Held in the oldest and largest medieval city in the world, the Festival of Sufi Culture in Fez, Morocco is more than just a celebration of spirituality through music and festivities. It is also an opportunity for leaders to get together to discuss certain issues in regard to Sufism and to celebrate the teachings and cultural history of Sufism in Morocco. Visitors to the Sufi Culture Festival gain insight into this mysterious side of Islam and are introduced to the Sufi heritage, rituals and beliefs. It is a festival where dance and music fill the evening air and where art and workshops spread the Sufi message of love and tolerance.
Sufism has been infused in the culture of Morocco for centuries. Sufi teachers are viewed to be moral examples for the rest of the public, because of their teachings of leniency and their lives that reflect peace and compassion. This form of spiritual education is seen as the centre piece for the Islamic faith and has been recorded to have been in existence as far back as the eleventh century. Spiritual centers where Sufism is taught started coming to light in the thirteenth century and during the Mongol invasions. Sufism became vital to the Muslim religion by preserving their belief in spirituality.
Conceived by Sufi scholar Faouzi Skali, the 3rd annual Fes Festival of Sufi Culture brings together Sufi brotherhoods from Morocco and Algeria under the leadership of the Egyptian master, Cheikh Ahmad al-Tuni. Assďa Alaoui, Benjamin Barber, Dominique Voynet, Driss Al Yazami, Majid Rahnema, Mohamed Berrada, Edgar Morin, Katherine Marshall, Hervé de Charette, Daouda Dieye, Marie Arena, Emmanuel Todd,Mohammed Berrada, Nouzha Skalli, Pascal Boniface and Bariza Khiari are among the many distinguished guests on various panels and discussion groups for the 2009 edition.
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