On Friday, tens of thousands of followers of the Sufi orders gathered in Alexandria to celebrate the last day of the moulid of Abul Abbas el-Moursi, a founder of Sufism in Egypt. The followers of more than 12 Sufi orders participated in the festivities. El-Moursi, the son of a merchant, died in Alexandria in AD 1287.
Following the afternoon prayers, participants organized five marches from the Sidi Ali Temraz Mosque in Anfoushy to other mosques in the area.
During the annual conference for Sufi orders—this year called “Sufism: Communication between Generations”—Sheikh Mohamed Abdel Fadeel, head of the religious endowments department in Alexandria, attacked Salafist groups which ban moulids, or visits to mausoleums and prayer in mosques that have mausoleums. Fadeel described these groups as “Zionist organizations.”
Security erected barricades in the streets leading to the Abul Abbas Mosque.
Abdel Hadi el-Qasabi, Sheikh of the Supreme Sufi Council, did not attend the celebration, instead dispatching Mohamed el-Khodeiry. The Governor of Alexandria, Adel Labib, was also absent.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
