Love Will Set You Free

By Schezee Zaidi "Celebrating the spirit & soul of cultural heritage", The International News - Islamabad, Pakistan
Monday, March 31, 2008

Projecting the true diversity of Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage by celebrating the essential spirit and soul of its people, PNCA opened a 3-day festival titled ‘Indus Rhythm’ at the National Art Gallery Auditorium on Saturday.

Truly following the famous adage, “When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness,” Pakistan National Council of the Arts have come forward to remove the darkness of restrictions put over the performing arts in the past through illuminating the glorious rich legacy of cultural heritage of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

The captivating ensemble of dance and music presented by the National Performing Arts Group showcased the magnificent heritage of the human spirit that added colour and integrity to our cultural heritage through ages.

The presentation brought back the memories of ‘good old times’ when performing art was a liberated part of our lives without any restrictions. ‘The Indus Rhythm’ is a presentation of joy and freedom of expression that adorns the day-to-day life of the people of Pakistan in various form and fragrance since ancient times.

The jam packed auditorium beamed with spontaneous applause of appreciation and recognition of what is truly and distinctively their own expression of joy and happiness.

Remembering Sindhi Sufi poet Fakir Bedil’s couplet “From the tyranny of religious dogma, love will set you free,” it is hoped that by ensuring frequent and free holding of events like this, PNCA would continue to spread the people’s culture and not the official version, and portray to the world the true face of Pakistan’s culture with its message of universal love, tolerance, peace, equality, and respect for all creation.

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Talking to ‘The News’, PNCA Director General Naeem Tahir said, “Through the Indus Rhythm, we are trying to make a statement that people in Pakistan love and enjoy music and dance.

It is also an effort to trace the evolution of performing art through blending the ancient and traditional performances with that of the people who live in the Indus valley of now, recognised as Pakistan”.

He said that starting with only 6 male and 6 female dancers, the PNCA Performing Arts Group has now multiplied in to a full grown team of 48 members, with 24 male and equal numbers of female performers.

He said that with 3 existing branches operating in Sindh, Punjab, and Islamabad, PNCA is now hoping to open NPAG branches in Peshawar and Quetta.

A Passionate Advocate of Sufi Wisdom

Staff Writer - Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Shusha Guppy, who died on March 21 aged 72, was an Iranian-born writer, composer and singer.

Trilingual in Persian, French and English, she wrote stylishly and succinctly in the last two and made a reputation as an interpreter of Persian love songs and French chanson.

In exile from her native country, she became a passionate advocate of Sufi wisdom and the Persian classical literature on which she had been raised.

The daughter of Mohammed Kazem Assar, a distinguished liberal-minded Shia theologian and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tehran, she was born Shamsi Assar on December 24 1935 and grew up in an atmosphere of poetry and mystical chants in the Persia of the Shahs.

She movingly evoked her childhood and the Tehran of her youth in The Blindfold Horse: memories of a Persian childhood (1998).

(...)

As well as perfoming at concerts, she brought out 10 albums and published several books, while working as London editor of the American literary journal The Paris Review.

In the 1970s she travelled with the nomadic Bakhtiari tribes of southern Persia and worked on two films, one of which, People of the Wind (A Persian Odyssey), won an Oscar nomination for best documentary.

By the 1980s she had turned away from political radicalism, finding comfort in Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam which emphasises the unity of religious creeds and the centrality of love.

Her inclusive beliefs were challenged by the rise of militant Islam and in later life she was much exercised by the worsening relations between the Islamic world and the West.

After her marriage was dissolved in 1976 she lived modestly in a small flat in Chelsea, where she continued to dispense generous hospitality and wisdom to her friends.

Shusha Guppy's other books include Looking Back (1991), a series of interviews with living authors, and The Secret of Laughter (2006), a collection of Persian tales which showed her homeland to be less part of an "axis of evil" than a land of scented gardens and nomadic storytellers.

A Link with the Creator

By Prem Chand Sahajwala, "Indo-Pak Sindhi writers meet in New Delhi – I" - Meri News - New Delhi, India
Thursday, March 27, 2008

Sahitya Academy held a conference of Indo-Pak Sindhi writers in New Delhi. It’s quite an encouraging step to strengthen the relationship between the two countries

Sindhi is one of the many Indic languages and it has gone through many phases of ups and downs in the histories of pre/post-partition India and Pakistan. Sahitya Academy (government of India) organised for the first time a two-day seminar of interaction between Sindhi writers from India and Pakistan on March 17-18, 2008, at its Academy Auditorium in New Delhi.

Prominent Indian Sindhi writers, led by MK Jetley, vice chairman, Sindhi Academy (government of Delhi), gathered to discuss many literary aspects of the Sindhi literatures on both sides of the border with prominent Pakistani writers like Dr Fahmida Hussain, Taj Joyo, Ayaz Gul, Imdad Hussaini, Shoukat Hussain Shoro among others.

The event became more significant than usual, looking at the current phase of comparatively better relationship between India and Pakistan in spite of years of bitterness, wars and the agony of the partition. Several other literary enthusiasts were also present in the seminar as audience.

Welcoming the guest writers from Sindh (Pakistan) in the inaugural session presided over by S.S. Noor, A. Krishnamurthy, secretary, Sahitya Academy, remembered the immortal classical names like Shah Abdul Latif (c. 1689 – 1752) and his 20th century incarnation – Sheikh Ayaz (1923 – 1997) – who put Sindhi language on the world stage by their Sufi literatures.

Shah Latif was the unique mystic Sufi poet who felt an interior link in every breath with the Creator, like any Sufi saint and, would say:

“A thousand doors and windows too,
the palace has, but see,
wherever I might go or be,
master confronts me there”

His poetry had the content of divine music.

Krishnamurty said that Sindhi was the language that developed in Sindh much before partition and many legendary poets like Sami, Sachchal Sarmast, Hamal Fakir, Dalpat Sufi and others evolved the language and literature through talent and perseverance.

(...)

Indian’s Vasdev Mohi, the programme convener, said that in this seminar the Indian writers were seeking to present Sindhi literature of India while their counterparts from Pakistan were there to talk about their respective literature in Sindh and the Sahitya Academy would encourage such seminars in future.

(...)

The welcome session was followed by sessions on various branches of literature like criticism, novel, and short story, the most evolved branch being poetry, which required three separate sessions for ghazal, poetry and the new poem.

Some prominent writer from either side chaired each session. Papers were read by one writer from each side of the border followed by two reviewers, with a discussion subsequently carried out by some other prominent writer.

(...)

An Independent Scientific Research Center

By Rumeysa Özel, "‘Encyclopedia of Islam’ to be translated into English and Arabic" - Today's Zaman - Istanbul, Turkey
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Published upon the initiative of the Islamic Research Center (İSAM) in İstanbul, the first Encyclopedia of Islam written by Muslims has already grown to 30 volumes and will be completed in four years.

An abridged version of 20-25 volumes will be translated into English and Arabic.

The Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV) was established in 1983 with the aim of conducting scientific research, publishing, editing and translating works focusing on Islamic and Eastern fields, publishing the TDV "Encyclopedia of Islam," organizing scientific conferences, sending representatives to conferences abroad, educating researchers, establishing a research library and a documentation unit and enlightening the public on scientific and religious subjects.

Associate Professor Ahmet Özel, a member of TDV's administrative board and the vice chairman of the committee responsible for the encyclopedia and the vice president of the TDV Analysis Council, which is the most important board within the institution, explains that the TDV decided to compile and publish this encyclopedia because other encyclopedias of Islam fell short in their entries, present a biased view and offer baseless assertions.

The copyright to the TDV "Encyclopedia of Islam" is completely held by Muslims and the encyclopedia comprises 16,915 entries about Islamic knowledge on subjects such as hadith (narrations about the Prophet), tafsir (commentary on the Quran), Shariah (Islamic law), kalam (Islamic theology) and Sufism (Islamic mysticism) along with the philosophy, history, geography, culture, civilization, languages and literatures of Muslim countries.

Moreover it includes entries on artistic branches like music, architecture, calligraphy, significant happenings or movements in the history, noteworthy cultural-historical institutions, important residential areas and other outstanding religions and people who influenced Islamic culture even though they were not Muslim.

"It was written by benefiting from 500 primary sources with the help of more than 1,500 scholars and contributions from foreign scholars as well," says Özel, adding that 40 volumes are expected in total and that four more years are needed to complete the project.

(...)

Apart from an abridged English and Arabic translation, another five-volume version consisting only of entries concerning faith, worship, morality, Islamic mysticism and the life of the Prophet Mohammed is going to be published under the title "Religion and Culture of Islam" (İslam dini ve kültürü) in Russian, Bosnian and Albanian as well as in Turkic languages spoken in Central Asia.

When asked why an abridged version was necessary, considering how work on the encyclopedia has gone on for 24 years, Özel explains that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, an urgent demand among Muslims in Central Asia and the Balkans emerged to learn and live their own religion.

"Some books were published to meet this demand, but none were very comprehensive. If we were to publish the full version into these languages, it would not be logical since it would not be practical to use such a large encyclopedia. As a consequence we thought it would be better if we published a short and concise version," states Özel.

(...)

Even though İSAM's foremost activity is publishing the encyclopedia, it has an extensive range of activity. İSAM includes a rich library covering books on religious studies, history, culture and Islamic civilization. In order for the TDV to conduct swift and beneficial research, recently published books and periodicals have been made available in the library.

The library includes approximately 200,000 volumes of selected books and more than 2,400 periodicals with the contributions of book collectors like Ziyad Ebüzziya, Orhan Şaik Gökyay, Nejat Göyünç, Tahsin Yazıcı, Hilmi Oflaz, Nihat M. Çetin, Yavuz Argıt, Albert Hourani and Jacques Waardenbur.

(...)

Another regular İSAM activity is a journal it has been publishing biannually since 1997. It includes original political, historical, economic, philosophical, sociological, anthropological, religious and cultural articles that have been carefully sifted through in order to contribute to Islamic thought and culture in Turkish, Arabic, Persian, English, French and German. It also reviews books, symposiums and conferences.

An independent scientific research center, İSAM also gives scholarships to students studying at universities in England, Italy and the US and has organized many conferences and symposiums, including "Islam, Tradition and Renewal," "Islam and Modernization" and "Muslim Minorities in the Contemporary World."

Main Nahi, Sub Taun

By M. Tanveer Tahir, "Kahay Hussain Faqir Nimanah Main Nahi Sub Tu" - Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Thursday; March 27, 2008

Lahore: The three-day annual Urs of Sufi Saint, Hazrat Madhu Lal Husain, will start with traditional enthusiasm here on Saturday.

The Auqaf department has completed all the arrangements in this regard. Shopkeepers have set up makeshift shops around the shrine.

Langer (Free Food) was being distributed among the people visiting the shrine.

Director General Auqaf Dr. Tahir Raza Bukhari, Zonal Administrator Auqaf Tasawar Ijaz Malik and a large number of pilgrims will participate in the celebrations.

On the first day, the celebrations will start with the lightning of earthen lamps at the shrine. For this reason it is also called 'mela chiraghan' ( a fair of lamps):
On the following day, only men will be allowed to visit the shrine to pay homage to the saint. On the final day, it would be all for women.

Mehfil-e-Milad, Mehfil-e-Sama and other religious and spiritual gatherings will be held during the celebrations.

Briefing this scribe about the life of the saint, the Official said that Madhu Lal belonged to a Hindu family. His father embraced Islam during the reign of Tuglak emperor Feroz Shah

"Madhu Lal was born in 1539 in Texali Gate. He acquired religious education from the Sufi Shaikh Behlol Qadri of Chinnoit", he said. "As he liked to wear red attire, people started calling him Lal Hussein", he added.

Talking to The Post, Custodian (Sajada Nasheen) of Madhu Lal shrine, Nazakat Ali, said that he was making sure for free food to the devotees during the three-day show, though he was not involved in the arrangements.

Banners inscribed with the great saint's verses are also on display. One reads:

Kahay Hussain faqir nimanah,
Main nahi, sub taun

(This humble self of Hussain declares,
I am nothing, You the All).

One of Society’s Greatest Needs

TT Culture Desk - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Albanian Sadi Foundation establishes library in Vlora

The Sadi Cultural Foundation in Albania has established a library in the tekyeh (place where ritual Shia Islamic ceremonies are practiced) of the city of Vlora and has presented it with a collection of cultural and religious books.

The Ahl-ul-Bait World Assembly also took part in the setting up of the library in the tekyeh which is one of the largest and most distinctive buildings of its type in Albania.

Head of the foundation Reza Karami said that the donation comprises hundreds of cultural and religious books, and a number of computers which were presented to the library in the presence of the head of the Tekyeh of the Bektashi Order in Albania, Baba Sadik Ibro.

He added that the foundation has previously established libraries in tekyehs located in Kosovo and Macedonia with the assistance of the Bektashi Order and is planning to set up more in the future.

Baba Sadik Ibro, who also participated in the book donation ceremony, expressed his appreciation and remarked that equipping libraries with cultural and religious books meets one of society’s greatest needs and is especially useful for young people.

[Picture from the Alevilik Bektasilik Research Site: http://www.alevibektasi.org/index1.html ]

Courage and Sacrifice

IANS/Staff report, "Story of ‘Spy Princess’ hits bookstores in paperback version" - Thai Indian News - Bangkok, Thailand
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Story of ‘Spy Princess’ hits bookstores in paperback version

Indian history abounds in lores of brave women who sacrificed themselves to protect the honour of the country, clan, family and personal dignity. But rarely has a woman of Indian origin defended a foreign country and allowed herself to be tortured and shot to death by enemy forces - not out of compulsion, but out of choice.

London-based journalist Shrabani Basu’s non-fiction “TheSpy Princess” chronicles the extraordinary tale of India’s lone allied spy in Europe during the World War II, Noor Inayat Khan, a Sufi girl who was shot dead by the Gestapo at the infamous prison of Dachau.

“More than anyone else, I want children to read the book so that they can learn about the virtues of courage and sacrifice,” the author, who has worked for more than 20 years as the London correspondent of the Ananda Bazar Patrika group, told IANS.

“I have received a book from Year 6 primary school students in UK. It is a project titled ‘Liberty’ about the life ofNoor Inayat based on the book. It is full of imaginary conversations.

“I want it to happen in India too, but I have too little time to promote it personally. I want to see postage stamps of Noor Inayat and comic strip series on her life - like the Amar Chitra Katha,” Basu said.

She will be touring the East and the West coasts of US with her book, the result of three years of relentless research.

“Actually two years of compiling documents and a year of writing,” Basu says.

The inspiration was an innocuous newspaper clipping announcing 50 years of Noor Inayat's death. “There were five lines. ‘Noor Inayat, wireless operator, George Cross winner of Indian Muslim origin…’ It set me thinking and I started researching about her. It is difficult to believe that she went through all this,” recalls the author.

Eyewitness accounts, interrogation, records of war crime tribunals, Noor’s telegrams - and three letters that described what happened to Noor helped Basu thread the story.

Basu was helped by Noor’s family, which provided her with details of her childhood. “I interacted a lot with them,” she said.

“She was so beautiful that everyone, including her code maker, was in love with her,” says Basu.

Shyam Benegal is making “The Spy Princess” into a movie. However, Basu refuses to divulge details about the movie.

“The cast has not been decided and I will have to go through the final screenplay. I leave characters and the cast to your imagination,” laughs the author.

Kosova Changing Reality

By Bill Weinberg, "Missing on Kosova: the sufi voice?" - WW4 Report - Brooklyn, NY, USA
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Newly pseudo-independent Kosova, it seems, is serving as a sort of political Rorschach test, with commentators' views on its drive for self-determination shaped more by their views on other issues.

Days after left-wing Israeli dissident Uri Avnery noted Israeli reluctance to recognize Kosova lest it give some ideas to the Palestinians (and, worse yet, Israeli Arabs), comes a voice from the neocon end of the spectrum—finding that Kosovars and Israelis are natural allies.

Michael Totten writes in a March 20 piece for Commentary (also online at his website):
The State of Israel is divided on the Kosovo question: should the world’s newest country be recognized?

Some, like former Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, worry that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia might encourage Palestinians to make the same move. The small Balkan state, however, may have more in common with Israel than with the West Bank and Gaza.

Israelis, as Amir Mizroch notes in the Jerusalem Post, have excellent relations with the Kosovars. "Israel has an interest in helping to establish a moderate, secular Muslim state friendly to Jerusalem and Washington in the heart of southeast Europe," he writes.

Indeed, Kosovo is neither an enemy state nor a jihad state. Its brand of Islam is heavily Sufi, which is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Wahhabism and Salafism that inspire Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

In other words, the Kosovars are domesticated good Muslims, who view the US as protector rather than hegemon.

[But] The reality may be more complicated—and interesting—than either side will acknowledge.

A March 13 article in the Tehran Times mentions some deep-rooted elements in the region which appear to exist outside the spectacularized jihad-vs-GWOT duality.

It notes that the Albania-based Sadi Cultural Foundation is establishing libraries and tekiyas—sufi gathering places— in Kosova and Macedonia "with the assistance of the Bektashi Order and is planning to set up more in the future."

(...)

[Picture: Kosova Map, "Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin."]

With a Large Number of Female Bauls

By Amanur Aman, "Lalon Smaran Utsab held in Chheuria" - The Daily Star - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Smaran Utsab (Memorial Festival) was held -starting from March 22- at the Lalon Akhra (den), Chheuria.

The programme highlighted the philosophy of Lalon [Lalon Shah Fakir (c.1774–1890)]. On the occasion, the akhra saw an influx of devotees and admirers from all over Bangladesh and overseas. An attraction of the event was a Baul Mela.

The festival is held annually to celebrate Dol Purnima. The celebration was introduced by Lalon. In a departure from the norm, a large number of female bauls took part at this year's festival.

The programme was inaugurated by the Divisional Commissioner of Khulna, Yunusur Rahman. Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Nepur Ahmed chaired the event. Among others, Lalon exponent Professor Abul Ahsan Chowdhury of Islamic University Kushtia; Superintendent of Police Kushtia, Moslehuddin Ahmed and Additional Deputy Commissioner Kushtia, Pulok Ranjan Saha spoke at the programme.

Among the bauls who took part at the Utsab was Rehana Fakirani, from Pakkol village, Daulatpur upazila. Rehana embraced the baul doctrine 30 years ago. According to her, “I was in search of peace, which I found in Lalon's philosophy. I experience deep devotion and tranquillity when I come to the akhra.”

Also noticeable were a large number of teenage bauls. Among them were Santo and Sanu who were wandering around playing ektaras. When approached, they said that they were taking dikkha (tutelage) from their Guru Nahir Saha.

The festival also attracted some visitors from overseas. Masud, from Malaysia, said that he was already acquainted with Lalon's songs and message.

Lalon's songs fuse two streams of spiritual thought -- Sufism and Vaishnav (the Krishna cult).
The link that connects these two schools of thought is mysticism.

Research shows that Dol Purnima has been celebrated for around 200 years. The festival is organised with donations from well-wishers.

Lalon used to organise the event by himself at his den. After his demise, his shishyas (disciples) carried on the tradition. They formed a committee called Mazaar Sharif and Seba Sadan Committee.

The committee initially organised various programmes at the akhra. However, they were driven out of the akhra in 1982 by the then government. Later, the Lalon Academy was formed to look into akhra affairs. In the course of time, the Utsab has turned into a government-initiated programme.

The bauls fervently follow their customs. According to their philosophy, every religion is on par and division of mankind in the name of religion is unacceptable.

Following Lalon's teachings, they prefer to shun worldly desires.

[About Baul music read also: (click and scroll down) http://sufinews.blogspot.com/search?q=By+Sabrina+F.+Ahmad+]

[Pictures: Bauls perform Lalon songs at the festival in Chheuria. Photo: STAR
Tomb and Shrine of Lalon Fakir: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushtia_District]

A Man of Principles, a Sufi at Heart

By Devirupa Mitra, "Ex-prisoner and man of ‘honour’ Gillani set to rule Pakistan" - IANS/Thai Indian News - Bangkok, Thailand
Monday, March 24, 2008

When he first met Benazir Bhutto, Makhdoom Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani called himself a lover of “honour”.

Three months after her killing, the journalism student-turned-politician who spent five years in jail is set to rule the world’s only nuclear Islamic power: Pakistan.

That he took charge as Pakistan’s 20th prime minister on a day the eldest of his four sons got married has only made the occasion doubly joyous - and hectic.
But Gillani, 56, has seen more frenetic days since he took to politics in 1978 when Pakistan was ruled by a military dictator, Zia ul Haq.

Years later, in 2001, another military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, the present president, had him jailed on corruption charges. A Sufi at heart, Gillani spent five years in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
The distance from the prison to the Mughal-architecture inspired Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad may not be far. But it has been a long, long journey.

When his father was a minister in the 1950s, Gillani - his mother tongue is Seraiki, a language spoken by 14 million in Pakistan - studied in a school in Multan in Punjab. He earned a Masters in journalism from Punjab University in 1976. He went to England to study further.

Now a father of four sons and a daughter, Gillani entered politics by joining the Pakistan Muslim League in 1978. He was the Housing And Railway Minister in the Mohammad Junejo government. But he had a run in with Junejo and was out of the cabinet.

Later, in a book he wrote in jail, Gillani spoke out about his anger those days: “I was furious, and helpless at the same time… and then I made up my mind.”

He joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 1988 after meeting Bhutto. “I said to her, there are three types of people in this world: lovers of honour, of wisdom and of wealth. I am of the first type, and that is all I want.”

And honour he got.

President Zia died in an air crash and the PPP returned to power in elections in which he created history by defeating Nawaz Sharif, the strongman of Punjab who is today propping him up as the prime minister.

Gillani became a minister in the first Bhutto government from 1988 to 1990. His reputation as a man of principles was secured in the second Bhutto term, from 1996, when he was the National Assembly speaker.

Though a loyalist, Gillani twice defied the Bhutto government to preserve what he said was the dignity of parliament. In 1994, he prevailed upon a reluctant interior ministry to produce jailed opposition members. Again in 1995 he refused the Attorney General's demand to slap cases against opposition MPs over bedlam in parliament.

Gillani refused to back Musharraf after he seized power in 1999. On Feb 11, 2001, the National Accountability Bureau arrested him over charges of illegal appointments when he was the parliament speaker.

Gillani was to later say: “Since I was unable to oblige them (government), they decided to convict me so that I could be disqualified and (shown as) an example for other political leaders (to be) good boys.”

He was released in October 2006. During his imprisonment, his mother and sister died.
Where did he get the courage to withstand the years in jail?

Gillani supporters credit it all to the family, which claims to be descendants of Sufi saint Syed Musa Pak, who originally hailed from Iran.

The family also fought for Pakistan. His grandfather and granduncles were signatories to the Lahore Muslim League resolution in 1940 that called for the creation of a separate state for Indian Muslims.

It is that country Gillani will preside over now.

[Picture fromWikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf_Raza_Gillani]

The Fountain of Musafir

Staff report, "300-year-old library reopened in Aurangabad" - The Times of India - India
Sunday, March 23, 2008

Aurangabad: An ancient library dating back to 300 years was reopened after a gap of 40 years at the historical monument Water Mill in Aurangabad.

The library housing manuscripts and other precious and rare books like the Holy Quran written by the last Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, was thrown open recently to the public.

The library, at the 17th century site, once the biggest in Asia, was restarted with the efforts of the top officials of the Maharashtra Wakf Board.

According to the sources, it was Hazrat Babashah Musafir, a Sufi Saint migrated from Bukhara to Aurangabad in the 17th century who founded the library as well as the Water Mill. His shrine is within the Water Mill complex.

The library had around one lakh [100.000] pieces till Independence. In 70s it was shut down due to administrative reasons, following which many of the library's books were shifted to Hyderabad.

Currently, the library houses 3,500 books on various fields including history, law, medicine, Sufism, religion and philosophy in Arabic, in Urdu and in Persian languages, penned by philosophers, saints and scholars.

The cover of the Holy Quran has a coating of gold on both sides, which has been preserved till date. A holy book written in 1283 in four languages is also available.

The librarian, Mr Hafiz Abdul Jaleel said that Babashah Musafir founded the library with the main objective of spreading the knowledge.

"The library was considered to be the largest one in Asia during that time. Now, it has around 3,500 rare books. After reopening the library, many students, especially those who are engaged in research are thronging it" .

"There is no entry fee," he added.

[Picture: Panchakki Fountain (The Water Mill Complex), Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchakki]

Azmat-e-Rasool Conference 2008

By Shahnawaz Warsi - 09990656018 - New Delhi, India
Saturday, March 15, 2008

New Delhi Muslim Students Organization of India(MSO), AMU Unit, Organized its 3rd Grand Azmat-e-Rasool Conference on 15th March at 8.00 p.m in the evening in the Kennedy Auditorium of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.

MSO had started title Azmat-e Rasool after organizing various Annual Conferences with the Name of Jashn-e Ghousul Wara (R.A) in various parts of the Country.

Its Conferences have been graced by many Prominent Personalities of Islamic World including Allama Qamaruzzaman Khan Azmi, President of the World Islamic Mission in London, Mufti Mukarram Ahmad Shahi Imam Fateh puri Masjid Delhi, Maulana Obadullah Khan Azmi (M.P), Saeed Noori (Raza Academy), Abdul Hakeem Al Azhari (Sunni Markaz Kerala), Professor Akhtarul Wasey (Jamia Millia Islami), Prof Aleem Ashraf Jaisi (Urdu University Hyderabad), Prof Liaqat Hussain Moini (Dargah Ajmer) and Vice Chancellors of AMU like Dr.Mamoodurrehman, Prof V.K. Abdul Aziz.

The whole sole guidance of MSO has been its Patron and widely respected Scholar of Islam and Professor in Urdu department of Aligarh Muslim University, Syed Ameen Mian Qaudri Barkati who is Sajjada Nashin of Khankah of Marehra, district Etah (Uttar Pradesh).

This year programme was no different in its grandness and was a huge success as both boys and girls turned up in large number.The Conference strated with the recitation of verses of Holy Quran by Qari Jawed.

Mohammad Zaid (AMU) and Mohammad Qayamuddin (Jamia), Ateef Mian (Badaun), Dr. Syed Siraj Ajmali (AMU), all presented the gift of beautiful na'ats in the praise of prophet (S.A.W).

M.S.O AMU Unit President Mohammad Najmuddin Ahmed adressed the presents with words of welcome, then emphasising the need for promoting Sufi teachings of peace and Love in the Country; Guest of Honour Dr. Liyaqat Hussain Moini appealed the students to adopt the Sufi Way of spreading Islam.

He said that Sufis taught Love and respect towards other religions and this was the main reason that they could establish not only themself but made Islam a popular religion in this land where it was not present even in minor form.

Chief Guest of Conference, AMU VC Professor P.K. Abdul Aziz said that Muslim youths should follow our beloved Prophet's (S.A.W) example which he gave in each sphere of Life.

Touching the current issues he advised the students to be ready by their actions and deeds to counter the Western propaganda that Islam preaches terorrism and extremism. He praised MSO for organizing a well managed, disciplined and beautifull evening.

Speakers of the Conference and head of Darul Ifta Ashrafia University Mubarakpur, Azamagarh, who is also expert in modern islamic problems dealing with Jurisprudence, Mufti Nizamuddin, said that Allah Praises Prophet of Islam (S.A.W) and wishes that we must praise and respect him.

Paying emphasis on the dignity and love towards Holy Prophet (Sallalahoalaihiwassalam) he said that unless a Muslim loves passionately the Prophet (Sallalahoalaihiwassalam) even more than his life, property and relatives, his Imaan remains incomplete.

Honour and love of Holy Prophet (Sallalahoalaihiwassalam) is Imaan. The best example of love and honour towards beloved Prophet (Sallalahoalaihiwassalam) may be seen from acts and deeds of Sahaba-e-Kiram.

Prof Akhtarul Wasey, Head of Islamic Studies Jamia Millia Islamia, said that students must not forget the acts of Nabi kareem (Sallalahoalaihiwassalam) which were the best examples for the whole of the world. We must not get into an inferiority complex by Western concepts of secularism and tolerance as these are the hallmark of an Islamic state and we have proved them in our rule from Medina to India.

In Medina we established peace and non Muslims were given protection. We respected and gave honour to Old, Women, Children, Weak and Ill. We administered this Country for more than 800 years and we were in minority in this country and we are still in minority.

Isn't it a strong evidence that we are Peaceful and Islam was not spread by the sword ?Indonesia and Malyasia are Muslim Countries but we know that no Islamic warrior had to do war there. This is the beauty of Islam and that's why it is the fastest growing religion of the world.

Presiding the Conference, Professor Syed Ameen Mian Qaudri, who is a favourite among the students for his original and advising words, said that neither you should have inferiority complex regarding recent condition of Islamic world nor you should fear about future of Islam beacuse Islam has established itself in every adverse situation in most unbelievable circumstances at every nook and corner of the globe. Allah has Himself promised to keep faith in Him and success will wait for us open handed.

The thing we need to do is to have strong Iman in Allah and passionate love and respect towards beloved Nabi kareem (Sallalahoalaihiwassalam).

He advised students to be ready to face the real and practical world where one can be successful only when he has prepared himself. He told them to study hard and excel in their different fields because in this age the War will be fought not by Swords but by the Mind and those who will use their mind according to the most advanced techniques of science and technology will come out successful.

Shahnawaz Warsi, General Convener of M.S.O Delhi State, thanked all the speakers and guests. Ahmed Mujtaba Siddiqui beautifully conducted the Conference. General Secretary Shehzad ul Haq Shamsi,Vice President Mohammad Aslam, Joint Secretary Aftab Ahmed,Treasurer Pervez Alam Jawed Rizwi, Suhail Khan, and Imran, helped in organizing the programme.

The programme ended with the Salat o Salam and with distribution of Islamic books and sweets.

There Is Beauty Here

By Devyani Rao, "Aesthetics In A Time Of War" - Tehelka Magazine - New Delhi, India
Vol 5, Issue 12, March 29, 2008

A young painter rejuvenates art in Afghanistan, drawing on its rugged landscape and Sufi traditions

Its products can be demolished, but its spirit is indestructible. Creativity can flower in the most leached soil, even in a country ravaged by war and hardship, where precious art has been destroyed — as the Bamiyan Buddhas were — and where the religious orthodoxy places impossible restrictions on art.

Talented artists in Afghanistan are once again trying to popularise the appreciation of art and for inspiration, they look to their country’s stunning landscape and rich heritage.

Born in Hazarajat in 1979 into the ethnic Hazara minority, Yazdani Ali Khan is one of Afghanistan’s most prominent artists today.

After graduating with a fine arts degree from the University of Kabul, he was one of nine people from Kabul and Herat to be selected by the University of Tokyo for a Master’s Degree at its Centre for Fine Arts.

Today, his sketches are priced between $50 and $70, while his paintings go for a price that ranges between $100 to $1700, which means that his clients are primarily foreigners and non-resident Afghans; the average local citizen’s income ranges between $50 and $100 a month.

His professional trajectory has not been an easy one, what with the war and the religious extremism of the Taliban.

“The Mullahs think of art as a sin”, Khan laughs. During the Taliban regime, he had painted and taught art inside his house and since the depiction of live beings in paintings was prohibited, he could only draw inanimate objects or landscapes.

“One day, a Talib came to my house where I had kept a single portrait that I had done. He beat me and threatened to take me to jail,” says Khan. He could not sell his paintings at the time, and took up odd jobs to make money so he could continue buying his art materials.

He ran afoul of the extremists on another occasion, while exhibiting his work at Kabul University. One of the paintings had a tiny bird in it. “The Taliban came and cut it out,” Khan recalls.

Khan says that although art had virtually died out in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime, things are slowly getting better. Indeed, at the Rumi and Sufi — two popular Afghani cuisine restaurants in Kabul, frequented by foreigners and aristocratic Afghans — one can see the works of a few other new artists apart from Yazdani Ali Khan.

Two of them are his brother, Hamid Yazdani, and his sister. She, however, uses just her surname to sign her work. Karim Sharifi, the manager of Sufi, says that although the Taliban forbade the painting of living beings, there is promise in the fact that, each year, the department of Fine Arts at Kabul University graduates several students.

Khan attributes much of his success to his teacher, Najibullah Musafir, an artist who encouraged him to develop his own style. Among his best-selling paintings are those of the Sufi — whirling dervishes whose movements, elegance and spirituality is captured beautifully in Khan’s work.

However, much of his work, and that of his contemporaries, is in the realist style, reflecting the current needs of the people of this war-torn land. It reminds them that there is beauty here, and a gentler side to life.

Rahman Assad, an Afghan businessman puts it well when he says, “The sensitivity to be able to find beauty around you and turn it into art at a time when the country suffers from insecurity, poverty and depression, is an important contribution towards society.

It reminds people that Afghanistan also has a beautiful and rich culture.”

To Center On Mevlana

Staff report, "'The Call' of Mevlana echoes on ballet stage" - Today's Zaman - Istanbul, Turkey
Friday, March 21, 2008

The Mersin State Opera and Ballet's newest production, "Çağrı" (The Call), a balletic take on the life story of Sufi saint and poet Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, premiered on Thursday night.

The score for the single-act ballet was composed by symphonic new age composer Can Atilla, who also wrote the music for "Mevlana Oratorio."

The oratorio had its world premiere in İstanbul last April, marking the 800th anniversary of the birth of the 13th century Sufi saint who advocated tolerance and peace through his philosophy.

"Çağrı," featuring a libretto by journalist-art critic Şefik Kahramankaptan, marks a first for Turkish ballet as it is "the first-ever original Turkish ballet to center on Mevlana in its entirety," Atilla told reporters ahead of the premiere in the Mediterranean province of Mersin.

The score of the ballet combines local and universal musical structures, also taking inspiration from 19th century Romantic ballet patterns.

"I composed around 25 themes for each character and event [depicted in the ballet]. … I also employed atonal and electronic music in some parts to be able to reflect avant-garde and abstract atmospheres," Atilla explained.

A CD featuring the ballet score is due to be released soon, he added, noting that there are also plans to stage the ballet abroad.

The world premiere of "Çağrı" -- directed by Lale Balkan and featuring choreography by Mehmet Balkan -- will be followed by a gala performance on March 27, while its third staging is scheduled for April 24.

[See the Ballet's web page (in Turkish) https://secure.dobgm.gov.tr/ESER/eser0445.htm
Go to the State Opera and Ballet webpage (in English) https://secure.dobgm.gov.tr/dobgm_en.asp]

Not Revising, but Classifying

By Gulnoza Saidazimova, "Islam: Turkish Theologians Revise Hadith, To Mixed Reactions" - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - Prague, Czech Republic
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Turkish religious authorities have been careful in presenting the Hadith Project, launched some two years ago.

The country's state committee on religious affairs, the Diyanet, reacted to last month's coverage of the Hadith Project by the BBC, "The Guardian," and some other Western media by insisting that the project should in no way be described as "reform", "revision," or "revolution."

A press release on February 29 by the Diyanet says the project's chief aim is to "revitalize the message of the Prophet, as was performed in the past, and offer these blessed tenets to humanity in the most accurate way."

The deputy head of the Diyanet, Mehmet Gormez, told islamonline.net that Turkey "not revising, but classifying" the Hadith -- a view echoed by Bunyamin Erul, a professor of Ankara University's Divinity Faculty who is a project member.

Erul says that there are "some mistakes in understanding" the Hadith. "So, we try to explain these sayings [based] on the rules of knowledge of the Hadith in a new style and [with] some new methodology."

A collection of thousands of sayings and deeds attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, the Hadith is the second-most-important source in Islam after the Koran. Muslims' daily life is based on the Hadith rather than the Koran, which is believed to be God's direct message to Muhammad.

Many hadiths are believed to have been written a hundred years after Muhammad's death in 632.

Erul and 84 other scholars from Turkish universities involved in the Hadith Project reject literalist reading of the Koran and the Hadith. They believe each text should be taken within the historical context in which they were revealed.

The Diyanet says the project seeks to establish a connection between Hadith narrations and current thinking and scientific data. It adds that it has stayed away from "extreme interpretations" and avoided judging the past on the basis of today's categories.

Some Muslim clerics say the project is nothing new, and attempts to revise the Hadith have been made in the past.

Exiled Uzbek imam Obidkhon Qori Nazarov is one of them. "Revising the hadiths sounds sensational," Nazarov says. "The Western media have made a big fuss about it. However, in fact, things are different, I believe. Commenting or interpreting the hadiths is a normal event that can take place anytime. The Koran and hadiths have been commented on and interpreted since they were revealed. Commenting and interpreting them in a given historical context can happen anytime and is nothing unusual."

On the other hand, Fadi Hakura, a Turkey expert at the London-based Chatham House think tank, tells RFE/RL that the process is "quite dramatic."

"It is a revolution in the sense that it is a state-sponsored process in Turkey," Hakura says. "It is a systematic, comprehensive, and quite accelerated process of change. So, although the idea of reinterpretation and adaptation is not new in Islam, the way Turkey is carrying it out in a systematic fashion is quite revolutionary."

Revising Women's Role
The project is expected to be completed by year's end and published in languages including Arabic, English, and Russian. It includes reinterpreting some misogynist statements in the Hadith.

Erul refuses to give details of revisions of the hadiths regarding women. He says the project members -- including female theologians -- believe the subject is "very important".

Hakura cites a particular example -- women's ability to travel without male accompaniment, which demonstrates that some notions Muslims have had on women are wrong. Hakura says the ban was not a religious one originally and was issued temporarily because of security reasons that pertained to circumstances that existed more than 1,000 years ago.

The proponents of the change cite the Prophet Muhammad's saying that he "longed for the day when a woman might travel long distances alone."

Feminist groups have embraced the idea of revising the ban that still remains in the Hadith and restricts the free movement of women in some Muslim countries.

Can Turkey Reform Islam?
Hakura gives another example: the common belief that a thief must be punished with the loss of his hand. He says such a punishment was practiced briefly in history and contradicts recent or current practice in some Muslim societies.

He says that in the Ottoman Empire, with institutionalized forms of punishment, thieves were treated with imprisonment and fines, not dismemberment.

(...)

When the project is completed, the Diyanet plans to send a new version of the Hadith, which will come in at least six volumes, and offer it at more than 76,000 mosques in Turkey and beyond.

[Picture: Istanbul. Photo AFP]

Everything Is in Intention

ABC Perth, "Bringing peace through music" - Perth, Australia
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Whirling Dervishes are probably the best known adherents of the esoteric branch of Islam called Sufism.

Not far behind must be a musician who is famous for playing the style of music the Dervishes dance to and for singing about the philosophy of the Sufis. He is the Turkish-born musician who now lives in the US, Omar Faruk Tekbilek.

Visiting the 720 ABC Perth studio, Tekbilek brings his flute-like instrument, called "ney in Turkish, nai in Arabic. It's a nine-piece bamboo - nine makes three and a half octaves possible," he explains.

Going on to explain the philosophy of his music, Tekbilek notes that "in Islam for many years, music was abandoned because in early times the music was used for earthly things - drinking… earthly joys - so music was banned. But with Rumi and the Sufi tradition, they see the real intention, because everything is in intention, if you use it with bad manners it becomes bad but if you use it for spiritual sake, to give relief and peace to people, it is good."

For Tekbilek, the spiritual aspect of music also comes through the actual playing of it. He has been quoted as saying "music is a short cut to God" and he expands on that by saying it's about "the awareness of breath, especially with this instrument, because the sound comes as we say 'hu' (as he breathes across the mouthpiece of the ney). Hu in Arabaic [is] God's name, He. So, from an early age I realised that I'm playing and I'm praying because I'm aware of my breath, I'm riding on my breath - breath riders."

The ride began when Tekbilek's uncle got him to open the uncle's music store in return for being taught how to play instruments. Within years he was mastering what he was playing and "at 12 years old I was a professional musician.

"In our town along the river, because it's a hot country, are all the coffee gardens and they make a stage, bring the musicians, [and] because of the instrument I play [there were] not too many [other players].

"[Then] in 1971, I went to the United States with a tour as a musician. I was very anxious because I read a lot about America before I went because America was the land of opportunity and also because I am a musician I was into jazz at that time. So, I was very excited."

Tekbilek was even more excited on that tour to then meet his then future wife and when he moved to be with her he formed his own band and started playing belly dance music in the many venues that play home to the artform in the US.

One day in 1988 a visitor to one of those clubs was Brian Keane, a producer who was looking for musicians to help him make the soundtrack to a film called Suleyman the Magnificent. It went so well "they offered us another album then we did six albums together…"

Since then Tekbilek has gone on to become one of the major figures in 'world music' and attempts to promote peace through his work. He bases this on the fact that in the Sufi tradition it is important to love the Lord and all of creation.

"There is no distinguishing between the people and nationality is illusion, we are all children of Adam," he notes. "So, now I have a band with a Greek keyboard player, an Armenian, and a guitar player from Israel, so we are showing as an example to people we can be peaceful, we can share common things."

[Picture: Sufi musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek plays his ney in the 720 ABC Perth studio. Photo: Matthew Perkins]

Sufism and Contemporary Values

[From the French language press]:

La Tarîqa Al-Qadiriya Al-Boutchichiya présente la deuxième Rencontre mondiale du Soufisme du 18 au 20 mars 2008 à Madâgh sous le theme :
« Soufisme et valeurs contemporaines»

Portail Ya Watani, "Maroc : Deuxième Rencontre Mondiale du Soufisme du 18 au 20 mars 2008" - Courbevoie, France - lundi 17 mars 2008

Madâgh (Morocco): The Tarîqa Al-Qadiriya Al-Boutchichiya presents "Sufism and contemporary values", the second World Meeting of Sufism to be held in Madâgh from 18 to 20 March.

This meeting aims to:

- Distinguish between authentic practices based on the Qur'an and the prophetic tradition and non authentic ones;

- Present an approach to Sufism in the modern world;

- Involve Sufism in the process of exchange and dialogue among civilizations;
- Enhance the contribution of Sufism in the literature and the arts.

Academics, researchers, intellectuals… this event brings together a wide range of specialists in Muslim spirituality from the whole world.

The meeting hopes to promote the dialogue among cultures through a Sufi approach best suited to the modern era.

Finally, this event will contribute to promote a spiritual message of peace, universality and altruism.

A Beautiful Princess

[From the French language press]:

Il était une fois, dans la "Maison des bénédictions", une belle princesse, prénommée Noor (lumière) et parée de tous les dons. Hazrat, son père, venu des Indes, descendant d'un sultan de Mysore, lui enseignait la sagesse du soufisme, courant mystique de l'islam, dont il était un maître.

Par Francis Cornu, "Une altesse orientale au service de la Résistance" - Le Monde - Paris, France - lundi 17 mars 2008

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess, named Noor (light), who lived in the "Blessed Home (Fazal Manzil)", and who was endowed will all kinds of gifts. Hazrat, her father, came from India and was a descendant of a Sultan of Mysore. He taught her the wisdom of Sufism, the mystic current of Islam of which he was a master.

The article is the review of a broadcasting on the life of Princess Noor Inayat Khan, the daughter of Hazrat Inayat Khan, founder of Universal Sufism. She was a British agent in Nazi-occupied France and was awarded the George Cross by the British government while the French honoured her with the Croix de Guerre.

She had two brothers, who both became musicians and Sufi masters: Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and Pir Hidayat Inayat Khan.

[Visit the Sufi Order International, led by Pir Zia, the son of Pir Vilayat: http://www.sufiorder.org/

Visit the Sufi Movement International, led by Pir Hidayat, Noor's younger brother: http://www.sufimovement.org/work.htm]

Modern Heroes, Positive Role Models

By Marie-Helene Rousseau, "As Villains or Heroes, Muslims Star in New U.S. Comics" - NYU Livewire - New York, NY, USA
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Some visitors who arrived recently at a New York airport caused quite a stir— and no wonder. They were using their superpowers to stop two planes from colliding.

But this Homeland Security emergency was part of a comic book tale, written and produced by a U.S.-educated Kuwaiti academic and publisher who hopes to send both U.S. and Middle Eastern readers a positive message about Islam.

[I realized that] “our part of the world was lacking modern-day heroes,” said publisher, Naïf Al-Mutawa, a Columbia Business School grad who also holds a Ph.D in clinical psychology.

Al-Mutawa’s superheroes are a multicultural gang, united by belief in a faith that routs evil. Each superhero embodies one of the 99 qualities that the Koran, the Islamic holy book, attributes to God.
There’s “Jabbar the Powerful,” and Noora, whose name means light, and who can see the light and darkness in everyone.

English and Arabic editions of “The 99” are sold in Middle East and in the United States, via al-Mutawa’s company, Teshkeel Media Group.
His books are among dozens of new Islamic-influenced comics and graphic novels circulating in the United States, home to six million Muslims.

But the message can vary. In his forthcoming graphic novel “The Infidel,” the Bronx-born son of Albanian Muslims makes Muslims the villains.

Author Bosch Fawstin, 37, calls himself an ex-Muslim. He says he wasn’t raised religious, beyond going to mosque once a year and avoiding pork. He attended art school at night, published his first graphic novel in 2004 and, inspired by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, began writing “The Infidel.”

It focuses on two Muslim brothers, one who embraces fundamentalism and the other who battles extremism. Villains are killed in ways that readers may find disturbing, he admitted. “When I show some people the sketches, they turn away.”

Al-Mutawa’s superheroes battle enemies nonviolently, countering a Western image of Islam as inherently violent.

Al-Mutawa, 36, fell in love with comics during childhood summers at camp in New Hampshire. After college, he worked as a translator for torture survivors, and decided Muslims needed positive role models. That led to his founding Teshkeel Media, which takes its name from the symbols in Arabic script indicating pronunciation.

Besides “The 99,” the company distributes Arabic translations of other comic books, including the “Archie” series.

Other religions have also figured more prominently in the comics of recent years. “Buddha,” the comic book series about Buddha’s life, by the late Japanese artist Osamu Tezuka, was reprinted in hardcover in 2003.

“Devi,” published by UK-based Virgin Comics in 2006, offers a contemporary spin on the story of the Hindu warrior goddess.

In the renowned “Blankets,” (2003) novelist Craig Thompson illustrated his disenchantment with evangelical Christianity.

The same themes are creeping into mainstream comics: a 2002 edition of “New X-Men” introduced Dust, an Afghani Muslim super heroine clad in a body-covering burqa.

Religion is a new interest for comics, said Greg Garrett, author of a book on the subject: “Holy Superheroes: Exploring Faith and Spirituality in Comic Books.”

“Most comics, like most of our popular culture, homogenized their characters and edited out religious distinctions,” he said. As recently as the 1980s, readers were startled to see X-Men character Kitty Pryde wearing a Star of David. Muslims were non-existent, villanized or stereotyped, he suggested.

But because religion is a force in current events, it naturally informs comics, said Preston Hunter, the webmaster of Adherents.com, a 10-year-old statistical website Hunter said had a database of the religions of 2,000 comic book characters.

(Adherents says that Superman, for example, though hailing from the planet Ka-El, was raised in a Methodist household.) When Christian televangelist scandals made the news, many comic book villains appeared as Protestant preachers.

“The 99” is an amalgam of Eastern and Western ideas, said Al-Mutawa, drawing both on Western superheroes’ tendency to act individually, and Eastern comics’ reliance on teamwork (think Pokémon).

Characters work in teams of at least three, to solve problems together. Three is a significant number for another reason: it avoids offending Muslims who may have a problem with a man and woman being alone together. (Yet the comics aren’t necessarily conservative; not all superheroines, for example, wear the headscarf).

While raising funds to start his company, Al-Mutawa once showed potential investors another option available to Muslim kids: sticker books a Hamas supporter was selling that depicted suicide bombers.

[Pictures (clockwise):
-“The 99,” a series of comic superheroes meant to offer young Muslims positive modern role models, is one of a spate of recent comics exploring Islamic themes. Illustration: Courtesy of Naif al-Mutawa;

-Concerned that Islam had few modern heroes, Columbia University grad Naif al-Mutawa created a series of comic superheroes to provide positive role models to kids in the Middle East. Photo: Courtesy of Teshkeel Media Group.]

‘Multiculturalism and Beyond’

Staff Report, "German prof gives ‘Islam and West’ lecture at PU" -Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan

Sunday, March 16, 2008

The Punjab University (PU) Department of History arranged a lecture on ‘Multiculturalism and Beyond’ on Saturday.
Prof. Jamal Malik, the chairman of the Religious and Islamic Studies Department at University of Erfurt, Germany, delivered the lecture.

Professor Malik is a renowned scholar of Islamic studies, Sufism and the history of colonialism.

Keeping his focus on the Muslims living in Europe, he highlighted the possibilities of religious pluralism. He said that Europe, particularly Germany, had evolved out of three factors – dominance of the church, marginalisation of those differing with the church’s opinion, and monopolisation of secular modernity and unity of Christian Europe in the post-World War-II period.

“These are the three factors that are the cause of discrimination and cultural bias against three million German Muslims. Islam is inherently pluralistic, but the Western media has projected it as fundamentalist and aggressive” he said.

“These stereotypical images have given rise to extremism and ‘Islamophobia’ in Europe and North America. In order to avoid further conflict, the Muslims and the West should promote interfaith dialogue and mutual understanding that lead to an alliance of civilisations,” he said.

After the lecture, the audience asked several questions. The seminar ended with a note of thanks by Dr. S. Qalb-i-Abid, Chairman of the History Dept.

[Picture of the Lecture from the University of the Punjab: http://www.pu.edu.pk/home/]

“Ba Dar-e Darvish Darbane Naa-Bayd"

By Abdul Manan, "Mian Mir’s 384th urs kicks off today" - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan
Sunday, March 16, 2008

All is set for the commencement of Mir Mohammad Moinul Islam’s, popularly known as Mian Mir, 384th urs from Sunday (today).

People from across the country have already reached the shrine of the Sufi saint. The urs celebrations will continue for two days.

Auqaf Additional Secretary Chaudhry Nisar told Daily Times on Saturday that the department had made all arrangements of the urs. Chador-laying ceremony would take place on Sunday to commence the urs, he added.

Mian Mir is regarded as one of the greatest Sufi saints of the Subcontinent. He belonged to the Qadiria order of the Sufis. He was famous for being a spiritual instructor to Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who also held Mian Mir in great esteem.

Dara Shikoh was a devoted disciple of the saint. His father, Shah Jahan, often requested the saint to pray for his empire.

Mian Mir was the earliest Sufi saint who promoted the Qadiria order in Lahore. He shunned worldly selfish men and proud high-ups of his time. He used to post his mureeds (disciples) at the gate of his house to stop rich people from entering.

Once Emperor Shah Jahan, with his attendants, came to pay homage to the great dervish. Mian Mir’s disciples stopped the emperor at the gate and requested him to wait, until permission was given. Shah Jahan felt insulted, but controlled his temper and composed himself. After a while, he was ushered into Mian Mir’s presence.

When the emperor came across the saint, he said, “Ba dar-e-darvish darbane naa-bayd (On the doorstep of a dervish, there should be no sentry).”The saint replied, “Babayd keh sag-e-dunia na ayad (They are there so that the materialistic, selfish men of the world may not enter).” The emperor was ashamed and requested forgiveness.

Mian Mir holds a legendary place in Sikhism and in Sikh history. Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, often visited Lahore, the birthplace of his father – the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das – to meet his relatives. Once Guru Arjan called on Mian Mir. The two remained close life long friends, after the first meeting.

Mian Mir was thirteen years older than Guru Arjan. He invited Mian Mir to lay the foundation stone of the Harmandir Sahib, one of the most sacred places for Sikhs. After a long life of piety, Mian Mir passed away on August 11, 1635 (seven Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1045 according to the Islamic Calendar), at the age of 88.

Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh led his funeral. He was buried near Alamganj, a place in the south of the city. His spiritual successor was Mullah Shah Badakhshi.

Mian Mir’s Mazar (mausoleum) attracts hundreds of devotees every day. Sikhs and Muslims equally revered the great Sufi saint of the Subcontinent.

[Picture: A calendar painting of Hazrat Mian Mir. Photo from: http://www.sikhspectrum.com/112002/mian_mir_tribute.htm]

Simply Trust

By Nithya Caleb, "Fresh Prints" - New Ind Press - Chennai, India
Saturday, March 15, 2008

Just Like That is a compilation of Osho’s talks on Sufism.

Filled with his witty and incisive comments, the book explores the master-disciple relation and meaning of existence.

In one of his talks, Osho says, “ A Sufi master used to say to his disciples: ‘Simply trust. Do not the rose petals flutter down just like that?’”

A must-read for those who want to know more about the ‘inner self.’

Just Like That: Talks on Sufi Stories
By Osho
Penguin, Rs 295

That's Where the Real Teaching Is

By Todd R. Brown, "Muslim women counter stereotypes" - Inside Bay Area - Oakland, CA, USA
Saturday, March 15, 2008

Third annual Women's Milad Shareef symposium slated for Sunday

One stereotype pinned to Islam is the second-class status of women, illustrated by burqa-clad members of the fairer sex who stick out in the post-women's-lib Western world.

Instead of oppressing women, however, the "religion of peace" historically calls for an enlightened attitude toward female followers, said spokeswoman Shagufta Ahmad of Fremont's Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center.

"Authentic Islam talks about the spiritual equality of men and women, how we're from the same soul and how we have equal potential to reach God," she said.

The group's third annual Women's Milad Shareef Conference is set for Sunday in Newark, with the goal of countering stereotypes and celebrating wives and daughters who learned directly from the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam in the 7th century.

"They were teachers, guides and mentors. They were in his company. There's a special blessing connected with those women," Shagufta said, noting they are regarded similarly to Roman Catholic saints. "The Arabic word (for saint) is 'wali,' which means friend of God."

Ahmad, a software engineer who lives in Fremont, said Milad Sharif translates to "noble birthday" and honors the birth of Muhammad. This year, the day begins at sunset Wednesday with a vigil.

Sunday's gathering is specifically for women, she said, so they can relax. "It just has a different energy when women are galvanized and organized just for them. You can feel it."

The nonprofit centers on Sufism, sometimes described by some as a mystical sect but really "the heart and soul of Islam," Shagufta said, one that focuses on inner spiritual development and avoiding sin.

The ideal is to achieve character in accordance with Ihsan, from the Arabic word hadith, meaning to make something beautiful.

Fatima Sharaaz Qadri, who chairs the women's group at the Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center in Sacramento, called Sufism the "middle path" to God, in contrast with the stereotype of Muslims as extremists. The center was founded in 2002 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"In every religion we have extremes," she said. "You cannot just combine everyone. You cannot just label them. I get a comment of 'al-Qaida' right away. We have to come up and tell people we are not like them."

About 300 women and children are expected to come to the conference from around the Bay, as well as from Yuba City, Sacramento and Fresno. Admission is free, and a complimentary dinner will be offered.

Poetry recitals will be given in Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Punjabi and English. Sufi poet Rumi, the one most familiar to Americans, hit his 800th anniversary last year and still makes the best-seller list.

Ayyaz Yousaf Qadri of Hayward, the Fremont center's managing director, said the conference is one way to illuminate Sufi beliefs and to exchange cultural notions. For instance, pastor Floretta Kukoyi from Jesus House, San Francisco in Hayward is a planned speaker.

Ancient Sufi poets and saints, he said, "really embraced everybody to one fold" in travels that spread their religion throughout Asia, a spirit that he said informs the faith today.

"When you start working at the human level, that's where the real teaching is," he said.

Sufi Networks in the Islamic World

Staff Report, "IPFW's Ohlander one of seven to receive Purdue library grant" - KPC Times Community Publications - Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hitting the books will be part of Erik Ohlander's summer plans thanks to a recent grant from the Purdue University Libraries.

The Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) assistant professor of religious studies was awarded the Purdue University Library Scholars Grant, which will allow him to travel to conduct research for his current book project.

Ohlander was awarded $3,571 to conduct research on Arabic manuscripts in the Rare Books and Special Collections division of Princeton University's Firestone Library and at the Library of Congress.

His research will focus on issues pertaining to the city of Mecca as a nodal center in the formation of Sufi networks in the Islamic world during the later medieval period.

This grant, along with other awards, will advance his second book, "Sufis of Mecca: Mysticism and Transregionality in the Later Medieval Islamic World." His first book, "Sufism in an Age of Transition: 'Umar al-Suhrawardi and the Rise of the Islamic Mystical Brotherhoods," was released Feb. 15.

Ohlander was one of seven faculty members from across various Purdue departments to receive this grant, which helps faculty members access unique collections of information not available at Purdue. The award covers transportation, lodging, meals, and fees charged by the library or other collection owner.

Transmission of Knowledge

[From the French language press]:

Initié dans le cadre de la manifestation «Alger, capitale de la culture arabe 2007», le vernissage de l’exposition «Béjaïa centre de transmission du savoir» a eu lieu jeudi soir au Palais de la Culture Moufdi Zakaria de Kouba [Alger].

Par Lamia S., "Une exposition sur Béjaïa" - La Nouvelle République, Alger, Algérie
Dimanche, 9 mars 2008

Initiated in the framework of "Algiers, Capital of the Arab Culture 2007", the opening of the exhibition «Béjaïa Centre for the Transmission of Knowledge» took place on Thursday night at the Palace of Culture Moufdi Zakaria of Kouba [Algiers].

This is an impressive exhibition, which will continue until April 10th, with manuscripts in the Amazigh [Berber] language and manuscripts from the National Center of Prehistoric, Anthropological and Historical Research (CNRPAH).

Included are several "relics" from scholars like Ibn Khaldun, Al-Gubrini, Ibn Raqqam -author of the Astronomical Tablets- the historian Ibn Hammad and Sidi Boumediene, a known and recognized authority of the Maghrebi Sufi movement.

[Visit the Palace of Culture Moufdi Zakaria of Kouba, Algiers (in French and Arabic) http://www.palaisdelaculture.dz/]

Sufi support for legislation opposing an American attack on Iran

"Sufi support for legislation opposing an American attack on Iran" by Dr. Alan Godlas (based on and including an announcement issued via email by authors at www.justforeignpolicy.org ). (Now including active links!)

Anyone interested in Sufism should read and act on the advice below (concerning the importance of opposing the Bush administrations' efforts to attack Iran) in general because Sufis --and Muslims as a whole, since the vast majority of Sufis are Muslims-- oppose actions that will result in the deaths of innocent people. More specific reasons are as follows:

1) There are a lot of Sufis and a majority of innocent (and U.S. loving) people in Iran who would die if the U.S. attacked Iran,

2) probably at least some of my students (who have studied Sufism) and a lot of innocent Americans who are going to go into (or are currently in) the American armed forces might die in such a war in Iran;

3) a lot of Sufis, sympathizers to Sufism, and innocent people in Israel might die in a retaliatory Iranian attack on Israel, which would be very likely if any Iranian military capabilities survived the initial American onslaught; which survival is a distinct possibility, given the difficulty in completely eliminating all Iranians' military capabilities--as seen by the difficulty the U.S. has experienced in eliminating all opposition in Iraq;

4) given that a very recent study showed that Iran's so-called nuclear threat to us and Israel is minimal in contrast to the damage that we would create if we attack Iran (See "U.S. Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003" --N.Y. Times, Dec. 4, 2007 tinyurl.com/2tlcnw.

So, the message below is an attempt to mobilize support against the Bush administration's desire to attack Iran. It does not appear to exist on the web, on news sites, or in a blog, hence I am posting it here rather than simply posting a url (which I could not find).

-------- Here is the message:

In these final months of the Bush presidency, let's keep up the pressure against war with Iran.

Take action.

Dear Supporter of a Just Foreign Policy,

The Bush administration has forced out a top admiral who had widely been seen as an opponent of attacking Iran. (note 1) Now is the time to work harder against another war.

Last week, an article in Esquire called Admiral William Fallon the Bush administration's primary obstacle to an attack on Iran and an advocate of serious diplomacy.(note 2) His departure raises serious questions about the administration's intentions.

We just spent a month on the road with author Stephen Kinzer talking and meeting about Iran, and we have several ideas of what can be done to step up efforts against war. (note 3) Thanks to the tour, a few Senators and Representatives in Washington see the same urgency we do. Can you help us build momentum for legislation (note 4) introduced last year that would prevent the President from attacking Iran without Congressional authorization?

www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/nowaroniran.html

We met personally with Senator John Kerry last week, and he reaffirmed his active support for this legislation. Senator Hillary Clinton, in a press release following Admiral Fallon's resignation,(note 5) urged support for it.

We will continue working closely with key Members of Congress to get this bill passed. To make this work, it is crucial that your Members hear from you, their constituent.

www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/nowaroniran.html
Thanks for all you do for a just foreign policy,
Patrick McElwee, Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen and Sebastian Anti
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org

References:
1. "Fallon falls: Iran should worry," Gareth Porter, Asia Times, March 13, 2008

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JC13Ak01.html
2. "The Man Between War and Peace," Thomas P.M. Barnett, Esquire, March 5, 2008
http://www.esquire.com/features/fox-fallon
3. The Folly of Attacking Iran Tour was a big success, attracting large audiences and press attention across the country. Thanks to all of you for your support. If you were unable to make it to an event, you can see some of what Stephen Kinzer had to say in his opinion piece that appeared in the Baltimore Sun yesterday:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.iran12mar12,0,5070600.story

4. The bill, introduced by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), carries the bill number S. 759 and is titled, "To prohibit the use of funds for military operations in Iran." The full text is here:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:s.759:

A companion bill, H.R. 3119, has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Mark Udall. The full text of that bill is here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:h.r.3119:

5. In a statement released Tuesday, March 11, 2008, Senator Clinton said:
Admiral Fallon was a sensible voice within the Pentagon on the need to have a multi-pronged strategy towards Iran that included support for engaging Iran. Admiral Fallon was a voice of reason in an administration which has used inflammatory rhetoric against Iran. I am asking that the Senate Armed Services Committee hold hearings into the circumstances surrounding his departure. I will also urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Senator Webb's legislation requiring the Administration to come to Congress before taking military action against Iran.

Also the author of the above message notes the following for anyone who writes a letter to the administration:

I would emphasize to the Bush administration, as I have before, that it has no authority to take this nation to war against Iran, and I again urge the Bush administration to pursue diplomacy, including direct talks with Tehran, at its earliest opportunity.

Full text of Senator Clinton's statement is available at:http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=294635&&

With Each Other Not Against Each Other

[From the French language press]:

Pour sa onzième édition, Le Festival du Mawlid bâtit un pont entre l'Europe et le monde musulman, à travers une de ses composantes essentielles, le soufisme.

Yabiladi, France - mercredi 5 mars 2008 - Communiqué de presse

In its offering participants an experience in Sufism, a key aspect of Islam, the eleventh the Festival of Mawlid is intending to build a bridge between Europe and the Muslim world.

Open to all, this festive event is an ideal opportunity to share a repertoire of sacred music and experience something traditionally held in the privacy of Sufi Brotherhoods. For the first time together on stage in Paris, they offer the public a heritage shaped by centuries of practice.

The Festival of Mawlid contributes to a better understanding of a multicultural society.

It is resolutely focused on peace. It promotes a vision that the future is being built by all of us: with each other and not against each other.

By not focusing on conflict between groups and promoting the commonality of different cultures, AISA and Terres d'Europe -the associations promoting the Festival of Mawlid- sow hope for the world of tomorrow.

Saturday, March 22 - 8.00 pm
Espace Reuilly 21, rue Hénard Paris 12e - Métro Montgallet
Admission: 20 €
Infoline : 06 16 93 04 92 - 06 62 15 70 98 - mawlid08@free.fr

[Visit the website of AISA Association Internationale Soufie Alâwiya (in French) http://www.aisa-net.com/index00.htm]

For The Benefit of The Current Society

By Mawassi Lahcen, "Sufi Culture Festival celebrates peaceful tradition, Fez history" - Magharebia - USA

The second Sufi Culture Festival, to be held in April in Fez, will offer a variety of art exhibits, lectures, and concerts on the themes of peace and tolerance

Casablanca: The historic city of Fez will host the second Sufi Culture Festival from April 17th-24th, offering visitors a distinguished spiritual atmosphere in which to explore principles of dialogue, tolerance and peace.

This year's programme features artistic soirées open to the public every night, with the participation of music bands from four continents. Each afternoon will feature Sufi Tariqas (schools) from around the world. In the mornings, intellectual seminars will discuss issues related to women, the environment, entrepreneurship and international relations through the spiritual and moral values of Sufi Islam.

In a statement to Magharebia, Festival Coordinator Mr Faouzi Skali said Sufism can fill a gap in the spiritual involvement of young people who are thirsty for religion.

"The absence of spiritual involvement for young people in their search for religion gives way for political ideologies that misunderstand the social function of religion, and attract the young people to the trap of extremism and terrorism," he said.

Mr Skali explained that the aim of the Fez Sufi Culture Festival is to renew Sufi practices, especially spiritual education in the values of tolerance, solidarity, and peace.

"It is true that we need to refresh memory and to benefit from the sources of heritage," he said, "but our aim in this Festival is to finalise the role of Sufism in the work that it can do today for the benefit of the current society; to live the Sufi experience as a lively, future-oriented experience; and to adapt its principles to the current needs of young people and societies."

The second Sufi Culture Festival coincides with the 1200th anniversary of the foundation of the city of Fez, considered the spiritual capital of Morocco. Al Karaouine University will hold an exhibition at the festival to showcase its treasure of manuscripts.

(...)

[Picture: A Sufi ensemble performs outside the Fez medina. Photo by: Mawassi Lahcen]

[See also: http://sufinews.blogspot.com/search?q=Khadija]

Sufism Plays an Important Role

ECMI, "Ethnic Groups in Georgia #5 - Kists" - The Georgian Times - Tbilisi, Georgia
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

In our series on the wealth of ethnic groups in Georgia, this week features the Kists. The materials on the ethnic groups are provided by the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and are extracted from the book, Georgia – An Ethno-Political Handbook by Tom Trier & George Tarkhan-Mouravi.

With support from the foreign ministries of Switzerland, Norway and Denmark, the book will be published by the end of this year in a Georgian and an English edition.

Population in Georgia: 7,110 (Census 2002), and 1,150 Kist and Chechen refugees from Chechnya in Pankisi.
Total population: Approx 8,000.
Settlement: Kists are compactly settled in Pankisi Gorge, Akhmeta district; a few live in Tbilisi and other bigger cities.

Who, What, Where
Kists in Georgia (self-designation: Vainakh, Kistebi in Georgian) mostly live in villages in the Pankisi Gorge, and are descendants of Chechens and Ingush, who settled there from their native regions in the North Caucasus in the 18th-19th century.

The newcomers soon adopted the ethnic label Kist, which was used by Georgians as a generic term for Vainakh (Chechen and Ingush) people. As a result of the separation and isolation of the Kists from their ethnic kin in the north, the group in Georgia developed its own characteristics and gradually incorporated many cultural and linguistic elements from its Georgian neighbors.

Today, most Kists identify themselves as Georgians and/or as a separate group closer related to the Chechens than to the Ingush. Kists are well integrated in Georgia, and the vast majority is bilingual in Kist and Georgian.

(...)

Hence, from 2000 Pankisi Gorge earned a reputation internationally as a nest for criminal activity and terrorism. However, in 2002 the US government initiated a program to support the Georgian Army, and from 2003 the situation in Pankisi has greatly stabilized.

The region no longer provides shelter for Chechen fighters and rule of law has returned to Pankisi Gorge although the gorge’s reputation internationally as a hotbed for crime and guerilla warfare lingers on.

Since the early phase of the war in Chechnya, the number of refugees has now considerably decreased and today there are only around 1,150 refugees in Pankisi, as some have been resettled in third countries, others have returned and yet others have become Georgian citizens.

Language, Religion and Traditions
The Kist vernacular belongs to the Vainakh language group, which is part of the larger North East Caucasian (or Nakh-Dagestanian) language family. The Vainakh languages consist of Chechen, Ingush and Bats (Tsova-Tush), while Kist is not considered a separate language but merely a Chechen dialect with strong influences from the Georgian language.

Vainakh is the historical self-designation of the speakers of the languages and means “Our People”.

(...)

As a result of Russification policies, the majority of Kists became Christians in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, but today practically all Kists are Sunni Muslims. Kists belong to the Sunni branch of the Islamic faith, but the religious practices of the Kists (like those of the Chechens and Ingushs) are often not in harmony with Sunni dogmas.

The Kists’ practice of Sunni Islam can be considered syncretic, fused with pagan and Christian elements.

At the same time, Sufism, a mystical, psycho-spiritual tradition practiced also in Chechnya, Ingushetia and among other North Caucasian people based on religious brotherhoods (Naqshbandiya and Qadiriya), plays an important role in the religious life of many Kists.

It is also true that while most Kists consider themselves to be Muslim, at least until recently many were largely indifferent to Islamic teachings, having been significantly influenced by Soviet secular policies or before to Georgian Christian practices and the Pagan traditions of neighboring Georgian Khevsurs and Pshavi mountaineers.

Many would eat pork, drink alcohol or sacrifice animals near the ruins of Christian churches, give their children Christian names, marry non-Kists, and profess other traditionally non-Muslim practices.

Since 2000, Wahhabism - a puritan and fundamentalist Sunni Muslim reformist movement originating from Saudi Arabia – had gained some support among Kists, mostly among the youth, although to a much lesser extent than in Chechnya.

Wahhabism mostly appeals to the male youth in Chechnya and has gained considerable popularity in pace with the wars and political radicalization in Chechnya. Today, there are four mosques of modern Sunni Islam in the gorge built in 1996-2001 and also one Wahhabi mosque in Duisi.

(...)

The Noble Values of Sufism

By Mohammed Iqbal, "Special budget for Ajmer dargah security" - The Hindu - Chennai, India
Monday, March 10, 2008

Ajmer: As part of its efforts to step up security for pilgrims, the dargah committee at the historic shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here has sanctioned a special budget of Rs. 26 lakh [USD 2'600'000.--] for upkeep of the sensitive high beam cameras, closed circuit television, X-ray machines and metal detectors installed recently as well as the deployment of security guards at sensitive locations.

A bomb blast at Ahate-e-Noor – the courtyard outside the mausoleum of the 13th century Sufi saint – on October 11 last year killed three persons and injured over a dozen. The perpetrators of the terror attack are still at large with a Special Investigation Team of the Rajasthan police having made little headway in the probe.

The committee, a statutory body of the Centre, deliberated on the security measures, management of the endowment properties and the progress of several welfare and educational activities at its half-day meeting here on Saturday. Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, who is the president of the committee, chaired the meeting.

An annual budget of Rs. 3.09 crore [USD 634'497.--] was approved at the meeting with the endorsement of proposals for eviction of unauthorised possessions on the dargah premises, extension of amenities for pilgrims, establishment of a university named after Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, expansion of the Khwaja Model School building and enhancement of grants to widows and orphans.

Priority for education
Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali told The Hindu that the utilisation of the dargah’s resources and revenues for promotion of education was high on the priority of the committee to help out poor families as well as indigent descendants of the Sufi saint.

The university, to be established in Kayar village on the outskirts of Ajmer, will cater to the educational needs of all communities.

The committee, established under the provisions of the Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955, administers and controls the affairs of the shrine as well as its endowments. It also organises the annual Urs and regulates the presence of Khadims (workers) on the premises, besides determining their privileges and giving them licences.

The Prince of Arcot, who took over as president of the nine-member committee in October last year after dissolution of the previous one, said he had requested the Centre to establish an airport in Ajmer to facilitate the journey of pilgrims from far and wide. The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has initiated action in this regard.

“The Ajmer Dargah is an embodiment of the syncretic traditions of our country. Its legacy should be protected for generations to come to apprise them of the noble values of Sufism promoting tolerance, charity and universal brotherhood,” he said.

Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali is the first person from South India to be appointed the committee chief.

The Prince of Arcot said the committee would strive for beautification of the dargah, free movement of pilgrims, stopping commercial activities on the premises, and renovation of various buildings and modernisation of the langarkhana [Sufi kitchen] during his term.

[Picture from: http://www.dargahajmer.com/]

Cutting Across Faiths

By Press Trust of India, "Mahatma is a true Jihadi: Turkish spiritual leader" - NDTV - New Delhi, India
Sunday, March 9, 2008

Mahatma Gandhi's fight with his ego and subsequent victory represents the qualities of what can be termed as true Jihad, according to an eminent Islamic spiritual leader from Turkey.

''Gandhi is the martyr who has performed the real Jihad. As he taught us to first fight with one's ego and win, but never with guns,'' said Sheika Cemalnur Sargut, who heads the Istanbul branch of TURKKAD, the Turkish Women's Cultural Association.

Drawing comparisons between a Haji and the Mahatma, Sargut said, ''Mahatma Gandhi is dressed exactly like one performing Haj. Muslims wear single unstitched clothing ihram while performing Haj. This is a proof that he is always before Allah. He teaches real Islam'', she adds.

Sargut is one of the main speakers of 'The World Council of Women Spiritual Leaders' summit which is going on in Jaipur from March 6-10.

Women leaders cutting across faiths from over 50 countries have gathered in Jaipur to deliberate on various global issues and encourage women leadership.The delegates from countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Sudan, Palestine, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, United States and Afghanistan among others will be present at the event.

Perspective on Islam
Talking about the growing intolerance and suspicion against Muslims and rise of Islamic militancy, Sargut said that ''It is unfortunate that the West is trying to project Muslims as using violence.''

Sheika Cemalnur Sargut adds, ''Islam is a beautiful religion and people who really understand Islam are like diamonds. Sufism is the spectacle through which one can see both the worlds, the real and the divine.''

Talking about the various misconceptions about Islam she said, ''It is not easy to understand Islam, one has to live and feel it at close quarters to understand the religion.''

Explaining that the concept of Jihad was much vitiated in present times, Sargut, who has published many books and articles on Islam said, ''The Jihad, true war of Islam is Love. And where there is love there can be no question of violence and hate.''

Emphasing on the need for all religions to work together for global peace and prosperity she said, ''Different religions are like five figures which are very unlike each other but when they come together they create something very beautiful.''

The Poet Who May Be Prime Minister

Staff Correspondent, "The poet who may be prime minister" - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Saturday, March 8, 2008

He may come across as sober and conservative, but there is a poet in him whose verses have been sung by the likes of singer Runa Laila. On quiet evenings, he likes to listen to Rumi as well.

Unlike many other politicians in Pakistan, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who has been tipped to be Pakistan’s next prime minister, is widely regarded as a non-controversial figure and one who has stood by his party through thick and thin at a time when many others jumped ship.

As a political worker, Makhdoom Amin Fahim has seen many bitter days, particularly when party faithful were attacked and tortured following the arrest of then PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the late seventies and early eighties. A massive crackdown against politicians alligned to Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party were targeted, harassed and beaten up on the instructions of military strongman General Zia. What saved Makhdoom Amin Fahim was his position as one of the country’s most revered spiritual leaders as well.

He is the Makhdoom of Hala, the spirtual head of the Sarwari Jamaat, a sufi order that has a large following.

In recent years, Makhdoom Amin Fahim was the face of the Pakistan Peoples Party. In the absence of Ms Bhutto, who was abroad on exile, he managed party affairs and headed the party structure. Some say he was at one time offered the position of PM by President Musharraf which he quietly declined.

He inherited both his spiritual mantle as well as the his political bearings from his father, Makhdoom Talibul Maula. And he takes both these responsibilities very seriously. In fact, one of the first centres for the PPP was the house of Makhdoom Talibul Maula.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim has remained loyal to the PPP and the Bhuttos ever since his father joined the party at its formation in 1969. His quality is that he also maintains cordial relations with all political leaders as well as President Musharraf. This also qualifies him for the job for which he is being tipped.

Makhdoom Amin, who has the endorsement of party stalwarts like Aitezaz Ahsan, was with Ms Bhutto when she died in an attack in Rawalpindi in December 2007.

Gifted with a gentle demenour, he is known to be a man who works by consensus. Those who work with him say that he remains calm while taking major decisions either for his party or for his community. He is always accommodating to all leaders in the party as well as with local zamindars of Sindh, with whom he has a lot of interaction.

Political analysts say that Makhdoom Amin Fahim is a “rare breed in Pakistani politics where loyalty doesn’t matter at all and changing party and leadership is considered a routine affair.” He has remained loyal to the PPP throughout.

Makhdoom Amin is known as “Dada Sain” because he was named after his great grandfather Makhdoom Mohammed Amin popularly known as “Pakhan Dhani”, a famous Sufi poet of his era.
In Sindh, he is known more for his spiritual role as chief of the Sarwari Jamaat, which is spread from across Sindh’s Thar desert and has followers in Sanghar, Matiari, Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin districts as well as the Southern districts of Punjab and parts of Gujrat and Rajasthan in India.

Born on August 4, 1939 in Hala New, Makhdoom Amin Fahim is now the 18th Sajjada Nasheen of the Makhdoom of Hala, the largest spiritual family of the country. The Makhdooms, trace their linege to the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddiq (Qureshi) and call themselves as Qureshi and Siddiqi.

Makhdoom Talibul Maula, the father of Amin Fahim, was among the few prominent figures who served in Sindh and made efforts to promote Sindhi literature and culture. He, alongwith other philanthropists, sponsored Mushairas and musical concerts to promote Sindhi language. The Makhdooms have also played key role in promoting education in their area.

Present Makhdoom Ghulam Hyder Government High School and Sarwar Islamia College Hala were established by family elders.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim has one poetry collection ‘Paigham’ to his credit. This was published by Sindhi Adabi Board. Sindhi literary critics call it the “message of romance”. Renowned singer Runa Laila and other Sufi musicians have sung his poetry.

Some historians tracing the background of the family of Makhdooms of Hala say that they migrated from the Arabian Gulf and settled first in Kote Kirore, district Dera Ghazi Khan of southern Punjab and later shifted to Torhi village near Hala Old.

Hala Old was then flooded by Indus as it changed its route. Historians link present Torhi Phattak (Railway Track) near Sehwan, which is remembered as a point where some Sindh University students were killed by the military during 1983 Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD), as a part of the same village near Hala Old.

Hala, known for handicrafts, is also respected for having one of the highest literacy rates in Sindh. It is also famous due to it being the seat of spiritual leadership and mausoleum of Makhdoom Nooh, the leader of the Suharwardi Sufi order.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim also led the MRD movement on his own traditional bunker, Hyderabad district, in which several activists and his followers were arrested, put into jails and tortured at army camps in Sanghar and Hyderabad.

When his younger brother Makhdoom Khalique Zaman was arrested in the end of 1977 after the ZA Bhutto government was ousted by General Zia, his followers blocked all the high ways in protest. It was the biggest shutter down by the people of Sindh, without any call by any political leader.

It may be pointed out so strong is the political grip of the Makhdooms that the National and Provincial Assembly seats of Hala have remained with the family since the early 1950s, except in 1985 when they boycotted the party-less polls.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim has been elected MNA for the sixth time. He was elected MNA in 1970, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2008. He has held offices as Provincial Minister of Revenue in Sindh and as Federal Minister (1988 and 1994).

Fahim did his matriculation in 1955 and intermediate in 1957 from his native town, Hala. In 1958, he got admission in the Political Science department of Sindh University, and did his bachelors in 1961.

He has four marriages from which he has five sons, including Makhdoom Jameel Zaman, the newly elected member of the Sindh Assembly. Jamil is also a poet and author of more than six books on prose and poetry.

The only dark area is his personal life seems to be the treatment meted out to womenfolk in his family. Area people familiar with the the spiritual leader say that no one talks about the women of the family. They say that while the birth of sons is celebrated, no one knows when a daughter is born.

There is also the issue of the marriage of the women to the Quran, as told by many. Close family friends and area people say “When nobody from the town gets to know about the birth of a female child in the family or a death for that matter, the news of marriages are also kept secret.”

I Must Make My Own Life Meaningful

Cal-Earth - Geltaftan Foundation - Hesperia, CA, USA
Monday, March 7, 2008

Have you ever seen
a bucket lowered into a well
coming back empty
why lament for a soul
when it can come back
like Joseph from the well
Rumi

Nader Khalili, internationally renowned architect, author, and educator, passed away at the age of 72 on Wednesday, March 5th.

Khalili was known for his innovation into the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as Ceramic Houses and the SuperAdobe Construction (sandbag and barbed wire) technique also known as Earthbag.

He developed his SuperAdobe technology in 1984, in response to a NASA call for designs for human settlements on the Moon and Mars. He had been involved with Earth Architecture and Third World Development since 1975, and was a U.N. consultant for Earth Architecture.

In 1991 he founded the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), in Hesperia, CA, which teaches his SuperAdobe building technique.

His sustainable solutions to human shelter have been published by NASA, and awarded by the United Nations, the Aga Khan award for Architecture, amongst others.

He authored six books, including his international best-selling auto-biography, "Racing Alone," (his newest book "Emergency Shelter," available this summer) as well as two highly-acclaimed volumes translating the poetry of Rumi, "Fountain of Fire" and "Dancing the Flame."

Born in Iran as one of nine children, his quest was to empower the world's poor and refugees to build homes using the earth under their feet.

He was a prominent American leader on the value of ethically based architecture, where the needs of the homeless are considered above all else.

Inspired by the mystical poetry of Rumi, (whose poems he studied and translated, from an early age) his architecture was distilled from the timeless principles of this universe and its timeless materials -- the elements of earth, water, air, and fire, and has been described as "Poetry crystallized into structure."

Laura Huxley, Aldous Huxley's widow, called Khalili the "practical visionary."

He was a quiet hero and a gentle humanitarian, who wrote: "No one can prove there is a meaning to life. I must make my own life meaningful. That is all."

From "A Common Word" to a Permanent Forum

[From the Italian language press]:

Un Forum permanente per il dialogo islamo-cattolico: è la proposta lanciata al termine della due giorni di incontri preparatori, il 4 e il 5 marzo, tra cinque rappresentanti del Pontificio Consiglio per il dialogo interreligioso e una delegazione islamica composta da cinque studiosi di altrettante nazioni.

Di Mirko Testa, "Spiragli di dialogo tra cattolici e musulmani" - L'Occidentale - Roma, Lazio, Italy; venerdì 7 marzo 2008

A permanent Forum for Islamic-Catholic dialogue : the proposal came at the end of two days of preparatory meetings -held on March 4th and 5th- between five representatives of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and an Islamic Delegation of five scholars from different Nations.

The first seminar of the Forum will be held in Rome from 4th to 6th November 2008, and will be attended by 24 religious leaders and experts for each party.

The theme of the seminar is "Love for God, love for the Neighbor" with as sub themes "theological and spiritual basis" (first day) and "Human dignity and mutual respect" (second day).

The Forum aims to keep open the channels of communication between the two parties and will meet every two years alternately in Rome and in a Muslim country.

The five Islamic representatives who came to Rome belong to the group of experts coordinated by the Prince of Jordan Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, chairman of al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, the first promoter of the "Letter of 138" (now 221) "A Common Word".

Among these outstanding representatives is the Italian Yahe Yahya Sergio Pallavicini, imam of al-Wahid mosque of Milan, ISESCO chairman of the Council for Education and Culture in the West and vice president of the Islamic Religious Community of Italy (COREIS).

Authoritative Voice of the Sufi community and of "moderate" Islam, Mr Pallavicini is certainly the privileged interlocutor for Vatican authorities.

Since 2006 he has been advisor to the Ministry of Interior for the Islamic Community.

[Picture: Rome, Trevi's Fountain, 18th century. Photo: Sufi News]

General Uncertainty

AFP, "Bhutto party delays Pakistan PM decision" - AFP - Islamabad, Pakistan
Thursday, March 6, 2008

The Pakistan People's Party, which won the most seats in the February 18 parliamentary polls, failed to agree on a candidate because of discord over the frontrunner Makhdoom Amin Fahim, a stalwart Bhutto aide, party officials said.

The delay comes amid mounting uncertainty over how the new premier and his or her government will handle key US ally President Pervez Musharraf, whose allies were trounced by the PPP and the party of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif.

"It is up to the party leadership what decision they take," Fahim told reporters, flashing a victory sign as he left the meeting of the PPP's newly elected MPs in Islamabad.

Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27 and her widower and successor as party leader, Asif Ali Zardari, has said he is not standing for the premiership.

Party insiders said the dispute hinged on the fact that Fahim, the PPP's long-term vice-president, hails from the southern province of Sindh, the Bhutto clan's power base.

Some party leaders wanted a prime minister from Punjab province, which is home to more than half of the country's 160 million people and where Sharif's party outnumbered the PPP in provincial polls.

Sharif and Zardari have agreed to form a coalition in parliament, which is set to be convened in mid-March, but both parties will inevitably want to maintain their own strength, officials said.

The leading Punjabi contender is Ahmed Mukhtar, an industrialist who is close to Zardari and who defeated the chief of the pro-Musharraf party in the elections, party officials said.

However, insiders said it would be a tough decision to pass over Fahim, a poetry-loving 68-year-old who effectively led the party when Bhutto was in exile from 1999 to 2007.

Party officials said a decision may not be announced until parliament convenes.

The delay in choosing a premier comes amid general uncertainty about the political direction of the country and the fate of Musharraf in particular.

(...)

[Picture: Makhdoom Amin Fahim]

From Which Rumi and Hafiz Emerged

By Molly Gilmore, "Festival celebrates sacred through spiritual music and dance" - The Olympian - Olympia, WA, USA
Thursday, March 6, 2008

This year's Olympia World Sacred Music Festival offers some surprises

There's a pagan drumming and dance group, for example, and even whirling dervishes and jazz.

Yes - jazz. The Olympia Jazz Senators will perform some of Duke Ellington's sacred jazz, composed in 1965.

"Ellington has these sacred suites that are just marvelous pieces of work, and hopefully those, along with the more global music, will help expand people's idea of what sacred music can be," said Scott Stevens, the music director for the fourth annual festival, set for Saturday [March 8].

"There's a church in Seattle that regularly does a jazz vespers church service, so it's not unknown. T he roots of jazz are at least partly in the black churches.

"The world is big and broad, and we're trying to be fairly inclusive about what we're doing, even though we're not doing a lot of traditional church music," he added.

The festival also features African, American Indian, Christian and Jewish music, plus dancing, storytelling and, for the first time, visual art.

"We're going to have around a dozen pieces of art representing a number of faith traditions," said Kathy Erlandson, director of Interfaith Works, which hosts the annual festival.

Back from last year is Shabava, a Portland group that plays the music of Persia, now Iran.

"People really liked them," Stevens said. "I'm not specifically trying to make a political statement with that, but I think it's good at a time when our country is talking about war with Iran that we get a different look at the culture there. That's the culture from which Rumi and Hafiz, the great Sufi poets, emerged."

The festival also will feature the Mevlevi Order of America, with Sufi dancing - also known as whirling dervishes.

"It's a dance and prayer form," Stevens said. "Visually as well as musically, it's going to be very interesting."

Click on the title to read the programme

[Visit the Mevlevi Order of America http://www.hayatidede.org/]

The Chosen One to Use Rabia’s Poetry

By Shridevi Keshavan,"Feminine strains of Sufi music" - Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai, India
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

She drifts off into her own little world often in the midst of a conversation. But conversely the weight of the musical lineage that she traces strongly reflects in her fiery talk too.

Daughter of Ustad Vilayat Khan, vocalist Zila Khan, has formed her own niche and secured a fine following for the form of music she follows. She might be jamming with Louiz Banks at the Jazz Utsav or even singing an item number for Bollywood but she has surrendered her soul to Sufi style of singing.

Zila is coming out with a special album Zila-The Girl Child which is her offering to all women on this year’s Women’s Day. The album features women poetesses, the highlight being Hazrat Rabia-al-Basri.

“I conceptualised the album knowing the emotions of a girl child, the struggle and the success. There’s sensuousness, romance and everything that a woman goes through. I felt blessed that I was the chosen one to use Rabia’s poetry which no one to date has used,” she said.

For Zila growing up studying music under her dad’s tutelage, managing his work and then finding her own path was a natural progression.

“I would spend about 12 hours every day with my father studying and discussing music. He was close to all his kids but I was the one who was handling his work. He ended up spending more time with me. He taught me a lot about life,” she reminisces.

(...)

[Visit the Artist's website http://www.zilakhan.in/]

Lucky to Grow Up in a Pool of Sufi Music

By Faridul Anwar Farinrodin, "Music in different shades" - New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia
Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Telling stories through music, Tunisia-born singer Dhafer Youssef lives in Paris and sings with Norwegian band members. He finds it hard put to put a name to his music but it tells stories just the same.

DHAFER Youssef’s music defies categorisation. It’s easy to call it a blend of “sufism, Nordic electronica and jazz”. His vocals — soaring, uplifting, achingly painful yet gleefully liberating — reflects a mastery of the Quranic reading discipline.

It meets with the sounds of modern technology, but that doesn’t compromise its beauty and integrity. Rather, it defines his musicianship and takes it to a level rarely enjoyed by many.

There is a kaleidoscopic of colours in his tunes, which are inspired by a broad spectrum of music including Indian, Brazilian, jazz, classical and electronica. Critics call it nu-jazz, but Dhafer refuses to be typecast by a genre.

“I don’t agree with the label but I have learnt to accept it. My music has become a product and it needs a name,” said the acclaimed oud (traditional Middle Eastern lute) player and singer in a phone interview from his home in Paris recently.

Tunisia-born Dhafer, 41, who is performing at the Mosaic Music Festival on March 11 in Singapore, said his music is about “telling stories and is open to interpretations”.

When asked how would he would define it, the musician said: “Maybe when I am 90 years old then I’d be able to put a name to it.”

He added: “I am Tunisian growing up in Europe and my music is a fusion — it reflects everything around me. I’d like my music to represent today’s world.”

Sufi purists may have bones to pick with him due to the strong presence of modernised sufism in his music. In his defence, Dhafer insisted “I don’t represent the sufi tradition. I am just lucky to grow up in a pool of sufi music.”

(...)

Dhafer last went back to his hometown in Teboulba in January to see his family. “It was hard in the beginning to convince my parents of my career path because it is believed that musicians don’t make a good living.

“Eventually, they realised that I am passionate in what I do. Now, they are happy with my achievements. I get so much support from my family, who believes in me and support my decisions.”

Dhafer will be performing at Esplanade’s Recital Studio at 7.30pm. There will be a post-show talk by the musician and the audience is welcome to take part.

Tickets for Mosaic Music Festival Singapore 2008 (from Friday to March 16) are available from Esplanade’s box-office at mezzanine level (tel: +65-6828-8377), SISTIC hotline (tel: +65-6348-5555), the festival website at www.mosaicmusicfestival.com and all SISTIC outlets.

[Visit Dhafer Youssef at http://www.dhaferyoussef.com/]

“Molana Is Hidden”

Tehran Times Culture Desk, "Amirkabir University honors Rumi experts"- Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Iranian experts and researchers on Rumi were honored in a ceremony named “Molana Is Hidden” held at the venue of Amirkabir University on Monday.

Tribute was paid to researcher Mohammad-Ali Eslami Nadushan and expert Bahaeddin Khorramshahi during the ceremony attended by many scholars and students.

Khorramshahi made an opening speech, saying, “We are a harmonious nation that takes great interest in literature and poetry. Due attention has been paid to the Masnavi of Molana over the past 50 years, but whenever the name of Molana Jalal-ad Din Rumi is cited, the names of the scholars Mohammadreza Shafiei Kadkani and Badiozzaman Foruzanfar are also brought to mind,” he added.

The head of the Majlis library Ahmad Jalali was the next speaker who handed a medal to Khorramshahi on behalf of the students of Amirkabir University.
(...)
Vocalist Shahram Nazeri sang a vocalized version of some of Rumi’s poetry.
(...)

[Picture: Left Bahaeddin Khorramshahi; Center Shahram Nazeri; Right Mohammad-Ali Eslami Nadushan. Photo: ISNA/Amir Kholusi]

The Door Will Open

By Elizabeth Lesser, "MIND SET: Accept your troubles" - The Times Of India - India
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Learn the alchemy true human beings know.
The moment you accept what troubles you've been given, the door will open.
— Rumi

How do we begin that journey from Once-Born innocence to Twice-Born wisdom? Where do we find the courage to make a big change? How do we use the forces of a difficult time to help us grow?

There are many ways, but the first way, the gateway, is to know that we are not alone in these endeavours. One of the greatest enigmas of human behaviour is the way we isolate ourselves from each other. In our misguided perception of separation we assume that others are not sharing a similar experience of life.

(...)

Rumi wrote poems so alive and clear that even today–eight centuries later–they shimmer with freshness. Their wisdom and humour are timeless; whenever I have an a-ha moment with one of Rumi’s poems, I feel connected to the people throughout the ages who have climbed out of their confusion on the rungs of Rumi’s words.

In several of his poems and commentaries, Rumi speaks of the Open Secret. He says that each one of us is trying to hide a secret–not a big, bad secret, but a more subtle and pervasive one.

(...)

The irony of hiding the dark side of our humanness is that our secret is not really a secret at all. How can it be when we’re all safeguarding the very same story? That’s why Rumi calls it an Open Secret.

It’s almost a joke–a laughable admission that each one of us has a shadow self–a bumbling, bad-tempered twin. Big surprise! Just like you, I can be a jerk sometimes. I do unkind, cowardly things, when I should be doing something constructive. Just like you, I wonder if life has meaning; I worry and fret over things I can’t control; and I often feel overcome with a longing for something that I cannot even name.

For all of my strengths and gifts, I am also a vulnerable and insecure person, in need of connection and reassurance. This is the secret I try to keep from you, and you from me, and in doing so, we do each other a grave disservice.

Moment we accept what troubles we’ve been given, the door will open.

Sounds easy, sounds attractive, but it is difficult, and most of us pound on the door to freedom and happiness with every manipulative ploy save the one that actually works.

If you’re interested in the door to the heavens opening, start with the door to your own secret self. See what happens when you offer to another a glimpse of who you really are.
(...)

(Excerpted from Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow)

"I Grew Up Singing at Dargahs"

By Anuji Kumar, "Why the awards matter" - The Hindu - Chennai, India
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Like every year past, the announcement of the Padma Shri/Bhushan/Vibhushan awards has not been without a dash of controversy. “Political patronage,” some cried. “Well deserved but a bit late,” say others. Regardless of the con troversy, some of this year’s recipients repeat a common sentiment: they are all glad and honoured to be conferred with the award.

(...)

His compositions create the same frenzy at a discotheque as at a countryside dhaba. He works with Anuradha Sairam and Daler Mehndi with the same zeal. The lyrics of his songs are as popular in Punjab as in Kerala.

In short, Jawahar Wattal unifies the country through his music rooted in folk traditions. “The Padma Sri is the result of 25 years of hard work to create a sustainable alternative to film music,” says Jawahar, who has 19 multi-platinum discs to his credit.

Jawahar, who started by composing advertisement jingles like ‘Fill it, Shut it, Forget it’, says his music worked despite the overwhelming presence of Bollywood.

“And I didn’t have the advantage of a multitude of channels to broadcast sleek music videos round the clock. I have worked on Sufi music and bhangra and introduced artistes like Daler Mehndi and Hans Raj Hans but I have also worked on Gujarat’s dandia, Rajasthan’s nathni and the folk music of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. I have worked with the likes of Shujaat Khan, Shubha Mudgal, Hema Sardesai and now I am working with Aruna Sairam.”


Coming from Shafipur, a remote village in Punjab, Hans Raj Hans says coming to Chandigarh was a big thing for him. Today he is a visiting professor at the University of San Jose in California.

“I grew up singing at dargahs. I had full confidence in my sur and my guru Ustad Puran Shah Koti.”

Hans has been singing at the Wagah border for the last 12 years and roots for Indo-Pakistan friendship. Sufi music has won him many admirers abroad.

“Recently I performed at Birmingham and 70 per cent of the audience were white. The influence of Sufi music is catching the fancy of foreigners.”

With Bulle Shah as his favourite, Hans says he still loves singing in front of rural crowd in his state. “Woh hawa ka farq pehchante hain. If I miss a note they tell me: you are looking tired, Hans. This is not the case in the metros.”

[Pictures: Shri Jawahar Wattal and Shri Hans Raj Hans. Photos by: Rajeev Bhatt, R.V. Moorthy and Sandeep Saxena]

[About the Padma Shri Awards, go to this Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Shri]

You Inhale the Personality of Your Teacher

By Gazala Hassan, " 'History of Kashmir has been a victim of distortions' " - Etalaat - Srinagar, J & K, India
Saturday, March 1, 2008

Prof Fida Muhammad Hassnain, an eminent historian of the state believes that Kashmir history has been a victim of distortions.

“The process of distortion started in the Mughal rule. They employed historians who wrote wrong about Kashmir and the same continues today." Prof Hassnain talked about the history, Sufism, and his life:

(...)

As an eminent historian how do you trace the history of Kashmir?
Kashmir has a history of about 8000. Kashmir has seen many rulers, like Greeks, Buddhists, Mughals, Sikhs and Dogras. It was in 1586 when the Mughal ruler Akbar enslaved Yousuf Shah Chak and murdered the latter and occupied Kashmir. The slavery continues till date.

But according to Ibn-e- Khaldun the life and fate of societies, nations and family changes after every 5-6 hundred years. We are also at the fag end of slavery.

(...)

You’re known for your expertise on the Buddhist culture
I returned from Delhi in 1954 and I was given the charge of various departments. I have been Director General Records, Director Archives, Director Museum, and Director Libraries for about two decades. During the same time a letter came to the state government to send someone who could give lectures on Buddhist culture in Japan. Sheikh Sahib selected me for the job, rejecting the objections raised by my Pandit colleagues.

Once I delivered six lectures, I was told to prepare the remuneration bills by the Japan University, which I did not. They were quite surprised when I told them I won't charge them any money as they had already bore my boarding and lodging expenses.

(...)

After one year I was a teacher of Buddhism and I was given the certificate of being a Buddhist saint. I could live in any Buddhist monarchy of Japan. It was the beginning of my journeys to Japan.

I later on took my elder son along, who settled his business and now lives there in Japan. I started travelling to Japan every year and have visited many countries like Bulgaria, Scotland, Malaysia, Germany, Russia, and China. This motivated me to read and research on Buddhist culture.

Apart from this I also teach some spiritual therapies in psychiatric hospitals of Germany.

Any association with Sufism?
I believe nothing lies in our hands and circumstances are created by God and we have to play accordingly. I became a fatalist and that is how I take it be it fortune or misfortune. I studied Sufism and Madam Bohumen was my first master, who taught me the tenants of Sufism.

I travelled to South India where I met Abu Baba Ji. On asking him where will I again see him, he told me that he will meet me in London. I was in Germany and at airport; tickets for London were available in cheap rates. I availed the opportunity and reached London where I met Abu Babaji as he had predicted.

Where does mysticism figure in Islam?
Indeed, it does. Religion for you is chosen by God, but Sufism is the religion of heart. Where you have a Sufi teacher and the time comes you inhale the personality of your teacher.

Sufism is establishing connection between your teacher, Prophet and God. A Sufi sees God in every human and believes his heart is his Kaba. Mysticism is the kernel of every religion and Muslim mystics are called Sufis.

Sufis breathe in and out in the name of Almighty. Human body is composed of three things: body, mind and spirit, and for a Sufi every act of his body is for God. It is very unfortunate that some ignorant mullahs make a hue and cry in this regard.

And, if we go to Masjid Nabwi (SAW) we find a place there called Ashab-e-Sufa. They were the people who were the lovers of Prophet (SAW). They were always found engrossed in the love of the Prophet (SAW). They were also the Sufis.

(...)

In the light of history how do you see the future of Kashmir?
At present, we are in a transition. I would say that we should visualise some better future. We are inheritors of great civilizations and are quite famous people.

Kashmir has to become focus of the Asiatic civilizations, a miniature England in the heart of Asia. Kashmir belongs to the whole world and let people come, enjoy and leave. Why should some country control it?

Kashmir has a composite culture and Kashmiri Muslims are quite different from the Muslims of India. The slavery will end. It has to end.

A Resurgence in Religion

By Katherine T. Phan, "Columbia Univ. Opens Institute on Religion and Cultural Tolerance" - Christian Post - USA
Saturday, March 1, 2008

Columbia University's new Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life, which opened this semester, has recently launched programs addressing current sectarian conflicts in India, Sri Lanka, the Holy Land and the newly established Kosovo.

(...)

Mark C. Taylor, professor and chair of the Department of Religion and co-director of the institute, observed that the "world is experiencing a resurgence in religion."

(...)

Some themes that will be explored include conflict resolution through sacred space, the relationship between the secular state and the religiously diverse populace, the potential amendment of Turkey’s secular constitution, the contributions of Sufism and art to Senegal’s democracy, and the relationship between secularism and women’s rights, according to Columbia.

The institute will begin offering internship and fellowship programs this summer.
A ceremony will be held in the fall to formally launch the institute.

[Visit the IRCPL: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/08/02/religion.html]

Law, Sufism, Life

[From the French language press]:
La jurisprudence doit intéresser tous les domaines de la vie et non seulement le fikh, a affirmé hier, à Alger, le ministre des affaires religieuses et des Wakfs, M. Bouabdellah Ghlamallah.

Staff Report,"Islam : Ghlamallah : «La jurisprudence doit englober tous les domaines de la vie»" - El Moudjahid - Algiers, Algeria - mardi 26 février 2008

Law must involve all areas of life and not just Fiqh, said yesterday in Algiers the Minister of Religious Affairs and Wakfs*, Mr Bouabdellah Ghlamallah.

Opening the three days [Feb. 26-29] Symposium "la jurisprudence et les enjeux de la modernisation dans le monde arabe" [Law and the chances of modernization in the Arab World], held in Algiers' National Library, Mr Amine Zaoui, General Director of the National Library, felt that the purpose of the Symposium is "to open a scientifically serious dialogue, important and serene, on the concept of jurisprudence, criteria and fields of religion, philosophy, language and literature".

He said that "Fiqh is not to be confined to religion only".

Among the topics dealt within the Symposium: "Legal Thought and the Culture of the Future", "The relationship between Law and Modernisation", "Aspects of renewal in Sufism", "The Crisis of Jurisprudence in the contemporary Arab Thought ", "Jurisprudence between Indoctrination and Fanaticism. "

* [For Waqfs, also called Habous: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habous]

The Man Behind the Mystic

By Melissa A. Bell, "The man behind the mystic"- Livemint - Delhi, India
Friday, February 29, 2008

A top contender in the Mahindra theatre awards, poet Rumi comes alive in this play

From Bob Dylan to film-maker Muzaffar Ali, many have fallen under the spell of Jalaluddin Rumi — the 13th century poet and Sufi mystic.

Author and playwright Mohini Kent Noon is no exception. Intrigued by his writings and legacy, Noon was hooked on Rumi, who most famously wrote TheMasnavi, an epic poem about man’s search for God.

After introducing his works to her mother, Amrit Kent, an Urdu scholar, Noon decided she wanted to explore Rumi as a man, and not just as a great poet.

Kent spent years researching Rumi’s life, while Noon worked on versions of the play. The result of their four years of work, Rumi, Unveil the Sun, premiered in New Delhi last May, and has now been highly lauded by the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META).

Although the META winners will not be announced until 6 March, Rumi, Unveil the Sun distinguishes itself from the other nominees by sheer numbers. It was nominated twice in the supporting actor category and once in every other category, with the exception of best actress — but only because the play didn’t have a lead actress role.

But it is not just the number of nominations that sets this play apart; the story looks back 800 years to the moment when a proud, religious student underwent a profound personal transformation, forever altering the world of poetry and Sufism. While other plays in the category are based on fictional stories, Rumi, Unveil the Sun takes its plot line from historical fact.

“I think people respond to it because we are talking about a human being,” Noon says. “We can see that he is a great man. But when he was going through a very difficult period in his life, he was just another man trying to cope with events as best he could.”

The play takes a moment from Rumi’s life when he encounters Shams-e-Tabriz, a wandering mystic. The director, Sohaila Kapur, says it was this meeting that attracted her to the play. “(Shams’) negation of Rumi and Rumi’s anger at being criticized for the first time really fascinated me. I had never done a play dealing with philosophy.”

Despite the profound ruminations on Rumi’s mental transformation, Noon denies the play is too cerebral to be entertaining. “It is very moving because it is about a real human being, and his human condition.”

Actor Oroon Das, who doubles as lead actor and set designer, agrees. “The play is not too abstract, it’s a pretty real depiction,” Das says. “It’s a play of ideas and a journey of Rumi’s thoughts, but it conveys those ideas through staged incidents in his life.”

Das, like many other cast members, was only vaguely familiar with Rumi when he joined the production. He dedicated himself to reading Rumi’s work and tried to abstain from drinking and smoking to prepare his body for the role.

After acquainting himself with Rumi’s poetry, Das was inspired enough to ask for the job of set designer in addition to playing the lead.

Noon says that like Das people have responded strongly to the play because it reintroduces Rumi to them. “A lot of people have heard the name Rumi but haven’t actually read his poetry, and a lot of people have read his poetry but they don’t know much about his life,” she says.

She considers the play her contribution to spreading Rumi’s message of love.

Only A Thin Dividing Line

By Prahlad Singh Shekhawat "Betraying The Past" - Tehelka - New Delhi, India
Friday, February 29, 2008

The Jodhaa Akbar controversy distorts the glorious legacy of Rajput-Mughal syncretic culture

The controversy created by the film Jodhaa Akbar and the opposition mounted mainly by sections of young Rajputs in Rajasthan raises a number of issues related to historical facts, poetical license of a creative and imaginative work of cinema or art, modern Rajput identity and the rising intolerance in the country.

It is true that factually the name of the Rajput princess married to Akbar probably was not Jodhabai, but it is not disputed that a Rajput princess from Amer-Jaipur was married to Akbar and other Rajput princesses from various Rajput states except Mewar or Udaipur were married to successive mughal emperors, often the marriages being arranged by Rajput mothers of mughal princes.

This was part of a political alliance begun by enlightened and secular Akbar and by Rajput kings who were discerning enough to accept the realpolitik which could promote peace so that the kingdom and its people could flourish economically and be socially harmonious.
(...)
History is witness to the subsequent flowering of composite and secular mughal culture in which the Rajput wives played a part, until the time of Aurengzeb. Noted historians like Satish Chandra would agree with this version.

Rajput princesses were marrying emperors and into the highest royalty (which in those pre-Hindutva times) could be trans-religious and they lived as respected wives. Akbar had an affectionate childhood connection with the Rajputs which he must have surely remembered while marrying a Rajput princess. His father Humayun, while fleeing from the Afghan invader Sher Shah Suri, was given refuge by the Soda Rajput Raja of Umarkot now in Sindh, where Akbar was born and taken care of.

Jodhabai has become a part of the popular imagination, mythology and cultural folklore as Akbar’s wife after the classic film Mughal-e-Azam, persisting as an "imaginative reconstruction of reality," as Max Weber defined art.

One of the latest words in the Oxford dictionary is 'faction' which is a mix of fact and fiction. Historical characters and events can be authentically woven into a story or film as long as it does not distort and demean the spirit of those characters, events and social relations. By all accounts and reviews, the film Jodhaa Akbar does not distort the spirit and may even be inspiring, but a disclaimer that the name of characters and incidents may not be accurate even though the story is based on history, could have helped.
(...)
Yet the opposition of the Rajput groups has its own peculiar politics of identity. As Ramchandra Guha says, it is religious intolerance masquerading as historical scholarship, but it is not ordinary intolerance but an intolerance born of belief in purity of blood just as the Brahmans believe in ritual purity.
(...)
Purity is even more at issue when community women are involved. It is a common saying among the community that for a Rajput man three things are a matter of the greatest honor in the following order: women, sword and horse. Rajput women had deeply internalised these values and heroically committed jauhar, so that they do not fall into the hands of the conqueror and face dishonour.

Even though the political and matrimonial alliance with the secular Mughals was honourable it is perceived by some Rajputs to be a matter of dishonour and the only way to deal with it is to deny history.
Incidentally there are hardly any Rajput girls or women demonstrating against the movie.
(...)
As Ashis Nandy has pointed out, fifteen percent of communities in India are followers of more than one religion, like the Meos in Rajasthan who practice both Islam and Hinduism.

Baba Ram Dev, a popular folk deity [Saint] of Rajput lineage in west Rajasthan is worshiped by both Hindus and Muslims who call him a pir, with a pundit and maulavi in attendance at the shrine in Ramdevra in Jodhpur. Similarly Goga Ji shrine in Ganganagar is another deity worshipped jointly by Hindus and Muslims.

The Ajmer Dargah of Sufi Gharib Nawaj receives "hazri" and "chaddar'' not only from Muslims but also large number of Hindus. This is the same dargah where Akbar prayed to be blessed by a son from a Rajput wife and Salim was born.

Leading social scientists Iqbal Narain and PC Mathur in their book *Rajput Hinduism* argue that historically Hinduism in Rajasthan was more liberal and broad minded because the absence of strong Brahmanical religious influence was compensated by Rajput cultural leadership.

This inclusive and fine old Rajput legacy is under threat by the new narrow identity mobilisation. So is the case with UP [Uttar Pradesh] maulavis coming to Rajasthan and teaching the pure Islam of Arabia asking Muslims to keep away from their traditional grassroots mixed shrines.

A senior maulavi at the hard line Deoband Islamic academy, UP, whom I interviewed did not hesitate to declare that the Sufi philosophy of Moinuddin Chisti who is worshipped at Ajmer Dargah was not Muslim enough and did not meet the test of pure Islam.

My own surname, Shekhawat, is derived from a Sufi saint Sheikh whom both Muslims and Hindus revered, and who blessed my ancestor Shekhaji with child and heir. In respect we don’t eat pork. But recently some "pure" revivalist Rajputs are revising history by connecting Sheikh to Sanskrit lineage.

There is a historical denial and the opposition to Jodhaa Akbar is actually an expression of the acute anxiety felt by some Rajputs in reconciling the two selves of a modern secular Indian self on the one hand and a post Hindutva "proud Rajput of pure blood" self.

One of the worst words of abuse among the Rajputs is “gola” which means someone born out of “pure” Rajput and lower status “impure” Rajputs. Rajputs in Rajasthan, being small in numbers, are politically marginalised and divided. Many young people are unemployed and poor while other castes and communities like the Jats and Meenas have become more economically and politically powerful and have secured reservations, sometimes unjustly.

These Rajput youth are trying to mobilise and express their anger by rallying to causes of honour and purity which gives them solace through a sense of identity and superiority in difficult times of transition.

Unless the young people in the country get proper education, employment and a wise leadership they will continue to rally around communal, regional and caste causes of narrow identity, past hurt and imagined purity of honor. The rich legacy of a composite, diverse and tolerant cultures is under threat. The threat is based on the false equation of a rich and complex cultural intercourse with impurity which is then translated as dishonour.

The threat is projected as shrill moral policing as in the case of Jodhaa Akbar, as in the case of Raj Thackerey’s exclusivist Marathi 'son of the soil' pride, as in the hounding of Tasleema Nasreen by Muslim extremists.

We Indians need to know that there's only a thin dividing line between honor and intolerance, between pride and prejudice.

[About the movie Jodhaa Akbar, see also these links:
http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14613499
http://www.jodhaaakbar.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodhaa_Akbar]

Breaking Down Barriers

By Sarah Higley, "Sufi Rock Band Junoon’s Lead Singer Salman Ahmed Comes to Pomona" - The Student Life News - Claremont, CA, USA
Volume 119, Number 13 /Friday, February 29, 2008

Musician, medical doctor, goodwill ambassador, and Pakistan’s first rock star Salman Ahmed performed for an audience of more than 300 people Sunday night at the Smith Campus Center, promoting his lifelong dedication to the people of South Asia.

A noted humanitarian, Ahmed screened a short documentary about his work with his band Junoon, and later performed a set with maestro tabla player Pandit Sameer Chatterjee.

Ahmed is both the lead guitarist and founder of Junoon, one of South Asia’s most popular rock bands. He specializes in Sufi rock, his creation, which blends conventional rock and traditional

Sufi music and imagery.
While attending middle and high school in New York, Ahmed found inspiration in the music of the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. He later incorporated the ideas of Sufi poets, who he said celebrate “the one-ness of humanity, finding God through self-knowledge.”

Ahmed has dedicated much of his life to breaking down barriers, between India and Pakistan and between East and West. He jokingly breaks the barrier between the band and its fans as well.

“You can get up here and dance, and do whatever you want and enjoy yourselves today,” he said to students at his talk on Sunday. “The aim is to destroy the wall between you and me.”

Taking him up on his offer, fans of all ages danced on and around the stage by the end of the night.

“He wanted people to be around him,” said Afshin Alaf Khan ’11, a fan of Junoon since childhood. “He was very down to earth, and very patient, and I like that.”

Ahmed also participated in a restrained question-and-answer session and a second showing of his documentary at Oldenborg on Monday. He fielded questions relating to his musical inspiration, his views on Pakistani politics, and how to breaking cultural divides.
He spent some time decrying the lack of understanding between the people of different countries, citing political maneuvering as a main obstacle.

“Politics demonizes, culture humanizes,” he said. “If you want to find out about the people, look at their culture, look at their music, look at their poetry, their art, and you’ll find out that people pretty much everywhere in the world are the same.”

Ahmed’s main wish for Pakistan was for the politically torn state to become a place where culture flourishes once again, “so that all these potential undiscovered artists can finally find a place to express.”

(...)

Ahmed will be performing at UCLA on Saturday, March 8 and in various cities across the United States as part of his ‘Mystical Journey’ concert tour.

[Picture from: http://www.junoon.com/]