Sufism can bridge the gap

TNI Correspondent - The News International - Pakistan

Saturday, February 10, 2007/Muharam 21, 1428 A.H.

President Pakistan Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, has said that Sufism can bridge the gap between Islam and the West and by following its teachings adherents of the different faiths could contribute towards the common goals of peace, tolerance and harmony.

Delivering inaugural address at the book launching ceremony of "Sufism in the West" by Jamal Malik here in Islamabad on Friday, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that Pakistan is the land of great Sufi saints, who had done a great job in spreading the message of Islam.

He congratulated the author of the book for his pioneering work and said that it would educate the people of Pakistan about the great mystic traditions and practices. "Jamal Malik is a scholar of international repute, whose book would help in spreading peace and tolerance in Pakistan and the world at large," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary General PML, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, said that Islam is the religion of brotherhood, tolerance and eternal universal values and there's a need for the West to explore the real essence of this great religion.

He said that Islamic mysticism has done great service in eradicating misperceptions about Islam and the works of great Sufi mystics like Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi are selling like hot cakes nowadays and are read with great enthusiasm and interest in the West.

It's due to the teachings of such great Sufi personalities that Islam is spreading fast in the West," he observed.

Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Prof. Dr. Khalid Masood, also spoke on the occasion and paid glowing tributes to Jamal Malik for his contribution to the Islamic mysticism. He said that it was a matter of great honour and privilege for a Pakistani to educate students and scholars about Sufism at the universities of Bonn and Heidelberg.

Jamal Malik delivered a scholarly address on the occasion and shed light on the different aspects of the Sufi tradition.