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The unique twin approaches of Sufi Sheikhs and host-guest relationships at El Sayed Ahmed El-Badawy Mosque in Egypt

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Abstract

Research on the effects of religious hosts’ interpretations, faith expressions, and interactions with tourists of different religious beliefs at Islamic religious sites has been surprisingly scarce. This is particularly the case in the Sufism tradition, which is considered a moderate and mystical variety of Islam. This qualitative study examines Sufi hosts’ narratives of their interactions with non-Muslim visitors at the Sufi mosque and tomb of El Sayed Ahmed El-Badawy in Egypt and explores how host-guest relations are influenced by religiosity. Face-to-face interviews with 13 Sufi sheikhs highlight the significant influence of traditional Islam and the universal perspective of Sufism on host-guest relations. The findings indicate that these beliefs can create a space for non-Muslim visitors’ exposure to a moderate version of Islam, and potentially portray an image of Egypt as a moderate Islamic country and safe destination for international tourists. Finally, the paper suggests possible avenues for future research.

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Current study is original & has not been published elsewhere in any form or language (partially or in full). The authors affirs that the current manuscript is an accurate, honest & transparent account of the study being reported; that no important themes and/or aspects of the current research have been omitted.

Notes

  1. The term sheikh is used to refer to a Muslim religious scholar or a chief of a tribe or a royal family member in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. In Egypt, it is commonly used to refer to government-appointed faith guides at mosques. The latter definition has been adopted for the purpose of this study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all the sheikhs and management at the at El Sayed Ahmed El-Badawy Mosque in Tanta, Egypt, who offered unconditional support and the easy access to the site’s facilities and materials. Sincere thanks are also due to the two anonymous reviewers allocated by the Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology for their constructive critique and discussion that greatly helped us to improve the paper in terms of both substance and structure.

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  1. School of Tourism Management, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Colina de Mong-Há, Macao, China

    Ahmed Abdel Fattah & Mary Eddy-U

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  1. Ahmed Abdel Fattah
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Correspondence to Ahmed Abdel Fattah.

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Abdel Fattah, A., Eddy-U, M. The unique twin approaches of Sufi Sheikhs and host-guest relationships at El Sayed Ahmed El-Badawy Mosque in Egypt. Qual Quant 56, 2723–2750 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01242-3

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