Why Sufis let Alexandria mosque be destroyed
The Egyptian government faced little opposition as it demolished a Sufi mosque in Alexandria to conclude a major road project, suggesting Sufis’ need for political protection may outweigh their reverence for shrines.
CAIRO — Alexandria's Sidi Abu al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani compound, which included a mosque, shrine, hospital and charity center, was demolished Aug. 19. The shrine was built for Burhan al-Din Abu Ahmed al-Ikhlas al-Zarqani, the founder of the Iskhlasi Sufi order who died in 1979.
The mosque was demolished because it was standing in the way of the Mahmudiya axis project, one of the national projects taking place in Alexandria, which includes the establishment of an integrated traffic and development axis at a cost of 5.5 billion Egyptian pounds (about $330 million) to solve the traffic crisis.
Almost eight months ago, there was a great deal of tension between the authorities and those who insisted that the mosque should not be destroyed and organized sit-ins there.
On Aug. 17, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi intervened and ordered that all obstacles impeding Mahmudiya project be removed, including the mosque. In a televised speech, Sisi said that the compound impeded progress on the project “and this does not satisfy the Prophet Muhammad. We said just name a new location and we will make a replica or even a better mosque.”
