Iranian Zurkhaneh to be established in Hamburg

By Soudabeh Sadigh - CHN Cultural Heritage News - Tehran,Iran

Saturday, December 30, 2006

According to representative of International Federation of Traditional Sports (Zurkhaneh) in Germany, the plan for construction of a gymnasium for the Iranian ancient sport of Zurkhaneh in Hamburg has been prepared and will be performed in a near future.

Zurkhaneh is an ancient Iranian sport whose origin goes back to nearly 2000 years ago. The word Zurkhaneh literary means ‘house of power’ and refers to both the sport itself and the place it is practiced.

“More than 3000 Euro has been spent so far for introducing the ancient sport of Zurkhaneh to the Germans. It is anticipated that with the support of the private sector and the International Federation of Zurkhaneh Sports, a Zurkhaneh will be launched in the Islamic Center of Hamburg in a near future,” said Ali Nejati, representative of International Federation of Zurkhaneh Sports in Germany.

Nejati further explained that since Hamburg’s Islamic Center is located in an area that is a popular tourist center, this part has been considered for constructing a Zurkhaneh to give foreigners and tourists the chance to become familiar with this ancient Iranian sport.

“Since two years ago, special gymnasiums for Zurkhaneh sports have been launched in some European countries including Germany. During this period, many Europeans, mostly young adults, have shown a lot of interest to learn this ancient sport. We believe that this sport would attract even more people if introduced properly,” added Nejati.

Zurkhaneh is the Iranian traditional gymnasium dating back to 2000 years ago. It is the place where rituals of Varzesh-e Pahlavani (heroic sport) are practiced. Zurkhaneh was originally an academy of physical training and a nursery for warriors against foreign invaders similar to Korean, Japanese and Chinese martial arts.

Throughout its existence, Zurkhaneh was enriched with different components of moral, ethical, philosophical, and mystical values of Persian civilization. As a result, Varzesh-e Pahlavani or Zurkhaneh emerged as unique institution having incorporated the spiritual richness of Sufism, traditional rituals of Mithraism, and heroism of Iranian nationalism.

I am: A. R. Rahman

As told to Atul Sethi - Times of India - India
Sunday, December 31, 2006

"Music is my means of connecting with the divine. What cannot be put into words, can be expressed through music. When one listens to music, one closes one's eyes because music is an expression and celebration of the divine.

There are countless names of God, which we cannot utter simultaneously, but through a soulful composition, we can experience the whole power of God's presence amidst us.

When I was composing for my first film Roja, I often went into a spiritual vacuum where nothing else mattered except the music. At those times, I felt connected with a supreme power. That is why I credit whatever success has come my way to the Almighty.

I feel that the power and grace of the divine is infinite — it is we human beings who create boundaries and try to limit this power. For artists, I believe that this manifests itself in the form of inspiration which helps you create something wonderful.

I often work through the night because that is when I feel closest to the divine. The divine power works in a mysterious way to offer you experiences, which enrich and make you a better person.

As a composer, I have often felt that life's experiences — both good and bad — have greatly added to my compositions.

My belief in Sufism has helped me emerge as a stronger person and has given me the equanimity to view life objectively. Often, when I visit a dargah, I feel a sense of peace enveloping me.

I also believe in the power of prayer. I had an occasion to experience it for myself, when my daughter was diagnosed with a hole in her heart when she was born. However, by the time she was two, the hole vanished without any operation. It was considered nothing short of a miracle. I believe it happened because of the power of prayer.

If one is sincere, no prayer goes unanswered".

2006: Cross Border Musical Extravaganza

By Various Writers - GreaterKashmir - Srinigar,India
Monday, January 1, 2007

2006: year of change and changelessness-II (...)

Described by politicians as another Confidence Building Measure (CBM) and an effort to promote musical ties between the artists of India and Pakistan, the first-ever historic 5-day Indo-Pak Sufiyana festival organized by Shri Amarnath Shrine Board --Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Doordarshan, Information and Tourism department-- proved to be a musical extravaganza for the people of the valley.

This was for the first time that world-renowned Sufiyana artists from India and Pakistan were participating in a mega Sufiyana music event. The festival unfolded a soulful rendering of Sufiyana Kalam by artists from India and Pakistan.

The programme started with the kalam of Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA) recited by Ustad Saznawaz followed by performance by renowned Bhajan Sopori through mesmerizing beats on Santoor based on saints poetry.

Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, union minister for tourism and culture Ambika Soni, chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and chief justice High Court Justice B A Khan lit the lamp and put Isband in the Kangri to mark the auspicious start of the grand Sufiyana festival.

As the layer after layer of mystic and divine Sufiyana music started unfolding, the audience became so spellbound and mesmerised that no one could afford to lose even a single second in having a glance at their watches and when the last item of the first day of Bazam-e-Sufiyana was coming to close, it was already 11.30 p.m.

It was almost midnight but the audience including the chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, mesmerised with Sufiyana, were still insisting on continuing the programme non-stop throughout the night.

It was a pure and sacred form of art that took the audience to the mystic and divine heights of Sufiyana music. Bazam-e-Sufiyana was really a blend of meditation, prayer and message of peace. The audience repeatedly cheered the performance of the artists, who were a class in themselves, with respect and appreciation.

Sufiyana music has roots in Kashmir and people believe that this movement started from Kashmir and spread all over the sub-continent.

The seeds of Sufism in Kashmir were sown in 1320 by great saint Hazrat Bulbulshah (RA) and was carried forward by other great saints of the time and role played by Sufi saints like Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Alam and Lal Ded in further propagating it, is known throughout the world.

Embarking on this enthralling journey of spiritual bliss, Ustad Ghulam Muhammad Saznawaz was the first artist to perform the mystic chants of Sufiyana. Ustad Saznawaz, who has to his credit several national and international awards, wooed the audience with his voice and talent on Santoor.

The next soulful performance was the father-son duo of Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Abhay Rustum Sopori. Members of the fabled Sufiyana Gharana, they initiated the audience to the scintillating sounds of Santoor. Their performance was highly acclaimed and the auditorium reverberated with cheers again and again.

Santoor maestro Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma along with his son Pt. Rahul Sharma, with their creative genius, gave a scintillating performance, which took the audience to a world of spiritual nourishment. For this father-son duo, Sufiyana is not only a medium of simple music but a form of worship.

Immersed deep into the Sufiyana, the listeners experienced meditation and a state of deep thoughtfulness.

Navtej Singh Johar, an artist of international repute, gave superb performance, which had a soothing effect and time seemed to fly during his spiritual and cultural presentation. The Pakistani group received a standing ovation and their electrifying performance was a Sufiyana treat to experience.

Disciple of the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Nayeem Abass Roufi from Pakistan, was another star performer of the evening who engrossed the audience with his mind-boggling performance. He created priceless moments for everyone present on the occasion.

Farah Hassan, another popular Sufiyana artist from Pakistan, also gave a wonderful performance, which was equally appreciated by the audience.

An exponent of Sufi-Kathak, Manjari Chaturvedi made an exquisite venture into the forays of music, lyrics and melody and held the audience aghast with her performance. She captivated senses and thoughts of everyone around by her unravelled display of this art form.

The singers also enthralled the audiences at Varmul and Pahalgam.

Others who performed during the Sufiyana festival included India’s answer to Pakistan’s Abida Parveen: Zila Khan and talented sufiyana, ghazals and classical singer from Pakistan, Ustad Mazhar Umrao Bandu Khan -who belongs to a distinguished lineage of traditional musicians and represents 700-year-old Delhi gharana.

Ma al-Manfa? (what is exile?) Wa Ma howa al-Watan? (And what is the Homeland?)

Book Review by Mahgoub El-Tigani - Sudan Tribune - Sudan
Sunday, December 31, 2006

Al-Khatim ‘Adlan’s Ma al-Manfa? Wa Ma howa al-Watan?
The Political Thought of a Sudanese Democratic Thinker (1949-2005)

With words of gratitude to Bakri AbuBakr, the Sudanonline’s manager-general that initiated and helped to develop with many others the idea of publishing al-Khatim Adlan’s collected works, Manshurat Madarik published Ma al-Manfa? Wa Ma howa al-Watan? [Literally: What is exile, and what is the Homeland?].

Suggesting a major characteristic of ‘Adlan social and political personality, Elyas Fath al-Rahman designed an artistic cover for the book in black and white. Amnesty International’s researcher, al-Baqir ‘Afif, emphasized in his introduction of the book ‘Adlan’s supra ethical agency.

Both cover and introduction remind readers with George Lukacs’ blend of humanism and revolutionary thought. We will return to this thought in subsequent commentaries.

In this series, we will present with commentaries sections of al-Khatim works on Sudanese thinkers, as published in Ma al-Manfa, including ‘Abd al-Khaliq Mahgoub, Hassan al-Turabi, John Garang, and Sadiq al-Mahdi. We will also comment on ‘Adlan’s works on philosophical and political themes, including the Machekos peace agreements, the NDA-GoS Cairo agreement, thoughts on Sudanese women writers, and other issues.

Al-Khatim “Adlan “was a thinker with an integral life philosophy,” says ‘Afif. “He lived in harmony with himself, his cosmological vision and its principles to the last moments of his life.” This self-integrative universality “was somewhat strange in specific aspects not understandable, even to his closest acquaintance. His philosophical praxis on the matters of existence, the meanings of life, and the place of man in the cosmos, was not acceptable by many relatives that wanted him to refute [this world outlook] in his dying days.”

‘Adlan appreciated the position of his critics “because he knew they belonged to a society engrained in religion; a socially backward simple community whose members bore oversimplified conceptions of religion, the day after, paradise and hell, and the good end of a person’s life. He knew they were decent people who thought of him in good faith thinking that if he repeated certain [religious] statements they would guarantee redemption of his soul.”

At this point, Baqir al-‘Afif comments: “These relatives did not know that [‘Adlan] spent all his life doing the tasks of the prophets, the awliya [the people of God], and the reformers. Like them, he was altruistic: devoting his life for the sake of the powerless ones that God blamed the ones who wouldn’t defend their cause… Like them, he was not concerned with the worldly pleasures of life. He came to life as a poor person, and he passed away a poor person. Like them, he lived his short life in purity.”

(...)

The Sufi Islam of Sudan, as exercised by a plethora of religious turuq [sects], resembles the popular version of the Islamic religion the bulk of Sudanese Muslims adopted since the advent of Islam in the country. There are a few historical records, however, that documented the origins of Sufi Islam in Sudan, notably the Tabaqat by Mohamed Wad Daif-Allah.

Many Sudanist and Islamist scholars believe that the forgiveness and peaceful co-existence of al-Sufiya in the Sudan had been deeply influenced by the flexibility of Islam, which incorporated nice spiritualities of the monotheist religions, especially Christianity, and the African ancient religions and cultural beliefs. Unlike the rigid, dogmatic, and culturally-biased Muslim Brotherhoods’ political Islam, the Sudanese Sufiya antagonized the foreign doctrines of the Brotherhood with everlasting hostilities.

Regardless of political collaboration between the NIF, the Umma and the DUP Sufi-based political groups in different periods, the 17-year Brotherhood repressive rule alienated the bulk of Sudanese Muslims and their Sufi groups, including the Khatmiya and the Ansar, by the Jihad wars, State corruption, and almost complete destruction of the country’s sovereignty and international relations via the miscalculated alliances of the NIF rulers with Ben Laden, his Qaeda, and the other sections of the International Brotherhood Movement.

(...)

The publication of Ma al-Manfa is breaking news. Manshorat Madarik and al-Khatim ‘Adlan Center for Enlightenment (Cairo: ISBN 17182/2006) will do justice to the intellectuals in Sudan and global thinking if they continue to publish the other collected works of this knowledgeable writer.
May the Almighty Lord shower your soul, Munadil al-Kadiheen, with His Eternal Love and Oft-Living Mercy!

The author is a member of the Sudanese Writers’ Union.

EID AL-ADHA: Unity is dominant theme of Muslims' celebration

By Bob Egelko - San Francisco Chronicle - CA,U.S.A.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

The sectarian violence in Iraq was not far from the thoughts of Muslims who gathered in an Oakland mosque Saturday to observe the beginning of Eid al-Adha and heard a clergyman call for unity and inclusiveness of all people and faiths.

Eid al-Adha is a major holiday marking the end of the hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca. A racially and ethnically mixed congregation of about 100 Muslims gathered at Masjid Al Iman in North Oakland, one of about 30 Islamic houses of worship in the Bay Area, to celebrate the occasion.

They sat on the carpeted floor of the Sufi mosque as Sheikh Ali Jensen, a visiting Sufi clergyman from Aptos (Santa Cruz County), delivered a message clearly aimed at the worsening Sunni-Shiite violence in Iraq but did not mention that country by name.

"There is, unfortunately, a disease that is creeping among Muslims now -- 'Either you are like me or you are not good,' " Jensen told the congregation. "At its extreme, (it says) 'Either you are like me or I will kill you.'

"All of these differences we hear about, it's crap. Don't accept it," he told the congregation. "Those people who are following different ways from us, we must not only tolerate them, we must respect them."

Muslims and non-Muslims alike, he said, are all "children of Adam."

Afterward, Jensen said his sermon was part of an effort by Muslim clerics to defuse strife within Islam and between religions by emphasizing ecumenical themes. "Due to the current circumstances, we're stressing unity among religions and among different groups in Islam," he said.

Some in the congregation said the sectarian warfare of Iraq has no place within Islam.

The cleric's message of inclusiveness was "the essence of Islam," said Dawad Sharifi, 30, a native of Afghanistan. "The rest is just politics."

"The tradition of Islam is not to be divisive. The more modern, politicized Islam causes these divisions," said Sayf Alusi, 30, an Iraq-born electrical engineer who earned a doctorate from UC Berkeley. The message of inclusiveness hit home, he said, when he and his family joined some 2 million Muslims of all backgrounds in the hajj two years ago.

Majeedah Shabazz, a 55-year-old paralegal student and nursing assistant from San Leandro, made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 2004. Her face glowed as she recalled "the best trip I ever had," surrounded by millions of believers who held the same goals.
She said she tries not to read about the religious violence in the Middle East.

There was at least one skeptic in the congregation, a 50-year-old Pakistani man living in El Sobrante who gave only his first name, Yusuf, and said he was attending the service with his girlfriend. He said he maintained "my own vertical connection" to Allah, had little faith in mosques and considered the sermon espousing Islamic unity "a lot of hot air" that ignored a long history of religious warfare.

Eid (pronounced "ede") al-Adha, which lasts three or four days in different traditions, also commemorates the scriptural story of Abraham offering to sacrifice his son to God. The son -- Ishmael in the Quran, Isaac in the Jewish and Christian Bible -- is spared when God provides a ram.

Sometimes called the Festival of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha celebrates the faith of Abraham, who along with Moses and Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam.
Muslims have traditionally slaughtered a sheep or goat at the end of Eid al-Adha and shared the food with the poor. Jensen said a more common practice in the United States is to donate to charity.

Women, their heads covered by scarves or hats, sat during the service, as is common in Islamic practice, in the rear of the hall. Men, most wearing hats but a few in turbans, sat in the front.
Some congregants prostrated themselves after entering while others sat or knelt and joined the chanting. Everyone left their shoes at the door.

Rasheed Patch, an imam, or leader, of the mosque, said many participants were Sufis, members of a mystical branch of Islam that encompasses a variety of beliefs. About half the congregation is foreign-born, he said, a proportion representative of American Muslims.

An hour of chants in Arabic, praising Allah and Muhammad, was followed by an hour of prayers and sermons on the virtue of Abraham and the meaning of Islam. Congregants then circled the room, greeting one another with "Eid Mubarak" (blessed Eid), before dining on a meal of beef, chicken and salad.

Whirling to embrace the whole Mankind

[From the German language press]

Drehend die ganze Menschheit umarmen

Kölnische-Rundschau; 26 Dezember 2006; Kathrin Höhne

Description of a weekly meeting at the main German Naqshbandi-Haqqani Center in Kall-Sötenich, Eifel --a Center for Dhikr, Study and Prayers.

With Inn, Mosque, Restaurant and Music Room, open to muslims as well as non muslims.

With words of firm condemnation of any form of extremism; with open-mindedness about “wearing” one’s faith; Shaykh Hassan Peter Dyck stating that adherence to the Pillars develops slowly in the students, and comes from inside.

4th Maghrebian colloquium on fiq’h and sufism’ manuscripts

[From the French language press]
Algérie: 4e colloque maghrébin sur les manuscrits du fiq'h et du soufisme à Oran

La Tribune - Algérie; 19 Décembre 2006; Hassan Gherab

Manuscripts about Sufism and Fiq’h were the topic of the 4th Maghrebian colloquium organised by the Manuscripts Laboratory of Muslim Civilisation of North Africa --a Dept. of the Human Sciences of Oran University.

The conference was held on December 16-17 2006 in Oran, Algeria, gathering Researchers from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya.

The colloquium examined the necessity of collecting and preserving the manuscripts about sufism and fiq’h -thousands and thousands of which are still held by private citizens – through a Maghrebian common data bank and Maghrebian scientific cooperation.

Algeria is pioneer in this field, with its Adrar Centre for manuscripts inventory which relies on the services of two Shaykhs for facilitating contacts among the private citizens and the scientists.
The 5th colloquium –it has been decided- will focus on researches in the field of literature and history.

Platonic Love

By Sreemanti Ghosh - Kolkata Newsline - New Delhi,India
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Baul gaan, one of the most popular forms of folk music, is an integral part of Pous Mela [festival].

What sets these baul singers apart is their distinct appearance, saffron robe, head gear along with a single stringed instrument. Though appearance remain the same, the music, style and rhythm of the traditional baul songs have undergone a sea change.

Soulful renditions loaded with spiritual content accompanied by their stellar performance have been replaced now with pace and decibel. The lyrics have also become far more modernised.
Bishwanath Das Baul explained the change that has taken place among the bauls.

“These days the songs are losing their original charm and aristocracy and one gets to hear the modernised version of the songs which are not authentic.”

Despite such disappointing performance for some, the baul gaan along with the fakir gaan or Sufi song is still the cynosure of attraction of the Pous Mela.

The bauls and the fakirs entertain the crowd with their unique style and exuberance. The final day of the Pous Mela is the most exciting as all what follows is an interesting and uninterrupted joint session of baul and fakir songs.

The joint session is usually based on a theme selected by the authorities of Visva-Bharati.
This year the theme was platonic love.

The ministrels took the centrestage and expressed their views about the theme each in their unique style.
Baul singers propagate the philosophy of love and the message of brotherhood and goodwill through their songs.

The Pous Mela provides a wonderful platform for these singers to showcase their talent. Though nowadays there is no quality control as baul has picked up pace and decibel.

Some of these singers also claim that the Pous Mela also gives them an opportunity to interact with a host of other people from different gharanas. “I always wait for the Pous Mela as it gives me an opportunity to be a part of this wonderful and culturally-enriching journey. I am not here for any kind of remuneration but for the immense respect and love that I receive from the people of Santiniketan,” pointed out Nitya Gopal Das, a veteran baul singer.

Khaibab Fakir also joined the chorus,”I am here to entertain the crowd. It has been almost 15 years that I have been associated with this mela and it is like a tradition now for all of us.”

In remembrance of Mansoor Hallaj

By Zabeazkar - The News International - Pakistan

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Cultured, lively and creative people, it seems, remain alive in every era and in every place, Pakistan being no exception. Certainly they are the assets of human society. Among these exalted beings include writers, artistes, painters, art lovers and spiritualists.

The last-named class consists of those who believe in mystical interpretation of life. Nazir Ahmed Channa, Coordinator of Mansoor Hallaj Foundation (MHF) Pakistan, who is also a writer and critic, believes that the world needs to remember those great Sufis who were the salt of the earth.

Just as he does every year, he recently made arrangements to observe the 1118th anniversary week of Hazrat Hussain bin Mansoor al-Hallaj, calling the event ‘Urs of Imam-ul Aashiqeen’.

The devotees and admirers of Mansoor Hallaj observed the ceremony with solemnity. Arshad Chaudhary, who presided over the meeting, said he had come from Gujrat to attend the ‘Urs’ and pay homage to the great mystic. Arshad Chaudhary, Sheikh Mohiuddin and others spoke at length on the deep spiritual thought and poetry of Mansoor Hallaj.

Channa said Mansoor Hallaj’s death in the gallows of Baghdad during the reign of Abbaside’s Khalifa Al Muqtadar Billah was in fact a big conspiracy to silence the voice of truth and love which was amply manifested in the personality and teachings of the great saint, and lover of God.

He observed that Mansoor Hallaj was a great thinker, poet, philosopher and revolutionary all at once. He stressed that the world needed to remember this great Sufi and Imam of universe-lovers.

Channa invites and gathers city’s writers, journalists, artistes, human right activists and other people from different walks of life on the occasion of the sage’s anniversary.A study of history shows it clearly that Mansoor Hallaj had been visiting Gujrat (Kathiawar) in India and Sukkur, Khairpur and some other areas in Pakistan (Sindh).

Another proof of his arrival in this part of the world is beliefs of Hazrat Sachchal Sarmast, who was his true Mureed (a genuine follower). Channa argues that the story of ‘Zinda Peer’ and ‘Khwaja Khizar’ popular in the interior of Sindh was nothing but the real story of Hazrat Mansoor Hallaj.

Huston Smith writes autobiography

By Louis Sahagun - Los Angeles Times - Los Angeles,CA,U.S.A.
Tuesday, December 27, 2006

Huston Smith, honored for his 14 books analyzing the world's faiths and their leaders, is persuaded to work on his memoirs.

The grand old man of comparative religion — he's 87 — is hard at work on a new book, perhaps his last, on his toughest subject yet: himself.

Gazing out the living room window of his hillside home at trees shedding leaves past their prime, Smith said, "I've been dead set against writing an autobiography. But a friend said, 'Huston, no one living has had the range of experiences you've had. You owe it to posterity to put it all down.' "

So Smith is pressing ahead with the book, although he continues to recuperate from ailments that have landed him in the hospital four times since May.

Smith doesn't set out to write inspirational books, but many readers cherish his books as inspiring beacons to steer by. Filled with anecdotes and character sketches of religious figures, his works offer accessible but scholarly analyses of the world's faiths.

"Religion is not primarily a matter of facts," he once wrote, "it is a matter of meanings.

"The working title of his autobiography is "Tales of Wonder, Tales of Deep Delight." The title was drawn from a phrase in a poem by Robert Penn Warren.

Leaning back in an easy chair, the venerable professor with gossamer white hair said it's never been his style — or that of the spiritual leaders he's apprenticed with over the years — to call attention to his personal life.

"Autobiography just pumps and inflates my ego, which is already inflated anyway," he explained with a wry smile. "And frankly, I had other books I wanted to write.""I'm a religious communicator," he added. "And I want to work myself out of my ego. I want to be turned outward onto this fantastic world and other people and their needs and not on myself."

That would explain why he initially toyed with a different title for his memoirs, "Here Lies No One."

Although Smith's is not a household name, his 14 books include "The World's Religions," a standard introductory college textbook that has sold more than 2 1/2 million copies.
The holder of 12 honorary degrees, he rose to national attention in 1996 when he was featured in a five-part PBS series, "The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith."
A recent book, "Why Religion Matters," won the Wilbur Award for the best book on religion in 2001.

In honor of Smith's literary legacy, Harper San Francisco, has created a new award category for authors who best "embody the spirit of Huston Smith's work of promoting the history and cause of religion in the world and its interface with culture," said his publisher at Harper, Mark Tauber.

(...)

Not all of Smith's tales of wonder involve famous people. Among the most influential people in his life was television producer Mayo Simon, who in the 1950s taught him a formula for blending content with delivery that Smith developed into a stirring stage persona.

They met while working on one of public television's first education programs on religion. "He was hard on me, very hard," Smith recalled. "The evening before each program, he'd call me to his apartment and stand me up for a dry run."

"I can still hear his withering remarks: 'Doesn't sound too red-hot to me!' meaning back to the drawing boards," Smith said. "He said, 'Huston, a television audience is different than a classroom. In this medium, you lose them for 30 seconds and they'll change the channel. So make your points and follow each one with an anecdote or a fragment of poetry that connects them to daily life."

The formula worked when describing others, but the man who has helped untold thousands to better understand themselves and the universe has struggled through two drafts of his memoirs.

Madness about your Beloved

By Chandreyee Chatterjee and Abhisek Banerjee - The Telegraph - Calcutta,India

Tuesday, December 26, 2007

Calcutta warmed up for a week of partying last Saturday with Beyond Barriers Chapter VIII, a musical extravaganza organised by the St Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association and RPG Enterprises in association with The Telegraph.

The programme kicked off with performances by a few alumni members. An 8,000-strong crowd, including students, parents, alumni, working executives and industrialists, had turned up.

Earlier, Xaverians had had to postpone the college’s annual fest Xavotsav because of a 48-hour bandh call. The zestful event line-up on Saturday evening made up for the disappointment as they danced to Bollywood numbers on the college grounds.

Before the stars of the evening took the stage, the college principal, Father P.C. Matthews, greeted the audience for Christmas.

The association handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh to the principal towards development of the second campus of St Xavier’s College, which is coming up off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.
“Kailash signifies satyam and shivam, Ujjaini, from our own city, is sundaram. So today, we have satyam, shivam sundaram and nothing beyond, ‘Nihil Ultra’,” said the principal, introducing the two singers for the night, Kailash Kher and Ujjaini Mukherji.

Up first was Ujjaini, the winner of Ek Main Ek Tu, the musical talent hunt on Zee TV. She performed for 45 minutes with chartbusters like the title track of the film Golmaal, It’s the time to disco from Kal Ho Naa Ho and Salaame from Dhoom.

But it was Kher and his band Kailasa who stole the show. The sufi singer walked on to the stage rendering the title track from Mangal Pandey — The Rising. He followed it up with other hits from his album Kailasa such as Tauba tauba and Teri deewani.

The hour-and-a-half-long show ended after the singer had given in to popular demand and sung two songs after Allah ke bande.
(by Chandreyee Chatterjee)

Sufi from Bollywood

A dynamic self-driven singer who has trained under 15 gurus, Kailash Kher comes across as a humble person despite the success of his works in Main Hoon Na, Fanaa and Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II.

Who helped you get established in the music industry?I struggled the first few years of my career in the jingles industry. A lot of people have influenced me as a singer and as an individual. I owe a lot to my 15 gurus, especially Guru Pandit Kumar Gandharva.

Have you changed after Allah ke bande happened?
I don’t get attracted to material things. I still lead a simple life of a sufi. With the blessings of my parents and the Almighty I have carved a niche for myself in the music industry.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?I believe in destiny. Whatever I sow today I will reap tomorrow. I am a public figure so after five years I will be where my fans place me. My album Kailasa is a milestone of my life.

How did you like Calcutta?
It was wonderful performing here. I enjoyed myself. I would urge budding singers to work hard as nothing comes easy in life. Learn from Tagore’s famous song Jodi tor daak shune keu na ashe, tobe ekla cholo re…

How different are Sufi songs now from what they were traditionally?The basic thing remains the same, only the style changes. You have to serve the traditional dishes in a new form to attract the youth. I am a bridge between the traditional and Bollywood.

What is Sufism for you?
Madness about your beloved, passion that goes beyond all barriers and becomes pure and out of this world such that there is nothing beyond… Nihil Ultra, that is what Sufism is.
( by Abhisek Banerjee)

Shi'ites in Egypt

By L. Azuri - Middle East Media Research Institute - Washington,DC,USA
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Recent statements in Cairo by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi sparked public debate over the status of the Shi'ites in Egypt.

Al-Qaradhawi said that the increasing infiltration of Shi'ite Islam into Egypt, which is predominantly Sunni, may lead to a civil war like the one in Iraq. This statement was denounced by Egyptian Shi'ites, as well as by the religious establishment in Egypt and by columnists in the Egyptian press. Conversely, there were some who supported Al-Qaradhawi's position, saying that the spread of Shi'ism constituted a threat to Egypt and to the region as a whole.

There are no official statistics on the number of Shi'ites in Egypt. The Ibn Khaldun Research Center in Cairo estimated in January 2005 that the Shi'ites make up about 1% of the country's Muslim population, which in turn constitutes approximately 90% of Egypt's overall population of 73 million. According to this estimate, Egypt has some 657,000 Shi'ite citizens.

Leaders of the Shi'ite community in Egypt explain that the exact number of Shi'ites in the country is hard to estimate because many of them practice takiyya - i.e. hide their sectarian identity in order to avoid persecution. Egyptian human rights organizations report that the country's Shi'ite citizens are denied basic human rights like freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and are persecuted by the security apparatuses.

Muhammad Al-Darini, a Sunni who converted to Shi'ism and now serves as chairman of the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt in Egypt, said that, according to the estimate of the Egyptian security apparatuses, there are about one million Shi'ites in Egypt, hiding behind 76 Sufi orders, while he himself believes that their number is closer to 1.5 million.

In an interview for the website www.alarabiya.net, Al-Darini said, "The large number of Shi'ites in Egypt today stems from the fact that many Egyptian Sunnis are converting to Shi'ism. This is due to the information, technology, and Internet revolution, to the many new books pouring into Egypt, and to the activities of the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt which has been operating for eight years and publishing the paper Sawt Ahl Al-Bayt..." Al-Darini added that the Shi'ite community does not expose itself "because it fears the persecution which has been the Shi'ites' lot in the past 25 years.

(...)

Most of the debate regarding the status of the Shi'ites in Egypt was sparked by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi's statement which warned against the infiltration of Shi'ite Islam into Sunni countries, and vice versa.

In an August 2006 speech to the Egyptian Journalists' Union, delivered in Cairo immediately after the end of the Lebanon war, Al-Qaradhawi said that there was need for rapprochement between Shi'ites and Sunnis. He stressed, however, that "this rapprochement must not be a pretext for Shi'ite infiltration of the Sunni countries. Such infiltration will ignite a blaze that will destroy everything in its path, and what has happened in Iraq between Shi'ite and Sunnis will repeat itself in all other countries".

"Rapprochement between the two sects -he said- requires that each of them refrain from conducting missionary activities in countries that adhere to the other".

According to the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Al-Qaradhawi "warned against Shi'ite infiltration of Egypt," and said that the Shi'ites "are trying to spread their beliefs in Egypt owing to its love for Ahl Al-Bayt, and because Egypt has many places holy to the Shi'a, such as the tomb of Hussein and Zaynab."

According to the daily, Al-Qaradhawi also stated that "the Shi'ites use Sufism as a bridge to Shi'ism, and have been exploiting it in recent years to infiltrate Egypt..."

"Al-Qaradhawi's statements drew criticism from Sunnis and Shi'ites alike. This prompted the International Council of Muslim Clerics, which Al-Qaradhawi heads, to issue a clarification saying that "the statements that have been attributed to Al-Qaradhawi... were part of an answer to a question that had been posed to him, and his answer was influenced by the context and phrasing of the question".

"Al-Qaradhawi's words were not meant as an accusation against the Sufis or against Sufism as such, contrary to what was understood by some conference participants and by some who read the subsequent reports... Al-Qaradhawi believes in the need for national unity".

"He believes that Twelver Shi'ism is one of the legitimate sects of Islam and that the Ja'fari school of thought is a respected Islamic school of thought... In speaking against Shi'ites who attempt to convert Sunnis, Al-Qaradhawi was referring to the irresponsible attempts of certain individuals who sow division and civil strife among the Muslims by spreading Shi'ism in countries that are mostly Sunni, or by trying to spread various Sunni denominations in countries whose population is mostly Shi'ite..."

(...)

A Third Option - Islam Without Shi'a and Sunna
Egyptian author and intellectual Salah Al-Wardani is the founder of an association called "New Discourse," which advocates a universal Islam and the elimination of the Sunni-Shi'ite distinction.

Al-Wardani was born to a Sunni family, but in 1985, when he was in his twenties, he converted to Shi'ism and subsequently wrote a great deal in praise of Shi'ism and against Sunni Islam.

Twenty-one years later, he declared that he no longer belonged to either sect. In an interview for Al-Masri Al-Yawm, he called on intellectuals to join his association.

In explaining his position, he said: "I have now emerged from both circles (Shi'ite and Sunni Islam) into a new circle, or a third tier... I call for a new Islamic discourse based on the Koran and on reason, which transcends the old mindset that is still dominant among the Muslims today... "
"I call to rely on modern reason... Islam is not meant to have sects..."

Pakistan Diary: at the shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh

By Yoginder Sikand - CounterCorrents.org - India
Tuesday, 26 December, 2006

Lahore is an ancient city, and legend has it that it was founded by Lav, son of Rama. My tourist guide lists hundreds of historical monuments in the city, but I have just three days and I have to be selective. Diep, my host, drives me to Anarkali Bazaar, in the heart of the Old City.

We pass by impressive colonial buildings, dating to the period when Lahore was the capital of British Punjab. The bazaar is meant to be a major tourist attraction, but I find it chaotic and hardly spectacular. It is like any busy, crowded and unplanned market in any lower-middle class locality in Delhi, with hundreds of shops lining narrow, winding lanes.

Diep leaves me here and I decided to explore the area on my own. I change money at a booth in a lane that specializes in Indian goods, with stalls selling paan leaves, hair oil and other cosmetics and video cassettes brought in from across the border. I have tea and a pastry-like naan in a shop run by a burly Pakhtun. Stuck on the walls are pictures of Bollywood heroines and slogans that announce 'Wasting Time Here is Forbidden' and 'No Discussing Politics'.

I hail an auto and head further down the Old City. I first stop at the shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh, a renowned Sufi, whose magnum opus, Kashf al-Mahjub ('The unveiling of the Veils') is said to be one of the first Persian treatises on Sufism.

The shrine complex is massive and appears to be recently expanded and renovated. At one end of the shrine is what seems to be a newly constructed mosque, with garish, dark glass windows and rocket-like minarets, a glaring contrast to the graceful Mughal-style architecture of the rest of the shrine complex.

In the sprawling courtyard are literally thousands of people, praying, meditating or simply lounging about, drinking in the sun. A large crowd encircles a man in an awesome turban, who seems to be considered some sort of dervish.

Hundreds of people stand before the grave of Data Ganj Bakhsh and that of a Hindu man who converted to Islam at his hands, seeking the blessings of God and offering flowers.

Outside the shrine mendicants sit in rows with their bowls on sheets and in the narrow lanes behind that are lined with filth-clogged open drains and half-built or crumbling houses, shops sell biryani and sweet, orange-tinged rice in massive degh or cauldrons. A corpulent man aggressively hails out to me, insisting I should buy an entire degh to distribute to the poor.

When he learns I am from India, he says sternly, 'You've come all the way from India, so that's even more reason why you should buy a degh'. I hurriedly make my way and head down to the Urdu bazaar, the centre of Lahore's publishing industry.

The bazaar boasts literally hundreds of small bookshops, that specialize mainly in Urdu literature and Islamic and Pakistani history. I spot Urdu translations of the Ramayana, Geeta and the works of Osho, and am informed that these sell very well. In contrast, there are few bookshops that deal in English books, and most of these are imported from abroad, including India. I pick up some interesting Urdu titles—on Sufism, the Partition and several published by the Markaz Dawat ul Irshad, parent body of the dreaded terrorist outfit Lashkar-i Tayyeba.

(The latter were confiscated when I crossed back into India, despite my insistence that I bought them to only to critique them).

(...)

It's evening now and I head for the Alhambra theatre, Lahore's main centre for the performing arts. There's a play on by the well-known Ajokha group about the Punjabi Sufi Bulleh Shah. It proves to be the most well-directed and moving play I've ever seen.

It mocks exploitation of institutionalized religion in the most powerful way, sending the audience to tears.

A very serious spiritual task

Bureau report - Turkish Daily News - Ankara,Turkey

Monday, December 25, 2006

Acclaimed piano virtuoso Fazıl Say said he wanted to compose a piece on Sufi philosopher and poet Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi, the 800th anniversary of whose birth will be marked all over the world in 2007, designated the Year of Mevlana.

But the pianist-composer says this is a "very delicate topic" and adds that he first has to do in-depth research and totally grasp the essentials of Mevlana and his philosophy before starting work on a piece inspired by the Sufi tradition and its founder.

Fazil Say, who was in Konya over the weekend for a New Year's concert as part of Selçuk University's culture and art activities, told the Anatolia news agency that he has received numerous offers to compose a piece on the occasion of the Year of Mevlana, such as a Mevlana Symphony, but said he has refused those offers since he thought this was not a simple task to be easily completed.

“I have always been impressed with Sufi music all throughout my musical career; therefore I studied Sufi rhythms and style. I have a good knowledge of Dede Efendi's Sufi rituals. I want to create a work inspired by Mevlana but as this is a very delicate topic, one should prepare well. I regard this as a very serious spiritual task. When I feel I'm ready, I will definitely compose a piece on Mevlana,” he said.

On his concert in Konya, Say said he was delighted and astounded with the amount of interest shown him. “The students who came to listen to me had to sit on the floors because all the seats at the concert hall were occupied,” he said.

Fazil Say, who achieved worldwide fame after winning first prize in two international contests in 1994 and in 1995, said his concert schedule for the next year was ready. He said he planned to perform around 100 concerts in numerous European and Asian countries throughout 2007, but added that most of them would take place in the United States.

Jammu Sufi Festival ends in Purity

Bureau report - Kashmir Observer - Srinagar,Kashmir,India

Monday, December 25, 2006

Jammu: Santoor maestro Padam Shree Bhajan Sopori has described sufi musical form most relevant medium to generate pure thoughts and spread message of love and brotherhood every where. Saying that Kashmir has been abode of sufiana music Pandit Bajan Sopori said that this form inculcated mutual amity, purity of heart and brotherhood in all human beings.

Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of Jammu festival here today organized by Sa Ma Pa organization of which Mr. Sopori is founder, he said the basic aim of the festival was to generate movement amongst youth regarding music and its positive effects on solacing tensionful minds.

He said during the festival days young talent and lovers of music were given basic knowledge about music and its various forms. He said many programmes at various places including educational institutions were organized in which famous and master artists, along with young and budding musicians presented their artistic expertise.

Describing the festival a success, Mr. Sopori said that there is need to organize many such festivals both in Jammu and Kashmir by the cultural academy and other organizations to encourage young generation and provide platform to musicians to exhibit their artistic skills. He said Sa Ma Pa is releasing new albums in Kashmiri and Dogri portraying rich poetic and literary treasure of the state and its world renowned cultural heritage.

Speaking on the occasion, Director Information Khawaja Farooq Renzu said that sufi musical form owes its existence to Kashmir and great sufis and saints of Kashmir have been inspirers and thought provokers for “sufiana” symbolizing brotherhood, amity and tolerance. He said the secular fabric of the state, renowned world over for co-existence of pluralistic culture in harmony, is the outcome of teachings and propagation of message of love and communal harmony by the great sufi saints.

Mr. Renzu said the need of hour is to broad band this message of love and peaceful co-existence and circulate message of sufism through art, literature and other such forms of which Sufiana Sangeet is significant one.

Mr. Renzu appreciated Sa Ma Pa for representing heart beats of people of Jammu and Kashmir and reviving the age old sufiana in renewed and attractive way. He said under the present trend of copying western music ignoring the true form of sufiana, Sa Ma Pa’s efforts are laudable as they are out to guide the youth towards their roots and are nurturing true form of music that provides coolness to thoughts and purifies soul.

Secretary Cultural Academy Mr. Rafiq Masoodi, Mr. Abhay Rustum Sopori, renowned artists, musicians and others were also present on the occasion.

"You fall in love with the lyrics"

By Azera Rahman - IANS/Telugu Portal - Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh,India

Monday, December 25, 2006

Its passé to invite a local rock band to perform in the college festivals of Indian universities these days. If you want the fest to rock, invite one of the Pakistani bands.

Music, as they say, transcends barriers. Probably this is why, despite all the political war of words and the booing on the cricket field, there's no stopping a young Indian fan from head-banging to a Pakistani musician's tunes on the stage.

When Goher Mumtaz of the rock band Jal, sings "Ab to aadat si ho gayi hai" in one of Delhi University's college fests, the entire campus croons along.

Whether it's the simplicity of the lyrics or the youthfulness of the sound, their music appeals to the Indian ear immensely. Most of these bands, be it Jal, Junoon or Strings, play soft rock with a hint of Sufi, a genre of music fast becoming a craze in India.

"You fall in love with the lyrics of their songs which are so meaningful, unlike most of the Bollywood numbers these days. And, the music is a mix of Sufi and rock. What else could you ask for?" remarks Rima, a die-hard fan of Jal.

Cashing in on this trend, Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt readily bought one of Jal's compositions, "Woh Lamhey", and used it in his movie "Zeher". The song became a top chartbuster in no time.

The fact that Jal was booked for live concerts for two whole months, covering 11 cities and 21 shows, testifies their immense popularity among the country's youth. When the band came to Delhi University to perform at Hindu College's fest Mecca and Gargi College's Reverie, they invited jam-packed auditoriums and a roaring crowd.

Jal and Strings got an amazing response when they went down south to perform at Unmad, the fest of Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B).They also went to Hyderabad in September to sing at the Chaithanya Bharahi Institute of Technology's (CBIT) biennial fest, Carpe Diem.

"They were the highlight of the fest this year and very rightfully so. Their music is awesome!" Shuaib, a second year student of CBIT, told IANS.

Awaiting them this year are the girls of Janki Devi Memorial College in Delhi who simply can't have enough of their music. Says Mukuta Sharma, a student: "Their songs are simply the best. Although I have downloaded all their numbers on my PC, I can't wait to hear them live!"

Says Farhan, the lead vocalist of Jal: "Being a Pakistani band, coming to India and not just performing but also being popular and sought after is a dream come true."

It's never easy rooting for Pakistan anywhere in India. But when Faizal, the lead vocalist of Strings, sings "Main teri tu mera jaane saara Hindustan", the already charmed audience screams back the same with "Pakistan" at the end!

So is love for their music the only factor for this new culture of inviting them to all the college fests?"No. Another important factor is the college budget which is becoming fatter every year," says Smita Mitra, media coordinator of Janki Devi Memorial College.

For a well-organised college fest, the budget could be anything between Rs.300,00 to Rs.1.2 million. So while innumerable rounds of peace talks continue to be held between the two countries, these young musical ambassadors from across the border have long come and bridged the gap with their music.

Special focus on the Sufi ethos

By Irfan Ghauri - Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
Thursday, December 21, 2006

The new national curriculum of history for classes VI to VIII has chapters on religious tolerance and cultural syncretism to teach the young generation about the “soft image” of Muslim rulers of South Asia, Daily Times learnt on Wednesday.

The curriculum has been sent to the provinces for implementation from the academic year 2007 as a compulsory subject.

The main feature of the new curriculum is that it not only highlights the political developments during Muslim rule, but also gives due importance to the cultural and social aspects with special focus on the Sufi ethos and its spread.

In the new curriculum, the South Asian history has been divided into three parts: the ancient civilisation till the end of the Delhi Sultanate (2500 BC-1526 AD); the Mughal empire, its foundation, consolidation, contribution and disintegration (1526-1857); and British rule and the freedom movement (1858-1947). The first part will be taught in Grade VI, second in Grade VII and third in Grade VIII.

Turkish hospitality impresses Professors

By Maggie Gill-Austern - Sun Journal- Lewiston,ME,USA

Thursday, December 21, 2006

A week after getting home from a lecture tour abroad, Waleck Dalpour and Jon Oplinger are still talking about the tea.Well, it was tea, coffee, food and lots and lots of conversation, actually - and a brand of hospitality that made a wonderfully unexpected (for Oplinger, at least) impact on their week in Turkey.

The two University of Maine at Farmington professors are members of the same department, Business and Social Sciences. Dalpour is an economics professor while Oplinger is a sociologist with a seemingly boundless knowledge of ancient Near Eastern archaeology.

They were asked by Turkish authorities to write a paper together for an early December celebration of famous Sufi poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi - known in the West simply as Rumi - in Konya, Turkey. The paper, which was presented before an audience of more than 400 people at Selcuk University in Konya, focused on the city's history, the impact of the poet Rumi on the culture and economics there, and on economic development for the future.

They also gave other talks in Konya and in Istanbul while in Turkey, visited Rumi's tomb, and took historical tours of the cities, Dalpour said. They visited Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, saw the huge Sultanhamet Mosque, and visited Topkapi Palace, which was home to the Ottoman Sultans for hundreds of years.

Their paper was very well-received. So well, in fact, they were made honorary citizens of the city of Konya, Dalpour said.

That's a very big honor, Dalpour explained, for two guys from a small town representing a school many people around the world, and around the country, have never heard of. Konya - a big city - has been around for thousands upon thousands of years.

It is probably linked to Neolithic site Catalhoyuk (pronounced shatal-hooyook) nearby, which was one of the oldest and largest cities in the ancient Middle East, according to Oplinger's section of the paper. Konya itself goes back to the Bronze Age, Oplinger said.

The city - called Iconium in Roman times - was also the home to Rumi during the last part of his life, and the place where the Islamic mystical tradition of sufism is said to have been born, Dalpour and Oplinger explained.

But aside from all the pomp and circumstance, the brilliant scholars and politicians they met, the wonderful discussions they had, one thing stood out for them, they said, and that was the distinctly Turkish form of hospitality they experienced.

"The hospitality was staggering," Oplinger said. "I was most impressed."This was his first trip to Turkey, he said. It was almost uncomfortable, at first, to be so well cared-for, for so much time, until he got used to it. They were poured so much tea, given so much coffee, chauffeured around town so much, it was almost hard to find time to sleep, Dalpour said.

"We were welcomed everywhere with love - real love," he said. "They really tried to please us."

Both are planning other papers, to be presented this April. Both are excited to go back.

'In the world, but not of it'

By Madhu Patel - India Post News Service -Chicago,IL,U.S.A.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The Anila Sinha Foundation through its 'Kathak Nrityakala Kendra' in collaboration with "Katha Dance Theatre" of Minneapolis presented two part stories in Indian performing arts "Kathak tradition". The venue was Triton College Auditorium in River Grove, IL.

The five-part sequence program started with the famous Mantra "Aham Brahmasmi" (Sanskrit "I am God") which is the often repeated phrase in the Upanishads. In this ecstatic statement of enlightenment, "I" does not refer to the individuality or outer nature, but to the essence of the soul which is ever identical to the Supreme Being, God Siva or Brahman, as Satchidananda and Parasiva, one of four Upanishadic "great sayings," mahavakya. Opening was with the Prayer to the supreme source of eternal bliss, happiness and true wisdom.

Next, all uncontrollable human experiences, i.e. suffering, anger, jealousy passion, lust and how one tries to run away was told. Liberation of above experiences through self realization was delivered with a series of Shlokas. Showing the self struggle and ultimately winning over oneself attaining "Aham Brahmasmi" was depicted. Hinduism, using Sanskrit media, is a like a Banyan tree and scholars have credited it for spreading knowledge and influencing world religions. The Mantra "Aham Brahmasmi" is understood by Sufis.

As Junayd said, "Sufism is that you should be with God--without any attachment." Ruwaym ibn Ahmad said, "Sufism consists of abandoning oneself to God in accordance with what God wills." Sufism is similar to the "Bhakti Marg" of Hinduism, which is being followed by numerous devotees in India and famous personalities of past such as Narasinh Mehta, Shabari and Meerabai to name a few. After interval, "Sufism Remembered" started.

'In the world, but not of it' is the Sufi's ideal. Free from ambition, greed, pride and blind obedience to custom, the Sufi's heart abounds with love and laughter. "Sufis are essentially mystics who recognize an all-pervading reality above and beyond this material world and human understanding. The concept of "Aham Brahmasmi" is the ancient sages' gift to the world and humanity. The world famous poets like, Rabia al Basri, Meerabai, Lalon Fakir, Kabir, Amir Khusrau, Seyyed Hossein Nasr through their selfless love for the Almighty were presented in the Kathak Dances. 'Ab Lagan laagi', "Sahib mere ek hai", "Chaap Tilak" were really mesmerizing.

The program provided the harmonious combination of lyric, music and dance which, if one soaks up and really fine tune with the Almighty, gives the feeling that you can get high without drugs and alcohol. It was a wonderful evening for connectivity with peace. Though it was bitter cold outside, over 75 dedicated art lovers and devotees fought the weather to enjoy the peace. Choreographer Kiran Chauhan and her associate Rita Mustaphi were part of performing group of eight artists. Jaikishan Maharaj provided the music.

Konya Rejoices in Mawlana Festival

By Ekrem Aytas - Zaman Online - Istanbul, Turkey

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

A festival to mark the 733rd anniversary of the great Sufi Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi’s death was marked by the participation of thousands.

With a number of cultural activities, the city of Konya turned into a fairground. Tens of thousands of people of different religion and race speaking different languages gathered together under Mawlana’s message of tolerance. City hotels had been booked well in advance of the festival and additional accommodation opened every day. Those unable to participate in the festival could reach Mawlana through the Internet, newspapers or journals.

Konya Mayor Tahir Akyurek stressed that because of the overwhelming interest and the dramatic increase in the number of visitors, they had to make new arrangements.
According to the information Akyurek gave, Koreans, Japanese, British, Germans, Italians and Australians were most interested in the festival.

“Last year for the first time, considering the growing interest, the festival was increased to 10 days. However, it became evident that even this was not sufficient. This year, we made it 17 days. More than 70,000 visitors had the chance to participate in the festival this year.”

The Ministry of Culture’s whirling dervish show was the center of the festival, organized by the Mawlana Cultural Center of Konya.

Six exhibitions were opened. Panels and symposia were held at the Mawlana Museum and at the halls of the city cultural office.

“Mawlana’s works are best-sellers. There is a huge interest all over the world. Mawlana does not belong to Konya alone; he belongs to the world now,” said the Konya mayor.

Seb-i Arus, the last day of the festival, attracted a great deal of attention and participation. The occasion held in the Mawlana Cultural Center was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, Chair of the People’s Republican Party (CHP) Deniz Baykal, state ministers Nimet Cubukcu and Mehmet Aydin, Minister of Culture and Tourism Atilla Koc, Chair of State Council Sumru Cortoglu and foreign ambassadors.

The festival was broadcasted live and began with the artist Ahmet Ozhan’s performance, and continued with a whirling dervish show staged by the Turkish Sufi Music Band.

The entire occasion drew great attention from the audience, including Erdogan.

The prayer session held before the occasion at the Mawlana Museum was attended by thousands of people.

The great Islamic scholar Mawlana died on December 17, 1273. Mawlana described the day he died as his wedding night with God.

"Sufi singing, just like being a Sufi, is different"

By Amrita Chaudry - Ludhiana Newsline, Express India - India
Monday, December 18, 2006

Chand Nizami, the younger of the Nizami Bandhus, well known qawwals from Delhi, takes immense pride in the fact that his forefathers came to India along with one of the great Sufis, Nizzamudin Auliya, some 600 years ago.

``Our family has been singing along with this great Sufi and later at his dargah in Delhi, and this traditions continue till date,’’ informs Chand, while pointing towards his nephew, Shahdab Faridi, who is the son of Chand’s elder brother, Gulam Farid Nizami. Shahdab, says he has been singing with his elders since he was 10-year-old.

``Qawwali is one of the oldest traditions of singing and till date, we follow classical form,’’ says Chand, who is however pained at ``how singers are selling everything and anything under the Sufi label.’’ ``See Sufi singing is in Persian and what is happening these days is that people after learning a few couplets of Bulle Shah or any other Sufi think they have become Sufi singers.

Sufi singing, just like being a Sufi, is a completely different genre.The style of rending these Sufi qawwalis is totally different and even the pronounciation of the words.’’

Ask him if Punjabi qawwals sing Sufi kalams with the right pronounciation and Chand becomes defensive. ``Yes at place they have this Punjabi touch in Urdu but then this is quite natural for Urdu is not their mother tongue. Basically singing is a gift of God and when a talented singer sings, it is a sheer magic. See the way Wadali brothers perform. At places their pronounciation may sound different to us but then the kind of magic that Wadali brothers can weave many of us cannot do that.’’

Commenting on films giving a new lease of life to qawwalis, Chand said: ``Yes, films have breathed a new life in this genre of singing which otherwise was limited to Dargahs. There is a change in the form when it comes to filmi qawwalis but then we can not grudge this, for after all qawwalis have become famous only after films took it to masses,’’ added Chand.

Keeping the tradition going Nizami Bandhus were brought to town by a well known Mughlai hotel chain, Moti Mahal [pearl palace]. Talking about the qawwali nite, Monish Gujral, the owner of Moti Mahal Delus, said: ``My grand father had live qawwali performance at his hotels. The first one was opened in 1920 in Pehswar and after partition we came to New Delhi. Nizami Bandhus have been with us since those days when their father used to sing qawwalis at our hotel. But now at times we have space constraint, so we can not put up live performance but then we have our own Moti Mahal trails.

This nite today is to announce the Mughlai food festival will open at hotel from tomorrow and continue till January 7.’’

Dutch DJ spins web of sound

Gulf Daily News - Manama,Bahrain

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Iranian-born Dutch DJ Ishtar will be performing on Friday at Club Seven, Mishal Hotel, Manama. Known as the "ambassadress of contemporary Middle Eastern music", Ishtar is a multi-talented international DJ, art gallery manager and traveller.
She has been based in the Netherlands since 1990.

Ishtar was discovered by the Arabic Lounge Nomads (Supper Club) in Amsterdam. where she remained resident until last year and now spins at national and international events, from Holland to India.

Ishtar mixes various styles into a colourful, eclectic web of sound with a passion for modern electronic world and oriental music. She's also a radio DJ presenting programmes in world music on Dutch NPS, Studio 6 and for International Iranian Radio Zamaneh.

Not one to be consumed by any one thing, Ishtar is also a lecturer and a Master of Arts graduate in Sociology of Religion from the University of Amsterdam and is artistic director of the foundation De Levante in Amsterdam, promoting Middle Eastern and North African arts and culture.

Spiritually a Sufi, she also gives monthly workshops in the art of Sufi Sema dance and has been appointed by the Tajik Sufi master Ostad Dolatmand as his spokesperson in the Western world.

On top of it all she is co-operating on a book, The Best of Two Worlds, about her life as an immigrant and on Shirin Neshat's new screen movie beginning in February next year.

Closing ceremony of Rumi's Urs [reunion with God]

By Cihan News Agency/Zaman Online - Istanbul, Turkey
Monday, December 18, 2006

The closing ceremony of events held to commemorate the 733rd anniversary of the passing of Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi was held on Sunday in the central Turkish city of Konya, where Rumi spent most of his life and produced his works.

The ceremony was held at Mevlana Culture Centre in the presence of a crowded audience. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, main opposition leader Deniz Baykal, Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc attended the event. Other cabinet ministers, MPs and foreign ambassadors in Turkey were also present.

Police searched the hall with sniffer dogs about an hour prior to the ceremony.

A Sufi music concert was performed and the program was broadcast live by dozens of TV channels. The ceremony ended with a "Sema" performance by the Semazens, or whirling dervishes.

Mevlana, also known as Rumi, was a philosopher and mystic of Islam, but not a Muslim of the orthodox type. His doctrine advocates tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love.

His peaceful and tolerant teachings have appealed to people of all sects and creeds.
Mevlana was born on 30 September 1207 in Balkh, in present day Afghanistan and died on December 17, 1273 in Konya. He was laid to rest beside his father and over his remains a splendid shrine was erected.

The 13th century building with its mosque, dance hall, dervish living quarters, school and tombs of some leaders of the Mevlevi Order continues to this day to draw pilgrims from all parts of the Muslim and non-Muslim world.

The "dance" of the whirling dervishes is called a Sema and it represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love.

MMA firm to boycott Assembly sessions

Online - International News Network - Islamabad,Pakistan
Sunday, December 17, 2006

Islamabad: President of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Qazi Hussain Ahmad on Sunday announced that MMA has decided not to attend assembly sessions and the religious amalgamation will not accept any privileges from the parliament and stay away from committee meetings as well.

MMA will remain united at all costs for the ouster of President General Pervez Musharraf from power, he said while addressing the gathering of party members here at Jamaat-e-Islami office.
"Our protest against the government will be peaceful and we are ready to face the bullets if the government try to sabotage the protest ," he pledged.

Referring to the government policies for bringing unrestrained freedom, he said, we will not allow secularism in the country.

He also urged Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to leave government patronized Sufism and join ranks of True Islam. The real Sufi preaches Jehad instead of loneliness and reconciliation, he added.

International colloquium on Sufism held in Bejaia

By Nazim Fethi - Magharebia - Bejaia, Algeria

Sunday, December 17, 2006

The 3rd international colloquium on Sufism closed on Wednesday (December 13th) in Bejaia, following four days of meetings. The event drew 40 academics and researchers from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, the United States, Germany, Iran, France, Bulgaria and China. It followed the international colloquium of researchers from 30 countries on the Tidjani Sufi order in Ain-Madhi last month.

Bejaia [220 miles east of Algiers], known as the "City of the 90 saints", was chosen for its distinguished history. It is the birthplace of Ibn Khaldun and has been a cultural and scientific centre for centuries, as well as a centre of Sufism.

The discussions focused on three areas: the virtues of theoretical Sufism, the transition which theoretical Sufism is undergoing, and the Sufi Tariqah ("way"), particularly in the Maghreb, West Africa, Turkey and the Balkans.

Sufism, a mystic tradition of Islam, originated in the religious teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. According to 11th century scholar Abu Hamid El Ghazali, Sufism is compatible with mainstream Islamic thought and theology because it developed from the Qur'an.

According to the organizers, the colloquium examined the development of the Sufi faith, its foundations, its masters and its followers, giving pride of place to the humanities and social sciences, poetry and semiotics. The participants focused on highlighting the message given by Sufism, the cardinal virtues of which are piety, tolerance, generosity and hospitality.

"A gathering can only be productive if it reopens debates. We, for whom doubt is a vocation, have to doubt if we are to move forwards. Those who are sure of what they believe in feel threatened," researcher Ahmed Ben Naoum said of the debate surrounding the Sufi movement. "The colloquium is an opportunity for us to discuss our ideas and also improve and build scientific theories. Talking about Sufism doesn’t mean we are Sufis ourselves. Our job is to study the traces it has left and the changes in its practices."

"These meetings enable researchers to share their knowledge, and Sufism is a peaceful movement. It preaches love for one’s neighbour, and that’s where Sufism has expanded beyond all limitations and ambiguities, making it a middle path far removed from religious extremism," Professor Kenneth Abdul Hadi Honerkamp from the University of Georgia [U.S.A.] said.

Sheikh El Tidjani Benaamar Kan, the son of the founder of the House of the Holy Qur'an in Senegal, Sheikha Meriem Ibrahim Ilias, of the Tidjani Sufi order, believes that Sufism means living alongside others and accepting their differences.
Kan said Senegal, where a large proportion of inhabitants are Sufis, is a testament to the Sufi spirit because President Abdoulaye Wade -- who is openly Sufi and married to a Christian -- was voted into power by 50% of the Muslim population.

Enthralling performances of mystic musicians

By Arunima Chakraborty - The Financial Express - Bombay,India
Sunday, December 17, 2006

At half past nine that Sunday evening when the show ended, there would have been many who wished the show would go on. During the evening, the melomaniacs of Delhi withstood the December chill and an unexpected drizzle at the amphitheatre to enjoy the powerful, enthralling performances of mystic musicians.

The occasion was Ruhaniyat, a Sufi and mystic music festival, claimed to be the “biggest” in the country; and the artistes were all talented musicians who, in different languages and through diverse forms of music, enabled the audience to feel that ineffable sense of bliss which Sufi music always invokes.

Ruhaniyat, as Kailash Mehra Sandhu -an artiste at the festival- explained, means: “that which satiates the ruh or the soul.”

It was held for the first time in Mumbai in 2001 and this year, another five cities- Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, witnessed the festival.

Mahesh Babu, director of Banyan Tree Events, the cultural organisation which has conceivd and produced Ruhaniyat said: “I feel it is a necessity today to showcase the works of Sufis and mystics because they know how to rise above the mundane, materialistic problems of life. Their music is always unique.”

Why does Ruhaniyat often feature relatively unknown artistes? According to Babu, “This year, the festival in Mumbai featured artistes from Tibet and Iran. And in Delhi, we invited musicians from even Bengal and Assam. They are not stars but artistes who wholeheartedly endeavour to keep alive the traditions of mystic music.”

In fact, the artistes were remarkably honest and unassuming in their attitude; they all chose to speak about their love for Sufi music and its rich heritage rather than about their own achievements.
Hafiza Begum Chaudhury, who sang a couple of mellifluous Jikir Jari compositions of Azan Peer, a 16th century Sufi saint of Assam explained how Sufi music in the state was greatly influenced by Vaishnavism.

A modern-music artist witb Doordarshan, Guwahati, Hafiza Begum said, “I loved Jikir Jari ever since my childhood. However, the sad reality is that even in its birth place—Assam, this genre of mystic music is not very popular. So, I am pleased that Banyan Tree is making such sincere efforts to popularise lesser-known forms of music.”

Another artiste who performed at the festival was Kailash Mehra Sandhu. He sang Kashmiri Sufi kalams and said, “Ruhaniyat is a wonderful platform for us to bond with the audience through the music of God.” Sandhu, a professor of music at the Jammu University has sung all of kinds of songs in Dogri, Tamil and Bengali. “But it is Sufi music which is closest to my heart,” and added that Sufi kalams have the peculiar power to soothe and excite at the same time.

One artiste who got long ovations after each of her performances was Parvati Baul from Bengal. Sitting on the floor of the green room and munching a samosa, she dilated upon the Baul culture. She said: “There are four kinds of Baul singers—Aaul, Baul, Darbesh and Sai; their music vary, but all of them believe in the attainment of Providence through sadhana.”

Parvati, who studied at Shantiniketan and has been performing at Ruhaniyat since its first year, feels that it is only a matter of time before folk and mystic music become as popular as classical or film music. She said: “It all dependes on how habituated the listener’s ears are to a particular kind of music. I find Flaminco music riveting today, but I don’t think I felt the same when I first heard it. In short, the more people listen to various kinds of Sufi music, the more they’ll love it.”

And Ruhaniyat, the music festival, by familiarising music-lovers with the magic of Sufi music, will in all probability, help them fall in love with it. Now that’s certainly a good deed.

Kattankudy: Special Judge's final decision

Bureau report - TamilNet - Sri Lanka

Saturday, December 16, 2006

The remains of M. S. Abdul Payilvan, a leader of the Sufi sect, which was buried amidst vehement protests by the orthodox Muslims of Kathankudyat Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds, was exhumed Friday around 5:30 p.m, in the presence of Batticaloa Senior Superintendent of Police Maxie Proctor on the orders of Special Judge Mohamed Isardeen from Colombo, Kathankudy sources said.

The burial triggered controversy and brought clashes between orthodox Muslims and members of the Sufi sect in Kathankudy for the past 9 days.

The Special Judge had come to Kathankudy to conduct inquiries related to the petition filed by Kathankudy Ullama Board in Batticaloa Magistrate Courts.

Judge Mohamed Isardeen, after holding inquiries Friday morning, ordered Payilvan's remains to be exhumed and interred in the common Muslim Burial grounds. The Judge also directed the Police to demolish the Tharikathul Muflieen building of the Sufi sect as it had been built without the necessary permission of Kathankudy Town Council.

Following the verdict of the judge, a discussion was held in Batticaloa Police Head Quarters on exhuming the remains of Payilvan and demolishing the Tharikathul Muflieen building.
After the discussion, at Kathankudy, Payilvan's followers and Sufi sect Ullamas who stood guarding the Sufi sect building assisted by the police, were led out of the site, escorted.

The building was then demolished by hundred volunteers and heavy machinery as thousands of people watched, accompanied by the loud chanting of 'Thakbir'.

Media persons were not allowed either to take photographs or to video film the demolishing of the building.

Kathankudy police said that the tension prevailing in Kathankudy for the past nine days was showing signs of easing down.

Escalating tension: attack in Kattankudy

Bureau report - TamilNet - Sri Lanka
Friday, December 15, 2006

A Police Sub Inspector was injured when unidentified persons hurled hand grenades on a Buffel Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) taking the Police officials from Batticaloa Police Head Quarters, to a conference with Kattankudy Ulamas (Muslim religious hierarchy) at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, Police sources said.

The meeting was aimed at exploring ways to diffuse the escalating tension among orthodox Muslims, members of Islamic Sufi sect, and the police in Kattankudy area in Batticaloa district.

The injured Sub Inspector, M. Chandrasena, was admitted to the Kattankudy district hospital.
The attack took place along the Batticaloa ­ Kalmunai road in Kattankudy town where Police, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Special Task Force (STF) in large number maintain a strict security. Two grenades were thrown at the Buffel when the curfew was in force in this area, Police sources said.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and five others were injured when Police opened fire to disperse the rioting mobs in Kattankudy town around 5:00 pm Thursday.
The injured were admitted to the Batticaloa Teaching hospital. The dead person was identified as Mohammad Mustafa Mohammad Rafik, 38.

The orthodox Muslims, clashing with the Islamic sect Sufi, demand the remains of M. S. Abdul Payilvan, one of the leaders of Sufi sect and the President of All Island Tharikathul Mufliheen, to be removed from Kattankudy soil and buried elsewhere.

They have also observed a Hartal [total shutdown] from last Thursday demanding the removal of the body.

Bahya ibn Paquda's Duties of the Heart

Book review by PennPress - University of Pennsylvania - PA,U.S.A.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Diana Lobel

A Sufi-Jewish DialoguePhilosophy and Mysticism in Bahya ibn Paquda's Duties of the Heart

368 pages 6 x 9 Cloth Nov 2006 ISBN 0-8122-3953-9

$59.95s £39.00

"An ambitious attempt to fill a long-standing lacuna in the history of Jewish thought by presenting a synthesis and evaluation of Bahya in his intellectual context. It draws on over a century of scholarship, suggests some new sources for Bahya and new readings of old sources, and offers an interpretation of his thought."—Charles H. Manekin, University of Maryland

"This manuscript contains a subtle, probing, and rich exposition of the key issue of devotional self-examination within Jewish and Islamic mysticism. The author has a superb sense of Arabic, Sufi mystical psychology, and the extraordinary dialogue (sometimes openly acknowledged, often left unacknowledged) among Jewish, Islamic, Christian, and Greek traditions at the time of Ibn Paquda."—Michael Sells, University of Chicago

Written in Judeo-Arabic in eleventh-century Muslim Spain but quickly translated into Hebrew, Bahya Ibn Paquda's Duties of the Heart is a profound guidebook of Jewish spirituality that has enjoyed tremendous popularity and influence to the present day. Readers who know the book primarily in its Hebrew version have likely lost sight of the work's original Arabic context and its immersion in Islamic mystical literature. In A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue, Diana Lobel explores the full extent to which Duties of the Heart marks the flowering of the "Jewish-Arab symbiosis," the interpenetration of Islamic and Jewish civilizations.

Lobel reveals Bahya as a maverick who integrates abstract negative theology, devotion to the inner life, and an intimate relationship with a personal God. Bahya emerges from her analysis as a figure so steeped in Islamic traditions that an Arabic reader could easily think he was a Muslim, yet the traditional Jewish seeker has always looked to him as a fountainhead of Jewish devotion. Indeed, Bahya represents a genuine bridge between religious cultures.

He brings together, as well, a rationalist, philosophical approach and a strain of Sufi mysticism, paving the way for the integration of philosophy and spirituality in the thought of Moses Maimonides.

A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue is the first scholarly book in English about a tremendously influential work of medieval Jewish thought and will be of interest to readers working in comparative literature, philosophy, and religious studies, particularly as reflected in the interplay of the civilizations of the Middle East.

Readers will discover an extraordinary time when Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thinkers participated in a common spiritual quest, across traditions and cultural boundaries.

Diana Lobel is Associate Professor of Religion at Boston University. She is the author of Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari.

A music academy in Jammu & Kashmir

HT Correspondent - Hindustan Times - India

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Asking the music and art-loving youth in the state to break all shackles, famous instrumentalist and vocalist Abhay Rustum Sopori on Wednesday said he wants J&K to come into international recognition.

"I want to take an initiative to bring people back to their roots, to their music and culture," Sopori said, addressing a news conference at Jammu. Sopori Academy of Music and Performing Arts (SaMaPa), a vision of Sopori's family, carries a legacy of nine to 10 generations in music.

Music, art and cultural activities in the state suffered a lot in the state after insurgency broke out in early nineties. However, Sopori believes music would prevail over violence.

"Certainly there have been lesser cultural activities in the state in the last 17 years. But things are getting better now," he said.

He promised establishing a music academy in the state within next two years. "Raising buildings alone won't help. Before we establish an academy over here, I want more interest to be generated among the youth here," Sopori said.

SaMaPa is organising an eight-day festival of Indian classical and Sufi Music from December 14 in Jammu.

He stressed, "SaMaPa is a movement not merely an academy. For bringing music and culture to the people, we've to take an initiative. I know there is not a bright future in the state for music and art. But I promise you that within four to five years, there'll be a music revolution in J&K."

Sopori also promised organising a Sufi festival in the state.

"India Everywhere": Dancing India in Tokyo

By Divya Unny - Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Shiamak Davar on his performance at the 'India Everywhere' campaign in Tokyo:

What is your performance all about?
I’m very privileged that I have been chosen as the cultural ambassador for the Indo-Japanese exchange. I will be performing with my troupe on December 14th in front of the Indian and Japanese prime ministers and it is truly an honour.

Have you put together something special for this performance?
I wish to promote modern Indian culture through my shows. I want to break through the image of India being only about classical dance and blend in many more elements. So, I have put together a fusion of Bollywood with other dance forms like Sufi and Katputli. We will also be performing a little Japanese dance number.

Do you think exchanges like these should happen more often?I performed at the World Economic Forum on a similar platform and I think it is hugely important for cultural exchange and growth of India as a nation. I’m glad that I am a part of it!