Non-Activist Islam: Mysticism in the Levant

In its 66th monthly book, Al-Mesbar Studies and Research Center explores Sufism — the mystical strand in Islam — in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon. The book examines history as well as the present day—with all of its changes and challenges—exploring the relationship between mysticism and political authority, mysticism’s effect on the public, and mysticism’s stand on political Islamic movements and other Islamic groups. Dr. Ameen Youssef looks at the Levant as the fundamental center of mysticism and the seat of mysticism’s greatest characters. Professor Mashhour Al-Habazi explores mysticism in Palestine between 1989 and 2011. Dr. Abd Al-Jaleel Ali Al-Abadala discusses mysticism in Jordanian society and extensively criticizes the Muslim Brotherhood from a mystic’s perspective. Mahmoud Haidar deals with Lebanese mysticism and its political role—especially in Tripoli, Beirut, and Sidon. Abd Al-Samad Bilhaj examines mysticism and the Muslim Brotherhood and discusses mysticism’s deep spiritual and political roots in Syria. The monthly book is Mysticism’s History in Syria: Origin and Development—Time, Place, Man by Dr. Aboud Abdullah Al-Askari.