CAIRO - The members of Egypt's Sufi sects have mixed feelings about participation in the People's Assembly ( the Lower House of the Parliament) polls, due to be held on November 28. Sufis try to avoid political life, because they're busy with religious matters. However, if they don't participate in the polls, it might seem that they're trying to isolate themselves from society, something that contradicts their teachings. Alaa Abul Azaim, the leader of the Azaimia order, is against participating in elections, because, he argues, the winners may have used illegal methods to achieve their goals. He describes the elections as a whole as ‘undemocratic'. Given his attitude, it now comes as a great surprise that Abul Azaim has announced his intention of running in the polls. He says that he has changed his mind because “he is convinced of the opinions of the sheikhs who will support him”. He hopes to win, as he has many supporters, even though he has nominated himself for the same constituency as Ahmed Fathi Sorour, the legislature's Speaker. Abdel-Hadi el-Qasabi, the leader of another Sufi order, hopes that the Sufi candidates, including Abul Azaim and Sheikh Essam Zaki Ibrahim of the Mohamedia Shazlia Order, who intends to run in the Gamalia constituency in Islamic Cairo, will succeed. However, he stresses that his followers can vote for Sheikh Essam or not, as they see fit, and he won't impose his opinion on anyone, as his role is to give people religious, not political advice. Sheikh Essam himself says that he'll receive moral, not financial support, from the sheikhs of the Sufi orders, explaining that he wants to be elected, so that he can help developing society in every field, helping the State to accomplish its comprehensive development plan. Sheikh el-Qasabi told Al-Shorouq independent newspaper recently that he would do all he could to support Sheikh Essam, asserting his right to nominate himself as an Egyptian citizen who enjoys constitutional rights. Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Sufi Council, Ahmed K. Afifi, stresses that the State-backed council won't support the nominees. Sheikh Mahmoud Abul Faid, chief of the Faidia order and a member of the Sufi Council, says that there's no problem if the sheikh of a sect wants to run in the elections. “We urge the followers of the nominee's order to vote in the elections, choosing the best candidate. We don't force them to vote for any particular candidate,” he comments. Sheikh Tareq Yassin el-Refae' of the Refa'ia Order agrees, arguing that Sufis shouldn't shun political life, adding that he himself will be supporting Sheikh Essam. El-Refae' himself was thinking of running, but poor health prevents him. Ahmed Hafez el-Tegani, Sheikh of the Tegania sect, also thinks it's right for any cleric who wants to run in the elections to do so, adding that he hopes Sheikh Essam will land a seat in the legislature. “We have no political affiliation, so we support the policies of both President Hosni Mubarak and the (ruling) National Democratic Party,“ he comments.
