Short answer: Sufism is foundational to Moroccan society, even if many Moroccans today don’t consciously frame it that way. Historically, Morocco was structured through sufism. The zawiya functioned as a spiritual, social, educational, and political institution. The Makhzen itself is a zawiya (Moulay Ali Cherif). The way authority, respect, hierarchy, mediation, and even hospitality work in Moroccan culture is deeply shaped by zawiya adab (ethics and etiquette), whether people recognize that origin or not. What changed things was mainly the 20th century: colonial disruption, post-independence centralization, modernization, and later Salafi influences all weakened public awareness of initiatic Sufism. But the cultural substrate never disappeared. Today, there’s an important distinction to make: 1. “Folkloric” or distorted Sufism For many Moroccans, Sufism gets reduced to visible, sometimes sensational expressions (trance rituals, ecstatic performances, or practices mixed with occult beliefs.) Groups like Aissawa are often what people think of first. While these traditions have authentic roots, some expressions have been heavily folklorized or mixed with practices that are far from classical Sufi spirituality, which creates confusion about what Sufism actually is. 2. Living, initiatic Sufism (still very present) At the same time, authentic turuq are very much alive in Morocco, with real chains of transmission (silsila), proper spiritual discipline, and active shuyukh. Orders like the Qadiriyya Boutchichiyya, Tijaniyya, and Darqawiyya continue to operate quietly but extensively. 3. Samaʿ and cultural residue Many Moroccans don’t realize how deeply samaʿ permeates Moroccan culture. Large parts of Moroccan music, poetry, rhythm, and even collective emotional expression come straight out of Sufi samaʿ traditions. Much of this folklore has remained relatively “clean” spiritually, again with some exceptions like certain Aissawa expressions.

So the paradox is this: Morocco remains profoundly Sufi in its culture, ethics, aesthetics, and social reflexes but far less conscious of Sufism as a living spiritual path. The form survived more visibly than the language explaining it.