{"id":744,"date":"2026-10-03T18:57:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T18:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ckb.adlania.net\/cheikh-long\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T17:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T17:32:11","slug":"cheikh-long","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cheikh-bentounes.com\/en\/cheikh-long\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheikh-Long"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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More than 300 million Sufis in the world<\/strong><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t

SHEIKH KHALED BENTOUNES<\/strong><\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Sheikh Khaled Bentounes was born in 1949 in Mostaganem, Algeria, in a Sufi family whose ancestors have been leading the Al\u0101wiyya Brotherhood for three generations. Under the direction of his father, Sheikh Hajj al-Mahdi, Khaled Bentounes received religious training as well as an initiatory teaching at the Zawiya, a place of Sufi teaching. At the end of the 1960s, he continued his training in Europe where he studied law and history. <\/span><\/p>

On April 24, 1975, Sheikh Khaled Bentounes became the 44th spiritual guide of the Sufi Brotherhood Al\u0101wiyya-Darq\u0101wiya-Sh\u0101dhiliyya and part of the initiatory chain (silsila) that goes back to the Prophet Muhammad.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The headquarters of the Sufi Path Al\u0101wiyya, heir to Sh\u0101dhiliyya-Darq\u0101wiya lineage, whose founder is Sheikh al-‘Al\u0101w\u012b, is based in Mostaganem, an open port city steeped in history and spirituality. Sheikh Bentounes is the great-grandson of Sheikh Ahmad al-‘Al\u0101w\u012b (1869-1934), recognized as one of the greatest sages of the 20th century and whose tribute was paid to him by UNESCO in September 2015 at the symposium “Spiritual Islam and Contemporary Challenges”<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\/\t\t\t\t

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Spiritual leader, writer, educator and lecturer, Sheikh Bentounes travels the world as a messenger of peace in order to transmit the traditional teaching of Sufism, called tasawwuf in Arabic. He emphasizes that “if Islam is a body, Sufism is its heart\u201d. His teaching is universal, non-denominational. It tends to encourage awakening of the inner consciousness. <\/span><\/p>

A man of dialogue, his opinions are sought by political decision-makers and spiritual leaders, as at the Summit of Conscience in Paris. A man of action, he is the initiator of the International Day of Living Together. He bears witness to the Culture of Peace and Fraternity to unite the efforts of all, in order to bring out a common denominator,nourished by shared universal values. <\/span><\/p>

Since he assumes the position of guide of the \u2018Al\u0101wiyya Sufi Path, he has helped to create a significant number of organizations dedicated to youth, peace, the environment and the establishment of a reflection for a better living together. He has participated in hundreds of international meetings to provide concrete proposals on major societal issues. <\/span><\/p>

In 1991, he founded the Muslim Scouts of France (SMF) as well as the Muslim Scouts of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.<\/span><\/p>

Sheikh Bentounes shares the conviction of all those who believe in a better world. To achieve this vision, the human being must move towards greater humanity by seeking reconciliation with himself and with his environment. <\/span><\/p>

He therefore invites women and men from all backgrounds to become universal beings, bearers of an extraordinary heritage: that of the wisdom of mankind given by the Divine Mercy in all times and among all peoples.<\/span><\/p>

For many years, he has been involved in interreligious dialogue in Algeria, Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, Switzerland and other countries. He has also participated in several editions of the World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace. His spiritual commitment has led him to support actions for sustainable development, such as the reintroduction of the culture of the argan tree in Algeria. <\/span><\/p>

Sheikh Bentounes works for an altruistic world, sowing hope around him, convinced that “the energy of the world is the authentic universal brotherhood”<\/span><\/p>

Sheikh Bentounes invites everyone to \u201cthe Doing of Good\u201d through the circle of Virtues and Qualities. He works to transmit the Culture of Peace and Living Together through a living spirituality. <\/span><\/p>

For his commitment to a world of peace, he received several awards and distinctions in 2017, including<\/span><\/p>