A Country on the Brink

By Peter Greste, *Somalia: Inside the Land of the Bandits* - The Telegraph - London, UK; Monday, June 20, 2011

Peter Greste is the first Western journalist to truly penetrate Somalia's badlands. Here he describes a country on the brink - and why he felt he had to return there, despite the fact his producer, Kate Peyton, was killed on his last visit.

It is dark in the corridors of the Somali Airlines Building; dark and crowded. More than a thousand people are here – not airline workers, but families sheltering from the withering gun battle tearing through the city a few blocks from where they huddle. The sound-track of bullets is so pervasive, locals call it the “Mogadishu music”.

All of them have fled here to escape the fighting - and they are constantly forced to run across the city whenever the frontlines shift or alliances change.

Maryam Ahmed is among them. She and her five children fled here a year ago, hunkering in a filthy, airless concrete room that airline bookings clerks might once have occupied. Her husband might be dead, but she’s not sure.

“We tried to stay in our home, but we had to flee when the fighting came,” she said with the dead expression that only the most traumatized wear. “My husband told me to take the children and promised to follow us. I haven’t seen him since.” That was a year ago.

I met Maryam and her neighbours during a trip to Mogadishu for Panorama, broadcast on BBC1 tonight. This was a journey beneath the skin of the city, through rubble-strewn alleyways, and squalid squatter camps to meet people caught in the middle of this largely forgotten branch of the War on Terror. Journalists have seen Mogadishu before, of course, but only from inside the African Union’s security bubble. Ours was the first Western team to escape the constraints of the armoured personnel carriers and talk to people without official oversight.

It wasn’t easy though. Mogadishu is arguably the most dangerous place in the world for outsiders - something I have experienced first hand. The last time I was in Mogadishu was in 2005 – a relatively peaceful period of Somalia’s recent history. Back then, a gunman shot and killed my producer Kate Peyton in a drive-by, while I stood on the opposite side of our car. Her killer has never been found, nor his motive identified.

Somalia has become so dangerous because, for the past five years, Al Shabaab – the Islamist rebel force with close ties to Al Qaeda – has waged a savage battle to seize control of the country. It now controls most of Southern Somalia and, up until a month ago, had driven the government, and the African Union force helping defend them, into a wedge of territory half a dozen blocks deep that backs onto the sea. In recent weeks, the government and its allied militias have managed to claw back some of those losses, but Al Shabaab remains dominant.

The rebels are deeply, almost pathologically anti-West. They have driven almost all foreign aid organisations out of areas they control, including UN departments such as the children’s agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme (the UN’s Somalia offices are all located in neighbouring Kenya). They have warned they will strike any government or its citizens who are seen to support the administration it is trying to topple, including journalists.

Last week, the Somali government announced a significant accidental victory – its troops had shot and killed one of the world's most wanted man – Fazul Abdallah Mohamed, who had a $5million bounty on his head. He was the mastermind behind Al Qaeda’s twin bomb attacks on the US embassies in Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi in 1998, which killed 200 people.

Fazul died when he took a wrong turn and found himself in front of a government checkpoint. The Somali troops only realised who they had killed when computer disks and mobile phones in his car suggested it belonged to someone important, and they dug up the freshly buried corpse for DNA tests. The Somali government has hailed his death as a turning point in the war, though other security analysts are more circumspect. Last year MI5 described the threat from the movement as so serious that it is only a matter of time before we see “Al Shabaab inspired terrorism” on Britain’s streets.

The connections are already there. In 2009, a suicide bomber from Ealing blew himself up on a Somali street in an attack that killed more than 20 soldiers. Security sources believe as many as 30 British passport holders are in the country training and fighting with Al Shabaab at any given moment, alongside perhaps hundreds of other foreign jihadis.

The irony is that it is this very danger posed by Al Shabaab which has led to Somalia being pushed off the front pages. Put simply, Somalia is just too dangerous for most journalists to properly investigate - hence the news blackout.

Indeed, our trip took weeks of planning so we could operate independently. We worked with a well-connected private militia willing to take us where we wanted, within tight security constraints.

It was impossible to travel freely. We moved in fast convoys with a phalanx of armed bodyguards, sometimes in vehicles, other times on foot. Locations for interviews were cleared in advance. There was a heavy veil of secrecy around our movements.

As I have mentioned, there was good reason for us to be concerned. In the subsequent inquest into Kate’s death, for a brief period, the story of just how dangerous it is to operate in Somalia made it into the newspapers. The coroner praised our security procedures, but said there were lessons to be learned.

On that first trip, I wanted to dig deep into the crisis that was, even then, largely ignored by the rest of the world. This latest visit was about finishing that story.

The Somali government and its Western supporters insist they are on the right track. They are slowly recovering lost ground through Mogadishu; and the government has survived longer than any of the other 14 administrations formed in the past 20 years.

But inside the city’s hidden alleyways, a different story emerged.

Most of the Somalis we met badly wanted to see Al Shabaab gone. The rebels’ extremist branch of Wahabi Islam is deeply alien to the far more moderate Sufism that traditionally dominates Somalia, and there is a growing resentment towards the foreign extremists who stiffen the ranks of the local fighters. But there is also little confidence in the ability of the government or its Western backers to win the war.

Take Mohammed Hassan Had. He is the chairman of the powerful Hawie Clan that dominates Mogadishu. A Hawie general, Mohamed Farah Aideed, led the militia that ultimately drove the US out of Somalia after the notorious Black Hawk Down incident in 1992.

I met Had in a darkened room in the back of a private hotel, along with his deputy and secretary. They were severe old men in dark glasses, and beards died orange with henna.

I expected to find anger at the government for opposing the Islamists; bitterness at the West for interfering once more; and support for the rebel’s aim of “liberating the country of foreign forces”.

Instead, with a vigorous shake of his head, Hassan Had said: “We don’t want Al Shabaab to take over. We cannot let the terrorists take over a country that has a seat at the United Nations.”

But they were angry too with the tactics deployed by the African Union troops. The Hawie elders accused them of using artillery and mortars in built-up areas, causing unnecessary civilian casualties and degrading popular support.

The African Union Force Commander, Major General Nathan Mugisha denies the charge. But he admits that a lack of international will to deal with the crisis is making his job all but impossible. He runs his force of 8,000 troops with an annual budget roughly equivalent to what the US spends in each day in Afghanistan.

“Nobody can pretend that this is an African problem, or this is a Somali problem. This is an international problem,” he said. “This mission is not as difficult as people think, but if we do not give it the attention it deserves we will regret it. It will backfire on all of us.”

And as the military crisis grows, so too does the humanitarian one.

One of the cruelest ironies of this conflict is that even as the city is torn apart by fighting, displaced families are flooding in.

The worst drought in living memory has decimated rural areas, and families are facing a stark choice: risk a slow death by starvation in the countryside, or a quick one amid the violence of the city. Thousands are opting to head for Mogadishu where there is at least an outside chance of reaching food aid. About a third of the entire population is in urgent need of help – more than a million people. The World Food Programme says it is delivering about 30 percent of what is needed.

Very little aid penetrates the interior, and the biggest donor – the US government – has drastically cut its contribution. Yet still they come. In abandoned government offices like the Somali Airlines building, on football fields, across rubbish tips and roadsides, desperate families have set up makeshift shelters of rags and plastic scraps stretched over flimsy thorn-bush frames.

At one camp, herders were burning the thorns off cactus leaves to feed to their starving animals. Cacti are the only things that seem to thrive here.

And so, while the West focusses on Afghanistan, the crisis in Somalia continues to run out of control, forgotten and ignored.

Based on Religion

By Marwa Yahia, *News analysis: Turkish ruling party's victory in elections inspires Egyptians* - Xinhuanet - China; Friday, June 17, 2011

The victory of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the recent parliamentary elections [June 12, 2011 (ed.)] impressed Egyptians and raised debates about repeating the "Turkish model" in Egypt.

The AKP, a party with Islamic background headed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won about 50 percent of the votes in Sunday's elections, enabling itself to run for a third consecutive term.

"The Turkish model in turning to democracy is a serious and useful experience which Egypt can benefit from in the current stage," Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Wednesday during a phone call with Erdogan.

Sharaf expressed Egypt's keenness to support and develop relations with Turkey and exchange experiences in all the developmental fields.

A number of parties with Islamic background emerged in Egypt after the resignation of former President Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian Parties Affairs Committee (PAC) has recently approved the establishment of several such parties, including the Freedom and Justice Party and the Al-Nour Party originated from the Muslim Brotherhood, and the EL-Wasat representing the ultra-conservative salafists.

During the rule of Mubarak, the Egyptian government imposed bitter suppression on Islamic groups, and the constitution banned the formation of any parties based on religious background.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which remained outlawed in the past five decades, is regarded as the country's largest Islamic group. Through the newly-founded Freedom and Justice Party, the brotherhood expects to gain more public support in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Asserting itself as a civil party based on religion, the Freedom and Justice Party has announced to contest up to half of the parliamentary seats in the elections scheduled in September, which is considered as the first real test for the brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood praised the victory of the AKP in the Turkish elections. "People's trust in the Turkish party asserted success of the concept of Islamic project, which has the capability to regain the appropriate position among the people," leader of the brotherhood Mohammed Badie said in a congratulation message to Erdogan.

Founded in 2001 by former members of several parties, including the banned Islamist Virtue Party, the AKP came to power in 2002, when Turkey was still reeling from two economic crises that had pushed the country to the verge of economic collapse.

Under the AKP rule, Turkey has become the world's 16th largest economy and rebounded from the global recession last year with an 8.9-percent growth.

According to Gamal Zahran, professor of political science in Egypt's Port Said University, repeating the AKP's success in Egypt can be applicable theoretically, and the reality can push it to be effective.

"The political environment changed after Mubarak's stepping down, and several religious-rooted parties were established either affiliated to the brotherhood or the salafists movement and others, " he said in an interview with Xinhua.

He added that the Turkish political structure is a democratic model in which people are the source of sovereignty and it can be applicable in Egypt.

However, liberal parties and secular-minded youth activists are worried about the rise of Islamists in the country. They fear that these parties can occupy the majority in the next parliament and impose Islamic ruling in Egypt.

"Democracy is the basic principle, and we should separate religion from politics and make it a neutral element in the political process," Zahran stressed.

In response to raised fears about the Muslim Brotherhood to rule the country, Zahran said Egyptians won't accept those who relinquish democracy, which was gained after hundreds of people sacrificed their lives in the anti-government protests.

"People will raise more uprisings against anyone who want to repeat the model of the National Democratic Party, the former ruling party, and power monopoly has gone with no return," Zahran said.

He estimated that about 20 percent to 30 percent of Egyptians may support the brotherhood, but he stressed that "liberty alone will determine the real size of them in the Egyptian society through elections."

If the brotherhood can make progress as what happened in the AKP of Turkey, they will reach the goal of ruling the country, Zahran said.

On the contrary, Gehad Oudah, professor of political science in Helwan University, said Egypt and Turkey are not historically comparable.

The Turkish model is based on secularism as Erdogan himself declared, he said, adding that the AKP emerged from Sufism, a sufi-inspired movement that is concerned with offering an alternative conception of national identity within the framework of secular state.

While the Muslim Brotherhood is concerned with applying the Islamic jurisdiction in each field, even politics, carrying the slogan of "Islam is the solution."

"The military or even the civil structure in Egypt is different from Turkey" Oudah said, "No one can deny that the Turkish model is a great one, but there still is no similarity when compared to Egypt."

[Picture: AKP Logo. Photo: Wiki.]

A Poet by Nature

By Jan Khaskheli, *Sindh mourns loss of legendary poet* - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan; Friday, June 17, 2011

Sindhi poet Hassan Dars met his untimely death early on Thursday morning in the Hydrabad city following a tragic road accident.

Affectionately known as Dado (grandfather), the 45-year-old left behind a grieving widow, three children and hundreds of admirers who mourn the loss of an inspirational and socially active literary figure.

Born in the scenic village of Mashaikh Hothi within Tando Allahyar district, Hassan’s ascent to writing poetry began at an early age while he was attending primary school. He accredited his literary foundations to the wisdom and guidance of his teachers who encouraged students to read books as well as write in order to bring honor to their families.

His hobby of composing poetry encouraged him to learn more about Sindhi culture through frequent visits to villages where he would interact with people who sang folk songs, elders who would impart endless tales from the past and folklore writers. These encounters enriched his understanding of poetry and language, in addition to expanding his cultural knowledge.

Hassan was a poet by nature and would often recite his works with eminent Sindhi poet Shaikh Ayaz (late), who used to encourage him to continue writing poetry.

His marriage to fellow poet Amar Mahboob served to enhance his eminence among admirers, as the couple earned a great deal of respect in Sindh through their different styles of writing.

During his early years, the struggle for democracy had inspired young artists, singers journalists, poets as well as writers to use their respective instruments to advocate social change across the country. This was a time when Sindhi poetry flourished, as hundreds of books on poetry and short stories were published, which focused on the resistance of the masses.

Following the trend, Hassan too wrote several long poems which were translated later in Urdu and English. These writings were published in various books and periodicals, but a single compilation of his work has yet to be released. Several renowned singers have used his poetry in their music.

Inspired by Sufi poets as well as singers, Hassan traveled across the province to participate in Sufi festivals and pay homage to the shrines of saints. His journeys were not restricted to Sindh, as he visited parts of Balochistan, Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa and Punjab.

Ashfaque Soomro, a close friend of the deceased, said that the legendary poet had a logical approach to life and he would use his poetry to highlight the grievances of his people. “He was a symbol of modern thought in Sindhi literature as well as society. His unique and logical thought separated him from other poets. Hassan was a catalyst for social change as well as an anthropologist who was committed to his cause.”

A multifaceted individual, Dars love for local horses prompted him to form a Sindhi horse lovers club which welcomed the membership of traditional riders and horse lovers. It was the first time that a different class of traditional Sindhi society was brought together on such a unique platform.

His repertoire of talents extended to journalism as well, as Dars has edited many Sindhi publications and had also written creative columns in which he commented on nature and politics. He worked in broadcast media as well and several documentaries are accredited to his name.

Renowned critic of Sindhi literature Rauf Nizamani commented that Hassan Dars was the poet of politics and romance. “I have read many of his poems, all of which were exceptional in terms of metaphoric language and flow. He had different ideas and a unique way of writing poetry. His death is a great loss for Sindhi literature,” he lamented.

Regarding the circumstances surrounding his friend’s death, Soomro demanded that there should be an official inquiry about the accident and the government should take step to improve road safety as well as emergency medical services.

An Important Voting Bloc

By Shaimaa Fayed and Abdel Rahman Youssef, *Egypt's Sufis see Islamist threat after Mubarak* - Reuters - USA; Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Cairo/Alexandria: Down the narrow alleyways of Cairo's Sayidda Zeinab neighborhood, 100 men sway their heads and clap in rhythm as they invoke God's name.

"O how you have spread benevolence," chant the men, some dressed in ankle-length galabeya robes, to celebrate the birth of Fatima al-Zahraa, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.

The men are followers of the centuries-old Azaimiya Sufi order who seek to come closer to God through mystical rites.

Some say their traditions are now threatened by Islamists elbowing for influence after the overthrow of Egypt's veteran leader Hosni Mubarak.

Tensions have long rumbled between the country's estimated 15 million Sufis, attached to some 80 different orders, and ultra-conservative Salafists who see Sufi practices such as the veneration of shrines as heresy.

The ousting of Mubarak in February has loosened state control over Islamist groups that he suppressed using an emergency law in place since 1980.

As Sufis seek to defend traditions dating back centuries, what began as a loose religious identity could be gelling, gradually, into a political movement.

"If the Sufis stood side by side, they could be an important voting bloc ... but their political and organizational power is less than their numerical power," said political analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah.

Alaa Abul Azaim, sheikh of the Azaimiya Sufi order, says moves by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups to enter formal politics endanger religious tolerance and oblige Sufis to do the same.

"If the Salafists or Muslim Brotherhood rise to power, they could well cancel the Sufi sheikhdom, so there has to be a party for Sufis," Abul Azaim said.

SLEDGEHAMMERS

Shrines dedicated to saints are central to Sufi practice and can be found in towns and villages across Egypt, but they are frowned upon by Salafists.

Many are built inside mosques and contain the tombs of saints. They are often highly decorated, using wood and mother-of-pearl.

Some religious conservatives also dislike Sufi moulids -- festivals celebrating the birthdays of saints that have become carnival-like events popular even among non-Sufis in Egypt.

Moulid music has found its way into pop culture, such as the well-known puppet operetta "El Leila El Kebira" (The Big Night).

Fears for the future of Sufi traditions were underlined in April, when two dozen Islamists wielding crowbars and sledgehammers tried to smash a shrine used by Sufis in the town of Qalyoub north of Cairo. Their plan failed when residents rallied to defend the site revered for generations.

Salafist leaders denied their followers were behind the shrine attack and condemned it, while making it clear that they oppose the shrines.

"The Salafi call does not reject Sufism," said Sheikh Abdel Moneim el-Shahat, official spokesperson for the Salafi movement in Alexandria. "We reject (the practice of) receiving blessings from tombs and shrines because it is against Sharia law."

He said Salafis believe religious blessings can only be sought from the Black Stone of the Kaaba in the Saudi city of Mecca. Millions of Muslims circle the stone during the Hajj pilgrimage.

NO SUFI PARTY YET

Egypt's constitution forbids political parties formed on overtly religious lines. That has not stopped Salafist groups such as Al-Gama'a al-Islamiya and the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood moving to create parties to compete in September elections.

No overtly Sufi party has emerged -- adepts of Sufism, with their emphasis on personal development and inner purification, have till now seen little sense in forming a political movement.

But one nascent party, al-Tahrir (Liberation), has pledged to defend their interests and, by doing so, has built most of its membership from among the Sufi community.

"There is no doubt that the (Islamist) flood that's coming ... scares them," said the party's founder Ibrahim Zahran.

Affirmative political action would mark a departure for Egypt's Sufis, who have tended to submit to the will of Egypt's political leaders since the 12th century.

"From Sultan Saladin al-Ayubi until Mubarak, Sufism was used by the state to reinforce its legitimacy," said sociologist Ammar Aly Hassan.

In a sign they are more ready to challenge authority, sheikhs of 13 Sufi orders have staged a sit-in since May 1 calling for the removal of Sheikh Abdel Hadi el-Qasabi, the head of the Sufi Sheikhdom who was appointed by Mubarak in 2009.

They say Qasabi broke a tradition of ordaining the eldest sheikh to the position and they refuse to have him as their leader as he was a member of Mubarak's disbanded National Democratic Party.

Many Sufis oppose the idea of an Islamic state promoted by Islamists who take the Iran's theocracy or the Wahhabi ideology of staunchly conservative Saudi Arabia as a model.

Sufi Sheikh Gaber Kassem of Alexandria criticized the political ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood and its slogan 'Islam is the Solution'.

"This is a devotional matter, a religious call ... so how are they entering politics? Is this hypocrisy?" he said.

(Writing by Shaimaa Fayed; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Jon Hemming)

Ichchhar Karoney

By Vinod Mehta, *Sufism is love for humanity* - Modern Ghana - Accra, Ghana; Thursday, June 16, 2011

Sufism is the gateway towards knowing the divinity and developing love for the humanity. Traditionally, Bangladesh is known as the home of Sufi music for ages.

In the rich soil of Bangladesh, Sufi thinkers like Lalon Shai, Hason Raja, Durbin Shah, Radha Romon, and Shah Abdul Karim were born. They have enriched the culture of Bangladesh, as well as Bengali speaking population in the entire world with their lyrics of divinity.

It is generally perceived that, while food is the requirement of the worldly human body, music is actually the food of the soul. Thousands of Bauls and Sufi thinkers as well disciples of Sufism have been practicing and nourishing this culture of divinity with the ambition of enriching the human souls thus encouraging love for the humanity thus discouraging destructions and evil doings.

Fakir Shahabuddin is one of the leading Sufi scholars and singers in Bangladesh today.

For past three decades, Fakir has been singing songs of the soil and songs of the soul and promoting this very authentic Sufi culture in Bangladesh and in the international arena.

Recently Fakir Shahabuddin has declared the name of his next album, which is hoped to be releasing during the Eid Ul Fitr. Name of this album is Ichchhar Karoney [Because of Desire].

Celebrated music director Partha Majumder is composing the songs of the ten songs for this album. Lyrics and tune of all the songs are by Shoaib Choudhury, who also is known as 'Shadhok Shoaib' [Hermit Shoaib] in today's world of Sufi songs.

Commenting on his upcoming album, Fakir Shahabuddin said, “In every century, there is a birth of new Sufi philosopher, who is commonly known as Sufi lyricists. Shadhok Shoaib is the truest genre of Sufi lyrics, which always contain highest standard of ingredients in it, which would only provoke the people in searching through the souls to understand the colors of divinity and mystics of the creator, who is known by people of various faiths in different names.

“In my life, I had the opportunity of mixing with greatest Sufi thinkers and hermits in Bangladesh, including late Shah Abdul Karim. But, Shadhok Shoaib's lyrics are more powerful than many as it directly hits the very deep inner portion of the human soul thus helping people in understanding the beauty of love towards mankind and humanity.”

“All the songs in this album are unique in its sweetness of lyrics as well as tune, thus it becomes even colorful and 'tasty' with the golden-touch of celebrated music directors like Partha Majumder, who is the eldest child of late Ustad Barin Majumder and late Ustad Ela Majumder. The Barin-Ela couple is known as the maestro of classical music in Bangladesh. Partha Majumder inherits the very beauty of such rich knowledge of classical music with his extremely special touch of modern fusion.”

Commenting on the upcoming album, Ichchhar Karoney, Shoaib Choudhury said “Fakir Shahabuddin is the uncrown king of Sufi music in today's Bangladesh and Bengal. He has the nature-gifted voice, which can only bear the highest depth of Sufi philosophy in the songs. I am so happy that Fakir Shahabuddin has sung my songs in this album. If this album will contribute in encouraging people in abandoning destruction and all forms of evil thus embracing the love for humanity, I will feel that my prime objective of creating Sufi songs have been successful.”

Does human being write Sufi songs, answering to this question, Fakir Shahabuddin said, “No one can write Sufi songs, unless it is desired by the divine destiny. I personally believe Sufi lyrics are gift or commandment from the God. Whether others will agree or disagree, but, this is the ultimate reality, which I believe in my heart.”

Fakir Shahabuddin said, “Though Bangladesh is the home of Sufi songs, millions of Sufi music lovers in India are deprived of remaining connected to this culture, just because Indian authorities are continuing their unkind ban on Bangladeshi television channels in reaching the Indian audiences, although Bangladesh has always allowed the Indian channels in reaching Bangladeshi households for many years. As a singer and disciple of Sufism, I cannot accept such attitude of the Indian government.”

“I would like to humbly appeal to Dr. Manmohan Singh and recently elected chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Bannerjee in kindly lifting the barrier thus allowing Bangladeshi television channels in reaching Indian audiences. For the sake of regional peace, cultural connection between the nations is extremely important.”

A Strong Divine Attraction

By Alex Rodriguez, *Pakistan's Sufi Muslims brave bombs to worship* - Los Angeles Times - Los Angeles, CA, USA; Tuesday, June 14, 2011

A campaign of deadly suicide attacks fails to intimidate the mystic strain, which embraces tolerance and eschews the rigidity that characterizes hard-line Islamist doctrine.

Amid the throngs of Sufi Muslim followers streaming through the white marble corridors of the Data Darbar shrine, a young man in a cream-colored tunic and oversized sunglasses shuffled gingerly, guided by a brother on one side and his father on the other.

Twice a month Qasim Javed Malik comes here, a place he associates with spiritual recharging, not with the deafening clap of a suicide bomb blast, the odor of charred flesh, the blinding flash before everything went black.

"There's a strong divine attraction that pulls me here," Malik, 28, said softly, his face and hands pocked with scars from a suicide bomb attack at the shrine last summer that also left him blind. "I cannot stop coming here."

Neither can thousands of other Pakistani adherents to Sufism, despite a campaign of suicide bombings targeting a strain of Islam that embraces tolerance, welcomes women to its shrines and eschews the rigidity that characterizes hard-line Islamist doctrine.

It's an open-mindedness that doesn't track with the attitude of the country's militant groups. Since last summer, militants have attacked Sufi shrines in four cities, killing at least 102 people and injuring 348. The blast that robbed Malik of his eyesight killed 47 people and injured 170. The latest suicide bomb attack, at a shrine in the city of Dera Ghazi Khan on April 3, killed 41 people.

"They consider it a service to Islam to cleanse the religion of all impurities," said Abdul Basit, an analyst at the Pak Institute for Peace Studies. "And for the militants, these practices at the shrines are impurities."

The campaign of terrorism against Sufi shrines reflects the rising tide of extremism in Pakistan that shows no signs of ebbing. Two leading moderate politicians, Punjabi provincial Gov. Salman Taseer and Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, were assassinated this year for their opposition to the country's draconian blasphemy law, which can bring the death penalty for anyone convicted of insulting Islam.

Washington is increasingly concerned that the Pakistani government is failing to adequately combat the growing extremism.

Some officials in the U.S. argue that Pakistani leaders are lax in tackling the problem because of the suspected link between the country's intelligence agencies and militant groups.

The discovery that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been hiding in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence, for five years before U.S. commandos killed him in early May, only reinforced suspicions in Washington of collusion between Pakistan's intelligence community and terrorist networks.

Sufism was brought to South Asia by its mystics from the Middle East more than eight centuries ago. Its highly mystical, personal approach to Islam, marked by trance-like chants, dancing to pounding drumbeats, and its belief that Sufi saints and descendants known as pirs are conduits to God make it anathema to Muslim fundamentalists, who consider it idolatry.

Sufism's widespread popularity, particularly among large segments of Pakistan's underclass that embrace its emphasis on equality, is also perceived by militant groups as an existential threat. Experts say about 60% of Pakistani Muslims regard themselves as Sufi followers.

"The militants think that if you have an Islam that's soft and tolerant, then obviously they would never be able to impose their will," said security analyst Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general. "They need the structure of religion for their power game, and that structure can only be provided by their interpretation of Islam."

The Taliban's animosity toward Sufism was apparent in the rhetoric used by its militants to groom a 14-year-old boy for the attack on the shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Two bombers carried out the attack. One was able to detonate his explosives-filled vest and died in the blast. The other, however, had a vest that only partially detonated. The explosion tore apart his large intestine and severed his left arm at the shoulder, but he survived and was able to recount to police what he was told by his Pakistani Taliban handlers.

"He was brought here and told: 'These are the infidels. They are not doing what Muslims should do. Anyone who kills them will go to heaven,' " said Mubarak Ahmed, a senior Dera Ghazi Khan police official.

Despite the threat, security at shrines is lax. There are 534 shrines in Punjab, Pakistan's wealthiest and most populous province, and more than half of them lack proper security, according to a Punjabi provincial official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

In the Punjabi city of Shekhupura, a drowsy security guard slouched motionless in a chair by the main gate of the Noori Poori Sarkar shrine while another man made a single, cursory wave with a hand-held metal detector to screen visitors before motioning them through.

Security isn't much better during the annual Urs festival, when thousands of Sufi followers flock to the shrine, said Nasir Mehmood, 30, a Lahore cafe owner who brought his family there on a recent weekend. "It's usually just two or three police going through the motions," Mehmood said. "This is government incompetence, not providing security for these shrines."

Since last summer's attack at Data Darbar, one of Pakistan's most beloved landmarks, authorities have ramped up security there. Visitors wend their way through a maze of razor wire and concrete barriers before passing through a metal detector; at least two teams of guards frisk everyone from head to toe.

Malik said police were nowhere to be seen on the warm July night when two explosions rocked the shrine.

"Somehow, I was still standing," Malik said. "When I checked my body, I found I had no clothes on, just underwear, a belt and the left pocket of my trousers. It felt like a dream. I couldn't see, but I sensed everyone around me was dead."

A software engineer, Malik still works at his father's office. He gets paid for advising junior colleagues, but his father, Akhtar Javed Malik, said it's "just a formality to keep him engaged." The elder Malik said the family never considered forgoing shrine visits.

"The people who commit these terrorist acts, they want to intimidate us so that we no longer come to shrines," he said. "But we won't be deterred. Nothing will force us to abandon what we do."

Picture: Twice a month, Qasim Javed Malik still visits the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, undeterred by the suicide bombing attack at the Sufi shrine last summer that left him scarred and blind. Photo: Nadeem Ijaz/The Times.

Punjabi Taliban

By Zia Ur Rehman, *Militancy grows in South Punjab* - Central Asia Online - U.S. Central Command, USA; Friday, June 10, 2011

Multan: The militancy is rapidly growing in South Punjab, where banned militant outfits – with the collaboration of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda – are carrying out subversion and recruiting, local civil society activists and analysts say.


After tracing calls from a terrorist cell phone recovered during the May 22-23 battle for Pakistan Naval Station (PNS) Mehran, security forces May 27 arrested suspect Qari Qaiser, Dawn reported. He reportedly belongs to a banned jihadist organisation and runs a madrassa in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Four days later, authorities arrested five alleged militants in Dera Ghazi Khan, including Muhammad Akram (alias Usman), whom they suspect of involvement in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore March 3, 2009, media reported.

The April 3 Sakhi Sarwar shrine twin suicide attacks in Dera Ghazi Khan, which killed 49 worshippers and wounded hundreds, were the latest and most shocking example of the militant groups’ joint campaign.

Five major militant organisations, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Harkatul Jihadul Islami (HJI) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), are all comfortably established in South Punjab and working with the TTP and al-Qaeda, said Amir Hussaini, an analyst with extensive experience studying militancy issues in South Punjab.

Militants most powerful in Dera Ghazi Khan

South Punjab’s four divisions – Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur and Gojranwala – are under the influence of the banned militant organisations, which have gained considerable strength in Dera Ghazi Khan, which is a gateway to Pakistan’s tribal areas and to the heart of Punjab, Hussaini told Central Asia Online.

Militancy has spread through the region, he said, because of the efforts of activists from banned organisations who never gave up fighting in Kashmir and Afghanistan and now have forged links with the TTP and al-Qaeda, while recruiting youth for them.

“There is a great tendency for young men from South Punjab to join jihadi organisations, and thousands of members of these jihadi organisations who have gone through training camps are either active in tribal areas or South Punjab,” he added.

Veteran jihadists in South Punjab help the militants and implement terror plans mainly conceived and funded by al-Qaeda operatives, Hussaini argued, citing two men – Dr. Usman Ghani, the alleged mastermind of the March 8 Faisalabad suicide attack, and Asmatullah Muawia, deputy to TTP central leader Qari Hussain Mehsud in South Waziristan. Both come from Kabirwala, a town in Multan Division. Ghani runs a splinter group of LeJ in South Punjab, while Muawia is a master trainer of suicide bombers, Hussaini said.

Qaiser, an alleged colleague of Ghani’s, was arrested after the March 8 Faisalabad attack but then went free under mysterious circumstances, Hussaini said.

At the time, the police had released him after questioning, while promising to keep him under surveillance, media reported.

The jihadist groups are notorious not only for attacking members of other sects and religions – Sufis, Shias, Ahmadis and Christians – but also for targeting government officials and security installations.

Ominous graffiti

Mysterious graffiti in support of al-Qaeda, the TTP and jihadi militant organisations and attacks on the Sakhi Sarwar shrines, have appeared on various walls in Dera Ghazi Khan, Muhammad Hussain, a local senior journalist, told Central Asia Online.

A government ban on jihadist organisations merely led them to operate under different names. SSP began operating under the names of Millat-e-Islamia and Ahle-e-Sunnat Wal Jammat, JeM as Al-Furqan and Khuddamul Islam, and LeT as Jammatud Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.

These jihadi groups forcibly occupied 62 Sufi mosques in 2010 in South Punjab, said Mujahdi Hussain, author of a book entitled “Punjabi Taliban.”
South Punjab-based militant groups are a crucial source of logistical support for Taliban fighters based in the tribal areas who stage terrorist activities within Punjab, Hussain wrote recently for Karachi’s Daily Aaj Kal newspaper.

The government has banned 29 jihadist organisations so far, including 7 to 11 founded in South Punjab, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.

The government has defeated the terrorists in Swat and the tribal areas, but now the defeated elements have started launching attacks with the help of banned militants, he added.

South Punjab terrorists team up with radical mosques and madrassas that indoctrinate youth to wage so-called jihad in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hussaini said.

According to a Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies report, of the 12,000 registered seminaries in Punjab, more than 7,000 are in three of South Punjab’s divisions: Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur. Most of them are linked to banned militant organisations.

The main reason for the emergence of a militant mind-set is the explosive growth of religious seminaries in the region, said Arshad Jatoi, a college teacher in Bahawalpur.

“Lack of awareness and resources coupled with the absence of proper educational infrastructure in the region has compelled parents to send their children to these madrassas, where the children after being brainwashed are used as cannon fodder ... in order to establish a new state based on an irrational and distorted view of Islam,” he told Central Asia Online.

Inattention to South Punjab

“Everyone has been so focused on tribal areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) that they failed to notice the increase in madrassas in South Punjab,” he said.

Such banned groups also circulate hate literature in order to shut off students’ thought processes, he said, adding that media have reported more than 10,000 South Punjab youth are fighting as militants in tribal areas and in Afghanistan.

The district administration has taken notice of the graffiti, which is illegal, and has ordered its immediate removal, said Tahir Khurshid, commissioner of Dera Ghazi Khan Division.

Authorities arrested Adnan Khosa, the key suspect in the Sakhi Sarwar attacks, in a Dera Ghazi Khan suburb May 28, Khurshid said, adding the arrest came after the government announced an Rs. 1m (US $11,700) reward for Khosa’s capture.

Authorities will not tolerate militant graffiti and have ordered an investigation, Khurshid said, adding that police have instructions to wash away graffiti and open cases against the culprits.

Picture: Mourners carry the body of a suicide bombing victim into a graveyard in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, April 4. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in quick succession at a Sufi shrine in eastern Pakistan April 3, killing 50 people and wounding more then 100, police said. Photo: REUTERS/Sheikh Asif Raza.

Nonprofit Status Lost

By Diane Dietz, *Hundreds fall from nonprofit rolls* - The Register-Guard - Eugene, OR, USA; Saturday, June 11, 2011

An automatic purge by the IRS takes organizations off the books if they failed to complete their paperwork

The Compost Tea Industry Association is out. So is the Lane County Veterans Council and the Smiling Forehead Sufi Center.

These are among about 350 Lane County groups that lost their nonprofit status last month for failing to file a required report during the past three years, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

In Oregon, 3,700 charities lost their status. Nationally, 275,000 are off the books in an automatic purge. The revocation means the charities have to start paying taxes on the money they collect; and donors will no longer be able to claim a deduction on federal taxes when they give to the groups.

But the lion’s share of groups on the IRS’s list are ones that are defunct. In other cases, it’s not the organization itself but just a project or subsidiary that is no longer active. And some organizations are in the process of collapsing, or they’ve been operating under the radar — believing they are too small to make the IRS filings.

The Eugene compost tea organization, for instance, has been on life support for a couple of years. Three years ago, it was an august group with members from the academic, agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

Since then, it just kind of ran out of energy, said Michael Alms, who has been paying to keep the group’s website up so the name CompostTea.org would not be lost.

“It was a great thing. It’s just that everybody went away, and nobody wanted to support it anymore,” he said.

IRS officials said they have been generous with extensions and reminders for three years, doing their best to inform groups that the deadline for a new filing requirement was at hand.

Previously, nonprofit agencies that took in less than $25,000 weren’t required to file tax returns. Congress changed that law in 2006. Now, most nonprofits must file every three years or be automatically purged from the tax-exempt qualification rolls.

So it was a jolt to the United Way of Lane County when it learned this week that the agency was on the list of revoked agencies, Chris Pryor, the agency’s director of community impact said.

“We were stunned. Holy cow we lost our nonprofit status?” he said.

But it was an old United Way project organization that hasn’t been in use for years that lost its status.

“Our regular United Way of Lane County nonprofit status is absolutely intact, up to date, running just fine,” Pryor said.

The situation was similar for a Eugene YMCA listing.

“We moved all our money, probably 12 years ago. The Oregon Community Foundation manages all our endowment dollars,” Executive Director Dave Perez said.

The Jefferson Area Neighbors was on the list; but that group changed to the Jefferson Westside Neighbors more than a decade ago.

Springfield Filbert Festival is a distant memory. It had put on a summer festival for 17 years but had “run its course,” Sid Leiken said in 2006, when it went kaput.

The Friends of KRVM is alive and well, but it never did become an agency that was exempt from federal taxes, board president Bobbie Cirel said.

The paperwork was extensive and the cost to file was prohibitive for the small organization. “We’re pretty small potatoes in the world of potatoes,” she said.

Friends of KRVM is not to be confused with the KRVM radio station, which holds regular pledge drives and is a fully enrolled, not-for-profit organization.

The “friends” group mostly provides volunteers for the pledge drives, the Eugene Celebration and Earth Day information booths, Cirel said.

University of Oregon-based fraternities and sororities were on the revoked list, including Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Sigma Pi Fraternity International.

“Most of our organizations are based on donations,” said Annie Carlson, fraternity and sorority adviser at the university.

The local pledge groups belong to 250 national organizations. Some get millions in donations and others get little, Carlson said. She said student fraternity and sorority leaders don’t have to worry too much about the recent IRS action.

“I don’t think it will affect them on the local level too much. It’s really a national organization issue. Hopefully they’ll get it resolved,” she said.

Organizations can file for reinstatement of their tax-exempt status. The application fee is $200 to $850, according to the IRS. The IRS said it may offer a fee reduction to groups with annual donations of $50,000 or less.

Season of Gratitude

By Khalid Ajmain, Sout Ilaahi Productions, Singapore; Saturday, June 18, 2011

Salaam everyone, we would like to invite you to our upcoming event on the series of lecture by Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch. He was formerly teaching intensive Arabic at Zaytuna institute. He embraced Islam in 1995. Below are his details. Do spread this message to your family and friends.

Date: 1st July 2011, Friday
Time: 12.20pm (Pre Khutbah talk before Solat Jumaah)
Venue: Sultan Mosque
Topic: The Hidden Treasure: Inner Dimensions of Prayer

Date: 2nd July, Saturday
Time: 8pm
Venue: Al Wedah,The Arab Association Singapore. 11 Lorong 37 Geylang
(Opp Wak Tanjong Madrasah. Nearest Paya Lebar MRT station, Bus no 2,7 67,51)
Topic: The Shukr Paradox
Living a Life of Gratitude in a Frustrating World

Date: 3rd July 2011, Sunday
Time: 8.15pm (After Solat Isya)
Venue: Abdul Aleem Siddique Mosque, No 90 Lorong K, Telok Kurau Road, Singapore 425723
Topic: Guide to Goodness: On the Path of the Prophet s.a.w.

Admission is Free for all lectures. All are welcome!!

Bio:
Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch is the imam at the Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland,
California, and a teacher and program developer for Deen Intensive Foundation.

He also works with Seekers Guidance and assists Zaytuna College's annual Summer Arabic Intensive program in Berkeley, California. He is one of five students who comprised the first graduating class of the Zaytuna seminary program.

Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the south, Abdul Latif embraced Islam in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was 20 years old.

He subsequently traveled throughout the Muslim world and, in 2002, relocated with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to take advantage of the resources of knowledge and the community that had formed around Zaytuna Institute.

There, he spent his initial year of studies under the tutelage of Shaykh Salik bin Siddina. In 2004, he was accepted as the first of three initial students into Zaytuna's pilot seminary program.

He studied at Zaytuna with several teachers, including Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Taahir, Qari Umar Bellahi, Shaykh Abdullah Ali, and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, until he graduated in 2008 with an ijazah in the basic sciences of Islam.

Since graduation, he has had the honor of tutelage under Dr. Umar Farooq Abdullah, Shaikh Mahi Cisse and Shaikh Abdulllah Ibrahim Niasse.

Visit Sout Ilaahi Blog.

Persian Mystic Puppet Show

Art Desk Editor, *Prague festival praises puppet show about Persian mystic* - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran; Sunday, June 12, 2011

A puppet show on the Persian mystic Mansur Al-Hallaj (c. 858–922) won two awards at the World Festival of Puppet Art Prague that was held from May 30 to June 5.

Directed by Zohreh Behruzinia, “Today, Tomorrow, and the Day After Tomorrow” won the Award for the Best Original Performance and its puppeteer Hoda Naseh received the Award for the Best Actor of the festival.

The show was also nominated for the Award for the Best Artistic Creation, the Award for the Best Director, the Award for the Best Performance on World Puppet Festival Prague 2011, and the Award for the Best Scenery and Puppet Design.

The puppet is the life story of the Persian mystic, revolutionary writer, and pious teacher of Sufism Mansur Al-Hallaj from his wife’s viewpoint. He is mostly famous for his poetry and for his execution by order of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtadir after a long, drawn-out investigation.

The play’s author Nima Dehqani mentioned in a note that the story is not an excerpt from Hallaj’s life but the playwright tries to present a new look at his family life as a luminary and to portray his wife’s loneliness.

The Iranian stage artist Behruz Gharibpur presided over the jury of the festival which included the theater critic Jiri Križ (Czech) and stage director, puppeteer and actor Robert Waltl (Slovenia).

The play went on stage at the previous edition of the Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival in Tehran, however the show will not go on stage for the public until after about one year.

[Picture: Zohreh Behrouzinia's *Today, Tomorrow, and the Day After Tomorrow* was awarded at the World Festival of Puppet Theater in Prague. Photo: Press TV.]

The Real Landmarks

By Staff Reporter, *Urs of Bulbul Shah (RA) celebrated with reverence* - Greater Kashmir - Srinagar, India; Sunday, June 12, 2011

The annual Urs of Hazrat Bulbul Shah (RA) was celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm on Saturday. Hundreds of people thronged the shrine of the revered saint in old city here to pay obeisance.

The great Sufi saint had arrived in the old city on the spiritual command in 1320 AD. Since then this sacred place has become epitome of spiritual devotion.

Minister of Rural Development, Ali Muhammad Sagar also joined the special prayers that continued from wee hours till dusk. He was accompanied by Renzushah who is also the chairman of Hazrat Bulbulshah Trust.

Speaking on the occasion, Sagar said that Valley is known for high spiritual contribution of great Sufi saints. He said that arrival of Hazrat Bulbul Shah (RA) and Hazrat Amir-Kabir (RA) were the real landmarks in the spiritual history of Kashmir. He said that both the grand saints reformed our society and imbibed high moral values which have become beacon light for all of us.

Speaking on the occasion, Renzushah pointed out that from the last several decades, the Trust was struggling to rebuild the shrine which was in dilapidated condition. “Sagar Sahab has always patronized the developmental activities personally and played a vital role in helping the real devotees of Hazrat Bulbul Shah (RA) in construction activities,” he added.

Earlier, scholars of great repute including Moulana Akhzar Hussain, Moluna Showkat Ahmed Keng, Arshid Jeelani, Mehraj-ud-Din Buja, Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Peerzada Shahid Geelani, Moulana Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Naqeeb, Moulana Shairf-ul-Haq Bukhari, Moulana Nazir Ahmed Qadri, Moluna Shakeel-ul-Rehman, Muhammad Yaseen Kirmani, Muhammad Rafiq Khan, Ali Muhammad, Abdul Rashid, Moulana Raheem Rehimi and Ishfaq Shah also spoke on the occasion.

Renowned Naat Khawan of Kashmir G H Gamgeen, also addressed the function and highlighted the great contribution of the Sufi saint.

Worrying Washington

By Khairi Abaza,*Egypt must resist relapse to despotism* - CNN - Atlanta, GA, USA; Friday, June 10, 2011

Since President Hosni Mubarak fell in February, Egypt has become a freer country in many ways. But the ruling military council is continuing his tradition of using the threat of an Islamist takeover to perpetuate a government under which one political force can lord over all others.

Last week, military rulers began a dialogue with organizations and coalitions representing the youth of the revolution, spurred by nationwide protests calling on the military to ratify a new constitution before holding legislative elections. Instead, the military and the Muslim Brotherhood now insist on holding elections in September, and allowing the winners to draft the new constitution.

This is a formula for allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to supplant the military as the arbiter of another authoritarian system. The military council knows well what Western leaders fear when they see the brutal work of largely extremist groups such as the Salafis, who have been involved in a growing number of attacks against Christians and other Muslims in Egypt.

Whether or not they support these attacks, the military leaders may benefit from them politically, as the violence allows less radical but still religious groups like the Muslim Brotherhood to present themselves as more mainstream. This drags the country's political center farther toward the theocratic extremes, worrying Washington.

The Obama administration must make clear that the money it has promised Egypt's transitional government -- $1 billion, plus another billion in loan guarantees -- is tied to ongoing political and economic reforms, including respect for human rights, a truly democratic constitution with checks and balances, equality for all Egyptians under the law and a commitment to a free-market economy. These steps will help keep Egypt from sliding back to despotism.

In late May, the military council declared that remnants of the old regime were sparking sectarian confrontations in hopes of destabilizing the new order. Salafists had recently struck a Coptic church in Imbaba, a poor Cairo neighborhood. They attacked worshippers with clubs, swords and automatic weapons, leaving six Christians and six Muslims dead, and the country in a state of shock.

Shortly afterward, the military arrested scores of Salafis. Members of the Youth of the Revolution made human shields of themselves to protect churches in Imbaba.

The Muslim Brotherhood is trying hard to dissociate itself from the Salafis. In an interview in May on the pro-democracy channel "On TV," Mohamed Habib, a charismatic Muslim Brotherhood reformer and former deputy supreme leader, harshly criticized the Salafis.

Before the revolution, Salafis in Egypt tended to avoid politics. They dedicated their time to prayer and religious study. They were less visible and less vocal than other ultra-conservative organizations, such as the Islamic Group, which was responsible for most attacks on tourists in the 1990s.

The revolution changed that. After Mubarak's ouster, they began to demand that Egypt institute Islamic jurisprudence -- sharia law. Though the Salafis are small in number, and many repudiate violence, they have stoked considerable fear across the country and their ability to move in large numbers and carry out well-organized attacks suggests that they are funded..

The media, including both satellite channels and Egypt's state-owned television outlets, have given the Salafis a great deal of air time to articulate their message, even as they have harassed Coptic Christians, other Muslims and anyone else who does not share their views.

Salafis are now squaring off with the Copts over a Coptic woman who converted to Islam. They claim she is held captive by the Coptic Church. The woman appeared on television next to her husband, declaring that she was still a Christian, asking to be left alone and urging Egyptians to focus on the future of their country. The case is not unique, as Salafis regularly accuse the Coptic Church of kidnapping Christian women who are converting to Islam.

The Salafis' actions are a double-edged sword for the Muslim Brotherhood. On the one hand, they make religious parties look unpleasant and radical. But the Salafi radicals enable the Brotherhood to dissociate itself from more extreme positions, and present itself as a more mainstream and tolerant version of political Islam.

Al-Azhar University, the highest Muslim authority in Egypt, is now trying to form an alliance with the Sufi orders -- Islamic spiritual orders that have several million followers in the country -- to counter the Salafis. Meanwhile, Salafis now threaten to destroy the mausoleums and tombs of Muslim holy men and women, putting them on a collision course with the Sufis. Each Egyptian city is home to at least one saint's tomb, and some attract millions of visitors every year. Some Sufi orders have hundred of thousands of followers, and visiting Muslim holy tombs is deeply enshrined in Egyptian culture. To most Egyptians, destroying them would be blasphemy.

Objections

By Staff Reporter, *Religious tourism project with Iran raises Salafi objections* - Al-Masry Al-Youm - Cairo, Egypt; Friday, June 10, 2011

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism plans to welcome the return of Iranian visitors through a religious tourism cooperation project that is pending security approval. The project was proposed by Sufi leader Muhammad Alaa Abu al-Azayim, but has raised objections from Salafis regarding the spread of Shia Islam.

Assistant Minister of Tourism Hesham Za’zou’ told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministry seeks to open new tourist markets for Egypt, pointing out that the dossier of Iranian tourism has a special status. Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security agencies will handle the project.

Samy Mahmoud, head of international tourism at the Tourism Promotion Agency, said that according to studies about the Iranian market, the agency estimates Iran could send up to 500,000 tourists to Egypt annually. Those who visited would spend an estimated average of five to six nights, with a total average expenditure of LE 30 million per night.

Azayim said that during his meetings with the Egyptian popular delegation in Iran, he proposed to Iranian officials that they send tour groups to Egypt, adding that Ali Reda Zakir, the governor of Asfahan, promised to direct 3 million Iranian tourists to Egypt every year if the Egyptian government approves the project.

Azayim added that 10 Iranian travel companies have said tourists are eager to visit holy sites here, and that they can organize groups of 100,000 tourists every month. Egypt has more tombs than Turkey and Syria and they are spread across the governorates, according to the companies, Azayim said.

But Khalid al-Said, a Salafi spokesman, said that Iranian tourism will spread corruption in Egypt by spreading the principles of Shia thought, which violates Sunni thought. Said warned that if the project is approved, Salafis will take peaceful measures and organize media campaigns to preserve Egypt’s Sunni Muslim character.

He called on Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s government to put an end to the project, describing it as the “biggest danger to Egypt’s national and political security.”

Translated from the Arabic Edition. Photographed by Reuters

Inner Peace

By Asghar Ali Engineer, *Causes and spread of Islam* - Two Circles Net - Boston, MA, USA; Friday, June 10, 2011

Islam spread so quickly that before it completed 100 years of its origin it had reached right up to China in the east and up to Europe in the west. It had conquered, one can say, a large part of the globe shattering two most powerful empires of the time i.e. Persian empire on one hand, and, Byzantine (Easter Roman Empire) on the other. No other religion had achieved such feat before.

Here in this essay we want to explore the causes of such quick spread of Islam. One has to explore political, historical, economic and sociological causes. Many people have analyzed these causes but most of them have, especially Muslims, assign success of Islam to sincere commitment of Muslims in those days to Islam and even Mohammad Iqbal, well known poet whose powerful poetry arouses emotions of South Asian Muslims, also feels that as long as Muslims were sincere and adhered to teachings of Islam, they continued to achieve success after success but once they ceased to be good Muslims, the Muslim society began to stagnate. I think such an approach is flawed and begs the question.

In order to comprehend the real causes of tremendous success of Islam, one has to take into account all the factors and draw proper conclusion. Of course the idea is not to ignore importance of sincerity and commitment of followers but to be more objective and scientific in understanding external causes in assessing the reasons for surprisingly quick spread of Islam.

Hijaz: from tribal to commercial

In this connection it is important to note that Islam originated in urban area which was an international centre of commerce and finance. But the two greatest empires surrounding Hijaz (what is now called Saudi Arabia and where Islam originated) were mainly agricultural and of feudal structure. Commercial civilization is far more liberal and progressive than one which is based on agriculture. The horizon of agricultural civilization remains quite restricted in vision.

But the sociological background of Mecca was not as simple as we tend to assume. In fact it was much more complex. A commercial society was emerging from tribal society. Meccan society was, in fact, half way between tribal and commercial. However, both tribal and commercial societies are more open and liberal than agricultural society though tribal society is far more equal than commercial society. Commercial society is far more unequal than both agricultural and tribal one.

It is true that Islam imbibed positive qualities of both tribal and commercial society of Mecca. Like tribal society it took its equality and from commercial society it took its dynamism as tribal society after all is not dynamic though it is equal. In tribal society there is not much emphasis on knowledge but in commercial society knowledge is a must. The Arabs had deep imprint of tribal values and even centuries after Islam came into existence they (Arabs) were not attracted towards knowledge. For them knowledge of their ancestry remained of prime importance.

Thus we see that equality is fundamental value in Islam. Unlike feudal society there was no concept of any hierarchy among Arabs. The Qur’an, therefore, made equality as a value and said that only those who are most pious are most honourable in the sight of Allah. This was very progressive and futuristic value of Islam.

All societies like those of Iran, Eastern Roman Empire and others were highly hierarchical and in these societies what mattered were ones status and place in social hierarchy and also the family in which one was born. It was ironical that when Islamic societies also were feudalized, the status and family in which one was born became very important. In Islam only a’mal-i-salihah i.e. good deeds which mattered and nothing else.

Now apart from ‘good deeds’ social status and family became more important a person was thought to be sharif (noble) if he/she was what used to be called najib al-tarfain i.e. whose both parents came from high status families. His own good deeds mattered less. But the Qur’anic ideal had nothing to do with social status or even with riches one possessed. For example, Abu Dhar or Salman al-Farsi, both came from ordinary and poor families and tribes of poorer status and yet both were considered very close to the Prophet (PBUH) and Prophet used to praise them highly and showed high degree of respect for them.

In commercial society too it is riches which matter rather than individual dignity. And the Meccan society, as pointed out above, was becoming a commercial and financial society giving great importance to being rich. Those opposing the Prophet (PBUH) were rich and powerful because the Prophet (PBUH) was orphan and came from a poor family. Thus Islam went beyond commercial society and gave importance to equality and individual dignity which is most modern and democratic concept. Thus the Qur’an says that all children of Adam enjoy dignity irrespective of their birth, tribe, nation or status.

Radical form of equality

No one could even think of such radical form of equality. Thus Islamic teaching went beyond all other forms of equality. Even slaves, who had no rights whatsoever, came to acquire rights. They also began to have sense of dignity. This in itself was a great revolution. Women and slaves were among the lowest rung of society and both slaves and women acquired rights and sense of dignity. The case of Bilal Habashi i.e. Bilal of Habasha can be cited as an illustrious example.

Bilal was a slave who was liberated by Hazrat Abu Bakr who owned him. The Prophet (PBUH) gave him highest status. He asked him to give azan i.e. call to prayer for which many eminent companions of the Prophet aspired but the Prophet (PBUH) gave that honour to a slave to demonstrate that all human beings are equal before Allah. There was no such precedent of such radical equality anywhere else in history until then.

People of other countries had come to know of Islamic teachings before Islam reached there through conquest or otherwise. Thus the slaves and other weaker sections of society were greatly attracted towards such teachings of Islam. Thus we read in history that when Muslims attacked these countries where there were slave-owning or hierarchical societies these people of lowly origin welcomed them and even opened the doors of forts so they could enter without bloodshed. We find several such accounts in early historians like Tabari and Baladhuri’s Futuh al Buldan

Conquests

Before we discuss all this in detail first we would like to throw some light on as to why Arab Muslims invaded these countries? Did they go there to convert others to Islam with the help of swords as is often alleged? Or did they go there to impose their rule over non-Arab societies? Or there was any other reason. In those days unfortunately there was no such discipline in modern sense as history. History was mere record of events rather than analysis of events.

We know about the Prophet (PBUH) that he did not invade any country or even other Arab tribes to establish his domination or to establish control over their resources. Mostly, with one exception, he fought when he was attacked. Thus he fought defensive battles. Even Abu Bakr, the first Caliph did not attack any other country as he was mostly engaged in putting down war of riddah (i.e. rebellion against Caliph’s rule as these tribals had not had any idea of governance by urban people and to pay taxes to them.

These tribes had no objection to practice Islam as a religion but were not ready to pay zakat (tax) to a government and to submit to them. These tribes were highly independent and resented submission to those who were mainly from urban settled areas. They had never done so during the course of their history. Hazrat Abu Bakr had to quell this rebellion known as war of riddah i.e. war against those who turned back on their Islam.

However, major conquests began with the 2nd Caliph Hazrat Umar. Parts of Roman Empire (Palestine, Syria) and Iran were conquered during his time. The wars of conquest began from his time. Why Hazrat Umar launched on these conquests? Was there any provocation from those countries? Apparently there was no such provocation. Then why did he attack? There is no clear answer.

One reason which was economic in nature could be cited. After destruction of Ma’arib dam which is mentioned in Qur’an too, the fertility of Yemen was destroyed and people of Yemen had begun to migrate towards the fertile north. This caused social tension between the Quraish of Mecca and Arabs of Yemen. People of Yemen were seen as intruders. Also, before Islam, the Bedouin tribes of desert survived by invading each other and running away with animals and women of conquered tribes.

Since by the time of Hazrat Umar all Bedouins had embraced Islam and all Muslims were declared as brothers of each other (what the Qur’an calls muwakhat) it was no longer possible for one Muslim tribe to attack the other Muslim tribe and run away with their animals and women, survival became a problem in desert. A way had to found out for survival which was not easy.

Thus pressure of migration from Yemen and question of survival of Bedouin tribes together created a difficult situation and since both Byzentine empire and Iran were located in fertile areas (the area comprising Palestine-Syria etc.) was known as ‘fertile crescent’ it has lot of productive potential and Arabs from south were eying it.

Economic reasons

Thus economic pressure was one important factor in launching campaign for conquests. Baladhuri in his Futuh al-Buldan (Conquests of Countries) tells us that before every war an announcement was made that those who want to fight in the way of Allah and those who want to benefit from war (naf’i) should join the army. Thus some joined the army to fight in the way of Allah and some for pure economic benefit.

Now one can well understand the category of people joining fighting forces for economic benefit but it is little puzzling that those who wished to fight in the way of Allah also were invited to join. If we examine the treaties whose text is mentioned by Baladhuri we rarely find mention of conversion to Islam. Generally the treaty is about how much food grains, clothes, slave men and slave girls the conquered country would supply to Islamic army and at times even cash is mentioned. This was negotiated jizyah extracted from conquered people. Thus there was no fixed amount for jizyah but it was negotiated with conquered people in lieu of military service.

Since there is no mention of conversion why some people joined as FIGHTER IN THE WAY OF Allah? What was the logic behind it? Was there any intention to colonize the conquered countries or establish Islamic domination? We are also reminded here about the controversy in Russia about whether revolution can be consolidated in one country or revolution in one country is not possible until revolution takes place in all surrounding countries, if not all countries?

The last possibility is ruled out in a way because Islamic revolution was socio-religious and not merely economic revolution. Islam did emphasize human equality but it was so more in the sense of human dignity than economic equality. Of course the Meccan Qur’anic verses strongly condemn accumulation of wealth and one Qur’anic verse also exhorts Muslims to give away in the way of Allah what is surplus i.e. more than one needs. But this is more of moral exhortation. The concept of halal earning is much wider in concept and not merely limited to private property.

Thus the question of Islam in one country or international Islamic revolution did not arise. But it is also a fact that Islam being religion and universal in nature it is not territorially limited. Most of the theologians and ulama maintain that Islam does not recognize any territorial limits and hence there is no concept of nationhood in Islam. This needs to be discussed in greater detail but not here.

Yet one more factor could be fear of invasion by foreign forces like Iranian or Byzantinian. Roman Empire had always wanted to bring Arab territory under its control since it amounted to controlling profitable trade route from Yemen to Palestine. It had tried once by making an Arab a king under its own control. He was seen as a stooge and Arabs rejected him as a king. Thus Romans had not succeeded in controlling the Arab land. Arabs were fiercely independent and would not submit to any authority.

But we do not find mention of any such fear among the causes of invasion. It seems various factors counted including establishing Islamic domination over these lands, economic pressure as these wars of conquests brought tremendous wealth and also some kind of fear of attack. After Islamic revolution, also, lot of fertile land was captured in these wars of conquest. Arabs, many of whom had not known counting beyond 100, became owners of millions. Some of them accumulated so much that they had to use spades to gather dirham and dinar together.

Even some of the companions of the Prophet accumulated so much wealth that Abu Dhar had to recite the Qur’anic verses against accumulation of wealth to warn them of the severe punishment awaiting them in the after-life. Inb Khalladun, the noted historian gives names of some of the companions of the Prophet who lost count of their wealth. Also these conquests created Arab domination zone right up to Central Asia in the East and up to Europe in the west. Thus these conquests benefited Arabs in number of ways.

Spread of Islam

One more question to be answer is how did Islam spread so fast when the main objective of the conquest (as alleged by some prejudiced historians that Islam spread with sword in one hand, and, Qur’an in the other) was not spread of Islam. Again there are many reasons, in fact complex web of reasons. Some of them will be discussed here:

Firstly, from very beginning of Islam two trends became prominent i.e. political Islam which was more about power and enforcement of shari’at law and as it happens power became main objective of conquests and led to great deal of bloodshed among Muslims themselves and enforcement of shari’ah law threw up the tribe of ‘ulama which Qur’an had not proposed. These ‘ulama established their monopoly and their opinion in any sphere of life became central.

The second trend was that of Sufism. Sufism, as opposed to political Islam was mainly spiritual and put equal or more emphasis on tariqat (a spiritual way or set of spiritual exercises) and kept itself aloof from political power struggles. They led, like the Prophet (PBUH), utterly simple life and they put more emphasis on inner peace and inner security.

Of these two trends the rich and powerful opted for political Islam and were involved in power struggle and never had inner peace and security. The masses of people, on the other hand, were attracted towards Sufism in search of inner peace. The Sufis gave them feeling of dignity and respect unlike ruling classes who despised them. Thus people of lowly origin found not only inner peace and solace but also feeling of dignity and hence were attracted to Islam through these Sufis,

Even in 20th century one finds poverty stricken masses from Algeria in the west to Indonesia in the east, having embraced Islam and this is one reason why Islamic world has remained so backward and poor. Even most of the Arabs in Gulf countries until discovery of oil was quite poor and even today those Arabs living in Egypt, Algeria and other Arab countries without oil remain quite poor.

Thirdly, many former non-Muslim power elite, in order to retain their position among new power elite, converted to Islam and through them many of their dependents too embraced Islam. Thus in conquered countries both poor and a section of rich embraced Islam. Sufism remained very widespread throughout Islamic world. It was only rise of Wahabi Islam in what is now called Saudi Arabia that Sufi Islam was suppressed by use of force and slowly lost its influence.

Sufi Islam is still remains highly popular in various parts of Islamic world, especially in non-Arab Islamic world. In South and South East Asia Sufi Islam remains a predominant trend and influence of Sufi saints extends beyond Muslims to non-Muslims as well. Thus in India several Sufi saints are revered by Hindus, Parsis and Christians. They are mostly seekers of inner peace and solace.

Thus it is sheer political myth spread by western imperialists that Islam spread through sword. History does not bear it out. At best it is, what I call, ‘super-simplistic approach to a very complex problem and not without political motives. Those who believe in such myths never take trouble to study history and either become victims of political propaganda or indulge in such false propaganda in order to achieve their political motives.

For the poor, Islam came as a liberator as its doctrine of equality and human dignity greatly attracted them and for power elite it became a source of power and riches and these rich broke every precept and moral conduct of Islam which enemies of Islam ascribed to Islam. In fact power elite break the spirit of morality in every religious tradition, not only among Muslims. The powerful can get away with anything. Thus the basic doctrine of Islam is peace but the power elite, in order to fulfill their lust of power ended up projecting Islam as religion believing in violence and spreading through violence. However, it was the spiritual side of the religion or Sufi Islam which saved the day.

Picture: Asghar Ali Engineer. Photo: Wiki.

Under the Scanner

By Shibu Thomas/TNN, *644-year-old dargah under HC scanner* - Times of India - India; Friday, June 10, 2011

Mumbai: A 644-year-old dargah in Kalyan, over which two Muslim sects are at loggerheads, has come under the scanner of the Bombay high court.

A division bench of Justices B H Marlapalle and U D Salvi on Thursday directed the State Waqf Board to decide within a week whether to allow Urs or religious rituals at the dargah. The dargah had been closed for the last 20 years.

While the Barelvis are ardent devotees of Sufi saints, the Ahle Hadees sect does not believe in visiting mausoleums of Sufi saints or dargahs.

The Kalyan dargah, also called the Peerachi dargah, is the resting place of Sufi saint Hazrat Shaikh Ahmed Shah Fakih who came to India from Arabia around 1,500 years ago. The saint is the father of Hazrat Shah Maqdoom Ali Shah Fakih of the Mahim dargah.

The Kalyan dargah was built during the Adilshah-Bahamani period. There is a mosque called Kot Bahar Masjid next to the dargah.

Opportunities

By Staff Reporter, *ICCR to open region branches in Jammu, Srinagar* - IBN Live - India; Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Srinagar: In an effort to boost cultural activity and preservation of the state's rich heritage, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is all set to open its branches in Jammu and Kashmir.

Making the announcement today, ICCR's president and senior Congress leader Karan Singh said the initiative will provide opportunities to artists to showcase their talent globally.

Singh visited Lal Mandi area in the summer capital, the proposed site for the centre.

"People of the Valley have acquired great and high moral knowledge through great Sufi saints and people still have deep belief in their shrines. Their moral teachings have good impact on the literatures," Singh said.

A site has also been identified in Jammu for the regional centre, Singh said.

Visit ICCR

Religious Harmony

By Amna Nasir Jamal, *Ulema urged to play role in curbing terrorism* - Central Asia Online - U.S. Central Command, USA/ Lahore, Pakistan; Thursday, June 9, 2011

Religious scholars who constitute the ulema can play a vital role in curbing terrorism, government officials and analysts say.

Since the ulema have roots in the society, they must play their role in preaching the true message of Islam, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said. “There is a significant decrease in terrorist activities due to their fatwas, but still there is a long way to restore harmony and tranquillity in the country,” he said.

The government has recently made announcements from all leading mosques in Islamabad and elsewhere seeking public help in curbing terrorist plots.

Ulema’s vital role

Religious harmony is the need of the hour and the ulema can play an effective role in creating awareness of terrorism and suicide bombings, Aslam Tareen, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Lahore, told Central Asia Online.

Tareen called upon citizens, religious leaders and mosques administrators to help police foil the aims of terrorists and depute guards from the local area at all places of worship so that they would be more likely to recognise strangers and suspicious persons.

“The ulema have the power of speech with which they could point out the righteous path to the people – whereas the media could make people aware of the poisonous impact of suicide attacks and terrorism,” he said.

Tareen urged religious scholars to order the formation of committees that would have responsibility for preventing outsiders from entering mosques and madrassas. Such committees could “compile data on teachers and students associated with madrasas.”

Maulana Raghib Naeemi, chief administrator of the Jamia Naeemia, Lahore, told Central Asia Online May 20 that terrorism and suicide attacks are prohibited by Islam. [Amna Nasir Jamal]

He also urged scholars and the ulema to give sermons denouncing militancy and terrorism. “The ulema and religious scholars always have used their prayer walls (mihrab) and pulpits (minbars) against the scourge of militancy and terrorism and will do so until the menace is eliminated,” he said.

Ulema’s assurance

Religious scholars have assured the CCPO that they support the elimination of terrorism. The scholars termed suicide attacks completely un-Islamic, said terrorists have no faith in Islamic teachings and suggested formation of a security plan for worship places.

Suicide attacks on security forces and hanging of victims’ corpses from trees violate sharia, said Shabibzada Fazal Karim, president of Markazi Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan. “Perpetrators of such acts are the enemy of humanity,” he said.

“Islam is a religion of peace, and it does not promote terrorism or the killing of innocent people. Terrorism and suicidal attacks are forbidden and un-Islamic acts,” Maulana Raghib Naeemi, chief administrator of Jamia Naeemia, Lahore said during an interview.

“The militant should never forget that when suicide is one of the worst acts any human can perform, how then can a suicide bombing be justified in Islam, especially if done in public areas?” he continued.

“The Taliban have tarnished the image of Islamic sharia across the world,” Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, a religious scholar, said. Denouncing the slaying of various scholars by militants, he said that the “assassination of scholars should be stopped and sacred places and shrines should be provided with adequate protection.”

The Sindh provincial government has decided to ask Sufi shrine administrators to help prevent extremism in the province, said Sindh Senior Minister Pir Mazharul Haq. Shrine administrators have influence over more than 85% of the population and could be key in helping the government handle the crisis, he added.

The provincial government will discuss forming a Sufi council with offices at local, district and provincial levels to promote Sufism to counter the wave of extremism, he said.

“From all over the globe, Sufi scholars would be invited to unite the people in Pakistan, who are being misguided by certain elements,” he said.

Aware of the Dangers

By Andrew E. Kramer, *Rector at Muslim University in Russia Is Shot to Death* - The New York Times - New York, NY, USA; Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Moscow: Gunmen on Tuesday killed the rector of a Muslim university in southern Russia who had been leading a government-sponsored effort to counter violence in the region by reviving the local traditions of Sufi Islam that he said were less likely to inspire suicide bombers.

The rector, Maksud I. Sadikov, of the Islamic University of the North Caucasus, was shot to death in a car in Makhachkala, the capital of the Dagestan region, Russian prosecutors said. Mr. Sadikov’s bodyguard was also killed, they said.

The prosecutors had not arrested or identified any potential suspects by late Tuesday, and no group immediately stepped forward to take responsibility for the attack.

Mr. Sadikov was a proponent of the idea that state support for Sufism could diminish the threat of terrorism in Russia. Sufism was once widespread in the North Caucasus but faded after the breakup of the Soviet Union and the arrival of proselytizers from Middle East who sought to spread Sunni Islam.

In an interview about his work in February, Mr. Sadikov said that no Sufi had committed a suicide bombing in Russia.

“One of the best methods to resist the ideology of extremism is a good religious education,” Mr. Sadikov said. He said a moderate Islamic education was an “anti-venom” against terrorism.

The effort, and the government financing it received, had put him at odds with militants in the Islamic insurgency in Russia that began in Chechnya in the 1990s and has spread to other regions, including Dagestan.

His university, a sprawling complex beside a mosque in Makhachkala, was involved in one of the few nonmilitary approaches that the Russian government has attempted to resolve the long-running rebellion. President Dmitri A. Medvedev has also tried to use economic aid to ease unemployment in the area.

Militants have sent dozens of suicide bombers into central Russian cities, including Moscow, over the past decade. In the past 18 months, 76 people have died in attacks on the Moscow subway system and at its main airport. Those attacks led the police to put additional metal detectors in public spaces.

Mr. Sadikov said his strategy was to prevent radical Islamic ideas from taking root in young men. In southern Russia, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, most suicide bombers are adherents of fundamentalist Sunni sects, including the Salafi tradition that is the state religion in Saudi Arabia.

The Russian government latched onto Mr. Sadikov’s observations and threw official support behind other forms of Islam.

The United States tried a similar tactic in Iraq by introducing moderate imams at the prisons where insurgents were being held.

Mr. Sadikov’s university was intended to educate elementary school teachers for a pilot project to teach Sufi Islam in public schools. This year, 1,300 students were enrolled, making it the largest effort of its kind in the North Caucasus. His university taught what he characterized as pacifist Sufi practices, like performing a ritual whirling dance or taking pilgrimages to holy sites.

Critics countered that the Sufi monopoly of formal religious education in the North Caucasus only served to further alienate fundamentalist Sunni believers by compelling them to worship at home.

The state’s support also made the university a target. In the February interview, Mr. Sadikov said that he was keenly aware of the dangers inherent in his project. “The radicals are saying, ‘You need to punish the impure Muslims,’ ” Mr. Sadikov said.