THE FRANCOPHONIE SUFISM AND ITS RELATION WITH THE ORIENTALISM: ATHEOLOGICAL STUDY

Abstract

The Francophonie is a contemporary, ideological, dialectical and complex phenomenon as it is associated with several aspects, the most important of which are dissolution of identity and eliminating the religious factors. The activity and effects of the francophonie extended to the Arab countries particularly the Maghreb (the western part of the Arab world). The different sects and orders (Turuq) of mysticism (Sufism) were behind the penetration of this phenomenon into those countries as the Francophonie found an appropriate field in the rituals, dogmas and principles of the Sufism that were mixed up with philosophies of other religions for its modernist and rationalist trend. Also, the Francophonie was strengthened there by one of its important pillars which is reflected in the following several phrases like “Religious Cultural Exchange” and “Civilizational Interpenetration” etc. as such phrases were employed as a curtain behind which a single objective was hidden and that is “Subordination” in all its forms including the ideological and religious subordination. The present study aims to shed light on this sort of “Sufism” that has Francophonie trend and to discover its connections with the Francophonie system within its Orientalistic circle. The study adopted several approaches to achieve its objective and they are: historical approach, inductive approach and analytical method. The important findings of the study are: The Sufi orders (different ways of Mysticism) are considered to be among the most important groups which had received a special attention from Francophonie Orientalistic ideology. The response of the Sufi orders to the Francophonie ideology represents a pattern of the stages of religious development that the Europeans had desired to achieve after a long era of clash between the science and religion. In addition, the research concluded that the relation of Francophonie Sufism with the Orientalism is in fact a relation with an overlapping system of associations and trends that converge on common principles and visions under the umbrella of the Orientalism. The study also revealed that the roots of that relation, despite its being emergence in a new dress, is very old and extended throughout the history. The ideological and philosophical systems as well as the esoteric origins in the eyes of the Sufis (mystics) had a great impact on strengthening the relation between them.