Saturday, December 02, 2006

Council formed to promote Sufism

By Shoaib Ahmed - Pakistan Link/Daily Times - Inglewood,CA,USA/Pakistan
Friday, September 22, 2006

LAHORE: The federal government has set up a ‘National Council for Promotion of Sufism’ (NCPS) with the President of Pakistan its patron-in-chief.

According to a notification (F3.61/2006-C- II) by the Ministry of Culture, the council will hold festivals, national and international conferences and workshops on Sufi culture and promote and distribute Sufi literature in various Pakistani languages. The council would “spread the Sufi message of love, tolerance and universal brotherhood,” it said, to “integrate regional diversity with national unity” through dialogue, research and festivals.

The council will “interact and collaborate with various scholars and institutions of Islamic and other spiritual traditions of the world” and “foster positive linkages between Islam and the west in the field of philosophy, religion and mysticism”.

Sufi “centres of excellence” will be set up in Pakistan and the council will facilitate and give scholarships for research on Sufism. Annual presidential and civil awards will be recommended for achievements in the promotion of Sufism and the role of Pakistani Sufi intellectuals will be highlighted. The NCPS would “glorify the revered Sufi saints and their mausoleums not just as centres of holiness but also as centres of learning”, the statement said. It will develop links with cultural and art centres in Pakistan and aboard, and a council website will also be made.

Members of the council are: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as chairman, Mian Yousaf Salahuddin as vice chairman, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Hameed Haroon, Abbas Srafraz and Jam Muhammad Yousaf. Naeem Tahir, director general of Pakistan National of Arts (PNCA) will be the secretary.

Talking to Daily Times, Mian Yousaf Salahuddin said Sufism was the real Islam and the NCPS would play a key role in the promotion of promoting it, with music festivals and conferences.

Sufism had great significance in the world, he said, and Prince Charles recently funded Iranians to make a film on Maulana Rumi. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan spread the real Islam with his qawalis, he said, and was recognised the world over. “Islam was not spread by force,” he said, “ but by the teachings of Sufis.” He said Sufis promoted unity, tolerance and love among people from all religions.

The council will meet in Islamabad soon and will hold a Sufi music festival in Lahore in which celebrities would be invited from all over the world. The festival would also be held in Kasur and other small cities of Punjab, he added.

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Saturday, December 02, 2006

Council formed to promote Sufism
By Shoaib Ahmed - Pakistan Link/Daily Times - Inglewood,CA,USA/Pakistan
Friday, September 22, 2006

LAHORE: The federal government has set up a ‘National Council for Promotion of Sufism’ (NCPS) with the President of Pakistan its patron-in-chief.

According to a notification (F3.61/2006-C- II) by the Ministry of Culture, the council will hold festivals, national and international conferences and workshops on Sufi culture and promote and distribute Sufi literature in various Pakistani languages. The council would “spread the Sufi message of love, tolerance and universal brotherhood,” it said, to “integrate regional diversity with national unity” through dialogue, research and festivals.

The council will “interact and collaborate with various scholars and institutions of Islamic and other spiritual traditions of the world” and “foster positive linkages between Islam and the west in the field of philosophy, religion and mysticism”.

Sufi “centres of excellence” will be set up in Pakistan and the council will facilitate and give scholarships for research on Sufism. Annual presidential and civil awards will be recommended for achievements in the promotion of Sufism and the role of Pakistani Sufi intellectuals will be highlighted. The NCPS would “glorify the revered Sufi saints and their mausoleums not just as centres of holiness but also as centres of learning”, the statement said. It will develop links with cultural and art centres in Pakistan and aboard, and a council website will also be made.

Members of the council are: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as chairman, Mian Yousaf Salahuddin as vice chairman, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Hameed Haroon, Abbas Srafraz and Jam Muhammad Yousaf. Naeem Tahir, director general of Pakistan National of Arts (PNCA) will be the secretary.

Talking to Daily Times, Mian Yousaf Salahuddin said Sufism was the real Islam and the NCPS would play a key role in the promotion of promoting it, with music festivals and conferences.

Sufism had great significance in the world, he said, and Prince Charles recently funded Iranians to make a film on Maulana Rumi. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan spread the real Islam with his qawalis, he said, and was recognised the world over. “Islam was not spread by force,” he said, “ but by the teachings of Sufis.” He said Sufis promoted unity, tolerance and love among people from all religions.

The council will meet in Islamabad soon and will hold a Sufi music festival in Lahore in which celebrities would be invited from all over the world. The festival would also be held in Kasur and other small cities of Punjab, he added.

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