What about Country?

By Dilshad D. Ali, "Kareem Salama: A Muslim Country Singer for Your iPod" - Beliefnet - New York, NY, USA

Thursday, March 26, 2009

When I think of Muslim musicians, the genres of hip hop, rap, maybe a little rock, and of course the more religious category of nasheeds and Sufi-type music come to mind. But what about country?

Putting aside the whole huge debate of whether music is halal (acceptable) or haram (forbidden) in Islam--have you ever heard of a Muslim country singer/musician? The two words seem as out of sync as oil and water.

But then again, you may not have heard of Kareem Salama, a Muslim country singer who's fan base is growing. Salama's star is rising due to his blend of spiritual, meaning-filled music that draws upon the lilt, vulnerability, and rhythms of country music.

Beliefnet's Muslim columnist Hesham Hassaballa, who writes an occasional "Hesham's iPod" column about "what's buzzworthy and spiritual in the world of Muslim music," recently interviewed Salama about what inspires him, what drives him, and how his music isn't "overtly Islamic," but rather overtly human.

Hesham's recommendation? You'll want this unique artist on your iPod.

Interview by Hesham Hassaballa, "A Muslim's Unique Take on Country Music" - Beliefnet

In the genre of country music, Muslim musician Kareem Salama has found his niche. But he doesn't sing "Allah" with a guitar and a cowboy hat, he just sings of faith.

I was never really a country music fan, and I never thought I would purchase any country music album. That was until I listened to Kareem Salama. I first heard this talented musician at the entertainment session of the Islamic Society of North America conference a few years in Chicago. I thought he was good, but initially I wasn't really that impressed. In fact, I was basically "forced" to buy his album from a friend of mine who wanted to promote him and his music.

But sometimes we’re put on a path that has a good destination, though we don’t know of it at the time. And so when I put Kareem Salama in my iPod, I became forever hooked ... maybe not on country music, but definitely on this country musician.

Born and raised in the small town of Ponca City, Oklahoma, Kareem Salama is the son of (like me) Egyptian immigrants. A chemical engineer and now lawyer by trade, Kareem Salama's his venture into music was long in the making. Writing on his website, Salama says, "I began writing songs when I was very young, but I became a more serious writer because of my love for classical poetry." His songs culminated in his first album, “Generous Peace,” which came out in 2006 and is currently available on iTunes.

The album is a wonderful collection of songs with deep meaning and messages. A soothing spirituality weaves throughout each song, but there is nothing overtly Islamic in this album either, which is exactly how I like Muslim music. You don’t have to be Muslim to listen to this. Kareem Salama doesn't sing "Allah" with a guitar and a cowboy hat.

But I can feel Allah throughout his music. One of my favorites on this album is "Land Called Paradise," in which Salama sings about going to the "Valley of the King." The music video to that song is extremely touching, and it won the Grand Prize in the 2007 One Nation/Link TV film contest. My absolute favorite song, however, is "Lady Mary," where Salama sings about the mother of Jesus is such a beautiful way that it almost always brings tears to my eyes.

Salama’s second album, "This Life of Mine," came out in 2007. I recently was blessed to interview Salama, and his answers reveal a deeply reflective singer who puts his all in his music.

Were you always into country music?
Most everyone where I'm from listens to some country music. So to greater or lesser degrees I always enjoyed country music. I love the lyrics and the stories in country music. They are real and reflect what I believe to be good art--art that is inspiring. I’m an Aristotelian in that way. I believe art should serve truth.

Although I can see Islamic thoughts infused in your music, there is nothing overtly Islamic in your songs. Is this intentional?
I would say talking about love is overtly Islamic. It may also be overtly Christian, Jewish, or even overtly human but the fact that the subject matters I discuss are common to all people doesn't make them any less overtly Islamic. If what is meant by “overtly Islamic” is the mentioning of Arabic words and specific religious figures, that kind of music is better left to the great Sufi writers who are far better at writing devotional works for the traveler on the path.

You have an impressive educational resume. Do you intend to do law work in addition to singing?
Yes at some point. I would like to do something in intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, etc.). That way I can combine my knowledge of engineering, my interest in the arts and my legal degree.

How has the reception been for you as an American Muslim country singer?
I haven't heard anything but positive feedback from the people who have heard it. This being the case regardless of people’s religious or even cultural backgrounds.

Do you write all your own songs?
I write all the lyrics and the melodies and some of the chord progressions. Typically I write with my producer, Aristotle. I give him a rough outline of what I want to do in terms of either melody or chord progression, and he works on the composition.

Where do you see your singing career going from here? Grand Ole Opry? Grammys?
I am not entirely sure. I leave it to God. I am open to whatever direction the winds of decree may take me.

A Muslim recently won a Golden Globe for best musical score for “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman. Will you be the first Muslim Grammy winner?
I wouldn't bet on it but I'm sure in the coming years you'll see more and more American Muslims in the mainstream music industry.

Do you think your music can help combat radicalism among Muslim youth, especially given recent tragic events?
I haven't observed in "radicals" in America. I'm not sure people in other parts of the world that may be "radicals" care to listen to my music. I do hope that my music inspires anyone and everyone and contributes to a growing amount of authentic American art produced by young American Muslims.

Have you thought about performing in the land of your ancestry, Egypt?
I have and have been invited a few times to perform there. I just haven't yet, but I do have it on my "things to do" list.

You have a new album out ... any plans for others?
The most recent album is about a year and a half old. The current plan is to produce a mainstream release that will be marketed and distributed widely, God willing.
...
Kareem Salama is a definite keeper for your iPod, and look for very good things to come from this American Muslim engineer-lawyer-country singer.

Multicultural in our Ears

Entertainment Desk, "10 Questions for A.R. Rahman" - Time - USA
Thursday, March 26, 2009

How do you think your career will change now that you've won two very well-deserved Oscars? Rue Roy, LONDON

I have been getting a lot of offers from Hollywood. A lot of my aspirations — like I wanted to work with an orchestra — are possible now. Collaborations are possible with pop artists and icons and all that stuff.

Do you plan to go West and work outside Bollywood? Jay Bee, TORONTO
I think I partly want to do that, but I don't want to just desert this place and go. It won't be fair on my musicality. I will probably balance out both.

What was the difference between making the music for Slumdog Millionaire and the music for Indian films? Divyam Gupta, LIMA
Each director [has] their own kind of rapport with other artists. When I work with Mani Ratnam, there's one kind of rapport. When I work with Ashutosh Gowariker, it's different. So with [Slumdog Millionaire director] Danny Boyle, automatically a different sense came in. He had his own taste of music and I was very interested in knowing what he liked about my music.

Do you believe in a universal music? Kimberly Choi, SEATTLE
I do, because all of us are, in a way, getting multicultural in our ears. All of us are listening to different kinds of music and the bottom line is most of us love melodies, most of us love grooves. So there is a kind of universality, and when you focus on it you can find it.

As a convert to Islam, do you view your career in a spiritual light? Zainab Sheikh, NEW YORK CITY
I believe that when good vibes come from people, like prayers and love, it changes your destiny and that's what I always felt about my life. [I've had] a lot of goodwill from family and Sufi peers. Getting those two Oscars — I definitely feel that I have to thank all those people.

Some Islamic fundamentalists forbid music. What's your view? Syed Qadeer, LAKE IN THE HILLS, ILL.
I have personally discovered that love and music cleanse your mind and heal you and these are my explanations and reasons to follow music. I can't answer the question of whether it's right or wrong, but I know that whatever I am doing is being loved by people and I do get my prayers answered.

I recently heard the remix of "Jai Ho" featuring the Pussycat Dolls and was surprised that you consented to have that done to such a beautiful song. What motivated it? Mayank Keshaviah, LOS ANGELES
I didn't want [the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack] to die as a film soundtrack. I wanted to extend it to a younger audience, too. We made sure that we told [the Pussycat Dolls] that this was a song about destiny, about love and all that stuff. [It's] about victory, so don't make it obscene. Make it lovable. And I think they did a very good job ... It took almost eight different tries to get it right.

Where do you see yourself fitting into the modern scheme of music? Grant Wilder, HOUSTON
I love to embrace new technology and new ideas. But I think melody plays a very important role in my sensibility in music. Melody and harmony — that never changes. All the classics are always classics.

What do you listen to on your MP3 player? Katie Hires, BETHEL, CONN.
What I listened to yesterday were the ghazal [a Sufi song form] of Mehdi Hassan and then I listened to Tchaikovsky, and then I listened to an Irish artist — I don't know who it was. So it's like three weird things. I was traveling from Bangalore to Chennai.

Is there any way you could beat your Oscar success? Hannah Pederson, PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA
Some people have been nominated 38 times and not won. Some composers 10 times, 11 times. I have been really lucky to have been nominated [in three categories] in the same year and then got two of those. It's really amazing. To beat this record musically? I would love to but [it's more important] to get the spirit back in writing music.

Fertile Ground

Staff Report, "Mysticism has assumed role of popular religion, says Indian scholar" - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan
Thursday, March 26, 2009

* Dr Fatima Hussain from Delhi University, India, delivers lecture on ‘The Tradition of Mysticism in Subcontinent’ * PAL chairman calls for introduction of Sufism as a subject

Islamabad: In the present global context, when formal religions are often not only being ridiculed but also viewed as a deterrent to social cohesion, the role of popular religion in the form of mysticism has assumed a new dimension.

Renowned history scholar from Delhi University, India, Dr Fatima Hussain, expressed these views while delivering a lecture on “The Tradition of Mysticism in Subcontinent” arranged by Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL).

She said in today’s strife-torn society, oblivious to rising or plunging GDPs, happiness came as a premium. The overwhelming desire to possess is an indicator of a consumerist culture propelled by the unbridled growth of capitalist enterprise, she said, adding, neo-imperialism has fanned conflict everywhere, forcing people to take up violent means to seek redressal from injustice.

People of different religious, racial and national affiliations view each other with suspicion, she added. She said the current intellectual propensity was to debunk religion on the pretext that it had been a cause of bloodshed throughout history and served to divide, rather than unite people.

“My personal opinion, as a student of comparative religion, is quite different since all religions of the world took birth with a noble intent,” she said, adding, it is only when they became pedantic and were increasingly institutionalised to sanctify political and economic designs considered repressive and hence abominable.

She said many Sufis were highly skeptical of such practices, charging them with not having any essential links with Islam. Sometimes, individuals described themselves as Sufis but not as Muslims, responding to the universality of ecstatic mystical experience and the particularity of Sufi routes to that experience, she added.

She said in the literary and linguistic landscape of South Asia, regional vernaculars flourished in a complex interplay with the language of the ruling elite. In this context too, Sufis played a very important role since they preached in the language of the common collectives, she said. While the religious and political elite talked down to people, the Sufis talked to the people, while imposing the conceptual structures of Islam through the use of popular ideas which were already in existence.

The Sufis teachings of human brotherhood, peaceful coexistence, egalitarianism and service towards humanity, provided fertile ground for bridging the gap between various religious and linguistic communities of South Asia, said Hussain.

She said Sufism and Tasawwuf was an almost impossible task; however for the sake of pedagogic convenience Sufism may be described as devotion to God and love for humanity to achieve the ultimate objective of closeness with God the ecstatic, rapturous and blissful state and finally ‘visal’ then annihilation in God.

Speaking on the occasion, PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman said poets and writers of Pakistan had waged a great struggle against dictators. He called for revival of Sufi literature, which is essential for promotion of tolerance and peace in the society.

He said PAL would hold the annual urs of all the Sufi saints in all major cities of the country. He also called for introduction of Sufism as a subject in schools and colleges.Prof. Khawaja Masud said Sufism should be promoted in Pakistan.

[Picture: Delhi University, Faculty of ARTS. Visit the University Of Delhi http://www.du.ac.in/index.html].

Living in the Heart

By Bureau Report, "School staff visits shrine of Rahman Baba" - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Peshawar: Principal and the staff of Peshawar Public School and College, Warsak Road, visited the shrine of Abdur Rahman Baba and paid tribute to the great Sufi poet.

A delegation of teachers, led by Principal Arbab Mohammad Jamil Khan, paid a visit to the tomb of the 17th century Sufi poet the other day and expressed their anguish over desecration of the shrine at the hands of unknown miscreants on February 25.

Speaking on the occasion, he said Rahman Baba was not only a great Sufi poet but also a great social reformer whose refined poetry has helped shape the outlook of Pakhtuns for ages. He added that Baba’s poetry was a perpetual source of inspiration for all segments of the society from old and young, poor and rich, men to women and educated to illiterate.

Jamil Khan appealed to the authorities concerned to give full protection to the shrines throughout the province for, he said, they are our cultural heritage and a symbol of national pride.

“Rahman Baba is considered as the poet of humanism, love, mutual harmony, universalism; he is living in the heart of every Pakhtun; he cannot be ousted from our minds and souls; bombing of his shrine is a great crime committed by those who are bent on causing damage to our cultural and religious symbols. We need to unite for saving our national heritage and country’s pride,” he added.

Later, he laid a floral wreath on Baba’s grave and offered fateha.

[Picture: Facades in Peshawar's Walled City. Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawar].

Oscars at Saint’s Feet

By Our Special Correspondent, "Oscars at saint’s feet" - The Telegraph - Calcutta, India
Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Kadapa: A.R. Rahman rushed to place both his Oscars before the tomb of a Sufi saint within hours of his arrival in India from Los Angeles.

The composer arrived at the Ameen Peer Dargah in Kadapa, 405 km [252 miles] southwest of Hyderabad, to pray at the Hazrat Khwaja Syed Shah Ameenullah Malik Urs on its third and last day.

After the special Friday prayers, the tahleel fateha, he told reporters he never missed Urs at the shrine since he had sought spiritual guidance from the Peer throughout his life, on personal and professional matters.

“I believe I was able to win the Oscars only because of the blessings of the Almighty and the Peer of Ameen Peer Dargah.”

Rahman — who wore a white pyjama, red kurta and the traditional white cap — arrived with his mother and brothers. He offered a chaddar and sought the Ameen Peer’s blessing. He knelt down to pray, with his family joining him.

Picture: A.R. Rahman at the dargah

Concerns

By Mark White, "Fears Pakistan Crisis Used For Recruitment" - Sky News - UK
Monday, March 23, 2009

Community leaders are warning that the on-going political turmoil in Pakistan could become a more effective rallying call to extremism than either the conflict in Iraq or Afghanistan.

They fear radical groups could use Pakistan as a means of recruiting disaffected youth because of the close family ties many British Muslims retain with Pakistan.

Haras Rafiq from the Sufi Muslim Council told Sky News that recruiters have played on the idea of a global Muslim brotherhood when using Iraq and Afghanistan to win over impressionable minds.

But he said the difference with Pakistan is that many feel a loyalty to the country that goes beyond religion.

"The lack of understanding among some young people about what is happening in Pakistan but the emotional links that are still there from a family and ethnicity perspective is a key enabler for actually radicalising youngsters that way...

"There's likely to be more pay-back for extremist organisations in terms of their propaganda investment because of these emotional links."

It is a view many who work in youth organisations for the Muslim community seem to agree with.

Mohammed Shafiq from the Ramadhan Foundation said: "It's real. We have family there. My in-laws are living in Pakistan, so there's that sense of connection, not just in terms of the wider religious significance, but in that cultural ethnic origin.

"I think that's what makes the threat more real and why watching the events in Pakistan over the past few months has been very worrying for the British Pakistani Community."

Controversial political groups, such as Hizb ut Tahrir, are now also focusing their campaign efforts on the situation in Pakistan, calling for the establishment of an Islamic state in Pakistan, governed by Sharia Law. This development has left some fearing more radical groups could use the turmoil in Pakistan to target people, because of the unique significance the country has for many British Muslims.

Amjad Malik, a solicitor in Rochdale and an officer of the High Court in Pakistan, says although those with a radical agenda are a minority, their potential influence should not be underestimated.

"The number of people going to training in Pakistan and Afghanistan may be few in numbers but radicalisation of the mind where you have distrust about government, about policies and the way things work is more dangerous."

Last week's reinstatement of Pakistan's judiciary has been seen by many as a significant step towards stability. Yet the growing strength of the Taliban in the country's north west frontier makes it clear Pakistan's future continues to hang in the balance and that will only heighten concerns that a volatile situation there, may lead to a volatile situation on the streets of Britain.

Picture: Supporters of Hizb ut Tahrir Britain on London march in January. Photo: Sky News.

[Visit the Sufi Muslim Council website http://www.sufimuslimcouncil.org/].

Far Closer than we Think

By Sayed Mahmoud, "Lord of the wings" - Al-Ahram Weekly - Cairo, Egypt
19 - 25 March 2009/Issue No. 939

In its second year the "Arab Booker" is going strong

Abu Dhabi: On Monday evening, some four hours before the announcement of the second International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) -- better known as the Arab Booker -- I spoke to the winner of the prize, Egyptian writer Youssef Ziedan at the Beach Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi, where the ceremony was to take place.

Ziedan, who directs the Manuscripts Department at the Alexandria Library, has written over 40 books on history, philosophy and, notably, Sufism.

As it appeared to me he was confident of winning the US$60,000 prize, which has achieved a high level of credibility in Arab literary circles. In his interaction with the many writers and critics gathered for the event, he seemed intent on communicating the feeling that he deserved the prize, citing the fact that his novel had one the greatest number of votes on the IPAF web poll, receiving 47 votes as opposed to the 14 given to the next highest contender, Al-Mutarjim Al-Kha'in (The Unfaithful Translator) by the Syrian novelist Fawwaz Haddad.

The four novels remaining on the shortlist -- Palestinian Ibrahim Nasrallah's Zaman Al-Khuyoul Al-Bayda' (Time of the White Horses), Egyptian Mohammad Al-Bisati's Ju ' (Hunger), Iraqi Inaam Kachaji's Al-Hafida Al-Amerikiyya (The American Granddaughter), and Tunisian Al-Habib Al-Salmi's Rawa'ih Marie-Claire (The Scents of Marie- Claire) -- got even fewer votes. (Besides the main prize, each runner up received a US$10,000 award.)

So Ziedan's confidence did not seem unjustified. His critically acclaimed novel Azazeel (Beezlebub, literally "Lord of the things that fly") had achieved remarkable sales figures. What was interesting, rather, was his eagerness to engage with the predominantly younger writers who attacked the novel on its publication with Dar Al Shurouk, defending a work that was clearly important to him.

Ziedan's defence of Beezlebub centred on the critique targeting its topic, which takes fifth-century Christianity in Egypt as its starting point.

Set between Upper Egypt, Alexandria and northern Syria at a particularly turbulent period of Christian history, when the Roman Empire's embrace of the new religion was followed by doctrinal disputes among the fathers of the church, the novel portrays an intense theological world, where believers in the new faith are fighting both among themselves and with the pillars of a pantheism in recess. The topic proved controversial not just from the literary perspective -- with writers like Ibrahim Farghali, with whom Ziedan met in Abu Dhabi -- but also from the perspective of satellite television channels like Dream, which featured, in its popular show 10 PM, attacks on the book by Coptic figures -- both in and outside the Church.

Farghali, who had appreciated Ziedan's first novel Dhil Al-Af'a (The Serpent's Shadow), wrote in the literary supplement of the Beirut-based Al-Nahar that, try as he might, he could not find any connection between the language of the The Serpent's Shadow and that of Beezlebub -- expressing profound disappointment, on many counts, with the second novel.

As far as he was concerned during our talk with Farghali at the Beach Rotana, Ziedan insisted that he had "a multi- layered style" which stressed different registers in different books. He also revealed a profound knowledge of ecclesial history in the process, convincingly justifying his dramatic choices in the book.

The long list of 16 was selected from over 121 novels submitted to the jury, and the shortlist was announced at a press conference in London on 10 December 2008 -- an occasion for interested parties to acquaint themselves with the head of the jury, the Lebanese critic Yumna Al-Eid, and the jury members: the Emirati writer Mohammad Al-Mur, the Jordanian critic Fakhri Saleh, the professor Exeter University professor Rashid Al-Ani, and the German translator of Arabic literature Hartmut Fendrich.

During the Abu Dhabi ceremony Al-Eid read out the jury's statement: "The work of the jury was chracaterised by a remarkable capacity for understanding across different critical perspectives which nonetheless sought depth and objectivity." For his part Jonathan Taylor, head of the IPAF Board of Trustees and founder of the original Booker, expressed his pleasure regarding the success of the initiative and the excitement the prize has generated in the UAE and the world at large. The Emirates Foundation chairman Ahmad Ali Al-Sayigh reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to IPAF, stating, "We have a wide spectrum of literary writings that deserves a larger audience in the Arab countries and the world," and asserting "the importance of the prize as one of the most important means to supporting Arabic creative writing and its translation into the principal world languages."

Notable among the speakers was Man Booker winner Amitav Gosh, who acknowledged the influence of Arabic literature on his work, referring to the late Tayeb Saleh's Season of Migration to the North and his stint in the governorate of Bahaira, Egypt, which produced In An Antique Land, during which he found out about Egyptian writers such as Taha Hussein, Tawfik Al-Hakim and Naguib Mahfouz, whose interest in the family Gosh finds particularly engaging. Gosh commended IPAF and expressed his hope that it would contribute to the global spread of Arabic literature.

But it was an idea expressed by the IPAF executive director, the Lebanese poetess Joumana Haddad, that captured the spirit of the event. Haddad said the prize has become "a critical conscience and a literary reference point" in all matters relating to the modern Arabic novel.

And true enough, no one could guess who would be the winner before Ziedan's name was announced. Impatience was palpable in the hall while the audience watched a documentary on the prize featuring footage of the competitors in their daily lives -- remarkably, they all felt the candidacy had conferred on them unusual recognition -- until, finally, Al-Eid announced the name of the winner, reiterating the idea that "it was no easy choice" since any given novel is open to interpretation.

Among the criteria of choice she mentioned, in this context, was that no associations of name or country should influence the jury's choice. It was this that enabled the jury to choose an Egyptian for the second year running, since last year's winner was Bahaa Taher for his novel Wahah Al-Ghuroub (Sunset Oasis).

Yet news of Ziedan winning the prize was still a surprise, especially among Egyptian writers who would not have suspected that a writer from outside mainstream literary circles -- far better known as the author of books on philosophy and Sufism -- should go away with the booty.

But the jury praised the novel in no uncertain terms: "It covered a long leg of the journey towards modernising classic narrative and the creation, out of heritage, a vital story of much significance for the age during which we live."

Most surprisingly of all, however, it turned out that Ziedan's confidence about winning was no mere bravado. In fact he had already prepared a speech to be read on the occasion, in which he explained that Azazeel, the hero of the book, himself dictated the novel on the dawn of the day it was written. Ziedan expressed his pride, especially in the fact that readers had voted for his novel, which he said indicates that the message of the book was effectively relayed: "That the distances we believe exist between religions are far closer than we think, and that the violence of contending parties is the result of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of history."

Ziedan reiterated the same idea in the course of the press conference held for him following the ceremony, in which he was joined at the podium by his publisher Ibrahim Al-Mu'allim as well as Al-Eid and Haddad, and which he used as yet another opportunity to defend his book against attack. In the process Ziedan displayed a remarkable capacity for steering the course of the questions with a view to demonstrating his knowledge of the topic.

He indicated, for example, that he slipped Quranic expressions into a text concerned with Christianity on purpose, in order to demonstrate the two religions' close affinity.

In this context he also said that "we cannot have God in more than one text", a reference to the Quran being too strong to emulate, denying that his work at the Library might have influenced his creative work: "The Library arrived into my world and my interest in heritage predates its existence by many years, since I published my first book at the age of 22."

But the most interesting remark made by Ziedan was that no mention of Azazeel or the Devil had been made in Arabic literature since the death of the Sufi poet Al-Hallaj in 922 AD.

His novel, he said, renews the glories of such Arabic writers as Ibn Sina and Ibn Tufail (both wrote versions of Hayy Ibn Yaqdhan, the model for Robinson Crusoe ): "Our culture suffers atrophy and weakness and will not progress so long as it judges its success on the basis of closeness to the West. We must understand our heritage and re-engage with it critically."

It was left to Al-Eid to fend off any lingering doubts concerning "religious sensitivities" the jury's choice might offend.

"The novel is rich, since its author uses classical narrative but brings it into the present. It also raises important questions about time, existence and creed and calls for shunning extremism. The genuine critic must be prepared to pay the price of his choices, seeking knowledge and never thinking of the consequences."

Picture: Two initial folios of the Gospel of Saint John copied by the deacon Yuhanna Mikhayil in 1512 (reproduced from Coptic Icons II, Cairo: Lehnert & Landrock, 1998); and Beezlebub as seen in Collin de Plancy's Dicionnaire Infernal (Paris, 1863; GNU-licensed image).

I Am a Lover

By Sameer Arshad, "Is Sufism a bulwark against radicalism?" - The Times Of India - India
Sunday, March 22, 2009

‘I’m a lover. I deal in love. Sow flowers and make your surroundings a garden. Don't sow thorns, for they’ll prick you. We’re one body, whoever tortures another, wounds himself’

The 17th century Sufi Rehman Baba, one of Pashto’s most widely read poets on either side of the Durand Line, became famous with lines like these.

His emphasis was love. But Rehman Baba’s message is anathema to the Taliban which objected to women visiting his shrine in Peshawar.

Recently, the Taliban bombed the shrine, in a strike at his teachings. As also the growing belief that Sufism is a bulwark against Islamist radicalism.

Can Sufi thought counter Islamism? The first institution to urge the United States to have a dialogue with Muslim groups opposed to extremism was the think-tank RAND Corporation. In a 2007 report titled ‘Building moderate Muslim networks’, it described Sufis as moderate traditionalists “open to change and potential allies against violence’’. It recommended support for Sufism as an “open, intellectual interpretation of Islam”. Later, the suggestion would be backed by Pennsylvania State University professor of humanities Philip Jenkins who said that Sufis, “by all logic should be a critical ally against extremism’’.

In a recently published article, Jenkins wrote, “Sufis are the power that has made Islam the world’s second-largest religion, with perhaps 1.2 billion adherents... Where Islamists rise to power, Sufis are persecuted or driven underground; but where Sufis remain in the ascendant, it is the radical Islamist groups who must fight to survive.”

Writer William Dalrymple agrees in part with Jenkins but says the West “isn’t sophisticated enough in its understanding of Islam to comprehend how important Sufism is as a home-grown resistance movement to radical, political Islam”. He says there is an ongoing war in South Asia between traditional Islam, which is syncretic, plural and generally non-political, and the “imported Wahhabi strains of Islam’’.

Dalrymple adds, “Sufism is a home-grown resistance movement against radicalism, but the question is how or whether one should utilize this. It isn’t something that can be harnessed but it’s definitely part of the equation.’’

But rather than analyze Sufism, some scholars want the West first to introspect. “Let’s not forget that Americans brought extremism to the region to fight the USSR,’’ says Sufi scholar Najamul Hassan Chishti. He says Sufis resent the carpet bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories, just as much as other Muslims and liberal thinkers of any faith. “They believe love and not violence is the solution. Sufis have a role to play as their emphasis on peace isn’t surrender to oppression but the true spirit of Islam.’’

However, many points out those non-Sufi groups, notably the Deobandis, have taken a resolute stand against terrorism in India. Javed Anand, general secretary of Muslims for Secular Democracy and editor of Communalism Combat, says, it is “naïve to see Sufism as an antidote to radicals; (it’s) prompted by the West's search for a quick-fix solution’’.

He adds, “With due respect, it’s the non-Sufis, like the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, who have spearheaded the year-long campaign against terror in the name of Islam.”

[Picture: A sampler volume of the classic Rahman Baba poems. Photo from http://www.rahmanbaba-poetry.com/rahmanbaba.htm/].

200 Letters from each Party

By Joe Vazquez, "CoCo Community Divided Over Religious Sanctuary" - CBS 5 - San Francisco, CA, USA

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

A strange building design resembling a spaceship is at the heart of a community disagreement in Saranap, a neighborhood in unincorporated Contra Costa County near Walnut Creek.

A group called "Save our Saranap" has formed in opposition to the 66,000 square foot sanctuary proposed by a religious group called Sufism Reoriented.

About 50 people – mostly children – formed a picket with homemade signs Tuesday afternoon after CBS 5 had previously informed a "Save our Saranap" member that we would be in the area shooting a story. "Don't let them build the spaceship!" shouted some members of the protest group while cameras were rolling.

The group follows the teachings of Meher Baba, a mystic who once coined the phrase, "Don't worry, be happy."

Brian Kilian, spokesman for "Save our Saranap" said the sheer size of the project has many in an uproar in this small community. "It's like taking an 800 pound gorilla and shoving him into a little monkey cage," Kilian said.

The story was first reported Sunday in a blog called crazyinsuburbia.blogspot.com.

"It is by no means a looming, huge building," said Robert Carpenter, a spokesman for Sufism Reoriented. The center building in the proposed sanctuary would be about 35 feet tall; roughly the same height as the apartment complex next door. "I would characterize it as a small sanctuary in a small glade of trees," Carpenter said.

"You know when I first saw that image from the sky I thought 'My gosh, what is that?'" said Pascal Kaplan, a member of the Sufism congregation. But church officials argue that the aerial photo doesn't take into account the fact that there will be much more landscaping surrounding the property. They also point out that two-thirds of the square footage will be underground. And they point to ground level drawings that suggest the sanctuary will barely be visible from Boulevard Way.

Sufi officials say they need to build the sanctuary in order to expand from the converted restaurant they have inhabited for the last 30 years.The project is still in the planning stages, according to Arena Bott, Deputy Director of Community Development in Contra Costa County.

Bott told CBS 5 that the application is complete, and the county has selected a consultant to conduct an environmental study."After he prepares a document, we would circulate it," said Bott. "The public can look at it and submit comments."

Bott said the Community Development staff would make a recommendation to the county planning commission and the commission would make a decision on whether to approve the project, deny it or approve it with certain conditions.

If the project passes, the public has 10 days to appeal it. If it is appealed, the County Board of Supervisors would make the final decision, Bott said.

Despite the vocal opposition by the "Save Our Saranap" group, Bott said the Land Use Permit Application file has just as many supporters as opponents. "We have about 200 letters from each party," said Bott.

Picture: Proposed Sufism Reoriented religious sanctuary in Saranap, near Walnut Creek. Photo: CBS

[Visit Sufism Reoriented's website http://www.sufismreoriented.org/].

Flowers for Baba

The Epoch Times - Pakistan
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Pakistani women holding flowers arrive at the shrine of 17th century sufi saint Rehman Baba in Peshawar on March 7, 2009.

Multiple bomb explosions on March 5, 2009 badly damaged the mausoleum of Sufi saint Rehman Baba in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshaw.

Tariq Mahmood/AFP/Getty Images

A Great Hand

Staff Report, "Security for mausoleums demanded" - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan
Thursday, March 19, 2009

UoP Pushtu Department chairman says attack on Rehman Baba’s mausoleum was one of most tragic incidents in Pakhtun history

Peshawar: Writers, poets, academics, intellectuals and people from a cross-section of society demanded at a discussion on Pashto poet Rehman Baba that the provincial government reconstruct the Sufi poet’s mausoleum, declare his yearly urs (death anniversary) a public holiday and provide full security to all mausoleums in the province.

The demand came at a discussion on attack on Rehman Baba’s mausoleum, elements involved in it, its impact and responsibilities.

Cultural Committee of the Peshawar Press Club organised the debate on Wednesday. Though the majority of participants did not specify elements involved in the attack on the Sufi poet’s mausoleum, they attributed it (attack) to sectarianism, terrorism and extremism that were trampling and seriously damaging the Pakhtun culture.

Tragic incident: Pushtu Department, University of Peshawar chairman Dr Raj Wali Shah Khattak said attack on Rehman Baba’s mausoleum was one of the most tragic incidents in Pakhtun history. “It’s an attack on Pakhtun nation and identity,” he said. Dr Khattak said anyone could be involved in the attack. “It could be a foreign religious sect influencing the region or local elements,” he said. He said people did not react to the attack as much as they should. Dr Khattak suggested full inquiry into the incident.

JUI-F provincial secretary-general Shujaul Mulk said it was a big incident paining Pakhtuns. “The Sufi poet is a big pillar in the Pakhtun culture. There are several elements involved in the attack,” said the JUI-F leader.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) provincial president Mukhtar Yousafzai alleged it was the handiwork of state institutions and intelligence agencies. “We condemn this attack,” he said.

World Pashto Conference chairman, writer and columnist Salim Raz said attacks on religious places were taking place due to a foreign religious sect that was influencing the region. He said peace could not return to the country unless sectarianism was rooted out. Raz suggested the committee probing the attack should also include people from cross-section of the society besides government officials to ensure positive results.

Writer and journalist Dr Sher Zaman Taizai feared miscreants would attack the mausoleum again after it was reconstructed.

Nationalist leader Mukhtar Bacha said Rehman Baba had a great hand in building the character of Pakhtun nation.

Minister for Sports, Tourism and Culture Syed Aqil Shah condemned the incident. He suggested establishment of a police checkpost at the mausoleum to protect it. He said the dome of the mausoleum was intact and it should be used again. The minister said the Afghan government had also expressed desire to rebuild the Rehman Baba’s mausoleum. The culture minister said the provincial government had approved Rs 30 million for the reconstruction of the mausoleum. Aqil said the cultural directorate would start functioning from April. He said a cultural seminar would also be held in April.

Very Good News

APP, "CS orders reconstruction of shrine of Sufi poet" - Associated Press of Pakistan - Pakistan
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Peshawar: Chief Secretary NWFP Sahibzada Riaz Noor has directed the PDA authorities to immediately start initial work for the reconstruction of the Shrine of Sufi Poet Rahman Baba which was damaged in a bomb blast few days back.

He issued these directives during his visit to the Mausoleum of Rahman Baba in Peshawar on Tuesday.

Secretaries of Finance, Planning & Development, Works & Services and Local Government Departments, Commissioner Peshawar Division, Chief Engineer C&W, DG PDA and other concerned officials were present on the occasion.

The Chief Secretary directed the concerned officials to prepare PC I of the reconstruction plan of the Mazaar within one month so as to submit it to the Federal Government for the release of fund.

The total cost which is estimated at Rs. 30 million will be born by the Federal Government. Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary directed the Finance Department to release the necessary fund so that work could be taken in hand immediately. The reconstruction would be completed in six months.

Sahibzada Riaz Noor further directed to involve the experts of Engineering University so that the design of the building was made in accordance with the present day building code and it could sustain shocks of earthquakes.

He directed to maintain the old design of the tomb, improve the decoration work of the building and inscribe the Quranic and poetic versus on the inner walls of the mausoleum.

He also directed for comprehensive security arrangements during and after the reconstruction work.

[Picture: Celebration in Peshawar. Photo from NWFP Government website http://nwfp.gov.pk/].

City of Sheiks and Dervishes

Staff Report, "Ruling party ruling the roost in Anatolian Konya" - Hürriyet Daily News - Turkey
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Konya: A few women in black chadors walk rapidly behind a long-bearded old man at the entrance of Konya, the largest province by area in Turkey. A sign at the entrance captures the attention of passersby, citing the words of Sufism’s important figure, Rumi.

"Come, come whatever you are / whether you are an infidel, an idolater or a fire-worshipper / whether you break your vow a thousand times, come!" the sign reads, marking the city’s importance in the world of Sufism.

Konya, which hosts Rumi’s tomb, is known as the city of sheiks and dervishes.

The city seems modern in terms of its architecture but the majority of its people lead a conservative lifestyle, molded by religious values.

Like Turkey’s other cities, Konya is also readying for the March 29 local elections. But it has no sign of upcoming elections, except a few squares that are decorated with flags of political parties.

Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Konya Governor Osman Aydın said preparations for local elections continued in peace in the city. "Here is Konya. Here is the Justice and Development Party’s (or AKP) fortress. (Prime Minister) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has entrusted Tahir Akyürek to us," Arif Erdemli, the owner of a candy shop, said.

Indeed whoever we met, we heard that AKP’s mayoral candidate for Konya, Akyürek, is unrivaled in the city. President of the Konya Association of Journalists, Sefa Özdemir, is one of the figures who closely follow the view of residents ahead of elections. "Konya residents love Prime Minister Erdoğan so much. They do not want to separate the local administration from the government," he said.

In relation to the adverse effects of the financial crisis, which will allegedly decrease AKP votes, Özdemir said Akyürek would still keep his vote rate at around 65 percent. "If there had not been any financial crisis, he would get more than 75 percent of votes," he said.

Pointing to the city’s conservative roots, editor of the daily Konya Postası Ömer Kara also underlined AKP’s sovereignty in Konya. But he also drew attention to some districts of the city where the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, has engaged in a fierce battle against the ruling party.

"MHP may become the winner in Ereğli, Cihanbeyli and Akşehir districts," Kara said. According to MHP’s mayoral candidate for Konya Metropolitan Municipality Hikmet Çay, his party will win the elections in the districts. Çay believed he would be elected as well. However, the general atmosphere of the city proves the opposite.

The Republican People’s Party, or CHP’s, mayoral candidate, Hasan Sarımehmetoğlu, is also assertive in the election race. "The results may be surprising," he said, pointing out the financial crisis and increasing unemployment rates. Sarımehmetoğlu also said that "religious orders" played a determining role in Konya in terms of election results.

Konya has six or seven active religious orders including the Hakyolcular (Esat Coşan Community) and Gülen Community. It seems that religious orders will support the AKP in the upcoming local elections as they did in 2004 elections.

"Religious orders are dominant here. They set the rules," a student and CHP supporter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Konya was former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan’s stronghold from the 1970s until 2000. Now, it is the stronghold of Erdoğan, who was Erbakan’s student. In the 2004 elections, the AKP’s Akyürek was elected as mayor with 63 percent of the vote. His rival was the Saadet (Felicity) Party's candidate, Mustafa Özkafa, whose votes remained at 26 percent. Özkafa is once again the Saardet Party’s mayoral candidate, but journalist Kara said Özkafa could barely hope for 10 percent of the votes in the March elections.

Akyürek seems confident about his victory in the elections. "I was elected, getting 63 percent of vote. We will increase the rate," he said. Stating that they had supplied many services to Konya residents for the last five years, Akyürek said they would complete 15 projects in the new term.

"An organized agricultural zone and the Rumi Culture Valley are two leading projects," he said.

Akyürek also marked the "Turkey’s Science Center" project as one of their most important projects. "The science center, which we will establish on an area of 16,000 square meters, will theoretically and experimentally present many subjects including space science and creation," he said. The project is also supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, or TÜBİTAK.

President of Konya Trade Chamber Hüseyin Üzülmez pointed out Erdoğan’s challenge in Davos summit as a factor that increased the AKP’s points among city residents.

In relation to the claims that the financial crisis will pull down the AKP’s votes, Üzülmez said the effects of the crisis have not been completely experienced in Konya yet. "Here, there are small- and medium-sized enterprises that have lately started to experience the adverse effects. Even if these effects aggravate until the elections, Akyürek will still preserve his support of 65 percent," Üzülmez said.

Love's Sharia

By Sevinç Özarslan, "Şafak merges worldly with love that transcends this world Love" - Today's Zaman - Istanbul, Turkey
Sunday, March 15, 2009

Best-selling writer Elif Şafak’s latest novel “Aşk” (Love) was published last week. What connection exists between Ella Rubinstein, a middle-aged housewife and a member of a Jewish family living in Boston in the 2000s, and Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, who lived in Konya in the 1200s?

Şafak believes that we can find an answer to this question in her novel, “Aşk” (Love). She ponders Mevlana’s words, “Love’s Shariah is different from all religions as its Shariah or path consists entirely of God,” during the course of the entire novel. Şafak talks to Sunday’s Zaman about her novel and how she has been transformed by love.

On Internet forums, everyone is announcing that your new novel has been published. Was everyone really anticipating it this much?
Yes, they were waiting for a novel, but not a novel on love specifically. I was receiving many e-mails. When I walked on the streets, some people would ask me about my next novel. This was because “Siyah Süt” was not quite a novel. It was an autobiographical work. In my opinion, there are good novel readers. The majority of these readers are women. Some of them would ask me to write a novel on love. But please do not interpret love only as the relationship between a man and a woman. In other words, they were expecting me to write a novel that would also discuss divine love.

It is a common complaint that there are not many novel readers in our country. But what you say does not fit with this description.
I say this based on my personal experiences. In Turkey, there are good novel readers. And it is impossible to deceive these readers. They like novels very much and they make them a part of their lives. During the book signing sessions, I notice an interesting thing. A novel is not read only by one person. A chain of readers is established within the family. After reading the novel, a woman gives it to her mother, her sister or her aunt. These are facts supported by statistics. This is a situation unique to Turkey. This type of borrowing is not as common in Western countries. There are hardships facing authors in our country, but I think the novel is, nevertheless, an esteemed art in this country. In the US, so many books are published that a book may be lost amid the diversity. Yes, books disappear there. In Turkey, writing does not melt into thin air. There is an important base that nurtures literature in this country. This is very good, but we burden the novel with exaggerated meanings and tend to forget that it is fiction.

How did you feel while writing “Aşk”?
It is my ninth novel. Each of them was special, but I think this novel has a special place for me. When I was writing, I was moved by the process. I do not make plans. “Where should I go from here? What will readers think about it? What will be the reactions of critics?” I place these concerns in a drawer and close it. I enter the world of the story I am writing. I lived with the characters I created, with Ella, Aziz, Şems and Mevlana. I narrated the characters -- whom I love -- by heart. This book was written with love. I hope to transmit this feeling to readers. It is a novel that must be read with love.

In your novel you say, “In a world where no one finds time for the subtleties of love, the shariah of love becomes more important.” What is the “Shariah of love”?
The “Shariah of love” is not a concept that I have developed on my own. I borrowed it from Mevlana. In the “Mesnevi,” Mevlana tells the story of Moses and a shepherd and says, at the end of the story: “Love’s Shariah is different from all religions as its Shariah or path consists entirely of God.” This phrase has long preoccupied my mind. Indeed, in the society in which we live -- particularly in Turkey -- we tend to view love in terms of sexuality, the lack of rules or in more mundane aspects. On the other hand, we tend to associate Shariah with prohibitions, finger-cutting and fear. Why do these two concepts co-exist side by side? Eight hundred years ago, a scholar made this assertion. Yet, today, we tend to label and alienate people. We are doing this for the sake of religion or sometimes for ideology. We forget about the essence. We busy ourselves with form. Thinking about all these things was a sort of meditative exercise for me.

Where did this exercise take you?
There is unity in the “Shariah of love,” as Mevlana understood. It rejects discrimination. Yet, in order to attain this unity, one has to transcend the “disillusion of selfhood.” One must stop treating himself/herself as a separate or distinct “self.” This is a hard test for an artist. In art, we build egos, selves. On the other hand, we learn how to eradicate those egos in Sufism. For this reason, there are two different voices. And there are two distinct voices inside me. I like to ponder these and make sure that the readers think about them, too.

In the novel, Şems [Shams-i-Tabrizi] has 40 rules. Each of them is like a lesson. How were these rules formulated?
These are completely the work of my imagination. That is, they are not the rules originally developed by Şems. In the end, this novel is a work of fiction. Of course, I have been greatly inspired by my readings on Sufism. I have a close interest not only in Anatolian Sufism, but also in Sufism in Pakistan, India, the US and Europe. I’ve carefully read William Chittick’s biography of Şems. Yet, there is no manifesto of Sufism. But it has a universal and common essence.

In the 40th rule, you say: “A life without love is a life lived in vain. Do not ask which love I should run after: divine, metaphorical, worldly, celestial or physical! Distinctions will lead to distinctions.” Don’t you think that the love between Ella and Aziz and the union of Mevlana and Şems signify such a distinction between types of love?
These two are not the same, but they are not unrelated either. There are some people, like Ella, who have raised their children, who feel unhappy after a marriage of 20 years and who are urged to search for something new to forget their psychological gloom. I have seen so many people in the US who love and are curious about Mevlana. Their number is gradually increasing. I think that we are not aware of the extent of worldwide interest in Mevlana. “Mevlana nights” are organized. Poem recitals are held. Passages from the “Mesnevi” are read and discussed. Mevlana has a magnetic and mystical call for all human beings.

Actually, we recently have become aware of this interest. We see that the majority of people who come to see sema rites are foreign.
Yet, this is true. There are even people who visit Konya after seeing Mevlana in their dreams. This is magical. Rumi is the bestselling poet in the US. They know him as the Shakespeare of the Muslim world. In my novel, I wanted to discuss this. What does Mevlana mean to Ella, a Jewish housewife living in Boston, in the US? There is also this: Ella wants to experience both worldly and spiritual love. Indeed, she loves Aziz without knowing him and she falls in love with his words, not with his body. This was an important puzzle for me. How can a person love another without knowing him/her and by just looking at his/her words? Can one see the other’s essence? The first thing Şems told Mevlana is “See me.” Throughout the novel, there are transitions between divine and worldly love. It rejects discrimination. Because love is the driving force of this life. It is our raison d’être. It is the cause of our quest.

As we are reading the novel, we get the impression of seeing a woman who wants to experience divine love, but is being coquettish at the same time. What do you think about this?
I have never thought that way, but I will ponder on it. Perhaps, we cannot quit Him (God) on one hand, and we tend to behave coquettishly toward Him. We all have our ups and downs. Being a human being is to be like this. But after a novel is written, it belongs to the readers, not to the author.

In the novel, we come across a form of communication that a shepherd has established with his Creator, but which Moses fails to understand. What kind of language do you think you have developed?
Actually, everyone speaks their own style. This is a good thing. The story of Moses and the shepherd in the novel was very important for me. The shepherd prays to God in his own unique language. He says interesting and unacceptable things. “O God, I will wash your feet, and I will slaughter my sheep for you so that you can add their meat to your pilaf and eat it.” When he hears these words, Moses gets very angry and intervenes in his prayer. “How dare you speak with God in such a way,” he erupts. But at night, God warns him in his dream. “Are you here to unite or divide? Leave him. Let him pray as he wishes. We do not pay attention to language or words but to the heart,” he says. We need to refrain from judging or labeling other people and from assuming that we are superior to them. We must focus on the essence of faith. If we can do this, we can assume a universal, all-embracing and peaceful position. What does Şems say in the novel? “Have a lot of faith, but do not boast with it!”

There is an internal dialogue of Mevlana’s wife, Kerra; she says that what really is difficult for her in the conversion to Islam is abandoning Mary. Later, Şems responds to Kerra’s worries and tells her that she does not need to pine for Mary, as a Muslim woman may commemorate Mary with prayers. What passed through your mind as you were writing this dialogue?
Kerra is a Muslim convert. I wanted to delve into her psychology. I have observed many times that some women who converted from Christianity to Islam may have such hesitations: “Should I abandon Mary? Will she no longer be as important as before?” In Christianity, Mary symbolizes compassion. Those who want to pray to God establish communication via Mary. For the women who have such worries, the embracing and universal perspective of Sufism may be a good solution.

Are there many women like Ella in Europe and in the US?
Yes, there are many such women. There are such women even here in Turkey. What appeal may a character such as Ella have for housewives in Isparta or Rize? At first glance, Ella is a Jewish woman living in Boston. She has a rich life. But she also feels a sort of inner compression or deficiency. This feeling may be familiar to women in Burdur, İstanbul or İzmir. When we remove visible differences, we see that underlying stories are similar and universal. We may establish empathy with each other over these shared experiences. There are many people who are trapped within unhappy marriages, but who exert no effort to transform themselves and let their lives go.

Perhaps, they do not have the courage to do this. But Ella has this courage.
Yes, she is courageous, but she is not the combatant type. All through her life, she has led a modest and domestically oriented life; she is the silent type. The transformation of such a woman stirs me. Also, she always schedules her life, planning every bit of it. I have known so many people like her. They have journals, special notes and plans for the next three months in their bags. For such a women to abandon her obsession with tomorrow and choose to experience love in the moment is a radical transformation. For me, this was the most important part of the book. Indeed, Aziz does not promise her the future. As a matter of fact, no one can make such a promise in this world. But we have such delusions.

Nazrana

By TOI Staff, "A musical tradition with little patronage" - Times of India - India
Sunday, March 15, 2009

New Delhi: A tradition that can be traced back to the 8th century seems to be losing its significance fast in the city.

Dismal state support, apathy of the listeners and lack of proper channels have resulted in the age-old musical form of qawwali losing focus.

Though once a week, the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya wakes up to the charm and glory of qawwali each Jumme Raat (Thursday). Unfortunately, this along with the annual Jahan-e-Khusrau concert are the only times the musical form gets any recognition by Delhiites.

The Qawwali tradition, like many other art forms, has been passed on from one generation to another, each family carving its own niche in the field. "Qawwali is a dying art form simply because there is very little money in it. I used to be a qawwal at the Nizamuddin dargah several years ago but had to move to the mundane profession of running a small shop at Jama Masjid,'' says Fateh Baksh.

The qawwali tradition started about 700 years ago. However, no longer do families want their children to take it forward. They claim a career in Sufi music entails huge financial hardships. Some qawwals have also entered the industry of selling qawwali audio tapes but admit there aren't too many takers for it.

"Big music companies are not interested in promoting qawwali. Only when a Hindi film popularizes it does people's interest revive. But even that fades in some time,'' says Ali Rehman, a shopkeeper at Jama Masjid.

Qawwali lovers will tell you how once the music sets in, it's difficult to break away. Such is the soothing effect of Sufi music.

Qawwals at the Nizamuddin dargah are known to sing tirelessly as listeners, including foreign visitors, feel captivated for hours. Shahdab Faridi Nizami, belonging to the family that graces the Nizamuddin dargah each week with their renditions, believes some fillip by the government is needed to sustain the art form even though several people turn up every week to listen to them.

"Qawwali is also extremely popular among youngsters. If we get some assistance from the government, this form of music can be revived and sustained,'' says Nizami.

Recently, when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, a special qawwali programme was organized to "reinforce the Sufi tradition of peace and tolerance'' and herald a new dawn of hope in the world.

According to historians, qawwali has its own glory in the Sufi tradition. The qawwals or musicians were patronized by the state and Mughal rulers with Akbar and Shah Jahan having many eminent musicians in their courts.

"No doubt the interest in Sufi music is declining. The only way for the qawwals to earn their livelihood is the Nazrana (money from devotees at mosque),'' says a historian.

Another Plane of Consciousness

By Chandra Mohatta, "Qawwali: swinging to a new beat" - Bangalore, India
Sunday, March 15, 2009

A qawwal is one who sings qawwali, and is closely linked to the spiritual and artistic life of northern India and Pakistan

Qawwali, a traditional genre of Islamic devotional music, is popular in both India and Pakistan.

The famous Sabri Brothers of Pakistan performing in Carnegie Hall New York in the mid 70s received rave reviews, succeeded by several very successful international tours. In India also we have a Sabri family, tracing the same ancestry as the Sabris of Pakistan.

Qawwali family
If there is any singer pair in the country who has brought qawwali the same status as ghazal or geet, it is the father-son duo of Haji Mohammad Syed Sabri and Haji Mohammad Farid Sabri. The qawwali, Der Na Ho Jaye/Kahin Der Na Ho Jaye still testifies to the unique fusion of melody and ruhaniyat (soulfulness) that their music connotes.

But the most famous qawwal in modern times was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan, who died at the age of 51.

The word qawwali is derived from the Arabic word Qaul which means ‘axiom’ or ‘dictum’. No qawwali begins without a qaul — an Arabic word which means “sayings of Prophet Mohammad”.

The roots of qawwali can be traced back to the tradition known as Sama in the eighth century in Persia. In the 11th century, it travelled to the Indian Subcontinent.

Sufi tradition
While Sama was performed for select crowd at Sufi music concerts, Sufi saint and poet Hazrat Amir Khusrau blended Persian and Indian musical traditions to create qawwali — a more popular version of the Sufi musical tradition — for the masses. Today, this revered form of devotional singing survives in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

A qawwal is one who sings qawwali, and is closely linked to the spiritual and artistic life of northern India and Pakistan.

The Quran instructs man to remember God. This remembrance, known as dhikr, may be either silent or vocal. The qawwali may be viewed as an extension of the vocal form of this remembrance.

This vocal devotional singing style has both Persian and Hindustani music roots. The performance is always in a group. Like other forms of Islamic vocal meditation, qawwali transports the audience into another plane of consciousness.

Qawwali in the Subcontinent is usually performed by a group of about 11 performers (traditionally, the number was odd, but this convention is not followed any longer). The rhythm in the form of drums (tabla, dholak and pakhwaz) and hand-clapping is located behind the main singers, who must “feel the beat within their body”. The front row is occupied by the lead singers with two harmoniums. The main singer himself is usually without an instrument, though he may at times have a harmonium with him. A steady muted clapping continues during the aalap in the performances of eminent qawwali singers. This is a recent innovative practice that ensures audience attention from the outset.

Bollywood gloss
The qawwali culture, always more popular in the North, has now made inroads into Mumbai as well as down South. But of late, you don’t hear the verse of Sufi poets like Rumi or Faiz; instead the 700-year-old vibrant musical tradition has got a Bollywood gloss.

Chips in one qawwali connoisseur: “There are two types of love — the earthly human love and the love for the divine; and our concerts praise the human love.”

Recently Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in association with Indian Women’s Press Corps organised a qawwali competition in Hyderabad. Chanchal Bharati led the female qawwal group from India, Zaki Taji Qawwal along with his elder son Mohammad Zaman Zaki Taji leading the male group, were invited from Pakistan.

“It has always been a fight between love and beauty which ends in compromise,” comments Bharati.

Qawwalis, especially those with two groups, each trying to outwit the other with poetry and innovative style of rendition, have always been lapped up by people.

Going by the popularity of qawwalis like “Na to caarvaan ki talaash hain” from the movie Barsaat Ki Raat, “Teri mehfil mein qismat aazma kar” from Mughal-e-Azam, “Hain agar dushman” from Hum Kisise Kam Nahin, it won’t be wrong to say that the audience have always appreciated the playful nonk-jhonk (teasing) between the male and female groups representing love and beauty.

Wedding filler
Qawwali has entered the big fat Indian weddings too. The sangeet, an integral part of the great Indian wedding, had better watch out. It is in danger of being upstaged by qawwali nights, now a regular feature in weddings, where budgets are not an issue.

Wedding qawwalis are flirtatious. The songs dulhe ka sehra and jhoom barbar jhoom are very popular. The qawwals renditions of popular film songs, has struck a chord with wedding revellers.

Hiring a qawwali team for a night can cost between Rs 50,000 [USD 960.--] and Rs 3 lakh [300,000; USD 5760.--], depending on their fame and as to whether they are willing to entertain the audience, instead of making the listeners go into meditation, as a real qawwali should.

[Picture from http://music.punjabcentral.com/artist/?artist=236&stab=2].

Thickly Intertwined

By Ram Puniyani, "Indian Pluralism: Jai Ho!" - Tehelka - New Delhi, India
Friday, March 13, 2009

India’s political and cultural mosaic has been a matter of multiple volumes by social scientists. In a very simple by profound way aspects of this fascinating phenomenon of Indian society also gets reflected in most of the expressions of Indian cultural expressions, including films.

The currently popular Slumdog Millionaire is no exception. The film and the aspects associated with its making display the rich cultural canvass of our society. While the critics have been talking about the film showcasing India’s poverty to the World, it being right or wrong, the other interesting aspect of the film relates to on screen and behind the screen aspects of the film of the film showing India’s plural heritage and its continuation today.

The film bagged three Oscars. And they have a lot of tale to tell. All the three recipients of the Oscars have Muslim names; one of them is a Sikh (Gulzar) who has assumed Muslim name to keep him reminded of the partition carnage of 1947, which he witnessed with great anguish and pain. The second one is a born Muslim, Resul Pokkuty and third one, Alla Rakhah Rahman, was a Hindu Dilip Kumar, who changed to Islam under the influence of a Sufi saint, a Pir. When Resul accepted the award he said it is a Shiv Ratri gift for him and that he is accepting it for his country, India.

Allah Rakha Rehman converted to Islam when he came in contact with a Muslim Pir, during the period of sickness of his father. Rahman is not alone in this as in India most of the Muslims converted to Islam due to the humanistic teachings of Sufi Pirs.

There is a popular perception that Islam spread in India due to the threat of Muslim Kings, who came with Koran in one hand and sword in the other. The best counter to this was put by none other than Swami Vivekananda, who points out that Islam was embraced by Shudras to escape the tyranny of Landlord-Brahmin combine.

There must have been many other reasons for conversions to Islam, apart from this major reason of the caste oppression, but this anyway remained the major one. A good number adopted Islam due to social interaction, like navayats in Malabar Coast in Kerala and Mewats in Rajasthan region. As such in religious tradition there are many interactive ones’.

There have been Bhakti saints who had following amongst Muslims and Hindus both, and there have been Sufi Pirs who had followers amongst Hindus and Muslims in equal measure. The saints like Ram Deo Baba Pir are amongst the most popular one’s amongst the poor and low caste, cutting across the religions.

Contrary to the present perceptions that Hindus and Muslims were two hostile communities, there has been a natural amity and harmony amongst the religious communities. This gets reflected in all the aspects of our social lives, be it the arena of literature, music, architecture or any other, one can clearly see the influence of each on other.

The culture was hardly dictated by religion alone, within same religion there are many cultures and in most of the cultures in India one can see the influence of different religions. Many a regional aspects of the culture have been thickly intertwined. While for Ustad Bismillah Khan life was unthinkable without the river Ganges and the Kashi Temples, Munshi Premchand could think only of Urdu as the medium of his writing when he began his career as a writer.

Rahi Masum Raza can write the script for the most popular Hindi mega serial Mahabharata with effortlessly, and the likes of Javed Akhtar can write the best of Bhajans for the Hindi films.

Even amongst kings the enmity was not around religious issues. We see the Hindu kings in the court of Muslim kings, Raja Todarmal and Birbal being the part of Akbar’s nine jewels, while Raja Mansing being his commander in chief. Aurangzeb, supposedly the most fanatic Muslim ruler had 33% of his officials from amongst Hindus and one of his important Generals was none other than Raja Jaisingh. Shivaji, the highly revered Maratha King had Maulana Haider Ali as his confidential secretary, Siddi Sambal as his commander and Rutam-e-Jaman as his body guard-spy in chief. He was the one who built the Dargah in honor of slain Muslim King Afzal Khan, whom he had killed for political reasons.

The food habits also got mixed up, beef eating which was prevalent in Vedic times, had become a taboo later, as Cow came to be revered as mother. To defer to the sentiments of Hindus, to respect the feeling of their Hindu subjects, many a Muslim Emperors advised against the killing of Cows.

It’s due to all this that, Dara Shikoh, wrote a book Majma ul Bahrain, elaborating in the book that India is a vast ocean made of two seas, Hinduism and Islam.

One of the highlights of 1857 rebellion against the East India company rule was the coming together of Hindus and Muslims, at the level of Kings, soldiers and peasants. It was this intercommunity unity which gave a warning signal to the British and they intensified their policy of divide and rule, introducing communal historiography, which even to the day remains as a part of social common sense. It led to those policies which encouraged communal politics in the form of Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha-RSS.

Indian pluralism has been unique in more sense than one. There has been a heavy interaction of religious communities, at the level of power (kings-Landlords), at the level of culture (Music, literature, customs, food, attire) and at the level of religion (Bhakti and Sufi traditions).

It is the rise of communal politics post 1980 that the British initiated project of divisiveness has resurfaced, tried to narrow down all the politics at identity level and made the religious identities firm and deep. The fundamentalists of both religions are now looking down at the mixed traditions and pluralism, saying they are against ‘our’ religion. Slumdog while portraying the social reality, the impact of communal violence on society also highlights the deeper and most worthy interactive traditions.

Tragically from last two decades the voices opposing the syncretism and plural cultural and life in India have become stronger, opposing Gazal concerts, destroying paintings, opposing those celebrating festivals like Valentine day, opposing inter-religious marriages and what have you.

Hope we are at the end of the phase during which the communal politics created a hostile atmosphere against the plural ethos of our society.

[Slumdog Millionaire Official Movie Site http://www.slumdogmillionairemovie.co.uk/]

[Picture: Dara's brothers (left to right) Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh in their younger years; Mughal Miniature attributed to Balchand; c. 1637; 38.7 x 26 cm. (15.23 x 10.23 inches) ; Coll: British Museum. Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dara_Shikuh; Source http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Mughals/Aurangim.html].

Determination to Move Forward

By Penda Mbow, "Evolving Role for Senegalese Women in Religion" - World Press Org. - USA
Friday, March 13, 2009

In Senegal, Islam plays a very important role — it informs the entire domain of collective thinking.

Because some religious texts are interpreted in ways that label women as inferior, many feminists posit that Islam is an obstacle to women's emancipation. However the role of women in Senegal's pervasive religious context is more complex than one might think.

The role of women in Muslim societies became a budding field of study in the early 1980's, coinciding with the rise of religious conservatism in Senegal.

At that time, life was extremely difficult for Senegalese women who dared to talk about the Qur'an as a source of freedom, especially when preachers on the radio and on national TV condoned beating one's wife "according to instructions in the Qur'an."

Certain passages in the Qur'an were often interpreted in ways that were unfavorable to women, giving rise to religious discourse about the obedience of women, the superiority of men and the duties of women to manage a home, have children and accept polygamy as an inevitable occurrence. In addition, women were legally considered minors.

However, the determination of Senegalese women to move forward, coupled with international pressure for women's rights, has opened up interesting new prospects.

Senegalese women now have a place of their own in religious life. Participation in public intellectual debates on gender equality in Islam was the first step in making the role of women visible in the religious sphere.

For example, much controversy surrounds the interpretation of the 34th verse of Surah an-Nisa' in the Qur'an which states that men are the "maintainers" of women. While many point to this verse as proof of Islam's subjugation of women, they pay little attention to the ensuing justification — in the same verse — which describes a de facto state of affairs: "because they spend of their property [for the support of women]."

The authority of men over women depends on their capacity to provide for the needs of their wives, in other words. However, because women are now increasingly able to provide for themselves and their children, not to mention their husbands, this dependence no longer defines their relationships with men.

In addition to their own interpretation of religious texts, Senegalese women have also created a space for themselves in other areas of religious life. One example is Sokhna Magat Diop.

Diop inherited her father's responsibilities as a religious leader of the Mouride Sufi order in Dakar following his death in the 1980's. She not only owned land that was cultivated by her followers, but also provided them with religious guidance and appointed imams.

Another example of the dynamism of Muslim Senegalese women is former journalist Ndiaye Mody Guirandu, who founded a new Sufi order.

Like other religious communities, Guirandu demonstrated the role and status that women can legitimately achieve in Senegal.

The criticism unleashed about Guirandu's vocation is edifying. In a country where Islam is central to all activities, where eschatology is part of daily life, Guirandu is viewed as a "heretic" because she broke with the tradition that women were confined solely to membership in religious associations and to the organization of ceremonies.

In a country like Senegal, gaining strength and prominence in the religious sphere, even making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, can serve as a launching point for women into the public sphere.

Although women are discouraged from political participation, marginalized in public affairs, legally denied land governance and refused religious leadership in public places, they have begun to change the status quo by creating awareness of important religious issues for women, encouraging public debate about women's roles in Senegal and taking part in religious ceremonies.

Some progress has already been achieved, and this is encouraging. However, more needs to be done to introduce democratic and secular values into the relationships between men and women. In the absence of these, the concept of gender equality is a mere fantasy.

Penda Mbow is a Senegalese historian, professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, and president of the Citizens' Movement.

Picture: Muslim women bow in prayer during the first day of the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha. Photo: Mustafa Abdo/AFP-Getty Images.

“I Am yet to Meet a Happy Killer”

By Ashfaque Swapan, "Hate Not Last Word in Partition: Nandy" - San Leandro India West - San Leandro, CA, USA
Friday, March 13, 2009

Berkeley: It was not hatred, but a strong undercurrent of humanity, that was the surprising finding of research on the traumatic bloodbath of the Partition, iconoclastic Indian researcher Ashis Nandy told an audience March 3 at the University of California.

Nandy made some unconventional points: Even in the terrible bloodbath that claimed the lives of millions, as many as one in four people among survivors said they were saved by the other community, and their fondest memories were still of the days when they lived with the ostensibly enemy community. He added that while those who engaged in the killings virtually got off scot-free, they paid a price in terms of mental and physical health and some even accepted culpability in their later age.

Nandy, a political psychologist and social theorist whose path-breaking work has revitalized scholarship on political psychology, the Indian encounter with colonialism, mass violence, nationalism and culture, was the featured speaker at the Sarah Kailath lecture here.

In 2008, Nandy was listed as one of the top 100 public intellectuals of the world by the magazine Foreign Policy. UC Berkeley sociology Prof. Raka Ray, chair of the Center for South Asia Studies, introduced him as an “intellectual extraordinaire” who was India’s first postcolonial theorist, calling him a “prototypical public intellectual” and India’s most famous dissenter.

“I am a little perturbed by my steady decline into respectability, and I do not know what to do about it,” quipped Nandy, who brought an avuncular bonhomie to his lecture.

Nandy highlighted his presentation with gripping stories of individuals caught in the maelstrom of murder, hatred and exile in 1946-48.

According to conservative estimates, roughly one million people died, but Nandy puts the figure to over two million.

Nandy and associates carried out a study that included about 1,300 interviews with survivors of the Partition violence of 1946-48, including 100 in-depth interviews. “When we started the study, we depended heavily on available data on other genocides, and I must say some of the things did not fit,” Nandy said. “The first finding that surprised us that nearly one-fourth of all survivors said that they owed their survival to somebody from the opposition,” he said. “This figure was astonishing because nowhere we have come anywhere near it — in any other genocide.”

Another surprising finding was the lack of rancor among direct victims, he said. “The second finding is … that those who actually faced the violence, those who are direct victims, the first generation of victims, those who have been subject to the violence, those who have seen it first-hand, mostly were those who had lesser prejudice and lesser bitterness about their experience than their own children and their grandchildren because they had lived in communities where the other side was the majority,” Nandy said.

“They have lived with them and they had very warm memories of that experience. Many of them have said that those were the best days of their lives, whereas the children have a packaged view mostly of those violent days and how the family survived . . . So they carry more bitterness, more hostility.”

Nandy focused on an individual to underscore some of his points.

During the research on the Partition, an associate had interviewed Madan Lal Pahwa, who was raised in what is now Pakistan. Raised in a “kattar” (orthodox) Hindu family, Pahwa grew up to become a Hindu militant. He participated in vigilante groups that killed Muslims, said Nandy, and even threw a bomb at a prayer meeting of Mahatma Gandhi five days before Gandhi’s assassination.

Many years later, during an interview for the research, Pahwa appeared to have mellowed considerably.What was Pahwa’s most treasured memory? “It is Pak Pattan (his ancestral village in Pakistan),” Nandy said. “And what he remembers in Pak Pattan the most, not only what he called the pure air and the pure milk and the green vegetables . . . above all (Muslim Sufi spiritual leader) Baba Farid’s mazar (tomb).

He used to sneak out at night from his home . . . and with his friends go to the mazar. “That Sufi music and the singing he remembers as the most valuable moments of his life. The memory of the shared shrine, the Sufi music, the ambiance of the mazar had left a deep impression on him.”

Pahwa also subsequently revised his earlier blanket condemnation of Muslims. “Muslims were otherwise friendly people,” Pahwa reportedly said. “A small minority of Muslims were bad, the politicians.”

“In South Asia, living with multiple selves is not an exception, we don’t diagnose it as schizophrenia,” Nandy quipped. “I don’t think you should be surprised that even Madan Lal Pahwa showed at least some awareness somewhere that he was culpable,” he said.

“Fanaticism drives a person but insaniyat — humanity — is also there,” Nandy said. Nandy also mentioned a “third striking feature of this genocide”.

“I have yet to meet, or any of our team has yet to meet, a killer who is happy in his old age,” he said. “I am yet to meet a happy killer. Even the ones that claim to be at perfect peace with themselves either have psychosomatic ailments or other instances of mental ill health directly traceable to the experience during the violence of ’46-48. So escaping prosecution is not the last word in this matter.”

India’s pre-partition history of various communities living together was the result of a pre-Western tradition of tolerance, Nandy said.

This became clear after he researched the 600-year history of communal peace in the Kerala port city of Kochi. The initial response of people, when asked about their history of peace, was predictable. “They gave all the responses people like us would love,” Nandy said. People said that the absence of violence was because people were secular, progressive and educated. However, said Nandy, deeper examination revealed something else.

“Nobody liked anybody else. Tolerance, alas, was based on mutual dislike,” he said.

“Every community thought they were the best. Yet in Cochin there was no instance of serious violence in 600 years of recorded history. “And then gradually I deciphered that in a community-based society, a society where individuation has not gone beyond a point, there is bound to be this dislike and this sense of superiority. . .“But whereas you think your community is the best you also learn the (other) community’s right to believe they are the best. That mutuality is there. Secondly, the other is not only the other, but they are a part of you, you internalize. . . . The other is crucial to your self-definition. . . There are no annihilatory fantasies. . .

“This is not the enlightenment vision of cosmopolitanism, it is the alternative form of cosmopolitanism, and I am now convinced that this is the cosmopolitanism with which societies based on communities survive.”

He said that the most bitter opponents of Gandhi, including his killers, didn’t dislike him mainly because of his perceived appeasement of Muslims. Gandhi’s critics in India hated him because they thought he was too mired in tradition to allow India to develop as a modern state, Nandy said. However, that may have been Gandhi’s strong suit, Nandy suggested.

“Somewhere Gandhi’s strength lay not in conforming to the ideas of proper politics of modern India and middle classes, that in any case found him a liability and a problem, people like you and me, perhaps his strength lay partly in the folk traditions of India, in the realities of India that is outside the reach of modern India,” Nandy said.