ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a historical and political perspective on Sufis in certain cities, which were once located in the Ottoman and Mughal Empires. It also explores the relation between the ethical and the political, analysing discourses of (non)violence in Islamic thought. Within the Ottoman Empire the two Sufi orders that thrived were the Maulviya and the Naqshbandiyya. The Mevleviyya were organised around the lineage descended from Maulana Rum, who became dominant in Turkey and Central Asia. In the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, Sufi shrines have been targeted by Salafis. In Libya there have been attacks on the tombs of Sufi scholars and mystics. The chapter focuses on the philosophical contribution of Sufi brotherhoods such as Chishtis, Qadiris and Madaris and also of independent qalandars in the Indian subcontinent. Sufis continue to thrive in Egypt despite the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qena is a bridge city on the route to the Red Sea.
