Sufism in the United Arab Emirates

For more than two decades, there has been a noticeable re-emergence of Sufism in some Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf. Spiritually-minded scholars from other Muslim countries have moved to the region and disseminated knowledge of taṣawwuf through teaching, publicity and the media, including some satellite TV channels. This phenomenon seems to stem from a precise political pattern on the side of local leaderships, aimed at countering the spread of fundamentalist thought and preventing extremist drifts. With regard to the United Arab Emirates in particular, the commitment of this country to supporting the Sufi movement as an effective instrument of a ‘balanced Islam’ (islām muʿtadil) is quite clear.