Sufi Muslim Council

The Sufi Muslim Council (SMC) was launched on 19 July 2006. The SMC is a non-profit, non-governmental religious organization dedicated to working for the cause of Islam.

The group claims to represent British Sufi Muslims. Sufi orders (Tariqas) can be found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic groups. The 14th Century Arab historian Ibn Khaldun described Sufism as: "dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone".

The group claims that up to 80% of Britain's 2 million Muslims come from the Sufi tradition, which is a mystical and personal interpretation of Islam and largely apolitical.. However, the figure has been challenged by the group's critics.

Sufi Muslim Council: Mission Statement

The SMC was launched with the backing of the government and other faith groups. Politicians from the Labour party welcomed the establishment of the group. The SMC states that it differs from the plethora of other British Islamic groups in that its approach to Islam is less political and hence less confrontational. It tends to view British Muslims as part of mainstream...
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