Melilla Hoy: the Melilla Philosophical Forum and Shaykh Al Karkari

The Spanish newspaper Melilla Hoy devoted, in its Culture page of 23 September 2025, two articles to the Karkariya Sufi Order: one on the participation of the Melilla Philosophical Forum in the International Week of Sufism, the other on the distinction received by the Shaykh at the Peace Symposium.

The Melilla Philosophical Forum at the International Week of Sufism

The Melilla Philosophical Forum for Intercultural Education, represented by its president Juan Carlos Cavero, with Soufian Al Mukadam of the Moroccan Association for the World, and members of the Moshé Ben Mimón Association for Jewish heritage, took part in the opening ceremony of the cultural and social activities organised for the celebration of the Prophet's birthday (Mawlid), as part of the International Week of Sufism of the Karkariya Sufi Order, according to Juan Carlos Cavero himself.

Juan C. Cavero stresses that the participation of intercultural groups from Melilla in this event highlights the plural and diverse character of days which, beyond their religious dimension, become a meeting place between cultures and traditions from different countries.

After the official opening, the representatives visited the exhibitors of natural products and the craft cooperatives set up in the zawiya of Arruit, to discover what they offered, and congratulated the participants and organisers of this traditional market.

The Mawlid celebration brings together every year a large international community of faithful and visitors, with a marked presence of women and men of the order, as well as relatives and guests. Participants include pilgrims and students from countries such as Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, the United States, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and many Moroccan cities, among them Oujda and Fez.

The Karkariya Sufi Order, whose seat is in Arruit (Nador province), is experiencing, according to the newspaper, rapid expansion in several Arab and European countries. Under the leadership of Shaykh Mohamed Fawzi Al Karkari, the zawiya has established itself as a spiritual and academic reference thanks to its openness, its tolerance and its concern for co-education, and through the dissemination of its teachings in different languages and on different media, on the internet and social networks.

In the photo: Juan Carlos Cavero, president of the Melilla Philosophical Forum for Intercultural Education, and Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Fawzi Al Karkari, at the centre of the picture.

The Shaykh honoured at the Paris “Peace Forum”

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, the Rotary Club of Paris organised a conference entitled “Peace Forum”, bringing together eminent figures from the spiritual, cultural, political and media worlds. Among the guests of honour was the spiritual guide of the Karkariya Sufi Order, Shaykh Sidi Mohamed Fawzi Al Karkari.

The Shaykh spoke in a round table devoted to secularism, moderated by Claire Derville, editor-in-chief of the programme Le Jour du Seigneur on France 2. Also taking part were Father Alexandre Comte, priest of the archdiocese of Paris and national delegate for relations with Judaism; Pascal Colin, secretary general of the UDI and Knight of the National Order of Merit; and Kiran Mathur, a recognised figure of Hinduism.

In his address, he offered a reflection on the differences between the conception of secularism in France and in Morocco, recalling that the Qur'an teaches the value of diversity among peoples:

“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another.”
(Surah Al-Hujurat, 13)

He stressed that diversity is a richness and not a burden, and insisted on the importance of coexistence and mutual respect beyond religious or cultural differences. He also cited the experience of Morocco, whose national motto “God, the Homeland, the King” symbolises unity, respect and plurality.

At the close of the meeting, the Shaykh received an award in recognition of his work for peace and for bringing peoples closer together. This distinction honours a spiritual guide whose community gathers more than two million disciples around the world, committed to the principles of intercultural dialogue, fraternity and the search for peace, inner as well as universal.

See the article and photos of the Peace Symposium →