Sufism In Afghanistan

By Dawood Azami, *Sufism in Afghanistan explored* - BBC World - UK; Monday, February 21, 2011

Kabul: As BBC Pashto and Persian launch a four-part series on the future of Sufism in Afghanistan, Kabul Bureau Editor Dawood Azami explains how his team went about reporting on a highly secretive group of mystics.

Travelling is not easy or risk-free in Afghanistan.

Although we collected most of our material – including interviews with experts, historians and a number of Sufis – in the capital Kabul, a lot of material also came from the provinces.

Colleagues based in different provinces were asked to attend Sufi ceremonies, talk to Sufi masters there and send the material back to Kabul.

Video clips came back from Kandahar, Mazar and Herat, with additional photos from Sufi sites in Kabul and Peshawar.

The result is four 15-minute documentaries, each focused on one particular topic – Sufism’s origin and history; Orders and brotherhoods; Wahhabi-Sufi relations; and Sufism in present-day Afghanistan.

Secretive group

Sufism – or Tasawwuf – is the mystical dimension of Islam. As one of the biggest centres of Sufism in the Muslim world, Afghanistan is commonly called ‘the home of Sufi saints’.

The word derives from ‘suf’, the Arabic for wool, referring to the woollen robes worn by early Muslim ascetics.

There is a general belief that Sufis possess ‘karamat’ – a miraculous psychic spiritual power that enables masters to perform acts of generosity and bestow blessings. People visit their tombs when they die and hundreds of ziyarats (shrines) have been popular pilgrimage sites for centuries.

Sufis are considered a secretive group of people, but they exist in all parts of the Muslim world and now even in many Western countries.

Some members of certain Sufi brotherhoods became anxious and even nervous when they saw a radio mic, and many of them didn’t want to be filmed or photographed during their ceremonies and colourful rituals.

While many Afghans believe that Sufis possess hidden knowledge and that they can read other people’s minds, Sufis themselves generally avoid talking about such things and see it as a matter between the individual and his creator, Allah.

Showing respect

Although Sufis are generally very welcoming to outsiders and non-Muslims, there seems to be a suspicion and an issue of trust when it comes to non-members.

But usually after a brief conversation, they are convinced that we journalists don’t have any bad intentions.

I remember facing similar problems on a bigger scale when I was doing my research on the survival of Sufism in Turkey back in 2003.

Even more difficult was recording interviews and taping rituals during special ceremonies – Sufis maintain that human beings are creatures of Allah and they should be shown respect.

Lessons learned

In making these documentaries, I have learned two things in particular:

Firstly, that many people – both inside and outside of Afghanistan – have little or no knowledge that many Afghan cities have been among the most important centres of Sufism throughout its history.

Secondly, I have learned that there is also a growing belief in many quarters that Sufis – who could potentially persuade a large number of Taliban fighters to lay down their arms – need to be given a more prominent role in the country’s ongoing peace process.

BBC Pashto and Dari/Persian services will start broadcasting a four-part series of radio documentaries about Sufism in Afghanistan each week from Tuesday 22 February in its evening transmissions (1400 GMT (Dari) and 1500 GMT (Pashto)).

The series will also be available on www.bbcpersian.com/afghanistan and www.bbcpashto.com.

Presenters are Safiullah Aminzadah (Dari) and Freba Zaher (Pashto).