Only One Carpet...

By Minhac Çelik, *More steps should be taken to attract more tourists to Konya* - Today's Zaman - Turkey
Saturday, December 19, 2009

Şeb-i Arus (the Night of Union) ceremonies, which are held annually on Dec. 17 to commemorate the death of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, a religious thinker and Sufi who wrote poetry in Persian, have attracted growing interest from both domestic and foreign visitors.

However, for the event to draw more tourists and boost the city’s economy, more should be done to promote and advertise the occasion.

The city hosted more visitors than ever before at this year’s ceremonies, which took place on Dec. 7 to17, stated Murat Peksomlu, a head manager at Dedeman Hotel in Konya. He attributed the rise in the number of visitors to the books written on the life story of Rumi and his close friend Şems-i Tebrizi, who, also a Sufi, introduced Rumi to a new perspective on religion.

“Elif Şafak’s novel ‘Aşk’ [The Forty Rules of Love] and Ahmet Ümit’s ‘Bab-ı Esrar’ [The Secret Door] have been very influential in attracting the attention of their readers to Konya, Sufism, Rumi and Tebrizi. Therefore, the number of visitors has increased every year since 2007, which was declared the year of Mevlana by the Culture and Tourism Ministry. However, we should take more steps to increase the interest of foreign tourists, especially those from Iran,” stated Peksomlu while speaking to Today’s Zaman.

This year more than 1,000 Iranian tourists came to the Şeb-i Arus events because of Rumi’s great importance in Persian culture: First because of he is from the Persian city of Khorasan, and second because he wrote his poems in Persian. Roya Maleki, an Iranian student from Kerman who came to visit Rumi’s tomb, stated that Konya is the second most important city after Mecca in terms of religion.

“After visiting Mecca and becoming a pilgrim, people, especially in Kerman, are expected to visit Konya,” noted Maleki, holding Rumi’s “Divan-ı Kebir” (the collection of Rumi’s poems) in her hand.

Peksomlu noted Konya’s great potential to attract tourists from Iran and underlined that hotel managers from Konya paid a visit to Iran in May to establish contacts with Iranian tourism agencies and lead the initiative to start direct flights from Iran to Konya.

Although the hotels were satisfied with the number of visitors staying their hotels during the event, the visitors from Turkey and foreign countries have not created a notable boost in the city’s economy.

When asked how many carpets he sold over the last 10 days, Recep Topal, the owner of Karaman Carpets, said: “Sadly, I have to say that I only sold one carpet. More tourists visit Konya, but they only come to watch the ceremonies. Something should be done to bring them to the streets for shopping.”

Picture: On the last day of the Şeb-I Arus ceremonies, whirling Dervishes mesmerized the audience, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and CHP leader Deniz Baykal.

6th International Sufism Congress

ANSAMed, *Djanet oasis hosts Sufism congress* - Magharebia.com - USA
Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Sufism researchers and experts from 14 African and European countries are in the southern Algeria oasis city of Djanet this week for the 6th International Sufism Congress, ANSAMed reported on Tuesday (December 15th).

The event reportedly highlights the importance in Sufism of the Tidjaniya and Qadiriyya brotherhoods.

"These two fraternities have enabled Islam to expand, especially throughout West Africa," said Slimane Hachi, the director of Algeria's National Centre for Historical and Anthropological Research (CNRPHA).

[Picture: Djanet and its Palm Grove. Photo: Wiki]

Schools

TOI Reporter, *Dargah panel to open schools for poor, introduce Sufism* - The Times Of India - India
Tuesday, December 19, 2009

Ajmer: The Dargah Committee on Friday decided to open schools in the rural parts of the state for benefit of poor children. At a meeting held on Friday, the committee also decided to introduce Sufism as a subject at the primary level itself.

"We have decided to open a centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University in the dargah area so that children can learning while they earn," committee president Sohail Ahmed said, "Proposals of opening a teacher's training college for women and an ITI for boys are also in the pipeline."

The condition of surrounding area of dargah is horrible. "The slum area in the dargah region is so dense that one could hardly think of hygiene and education here," said Rajneesh Saxena, a social worker. According to police, these people resort to petty crimes like pick-pocketing, bag-lifting and stealing to eke out a living.

"The main problem of these people are that they are not getting education and the committee is now looking up to improve their living standard by providing them education," added Ahmed.

The committee decided to open schools in the villages first in Ajmer and then in other districts of the state. "We will provide infrastructure and teachers so that children can get free education in these schools," said a member. He also said that spreading of teachings of Khwaja Garib Nawaj Chishti is important in this time of terrorism.

"The theme is that every one should learn about harmony and development that the Khwaja wanted to teach the world," he added.

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

In Letter And Spirit

By TNI Reporter, *Jimmy Engineer calls for reverting to ‘sufism’* - The News International - Pakistan
Saturday, December 19, 2009

Islamabad: Renowned artist and social worker Jimmy Engineer Thursday underlined the need for promoting and spreading the teachings of the great Sufis for effectively countering militancy and extremism.

Karachi-based Jimmy Engineer while talking to APP on his arrival here called upon people from all walks of life in general and the artists community in particular to utilise all their energies and resources, individually and collectively, for safeguarding, preserving and promoting national integrity, solidarity and unity which is the dire need of the hour and ensure a brighter, moderate, progressive and forward looking Pakistan.

Jimmy Engineer, who firmly believes in the teachings of popular saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh and Sufi Barkat Ali, said that the message of love, brotherhood, peace, harmony and tolerance and unflinching faith in Allah Almighty contained the teachings of all great Sufis should be followed in letter and spirit as salvation lies in reverting back to Sufism.

He said the sooner it is done, the better it would be and help facing the problems boldly, squarely and courageously with the blessings of Allah Almighty. He opined that militancy and extremism in all their manifestations have taken roots only after the people had drifted away from Sufism to materialism and their faith in Allah Almighty wavering a lot.

The prominent artist said at the same time there is also dire need for forging and maintaining national unity and inculcating and promoting spirit of patriotism in order to meet the challenges and overcome the difficulties being faced by the nation and the country in the prevailing circumstances. Jimmy Engineer further stated that the younger generations in particular should be apprised about the sacrifices and struggle made by the millions of Muslims under the inspiring leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam and hard earned independence, freedom and sovereignty must be safeguarded and preserved no matter how high cost is to be paid for the security, integrity and solidarity of the Motherland.

As for himself, Jimmy Engineer reiterated his commitment, dedication and devotion to the Motherland and said he is quite willing to do any work at any time to promote soft, positive and forward looking progressive image of Pakistan in the comity of nations. Jimmy Engineer said that he deemed it as an honour of the highest order to be of any service to the nation and the country as he regards himself as an unofficial goodwill ambassador of Pakistan.

He said he has been rendering services to promote the cause of the Motherland for the last 35 years and is determined to continue rendering such services as long as he is breathing as a true son of the soil.In response to queries regarding artistic activities he said his artistic activities are flourishing in different parts of the country irrespective of the prevailing troubled situation.

He said a number of young girls and boys are emerging at the art scene as painters, calligraphic artists and sculptors which is quite encouraging. Jimmy said that among these emerging young artists, the most promising and impressive are Uroosa Ishtiaq from Karachi and Maham Gull from Lahore.

He said he was also committed to continue working for the welfare of the special children and to do everything possible for bringing smiles on their faces momentarily as well as permanently.

Jimmy Engineer said that mentally-retarded, physically handicapped, deaf, dumb and blind children are very dear and near to his heart. He said that in order to ameliorate the lot of the special children, bring smiles on their faces and provide them some moments of relief and happiness.

Jimmy said he introduced the concept of organising the awareness, fun and food programmes for the special children.

Visit Jimmy: http://www.jimmyengineer.com/index.html

[Picture: Jimmy Engineer, Partition Series: Refugees resting under a tree in 1947 - Oil on canvas 5 Feet x 7 Feet (1.50 x 2.10 meter), 1977]

Again And Again

By Sherif Sonbol, *Whirling shadows* - Al-Ahram - Cairo, Egypt

Issue # 977, Week 17-23 December 2009

Director Intissar Abdel-Fattah's Atyaf Al-Mawlawiya (The Mevlevis' Ghosts), a multifaceted theatrical show held at the Cultural Development Fund-administered Ghoury Dome last week, evokes the beautiful rites of the Mevlevi whirling dervishes, heirs to the great mystic poet Jalaluddin Rumi.

The show is "a spiritual state", in the words of the director himself, connecting notions of the One with the One's multifold manifestations, and deploying the Mevlevis' traditional modes of movement in the service of a modern choreographic idiom.

At the intellectual level, Sufism is complicated business, but the message of love communicated by Rumi's verses can be no simpler.

This show, as the pictures amply demonstrate, was intended as a ritual of purification reflecting the tradition that inspired it. It incorporates not only Mevlevi movements but also Egyptian religious chanting or inshad, Coptic hymns, and even Gamelan from Indonesia. The performance was conceived and constructed in relation to the space it occupied, with the Ghoury Dome playing as much of a part in the final show as any other element.

Abdel-Fattah manages to infuse all this with drama, as well. His premise is a relatively straightforward question: how might the character of Egypt be conveyed theatrically? The answer is a cross between a journey -- outward as well as an inner -- and a ritual of worship, a church service or a Mevlevi whirling session to which he brings the broadest range of symbols and references from the ancient Egyptian to the European.

So much so that you come out of the show not only spiritually purified but marvelling at Rumi's ability to inspire artists across space and time again and again.

[Click the title of the article to see all the pictures]

The Message Of Love

By TNI Correspondent, *‘Rumi’s poetry message of love’* - The News International - Pakistan
Friday, December 18, 2009

Lahore: Speakers at a seminar on Thursday said Maulana Rumi’s poetry is the message of love, affection, peace and brotherhood and he was the most read Muslim poet in the western countries because he emphasized the need to love human beings.

The seminar was organised on the eve of 736th death anniversary of great Muslim Sufi Poet Jalal-ud-Din Rumi by the Punjab University Centre for South Asian Studies in collaboration with Rumi Forum Pakistan at PU on Thursday.

Roman Scholar and Rumi Forum Chairman Haroon Kokem and Swat Argwan were the keynote speakers while PU Acting Vice Chancellor Dr Jamil Anwar presided over the ceremony. Haroon said Rumi believed that great people’s graves were not built in ground but in the minds of intellectuals.

Argwan of Rumi Forum said Maulana Rumi’s teachings could help resolve the problems faced by Pakistan today. He said Turkish revolutionist Fatahullah Gulen brought Turkey out of Civil War crises and put the country on the path of prosperity and development.

Prof Dar Jamil Anwar said that Rumi was a great Muslim Sufi poet but unfortunately our students knew a little about him due to the language barrier.

He urged the students to learn Turkish, Persian, Arabic and other languages so that they could know great Islamic leaders, writers and poets.

[Picture: A page of a copy circa 1503 of the Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i, BNF, Paris, France. Photo: Wiki]

Through Others' Eyes

By Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, *Examining the Story of Joseph's Seductress* - Jewish Exponent - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Thursday, December 17, 2009

Do you remember the line drawing of an old woman who, if you shift your eyes a fraction of an inch, can suddenly reappear as a beautiful girl with a hat?

I thought of that well-known perceptual illusion this summer when I studied the biblical narrative of Joseph at a retreat for Jewish and Muslim emerging religious leaders.

We chose the story deliberately. Both the Muslim and the Jewish traditions cherish the tale of a man who was himself an emerging leader, and of a family of siblings that faces the challenge of reconciliation, the very challenge facing the "children of Abraham" -- Jews, Christians and Muslims.

I knew that traditions about Joseph have been traveling between Jews and Muslims since the time of Mohammad. What I did not anticipate was the place in the Muslim imagination of the story of Yusuf, as he is called in the Koran, and his Egyptian master's wife.

In the Torah, the episode of Joseph and Potiphar's wife appears straightforward. Chapter 39, which we read last Shabbat, reports that Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, rises to prominence in the home of an official, Potiphar, whose wife attempts to seduce him and, upon failing, accuses Joseph of attacking her. I was never sure why the lady of the house wanted to bring her servant down, but I did not stop to question it. Like most Jewish readers through the centuries, I viewed this woman as lustful and vindictive, a contrast to Joseph's model of restraint.

But in the Koran, this episode has a very different feel. In the Muslim version, Joseph's temptress tries to defend herself. She gathers the women of the city for a meal. Upon seeing Joseph, they "cut their hands" and cry, "God save us! This is no mortal!" In the Koran's telling, the master's wife actually confesses that she lied, another detail we never hear in the Torah.

Later, Muslim commentators name the wife -- Zuleikha -- and she intrigues readers for generations, eliciting sympathy. As one of the Muslim participants at the retreat said: "Allah protects Joseph from his inclinations, but Zuleikha must struggle alone." In the mystical tradition of Islam, Zuleikha becomes a model of chaste passion, a stand-in for the human soul that longs to be united with God.

Hearing different versions of a familiar story changed me. In place of judgment, I found myself curious about this woman I thought I knew. It made me wonder about people with whom I interact today, especially those from different religious cultures. How many versions of their story are hidden from me?

American Jews are aware, through the media, of Islamic violence, a partial view of a multifaceted reality. Films like "Obsession" show us a terrifying side of a civilization, but do not help us understand that side nor to place it in the context of the history of Islam or of world religions.
Liberals bemoaning the fate of "oppressed Muslim women" also provide only part of a more nuanced story. When we learn about Islam, especially from Muslims themselves, we see more complexity, more background. We develop more capacity to respond to the people and situations we encounter.

Many Jews tell me they regret their limited knowledge about Islam. They sense there is more to be learned beyond images of veiled women and angry men, that there is a rich, evolving religious culture, one with a long history and many resonances with our own.

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College is launching a new course "Islam for Rabbis" in February. We opened the first three sessions to adults in the community. It already has a waiting list.

Last year, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Conservative movement's seminary, illustrated its annual calendar with art from a 19th-century Judeo-Persian translation of "Yusuf and Zuleikha," written by the medieval Sufi poet Jami [d. 1492].

Think about it: A century-and-a-half ago, Jews living in what is today Iran translated and lavishly illustrated a Muslim interpretation of our Torah story.

Our narratives are enriched when seen through others' eyes. There are so many versions out there. It's worth moving our heads an inch, and taking a second look.

Photo: Courtesy of The Library of JTS

A Charismatic Figure

By Olivia Bartlett Drake, *Östör’s Film Screens at National Film Festivals*- The Wesleyan Connection - Middletown, CT, USA

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The new film, Songs of a Sorrowful Man, directed by Ákos Östör, professor of anthropology, emeritus, and edited by film major Joe Sousa ’03, began its journey debuting at the biennial Royal Anthropological Film Festival, held at Leeds University in July.

The film was then shown at the the American Anthropological Association meeting in Philadelphia, Pa. Dec. 2-6. It also was screened recently at at Brown where it was featured as the lead event in Brown’s “Year of India” celebrations (2009-10).

The “sorrowful man,” Dukhushyam Chitrakar is a charismatic figure who encourages women to take up the traditional craft of scroll painting and musical composition pursued almost exclusively by men before.

In a series of edited sequences, the film chronicles Dukhushyam’s vision of the decline and rebirth of his art; his tolerant Sufi Muslim spirituality; his engagement with Hindus, Muslims and the modern world; his encyclopedic knowledge of changing musical and painting histories and techniques; the influence of his beliefs on his way of life, and his teachings for future generations of painters and singers in his community.

Read more about the film in an Oct. 27, 2009 Wesleyan Connection article.

Sincerity

By Rupa Srikanth, *Words dominated here* - The Hindu - India

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Despite a few glitches, ‘Peace on Earth' scored in its overall objective of bringing communities together.

Asmita, Resource Centre for Women, Hyderabad, presented ‘Peace on Earth' in the presence of Surjit Singh Barnala, the Governor of Tamil Nadu, and N.Murali, managing director, The Hindu.

It was written and directed by Vasanth Kannabiran, founder, Asmita, and a Women's Rights Activist, who had been nominated for the Nobel peace Prize in 2005.

The credits for music and choreography go to veteran mridangist Karaikkudi Mani, well-known flautist and musician B.V. Balasai and senior dancer Rajeswari Sainath.

‘Peace..' combined English commentary, Bharatanatyam and fusion dance, and drew upon stories of women of courage from different faiths - Esther, the saviour of the Jews, Mary of Magdella, a devoted apostle of Christ who was the first witness to His ascension, Rabia of Basra, a poverty-stricken Sufi Saint from Iraq who taught people to love God for God's sake not out of fear, and Akka Mahadevi, a Hindu poet and ascetic who was devoted to Chenna Mallikarjuna (Shiva) and did not see the need for clothes arguing that, ‘You can strip the clothes from me, but can you strip the nakedness that covers me?'

The production had a grand opening scene. A vast expanse (the Music Academy stage at its biggest) of space with a white screen as background, muted lighting and a calming Buddhist chant ‘Vajra Guru Mantra...' There could not have been a better definition of peace.

Powerful and full of rhetoric, the spoken word simply took over the production. They served to narrate the stories well but the words within the scenes gave no room for any other expression. The softly intoned nritta pieces acted as punctuations between the narratives segments, with Rajeswari and her students executing tidy movements.

The young dancers, dressed in neutral costumes of salwar-kameez with minimum ornamentation, were also foils in the background to the drama being enumerated in the forefront.

They kept the mood and the continuity. The focus of the musical score was also gentle and flowed through the native music segments smoothly.

The Carnatic classical was dominated by beautiful flute and veena instrumentals while the world music included the Arabian Belly Dance-inspired music, the organ-dominated Church music and the Persian-Iraqi santoor music.

While the production had lots of space and serenity in its design and some magnificence in the lighting (Bijon Mondal), the creativity in the choreography was minimal.

The most banal were the four heroines; it was like a ramp show in the beginning when they were introduced and continued to maintain that model-like facade throughout. There was no depth to their enactments.

Yet, one would think the production scored in its overall objective of bringing communities together, considering the idealism, research and sincerity behind it. The minutiae then cease to matter.

Photo: V. Ganesan

Respect

By Stephanie Fenton, *Interfaith Round Table presents Divine Language of Music concert tonight* - Ann Arbor.com - Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The universal language of music will be highlighted tonight when the Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County presents “The Divine Language of Music,” a concert of music from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu traditions.

This concert will serve as the first part of a 6-part winter/spring series that explores the music of these different faiths.

Music will be provided by a sacred choir from the Jewish Temple Beth Emeth; instrumentals from the Christian Canterbury House (or, more specifically, a ministry to the University of Michigan and sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan); chanting and whirling from Sufi Muslim of Michigan; and dancing from the Hindu Chinmaya Mission of Ann Arbor.

The Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County is a collection of clergy and lay people of different faith communities in Washtenaw County that frequently holds dialogues with, according to the IRT mission, a respect for one another. The Interfaith Round Table aims to facilitate friendships as a dialogue group, and not using political means.

The Jewish Temple Beth Emeth has multiple choirs, and the adult choir - Kol Halev - sings at Holy Day services at the temple, monthly and at concerts throughout the calendar year. In 2004, the choir toured Bulgaria, Romania and Greece.

The Canterbury House, on the other hand, is well-known for its instrumentals. During the past five decades, Canterbury House has hosted musicians such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot, and more recently, regional acts and student and faculty ensembles have been featured. Each Sunday at 5 p.m., Canterbury House offers a Jazz Mass with world-renowned musicians.

Sufi whirling, by definition, is an active meditation that is most frequently practiced by Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. This dance is often performed in efforts to reach the source of all perfection, or kemal. Through letting go of one’s ego and listening to the music, Sufi Muslims focus on God and spin the body in cycles that mimics the planets’ orbiting of the sun.

Dance is vital to the Hindu tradition, and the earliest artistic performances were almost entirely associated with religion, according to Heart of Hinduism. Today, many of its dance styles reflect the spiritual themes present in the Epics, Puranas and other Hindu texts.

The Divine Language of Music will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Temple Beth Emeth / St. Clare Episcopal Church, at 2309 Packard in Ann Arbor. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $12 for students with an ID, as this concert is a benefit for the Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County (additional charitable donations are also welcome and appreciated). For more information or for tickets, call George Lambrides at (734) 424-1535.

Preaching Moderation

By David Watkinson, *Islamic preacher's East Lancashire visits to challenge 'extremist agendas'* - Lancashire Telegraph - Lancashire, UK
Monday, December 14, 2009

A world-renowned Islamic preacher is visiting three East Lancashire towns in a bid to “challenge extremist agendas”.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani visited a spiritual centre in Pringle Street, Blackburn yesterday as part of a whistle-stop 10-day tour of England which also includes a trip to Burnley and Nelson on Friday.

Shaykh Hisham, who has advised two previous United States’ governments on issues regarding Islam, religious tolerance and terrorism, said there was a “real issue of young people being influenced by extremists” in this area.

And he said East Lancashire was vulnerable to extremists looking to infiltrate mosques.
Hundreds of people turned out to the event on Sunday at the Naqshbandiyya Mujaddidiyya Aslamiyya mosque.

He said he chose East Lancashire as part of his tour because of its high level of ethnic diversity and worries over extremism.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph today, Shaykh Hisham, who is based in the USA but was born in Beruit, said preaching moderation was important because there was a “real concern” that extremists were targeting mosques.

He said: “There are too many violent ideas and anti-Western thoughts being spread to young people in communities in Lancashire.

“There is a radical minority but they must be shunned and ignored.

"The real Islam isn’t bombing and terror but we must discuss the problems so we can avoid them.”
Coun Salim Mulla, from the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said: “The visit was very positive for the community.”

Mr Hisham is the founder of the Sufi Muslim Council, a moderate organisation which aims to stand up to extremism.

He has addressed numerous world bodies such as the United Nations and has met with heads of state, including former US presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton.

The tour will see Shaykh Hisham visit mosques in Peckham in south London, Ilford in Essex, Rochdale, Sheffield, Manchester, Bury and Birmingham as well as East Lancashire.

On Friday he will be at the new Burnley Ghauthia Masjid mosque in Abel Street from noon and at 7pm the Ghauthia Masjid mosque in Every Street, Nelson.

Inner Power

By Farzand Ahmed, *Strange tales behind mazars* - India Today - Lucknow, India Monday, December 24, 2009

Mazars, mausoleums and tombs of holy saints and Sufis (mystics) are considered blessed places which are thronged by people of all faiths seeking blessings of the holy ones lying there and get their wishes fulfilled.

The Sufi Foundation of India (SFI) had prepared a list of some 500-odd famous Sufism centres and tried to connect these centres from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, Gujarat to West Bengal to create a "Sufi Corridor" against terrorism.

Yet there are numerous mazars and tombs ranging from that of Sheikh Chilli (the saint of laughter) to the tomb of Chhugalchi (one who passes on false information to create confusion) which have funny but timeless tales.

Says SFI founder Hazrat Syed Mohammad Jilani Ashraf Kichhauchhvi who thought of a spiritual voyage, while Sufi mazars and dargahs (shrines) are living symbols of love and humanism and arouse inner power among the followers as to how to have a direct experience with God, it's in human nature to invent some fascinating tales and believe in it.

Of all the tombs and mausoleums in the country Chhugalchi ka Maqbara (the tomb of the slanderer) on the outskirts of Etawah town on the Farukkhabad-Kannauj highway has a story stranger than any fairy tale and itself experiences funny actions through travellers. In fact, every mazar and tomb is revered by the devotees, who offer flowers and coins amid burning incense sticks but here it's a must for passers-by to hit the grave inside the dilapidated tomb with shoes or chappals at least five times and then pray for a safe journey.

Last week a youthful political activist from Etawah, Mohammad Mansoor, in an angry mood led a team of his Samajwadi Party friends to the tomb and asked them to shower the grave of Chhugalchi with shoes and chappals and pray to this Chhugalchi to rid the party of chhugalchis. Beating of the tomb with shoes continued for nearly half an hour. And this happens every now and then with people passing along the highway stopping at the tomb near Datawali village, some 10 km from the district headquarters, and curse the Chhugalchi who, according to popular folklore was responsible for the clash between two chieftains that led to mayhem and destruction.

Many believe that this strange character was not a fictional figure. According to an account once documented in a local Hindi journal years ago, there was a court-jester named Bhola Syed in the durbar of Raja Sumer Singh Chauhan (during Mohammad Ghauri's time). He once went to see the Raja of Ater (Bhind). Bhola in a bid to be rewarded handsomely poisoned the ears of the Raja that his friend (Raja Sumer) was planning to attack and capture his kingdom. On his return, he praised the hospitality extended to him but told Raja Sumer that his friend (Raja of Ater) was planning to attack and capture his kingdom.

This led to war and genocide. Soon the two kings came to know of Bhola's mischief and ordered that this Chhugalchi should be beaten with shoes till he died. He was ordered to be buried by the side of the road and a firman was issued that anyone passing through the area must hit his grave with shoes at least five times.

However, well-known Hindi writer Medhavasu Pathak after sifting through old records and examining various tales revealed that the real name of Chhugalchi or the court-jester was Gul Al-Farooz who was ordered to be buried half-dead and at his grave a chowkidar was posted whose duty was to ask travellers to hit the grave with shoes five times. "It has been a symbol of hatred towards those who indulged in Chhugalkhori or spreading lies against each other," Pathak said.

However seeing the dilapidated condition of the mazar and to turn it into tourist spot, SP's Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav announced that he would get it renovated from funds allotted to him under the MP Local Area Development scheme.

Lucknow, the city of nawabs dotted with monuments, too has a strange mazar of Capstan Baba. Located in Moosabagh at the outskirts of the city on Hardoi road, the mausoleum of Saint Mohammad Ashim, popularly known as "Wales" and "Gore Baba", a White Army Captain who died during the 1857 uprising, where both Hindus and Muslims go, pray and offer cigarettes mainly the Capstan brand. The saint, reportedly, used to smoke only Capstan cigarettes. Thousands of his devotees, who believe their wishes will be fulfilled, light a cigarette and insert the same in the cracks o the mazar.

There are also a couple of mazars of rival Sufis in the spiritual town of Amroha, the administrative headquarters of Jyotiba Phule Nagar district. One is dominated by scorpions while another is the playground of donkeys. But neither do the scorpions harm any devotee nor do the donkeys' desecrate the mazar or its campus. Both the mazars are situated a few furlongs apart and have a strange tale behind them each. One of them is the mazar of revered Sufi-saint Shah Wilyat Amrohi, popularly known as "Dada Shahwilayat", which is guarded by scorpions. According to Z. A. Najmi, a local writer-journalist, who has been researching the history of these mazars, the poisonous scorpions never sting devotees or visitors.

The history has it that Shahwilayat migrated from Wasti (Basra in Iraq) in 653 Hijri to India to spread the message of God. He had a desire of finally settling in a place where mango and rohu fish could be found. He finally reached this place where he found mango and rohu in abundance. The place was thus called Aam (mango)-Roha (rohu fish).

However, his decision to settle down there was objected to by Khwaja Nasruddin or Hazrat Khwaja Geso Daraaz. He sent a bowl overflowing with water. The message was clear: this place was already spiritually full and there was no scope for another Sufi. Shahwilayat smiled, put a rose in the bowl and sent it back to Khwaja Nasruddin indicating his presence would be as light as the rose. In anger, Khwaja Nasruddin said stay here but your shrine would be dominated by scorpions. Shahwilayat said, "Yes, but they wouldn't hurt my devotees." On the other hand, the Sufi told Khwaja Nasruddin that his shrine would be a playground of donkeys. Khwaja replied, "Yes, but they wouldn't desecrate the shrine."

Everybody in North India and Pakistan enjoys humorous stories attributed to Sheikh Chilli. He is venerated as the saint of laughter and wit but is also loved by children for his stupidity. His tomb on the G.T. Road in Haryana is different in architecture and considered next only to the Taj Mahal. Many believe that Sheikh Chilli (Sheikh Chehli) was Sufi saint Abdur Rahim alias Abdul Razzak. He was also considered guru of Dara Shikoh. The shrine, a protected one, is located 163 km north-west of Delhi (between Ambala and Karnal) is replete with its Persian influence. However, nobody is sure about the origin of Sheikh Chilli.

In Delhi, according to SFI, there are over 40 highly revered shrines and mazars but the Chitli Qabar in the Walled City doesn't fit the image of a mazar. It's stranger than the character of Sheikh Chilli and the story behind Chitli Qabar or the mazar of a piebald goat is really stranger than fiction.

Indeed, nobody knows the history or how the goat acquired such a holy image. Many believe that the piebald goat belonged to a holy person during the Mughal period.

Whatsoever the story, the mazar is located in the area where butchers have their shops. Every morning, shopkeepers go to Chitli Qabar, offer fresh flowers and seek divine blessings before opening their shops. People say as long as the Qabar exists, there is nothing to fear about. Even demolition squads dare not touch it.

But jokes apart these shrines, mazars and mausoleums continue to spread love, communal harmony and spirituality. Faith and belief after all know no logic.

[Pictures: Tomb of Shaykh Chilli. Photo: Wiki; Famous Stories of Shaykh Chilli. Bookstore: http://books4u.in/book_detail.php?book_id=3699]

A Community Worker

By Staff Writer, *Pendle volunteer celebrates Eid with Prime Minister in Downing Street* - Pendle Today - Nelson, England, UK

Monday, December 14, 2009

A PENDLE voluntary community worker who also runs Pendle Car Centre in Nelson was invited to Number 10 Downing Street by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take part in a reception to celebrate Eid.

Mr Shokat Malik has dedicated a great deal of time to working with Central Government on a range of community agendas in relation to preventing violent extremism and community cohesion through the Sufi Muslim Council.

The SMC is still a relatively new body set up after 7/7, but now is one of a few stakeholder partners working directly with the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Mr Malik is also a founding member of the Free Spiritual Centre, a voluntary group that aims to promote an understanding of Sufism and encourage cohesion among people, regardless of their background, in a safe and comfortable environment.

Mr Malik said: "It was a heart-warming experience to be hosted by the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street and to know people from Pendle are at the forefront of bringing local experience to Central Government."

Picture: Mr Malik shakes hands with with Gordon Brown. (S)

Light And Darkness

By Heather McDaniel, *Annual Festival of Light and Dark celebrates the winter season* - The Campanil - Oakland, CA, USA

Sunday, December 13, 2009

On the last day of classes, the Mills College Chapel was nearly full of people celebrating the Festival of Light and Dark, an annual campus tradition.

Members of the Mills community gathered for two hours Dec. 7 to honor sacred and cultural rituals of the winter season. This year’s event featured songs, performances and presentations from individuals and members of student organizations representing different religious and cultural groups.

This year graduates, undergraduates and alums participated, said Reverend Erika Macs, who as Director of Spiritual and Religious Life coordinated the event.

Before the ceremony began, children and adults were invited to participate in an hour of holiday crafts and games. Students and parents from the Children’s School, as well as several Mills students, painted Christmas ornaments, colored and made paper lanterns. Members of the Jewish Student Union also lead a game of Dreidel.

The ceremony opened with a song entitled “Dark of Winter,” preformed by senior Kelsey Lindquist. Lindquist sang as representatives from campus clubs participated in a candle lighting ritual. Following the song, Macs shared some opening remarks.

“The festival comes at an interesting time of the year – on the evening of the last days of classes,” said Macs. “This is our moment to breathe and reflect and be together.”
Participants were then given a few moments to share aspects of their own religious or cultural winter celebrations with all who had gathered. Some groups read poetry, while others shared traditional songs, stories and dances.

Members of the Muslim Student Association read Sufi poetry written by Rumi and Rabia, accompanied by a recording of soft flute music playing in the background.

“The poems have to do with incorporating themes of light and darkness into one practice,” said junior Weyam Ghadbian, member of MSA and Chapel Program and Administrative Assistant.

First-year Asha Richardson, a member of the Black Women’s Collective, also read poetry. Richardson preformed two poems she wrote about Kwanzaa, a celebration that honors African heritage and traditions.

“We need to celebrate Kwanzaa to honor ourselves and celebrate our culture,” said Richardson.

The Jewish Student Union opted to share an alternative story of Hanukkah and resistance, through the story of a woman named Judith. Each member took turns telling the story of how Judith pretended to surrender to an enemy general who was launching an attack on her village. According to the story, she waited until the general fell asleep and then beheaded him. Because of Judith’s courage, her people were then able to fight back and save their village.

“Since this is Mills, we decided we would tell a feminist story,” explained sophomore Shoshana Burda.

The ceremony ended with a lively traditional Aztec dance, performed by members of Mujeres Unidas and family members and friends. Dancers dressed in traditional costumes with colorful headdresses and danced to the beat of two drums.

Other participants in the event included a traditional Hawai’ian chant by Cierra Cummings, a member of the Native American Sisterhood Alliance, poetry and stories from Workers of Faith, the traditional story of the Holly King and the Oak shared by KingMackenzie Bean of the Mills Pagan Alliance and graduate student Tako Oda, who preformed a song.

Immediately following the ceremony was a candle-lit walk to President Janet Holmgren’s home for cookies and light snacks.

Many of those who came to observe the festival, such as senior Marit Coyman-Myklebust, enjoyed the presentations.

“I thought it was interesting and I like that it covered all religions, faiths and cultures,” said Coyman-Myklebust. “I’d always heard how good it was and figured it was my last opportunity to come. I was not disappointed.”

[Picture: Diagram of the Earth's seasons as seen from the north. Far right: Winter Solstice. Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice]

To Attract People

By Naveen Ammembala, *‘Nasir under wrong notion of Sufism’ * - Express Buzz - India
Sunday, December 13, 2009

Bangalore: Dreaded terrorist Nasir’s interrogation by the police is not only revealing interesting facts about their plans to carry out destructive activities but also on how terrorists are wrongly interpreting sufism to mislead the innocent.

Nasir has revealed that he used to discuss Sufism with associates.

The cops suspect that the extremist could be misleading others by talking about Sufism.
They also suspect that he might have wrongly understood sufism as it never preaches violence as a means to achieve anything.

Fourteenth century Syrian sufi philosopher Shah Nimatullah has defined Sufi as "one who is a lover of truth, who by means of love and devotion moves towards the truth, towards the perfection which all are truly seeking. As necessitated by love’s jealousy, the sufi is taken away from all except the Truth.’’

The investigators feel that had he believed in sufism, he would not have involved in bombing and killing people. He has a misconception of jihad and `way of life’ — the terms of sufism and because of this, he committed these, an investigating officer said.

Sufism defines jihad as winning over oneself and not carrying out war against someone else to kill. There is a possibility of Nasir either misunderstanding or wrongly interpreting jihad.

There is also a chance of talking about Sufism just to attract people and then slowly make them fundamentalists, the officer said.

It is evident that Nasir talked about sufism from his revelations to the investigating agencies. During 2006 April, one Sabeer a SIMI worker met Sarfaraz Nawaz (the logistic provider of Bangalore bombings and now in Bangalore jail). Sabeer had introduced Nasir to Safraraz for the first time in a Masjid at Perambavoor during a sufi programme.

After a month Sarfaraz met Nasir for the second time and discussed religious issues like dominancy and sacrificing oneself for the sake of God. Sabeer, Jabbar, Jaleel, Manaf, Faisal, Sarfuddeen and even Sarfaraz Nawaz (all are arrested) were attracted through talks on sufism.

Others Afthab, Fahiz, Mohemmed Yasin who also got involved in terror activities under Nasir's influence, later died in police encounter in Kashmir," the officer added.

A Pure Heart

By Larry Mitchell, *Chicoans travel to study Gülen movement* - Enterprise Record - Chico, CA, USA

Saturday, December 12, 2009

It's not surprising that Jim Anderson and Janet Leslie would take an interest in the Gulen movement, which originated in Turkey.
Both are members of Chico's Quaker community and could be called peace advocates. They are involved in local interfaith work.

The movement, started by Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim leader, stresses tolerance, Anderson and Leslie said during a talk they gave recently at Chico State University.
Last summer, they explained, they were among nine people from Chico who went to Turkey to learn more about the Gulen movement.

Turkey has a complex history, with strong influences from both the East and the West, Leslie said. In the early 1900s, a secular, "modernist" state was established. All religious institutions were banned because religion was seen as divisive.
But by the mid-1900s, room was made again for religion, and the government now promotes religious freedom, Leslie said. The great majority of religious Turks follow Islam, but there are Christians, Jews and members of other faiths, as well.

While Gulen doesn't call himself a Sufi, his movement can be classified as a type of Sufism, said Anderson, who is a professor of religious studies at Chico State.

Sufism is often called the mystical branch of Islam.

According to Anderson, Gulen advocates an ascetic kind of Sufism rather than the ecstatic or "intoxicated" kind.

He practices and recommends living simply, he said. A balanced approach is central in Gulen's teachings, he added. For example, he stresses "cultivating a pure heart," but also emphasizes the authority of Islamic scripture.

Gulen's approach, he said, involves "absolute balance — active and passive, this world and the next."
He advocates "an active and responsible participation in public life for the good of society," Anderson said.
At the same time, "Gulen teaches if you want to reform the world, start by reforming yourself," Leslie noted.

While in Turkey, the travelers from Chico visited museums, schools, mosques, synagogues and churches. They also spent time in the homes of Gulen's followers.

Leslie told of meeting one woman who said she and a group of friends were working to eliminate gossip from their lives.

"Mostly, the movement is a bunch of small community groups who meet and consider how to live out their ideals," Anderson said.

The movement is responsible for starting a number of schools. Several Turkish newspapers promote Gulen's views, as well.

Gulen, who now lives in the United States, "believes Turkey can only effectively enter the modern world through tolerance," Anderson said. "He believes tolerance and interfaith activities are necessary to being a good Muslim."

Gulen is not universally loved, Anderson noted. When he visited the pope, he was denounced by both secularists and Islamists.

It's hard to estimate the size of the movement, Leslie said. She guessed it might include 100,000 to 5 million of Turkey's 71 million people.

"This movement and (Gulen's) teachings have become a major religious and social force in the world," she said, adding that on a published list of "the most influential Muslims," Gulen ranked 13th.

More information can be found on Gulen's Web site, which is at http://en.fgulen.com.

Picture: Janet Leslie holds a photograph of Muslim leader Fethullah Gulen during a presentation at Chico State University. Photo: Jason Halley/Staff Photo

Spiritual Upliftment

Staff Reporter, *AMU Professor ranked World's 44th most influential Muslim* - IndiaEduNews.net - India

Friday, December 11, 2009

Aligarh: Professor Saiyed Mohammad Ameen Mian Qadri of the Urdu Department at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has been ranked the 44th most influential Muslim in the world by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of the Georgetown University, USA.

The Prince Al-Waheed Bin Talal Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University has published a new book entitled *The 500 most influential Muslims in the World 2009*. It has ranked the Professor as 44th most influential Muslim in the World.

Professor Qadri is a leader of the Indian Barelvis and a Sajjada Nasheen or Sufi disciple of the Khanquah-e-Barkatiya, Marehra sufi tradition which stems from the Qadriyyah tradition of eminent Sufi master Abd al Qadir al Jilani.

He is also the leader of a South Asian Sufi movement. It thrives as an active and socially engaged mystical movement. The Barelvis are an apolitical group that emphasizes social cohesion and spiritual upliftment.

He is patronizing a large number of institutions of modern and oriental tradition, has written several books on Urdu literature, and translated various books on mysticism.

Prof. Ameen is the founder of Albarkat Educational Institutions and under its aegis several institutions are run.

Visit the Aligarh Muslim University

Download the book *The 500 most influential Muslims in the World 2009*

A Syncretic Culture

By PR Writer, *INACS Conference: The Academy to Re-discover Past, Re-define Present and Chart Course for Future* - PRWeb - Ferndale, WA, USA
Friday, December 11, 2009

Seeking to formalize studies in Civilizational Knowledge System with the aim of constituting "Integral Knowledge" by redefining contemporary studies, the Indian National Academy of Civilizational Studies (INACS) held its annual conference on November 27 at Tagore Hall, Delhi University Campus, New Delhi.

It was attended by many intellectuals, researchers, educationists and students in the background of civilisational studies in India, its historical evolution, an assessment of previous and current efforts while charting course for future.

The conference commenced at 10 in the morning concluding at late 8 in the evening. Its focus was to re-re-discover the entire knowledge from the past where it lies locked in time, study the contemporary disciplines with the aim of enunciating "Integral Knowledge" combining the best strands of intellectual outputs through re-establishment of Sanskrit as a medium of intellectual discourse in India.

The Academy had invited papers on the topics viz. “Shaping of Post-Independence India: Nehruism and the Indian Civilisational Ethos”, “Legacy of the Sufis in India: A Socio-Cultural Appraisal”, “Formalization of Studies in Civilizational Knowledge System”, “Prospects for making Sanskrit as Medium of Intellectual Discourse in India” and “Hindi Navjagaran Ki Vichardhara”.

Out of thirty-one papers accepted by the expert panels, twenty-one papers were presented in the conference.

The session on Nehruism discussed the competing vision for shaping the contours of the newly independent Indian republic between Nehruism and the forces which claimed to be more representative of India’s civilisational and cultural ethos. It was chaired by Amba Charan Vashishth, a Delhi based political commentator.

The session on Sufism chaired by Rabi Ranjan Sen, lecturer, Katwa College, West Bengal, discussed the evolution of a Hindu-Muslim syncretic culture in the Indian social, cultural and religious landscape in the medieval ages wherein the Sufis were often pitted against the “illiberal, narrow-minded” Ulema as representing the “tolerant, liberal” face of Islam. It was also argued that in this discourse perhaps it was often either forgotten or even sometime sought to be deliberately glossed over that the Sufis also effected the majority of conversions in India.

Chairing the session on Civilizational Knowledge System Dr. Ravi Prakash Arya, Vedic scholar and linguist, dwelt on the aim of the session was to explore the vast treasure of civilizational knowledge so as to initiate a process to un-lock these systems currently atrophied due to centuries of neglect and stagnation. The papers presented in the session covered a vast area ranging from Vriksha Ayurveda (Bio-botanicals) to geo-thermal energy.

Outlining the growing importance of Sanskrit, Dr. Indulata Das, samskritist and educationist, who chaired the session, said that modern scholars and scientists were taking keen interest in the scientific studies carried out in the Vedic and post Vedic period and during their researches they have been able to locate a vast body of scientific literature written in Sanskrit. The various scientific studies carried out in Vedas and allied literature and publication of scientific works in Sanskrit has ignited their curiosity to search for more and more Vedic scientific literature written in the past.

The session on Hindi chaired by Dr. Vivekanand Upadhyay, faculty, AIIS, mainly dwelt on various aspects of “Hindi Navjagaran” outlining its distinguishing features and role in national movement. The papers also highlighted the distinctive features of Indian civilization which makes it unique and what kind of challenges it had to face during colonial times. It was sought to be elaborated the contours of the challenges posed by colonialism and Islamic revival movements necessitated the “Hindi Navjagaran” movement to re-establish the claim of distinctiveness of Indian civilzational values and ethos. The papers dwelt at length on the dialectics of Hindi and Urdu, national and social emancipation and nationalism and colonialism seeking to comprehend the various aspects of Hindi Navjagaran.

The conference was inaugurated by RK Ohri, the chairperson of the INACS organisng committee. In the plenary session, RK Ohri read out a proposal presentation on “Dhimmitude” seeking to explain the term in Indian context.

Elaborating on the role of INACS, the Conference Director Shiv Shakti said, “INACS is committed to engage scholars, intellectuals, academicians, researchers, professionals, activists and other interested individuals in heralding a culture of academic evaluation and scrutiny of the existing paradigms in Indic civilizational context. It also aims at encouraging the process of defining relevant and mutually compatible parameters.”

All the papers received for the conference and accepted after peer-review will be published, he said.

Baba Jee

By Rabia Ali *Urs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi celebrated* - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Friday, December 11, 2009

Karachi:Abdul Ghani quietly dropped money into the green Nazrana box, touched and kissed the railing of the grave, laid the Chaddar along with the wreath of fresh rose petals, offered Fateha and silently wept.

The room crammed with many others like him, had come from all parts of the country to pay tribute to Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi on the occasion of his annual Urs.

Commonly known as Baba Jee, the 1279th Urs of one of the most revered Sufi Saint was celebrated with great fervor on Thursday.

Thronged by thousands of believers, the three-day celebrations came to an end with the distribution of Langar (free food), and an evening of Qawali and Dhamal.

Leaving behind his worldly affairs for the saint, a volunteer Haji Asif did not sleep since the start of the festival. “I have been volunteering at the Urs for the last 20 years, and my duty is to ensure that discipline is maintained among the visitors. This place holds great importance for me, and I can neither express happiness nor the peace which overcomes me here,” he said.

Another devotee, Sumaira Begum had come all the way from Thatta for the Urs. “I come here every year to pay tribute since the saint is responsible for blessing me with a son seven years after my marriage,” she said.

Meanwhile, Farida, a resident of Teen Hatti said she had been praying at the shrine since morning. “I come here whenever Baba Jee calls me. I see him often in my dreams, and hence when I come here, I spend all my time praying, and asking him to keep gracing my dreams with his presence,” she said gleefully.

Due to security concerns, however, a low turnout was observed at the saint’s resting place.

“Every year, the number of visitors is in millions, but this year, we have only had 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. This is because people are afraid that an untoward incident might take place,” said Haji Asif.

Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police and rangers were present inside and outside the premises of the shrine for the safety of the visitors.

Apart from devotes, the Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazar-ul-Haq, along with other officials also paid their tributes at the shrine.

[Picture: The Shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi. Photo: Wiki]

An Independent Hero

By Mehdi Hasan, *Jesus: the Muslim prophet* - New Statesman - London, UK
Thursday, December 10, 2009

Christianity is rooted in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, so is Islam’s version of Christ a source of tension, or a way of building bridges between the world’s two largest faiths?

Christians, perhaps because they call themselves Christians and believe in Christianity, like to claim ownership of Christ. But the veneration of Jesus by Muslims began during the lifetime of the Prophet of Islam. Perhaps most telling is the story in the classical biographies of Muhammad, who, entering the city of Mecca in triumph in 630AD, proceeded at once to the Kaaba to cleanse the holy shrine of its idols. As he walked around, ordering the destruction of the pictures and statues of the 360 or so pagan deities, he came across a fresco on the wall depicting the Virgin and Child. He is said to have covered it reverently with his cloak and decreed that all other paintings be washed away except that one.

Jesus, or Isa, as he is known in Arabic, is deemed by Islam to be a Muslim prophet rather than the Son of God, or God incarnate. He is referred to by name in as many as 25 different verses of the Quran and six times with the title of "Messiah" (or "Christ", depending on which Quranic translation is being used). He is also referred to as the "Messenger" and the "Prophet" but, perhaps above all else, as the "Word" and the "Spirit" of God. No other prophet in the Quran, not even Muhammad, is given this particular honour. In fact, among the 124,000 prophets said to be recognised by Islam - a figure that includes all of the Jewish prophets of the Old Testament - Jesus is considered second only to Muhammad, and is believed to be the precursor to the Prophet of Islam.

In his fascinating book The Muslim Jesus, the former Cambridge professor of Arabic and Islamic studies Tarif Khalidi brings together, from a vast range of sources, 303 stories, sayings and traditions of Jesus that can be found in Muslim literature, from the earliest centuries of Islamic history. These paint a picture of Christ not dissimilar to the Christ of the Gospels. The Muslim Jesus is the patron saint of asceticism, the lord of nature, a miracle worker, a healer, a moral, spiritual and social role model.

“Jesus used to eat the leaves of the trees," reads one saying, "dress in hairshirts, and sleep wherever night found him. He had no child who might die, no house which might fall into ruin; nor did he save his lunch for his dinner or his dinner for his lunch. He used to say, 'Each day brings with it its own sustenance.'"

According to Islamic theology, Christ did not bring a new revealed law, or reform an earlier law, but introduced a new path or way (tariqah) based on the love of God; it is perhaps for this reason that he has been adopted by the mystics, or Sufis, of Islam. The Sufi philosopher al-Ghazali described Jesus as "the prophet of the soul" and the Sufi master Ibn Arabi called him "the seal of saints". The Jesus of Islamic Sufism, as Khalidi notes, is a figure "not easily distinguished" from the Jesus of the Gospels.

What prompted Khalidi to write such a pro­vocative book? "We need to be reminded of a history that told a very different story: how one religion, Islam, co-opted Jesus into its own spirituality yet still maintained him as an independent hero of the struggle between the spirit and the letter of the law," he told me. "It is in many ways a remarkable story of religious encounter, of one religion fortifying its own piety by adopting and cherishing the master spiritual narrative of another religion."

Islam reveres both Jesus and his mother, Mary (Joseph appears nowhere in the Islamic narrative of Christ's birth). "Unlike the canonical Gospels, the Quran tilts backward to his miraculous birth rather than forward to his Passion," writes Khalidi. "This is why he is often referred to as 'the son of Mary' and why he and his mother frequently appear together." In fact, the Virgin Mary, or Maryam, as she is known in the Quran, is considered by Muslims to hold the most exalted spiritual position among women. She is the only woman mentioned by name in Islam's holy book and a chapter of the Quran is named after her. In one oft-cited tradition, the Prophet Muhammad described her as one of the four perfect women in human history.

But the real significance of Mary is that Islam considers her a virgin and endorses the Christian concept of the Virgin Birth. "She was the chosen woman, chosen to give birth to Jesus, without a husband," says Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an imam in Leicester and assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). This is the orthodox Islamic position and, paradoxically, as Seyyed Hossein Nasr notes in The Heart of Islam, "respect for such teachings is so strong among Muslims that today, in interreligious dialogues with Christians . . . Muslims are often left defending traditional . . . Christian doctrines such as the miraculous birth of Christ before modernist interpreters would reduce them to metaphors."

With Christianity and Islam so intricately linked, it might make sense for Muslim communities across Europe, harassed, haran­gued and often under siege, to do more to stress this common religious heritage, and especially the shared love for Jesus and Mary. There is a renowned historical precedent for this from the life of the Prophet. In 616AD, six years in to his mission in Mecca, Muhammad decided to find a safer refuge for those of his followers who had been exposed to the worst persecution from his opponents in the pagan tribes of the Quraysh. He asked the Negus, the Christian king of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia), to take them in. He agreed and more than 80 Muslims left Mecca with their families. The friendly reception that greeted them upon arrival in Abyssinia so alarmed the Quraysh that, worried about the prospects of Muhammad's Muslims winning more allies abroad, they sent two delegates to the court of the Negus to persuade him to extradite them back to Mecca. The Muslim refugees, claimed the Quraysh, were blasphemers and fugitives. The Negus invited Jafar, cousin of Muhammad and leader of the Muslim group, to answer the charges. Jafar explained that Muhammad was a prophet of the same God who had confirmed his revelation to Jesus, and recited aloud the Quranic account of the virginal conception of Christ in the womb of Mary:

"And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man.She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing.He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste?He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained."
Quran, 19:16-21

Karen Armstrong writes, in her biography of Muhammad, that "when Jafar finished, the beauty of the Quran had done its work. The Negus was weeping so hard that his beard was wet, and the tears poured down the cheeks of his bishops and advisers so copiously that their scrolls were soaked." The Muslims remained in Abyssinia, under the protection of the Negus, and were able to practise their religion freely.

However, for Muslims, the Virgin Birth is not evidence of Jesus's divinity, only of his unique importance as a prophet and a messiah. The Trinity is rejected by Islam, as is Jesus's Crucifixion and Resurrection. The common theological ground seems to narrow at this point - as Jonathan Bartley, co-director of the Christian think tank Ekklesia, argues, the belief in the Resurrection is the "deal-breaker". He adds: "There is a fundamental tension at the heart of interfaith dialogue that neither side wants to face up to, and that is that the orthodox Christian view of Jesus is blasphemous to Muslims and the orthodox Muslim view of Jesus is blasphemous to Christians." He has a point. The Quran singles out Christianity for formulating the concept of the Trinity:

"Do not say, "Three" - Cease! That is better for you. God is one God. Glory be to Him, [high exalted is He] above having a son."
Quran 4:171

It castigates Christianity for the widespread practice among its sects of worshipping Jesus and Mary, and casts the criticism in the form of an interrogation of Jesus by God:

"And when God will say: "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as gods besides God'?" he will say, "Glory be to You, it was not for me to say what I had no right [to say]! If I had said it, You would have known it."
Quran 5:116

Jesus, as Khalidi points out, "is a controversial prophet. He is the only prophet in the Quran who is deliberately made to distance himself from the doctrines that his community is said to hold of him." For example, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was raised bodily to heaven by God.

Yet many Muslim scholars have maintained that the Islamic conception of Jesus - shorn of divinity; outside the Trinity; a prophet - is in line with the beliefs and teachings of some of the earliest Jewish-Christian sects, such as the Ebionites and the Nazarenes, who believed Jesus to be the Messiah, but not divine. Muslims claim the Muslim Jesus is the historical Jesus, stripped of a later, man-made "Christology": "Jesus as he might have been without St Paul or St Augustine or the Council of Nicaea", to quote the Cambridge academic John Casey.

Or, as A N Wilson wrote in the Daily Express a decade ago: "Islam is a moral and intellectual acknowledgement of the lordship of God without the encumbrance of Christian mythological baggage . . . That is why Christianity will decline in the next millennium, and the religious hunger of the human heart will be answered by the Crescent, not the Cross." Despite the major doctrinal differences, there remain areas of significant overlap, such as on the second coming of Christ. Both Muslims and Christians subscribe to the belief that before the world ends Jesus will return to defeat the Antichrist, whom Muslims refer to as Dajjal.

The idea of a Muslim Jesus, in whatever doctrinal form, may help fortify the resolve of those scholars who talk of the need to reformulate the exclusivist concept of a Judaeo-Christian civilisation and refer instead to a "Judaeo-Christian-Muslim civilisation". This might be anathema to evangelical Christians - especially in the US, where populist preachers such as Franklin Graham see Islam as a "very evil and wicked religion" - but, as Khalidi points out, "While the Jewish tradition by and large rejects Jesus, the Islamic tradition, especially Sufi or mystical Islam, constructs a place for him at the very centre of its devotions."

Nonetheless, Jesus remains an esoteric part of Islamic faith and practice. Where, for example, is the Islamic equivalent of Christmas? Why do Muslims celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad but not that of the Prophet Jesus? "We, too, in our own way should celebrate the birth of Jesus . . . [because] he is so special to us," says Mogra. "But I think each religious community has distinct celebrations, so Muslims will celebrate their own and Christians their own."

In recent years, the right-wing press in Britain has railed against alleged attempts by "politically correct" local authorities to downplay or even suppress Christmas. Birmingham's attempt to name its seasonal celebrations "Winterval" and Luton's Harry Potter-themed lights, or "Luminos", are notorious examples. There is often a sense that such decisions are driven by the fear that outward displays of Christian faith might offend British Muslim sensibilities, but, given the importance of Jesus in Islam, such fears seem misplaced. Mogra, who leads the MCB's interfaith relations committee, concurs: "It's a ridiculous suggestion to change the name of Christmas." He adds: "Britain is great when it comes to celebrating diverse religious festivals of our various faith communities. They should remain named as they are, and we should celebrate them all."

Mogra is brave to urge Muslims to engage in an outward and public celebration of Jesus, in particular his birth, in order to match the private reverence that Muslims say they have for him. Is there a danger, however, that Muslim attempts to re-establish the importance of Jesus within Islam and as an integral part of their faith and tradition might be misinterpreted? Might they be misconstrued as part of a campaign by a supposedly resurgent and politicised Islam to try to take "ownership" of Jesus, in a western world in which organised Christianity is in seeming decline? Might it be counterproductive for interfaith relations? Church leaders, thankfully, seem to disagree.

“I have always enjoyed spending time with Muslim friends, with whom we as Christians have so much in common, along with Jewish people, as we all trace our faith back to Abraham," the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, tells me. "When I visit a mosque, having been welcomed in the name of 'Allah and His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him', I respond with greetings 'in the name of Jesus Christ, whom you Muslims revere as a prophet, and whom I know as the Saviour of the World, the Prince of Peace'."

Amid tensions between the Christian west and the Islamic east, a common focus on Jesus - and what Khalidi calls a "salutary" reminder of when Christianity and Islam were more open to each other and willing to rely on each other's witness - could help close the growing divide between the world's two largest faiths. Mogra agrees: "We don't have to fight over Jesus. He is special for Christians and Muslims. He is bigger than life. We can share him."

Reverend David Marshall, one of the Church of England's specialists on Islam, cites the concluding comments from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at a recent seminar for Christian and Muslim scholars. He said he had been encouraged by "the quality of our disagreement". "Christians and Muslims disagree on many points and will continue to do so - but how we disagree is not predetermined," says Marshall. "Muslims are called by the Quran to 'argue only in the best way with the People of the Book' [Quran 29:46], and Christians are encouraged to give reasons for the hope that is within them, 'with gentleness and reverence' [1 Peter 3:15]. If we can do this, we have no reason to be afraid."

“The Muslim Jesus" by Tarif Khalidi is published by Harvard University Press (£14.95)

Mehdi Hasan is the NS's senior editor (politics).

A Place Of Peace

By Ralph Blumenthal and Sharaf Mowjood, *Muslim Prayers and Renewal Near Ground Zero* - The New York Times - New York, NY, USA
Tuesday, December 8, 2009

On that still-quiet Tuesday morning, the sales staff was in a basement room eating breakfast, waiting to open the doors to the first shoppers at 10 a.m.

There was no immediate sign of the fiery cataclysm that erupted overhead starting at 8:46. But out of a baby-blue sky suddenly stained with smoke, a plane’s landing-gear assembly the size of a World War II torpedo crashed through the roof and down through two empty selling floors of the Burlington Coat Factory.

The Sept. 11, 2001, attack killed 2,752 people downtown and doomed the five-story building at 45 Park Place, two blocks north of the World Trade Center, keeping it abandoned for eight years.

But for months now, out of the public eye, an iron gate rises every Friday afternoon, and with the outside rumblings of construction at ground zero as a backdrop, hundreds of Muslims crowd inside, facing Mecca in prayer and listening to their imam read in Arabic from the Koran.

The building has no sign that hints at its use as a Muslim prayer space, but these modest beginnings point to a far grander vision: an Islamic center near the city’s most hallowed piece of land that would stand as one of ground zero’s more unexpected and striking neighbors.

The location was precisely a key selling point for the group of Muslims who bought the building in July. A presence so close to the World Trade Center, “where a piece of the wreckage fell,” said Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the cleric leading the project, “sends the opposite statement to what happened on 9/11.”

“We want to push back against the extremists,” added Imam Feisal, 61.

Although organizers have sought to avoid publicizing their project because they say plans are too preliminary, it has drawn early encouragement from city officials and the surrounding neighborhood.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said through a spokesman that Imam Feisal told him of the project last September at a celebration to observe the end of Ramadan. As for whether Mr. Bloomberg supported it, the spokesman, Andrew Brent, said, “If it’s legal, the building owners have a right to do what they want.”

The mayor’s director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Fatima Shama, went further. “We as New York Muslims have as much of a commitment to rebuilding New York as anybody,” Ms. Shama said. Imam Feisal’s wife, Daisy Khan, serves on an advisory team for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, and Lynn Rasic, a spokeswoman for the memorial, said, “The idea of a cultural center that strengthens ties between Muslims and people of all faiths and backgrounds is positive.”

Those who have worked with him say if anyone could pull off what many regard to be a delicate project, it would be Imam Feisal, whom they described as having built a career preaching tolerance and interfaith understanding.

“He subscribes to my credo: ‘Live and let live,’ ” said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, spiritual leader of Park East Synagogue on East 67th Street.

As a Sufi, Imam Feisal follows a path of Islam focused more on spiritual wisdom than on strict ritual, and as a bridge builder, he is sometimes focused more on cultivating relations with those outside his faith than within it. But though the imam is adamant about what his intentions for the site are, there is anxiety among those involved or familiar with the project that it could very well become a target for anti-Muslim attacks.

Joan Brown Campbell, director of the department of religion at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York and former general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ U.S.A., who is a supporter of Imam Feisal, acknowledged the possibility of a backlash from those opposed to a Muslim presence at ground zero.

But, she added: “Building so close is owning the tragedy. It’s a way of saying: ‘This is something done by people who call themselves Muslims. We want to be here to repair the breach, as the Bible says.’ ”

The F.B.I. said Imam Feisal had helped agents reach out to the Muslim population after Sept. 11. “We’ve had positive interactions with him in the past,” said an agency spokesman, Richard Kolk. Alice Hoagland of Las Gatos, Calif., whose son, Mark Bingham, was killed in the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, said, “It’s quite a bold step buying a piece of land adjacent to ground zero,” but she said she considered plans for the site “a noble effort.”

On a recent Friday, worshipers in the old Burlington Coat Factory heard Imam Feisal’s call for spiritual purity during the time of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

“We like Imam Feisal, the way he presents the philosophy of the true Islam that I call it,” said one of the congregants, Mohammed Abdullah, an investment banker who traveled from Washington for the service.

The location is not designated a mosque, but rather an overflow prayer space for another mosque, Al Farah at 245 West Broadway in TriBeCa, where Imam Feisal is the spiritual leader.

Built in 1923, the building at 45 Park Place was bought by Sy Syms, the discount retailer, and a partner, Irving Pomerantz, in 1968, and became one of the early Syms stores. The store closed in 1990, the partners parted ways, and the Pomerantz family then leased the building to the Burlington Coat Factory.

On Sept. 11, the store, with 80 employees, was one of 250 Burlington outlets nationwide owned by the Milstein family. That morning, recalled Stephen Milstein, the company’s former general manager and vice president, the staff was in the basement when a piece of a plane plunged through the roof, either from American Airlines Flight 11 crashing into the north tower at 8:46 a.m., or United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the south tower at 9:03.

Kukiko Mitani, whose husband, Stephen Pomerantz, owned the building at the time, tried to sell it for years, at one time asking $18 million. But when the recession hit, she sold it in July to a real estate investment firm, Soho Properties, for $4.85 million in cash, records show. One of the investors was the Cordoba Initiative, an interfaith group founded by Imam Feisal.

“It’s really to provide a place of peace, a place of services and solutions for the community which is always looking for interfaith dialogue,” said Sharif El-Gamal, chairman and chief executive of Soho Properties.

The patched-up roof was easily visible on a recent tour of the building, along with evidence of its sudden evacuation: food bags still in a fifth-floor staff refrigerator and, most eerily, a log sheet for the testing of the emergency alarm system that shows a sign-in signature for 9/11 but no sign-out.

Records kept by the city’s Department of Buildings show anonymous complaints for illegal construction and blocked exits at the site. Inspectors tried to check but were unable to gain access, so the complaints, though still open, were listed as “resolved” under city procedures, according to an agency spokeswoman, Carly Sullivan.

But worshipers are legally occupying the building, where retail space is offered for lease, once a week under temporary permits of assembly through December, Ms. Sullivan said.

With 50,000 square feet of air rights, Imam Feisal said, the location, with enough financing, could support an ambitious project of $150 million, akin to the Chautauqua Institution, the 92 Street Y or the Jewish Community Center.

Joy Levitt, executive director of the Jewish Community Center, said the group would be proud to be a model for Imam Feisal at ground zero. “For the J.C.C. to have partners in the Muslim community that share our vision of pluralism and tolerance would be great,” she said.

Mr. El-Gamal agreed. “What happened that day,” he said, “was not Islam.”

[Click on the title of the article for more pictures and the many links in the original article]

Picture: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Photo Michael Appleton/The New York Times.

Sama'a Spiritual Crescendo

Staff report, *NCPA creates a 2 day Sufi Music Festival this December ... Presents Sama'a: The Mystic Ecstasy* - India PRwire - India

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Mumbai, Maharashtra: With an aim to offer its patrons a taste of the varied forms of music tradition, NCPA, India's premier art and culture institution, presents a two-day long, soul-stirring Sufi Music Festival called Sama'a: The Mystic Ecstasy.

Sama'a, which in Arabic means 'to listen', is a word used to describe the Sufi practice that helps attain spiritual ecstasy through song, music and dance. Supported by Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation in the service of the arts, the Festival of Sufi Music will be held at the NCPA-Tata Theatre on December 10th & 11th at 6.30pm.

The two-day festival of Sufi music will feature the eminent sitar player Shujaat Husain Khan on the 10th December. A group of Langas & Manganiyars from Rajasthan, followed by qawwals from Fatehpur Sikri: Salim Hasan Chisthti & his troupe will entrance audiences on the 11th December.

This is for the first time that the festival draws together performers from three prominent strands of music associated with Sufism in the Indian subcontinent. There is qawwali and folk music from Rajasthan. In addition Shujaat Khan, with his training in classical music, brings in an added flavor to the Sufi repertoire lined up.

Commenting on the Sufi Festival, Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head-Programming (Indian Music), NCPA said, "It is important to focus on not just the form but also the conception of music. Shujaat, for instance, is the son of Vilayat Khan and has had rigorous classical training. We want to see how he treats the ghazal as a form of Sufi expression."

She further added, "In selecting performers with a diverse repertoire, the NCPA is attempting to bring together people from Sufi and non-Sufi backgrounds. Qawwals, for instance, often train in dargahs, practically in the lap of renowned Sufi saints. This time, NCPA has invited the group that serves the dargah at Fatehpur Sikri."

The festival will also bring together an unusual array of instruments. Apart from the sitar, which already has strong Sufi roots of its own, there will also be musical instruments like kamaicha , morchang , sarangi, dholak, khadtal and algoza.

Mr. Khushroo Suntook, Chairman, NCPA says, "The NCPA wishes to reach out to all the great cultural jewels world-wide. Sufi Music is particularly appreciated and understood in India and we are proud to present leading exponents of this school of this very exquisite genre."

Soothe your senses with soulful melodies at the NCPA's Tata Theatre on 10th & 11th December'09 at 6.30pm.

Sama'a: The Mystic Ecstacy-Festival of Sufi Music-Schedule:

10th December
Shujaat Husain Khan

An eminent sitar player and heir to the rich legacy of Etawah-Imadadkhani gharana, Shujaat Khan will present ghazals and other Sufi compositions by mystic poets like Amir Khusrau Dehlavi, Kabir and others, in an unusual style that draws from his remarkable ability to express through voice as well as the vocalised idiom of the sitar.

11th December
Presentation by Langa and Manganiyar musicians
and
Qawwali by Salim Mohd. Chishti and group

Langa and Manganiyar are hereditary caste musicians of the western Rajasthan, who practice music as a profession besides being keepers of genealogy for the Hindu as well as Muslim patrons. A group of ten musicians will render popular poetic folktales like Laila-Manjnoo, Heer-Ranjho, Sohni-Meher, Jasma-Oden and others, as composed by several Punjabi and Sindhi Sufi saints. Accompanied by instruments such as the soulful algoza, kamaicha and sindhi sarangi, and the pulsating rhythms of dholak and khadtal, they build a magical atmosphere charged with intense emotional appeal.

The grand finale of this two-day festival is the musical ecstasy created by the qawwali performance. Salim Mohd. Chishti and group of musicians are attached to the Dargah Sharif at Fatehpur Sikri, a monument dedicated to the great Sufi saint Salim Chishti (1478-1572), who belonged to the Chishti order in India.

This order is specially known for the practice of Sama'a - the spiritual crescendo through music.