“The bodies were scattered on the ground outside the mosque.”The assault shocked Egyptians for another reason: Attacks on mosques are unusual in Egypt. “I can’t believe they attacked a mosque,” a Muslim cleric in Bir al-Abed told the New York Times. But to understand why this mosque was targeted, it's important to understand how Sunni extremists see Sufism. In fall 2016, the Islamic State's local affiliate claimed to have executed a 100-year-old Sufi cleric in Egypt. [How parts of Egypt’s rugged Sinai peninsula have become a terrorist hot spot]Not all Muslim extremists believe that Sufis should be targeted.

Source: Washington Post November 25, 2017 17:12 UTC