed broadly to include public opinion, religious institutions, and the legal frameworks under which religious politics are practiced. The dependent variable in which we are interested is politics, defined broadly to include analyses of the public sources and consequences of religious belief and behavior. These would include matters of public policy, as well as variations in the practice of political life. We welcome a diverse range of methodological perspectives, provided that the approaches taken are intellectually rigorous. The series does not deal with works of theology, in that arguments about the validity or utility of religious beliefs are not a part of the series focus. Similarly, the authors of works about the private or personal consequences of religious belief and behavior, such as personal happiness, mental health, or family dysfunction, should seek other outlets for their writings. Although historical perspectives can often illuminate our understanding of modern political phenomena, our focus in the Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy series is on the relationship between the sacred and the political in contemporary societies. The Catholic Church in Polish History: Politics, Religion, and Cultural Resistance By Sabrina P. Ramet Global Religions and International Relations: A Diplomatic Perspective By Pasquale Ferrara
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Sponsoring Sufism How Governments Promote Mystical Islam in Their Domestic and Foreign Policies Fa it Mu e d ini
SPONSORING SUFISM Copyright Fait Muedini, 2015. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-52106-4 All rights reserved. Book contains excerpts from The Promotion of Sufism in the Politics of Algeria and Morocco, Muedini, Fait, Islamic Africa, Vol. 29, No. 3, pages 201 226. Northwestern University Press. First published in 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States a division of St. Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-70534-4 ISBN 978-1-137-52107-1 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9781137521071 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: July 2015 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Kaltrina, Edon, Dua, and to my parents, Atli and Mudzefer Muedini
Contents Acknowledgments i x I nt ro duc t ion 1 1 What Is Sufism? History, Characteristics, Patronage, a nd Pol it ic s 19 2 Algeria: Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Sufism, and Authoritarianism 43 3 Morocco: King Mohammed VI, Sufism, and the Islamist C h a l le n g e r s 67 4 Appealing to Sufi Orders and Shrines: The Case of G ove r n me nt Su f i A d vo c a c y i n Pa k i s t a n 9 7 5 Promoting Sufism in Russia, Chechnya, and Uzbekistan 125 6 The Promotion of Sufism in the West: Britain and the Un it e d St at e s 153 C onc lu sion 175 Notes 185 B ibl i o g r a ph y 197 Index 217
Acknowledgments I want to thank my wife, Kaltrina, our children, Edon and Dua, and my parents, Atli and Mudzefer Muedini, for all of their support throughout the writing of this book. I also want to thank everyone who had any part in supporting this project. I want to thank Professor Paul Heck for first introducing me to the relationship between Sufism and politics. I want to thank Michael Jerryson, Ahmed Khanani, Matt Buehler, and all others who have provided comments and feedback on various forms of this work. I also want to thank Ted Jelen for his continued interest in the book manuscript. I wish to also thank the various anonymous reviewers for their comments, as well as Brian O Connor and Elaine Fan for their dedicated work on the editing and final production of the manuscript. Lastly, I also want to thank the various institutions such as Butler University for allowing me to present my research, as well as the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University for sponsoring my trip to present my paper at their Ready for Democracy? conference.