Sufi Poetry of Coleman Barks: It is a Raining February Night

It Is A Raining February Night - Coleman Barks

Story by Ramsey Nix in Morgan County Citizen Online, Thu, 02/11/2010

Listening to Coleman Barks read his poetry recently at Georgia State University was the right antidote to hearing news broadcasters read excerpts of Salinger's work since his death on January 27. My skin crawled when I heard ABC’s Dianne Sawyer as Holden or even NPR’s Steve Inskeep narrating a Salinger passage. I think these two experiences, in juxtaposition, have taught me the importance of hearing a writer read his own work.

Barks is a world-renown poet who lives right around the corner, in Athens, where he taught in the English department at The University of Georgia for 30 years. While he has published hundreds of original poems, Barks is best known for his free verse interpretations of Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic, who inspired Turkey’s popular Whirling Dervishes. Barks has sold over one million copies of his books of Rumi poetry, including “The Essential Rumi,” “The Soul of Rumi,” and “Rumi: The Book of Love.”

Through his writings, Rumi taught that love is the soul of genius. Salinger fell in love with his characters, the Glass family, in particular. That was the secret of his genius. I remember falling head over heels in love with Franny and Zooey when I first met them. The writer made me do that. Yet the newscasters have been pretty tough on 'ole Salinger. They criticize him for being a contemplative, for eschewing society for his writing– for not tossing the hungry media a bone. Rumi said, "Fall in love in such a way that it frees you from any connecting." Rumor has it that Salinger dabbled in Eastern mysticism. Perhaps he heeded Rumi’s call.

Barks is another writer who flies below the media radar. In a rare interview he granted The Sun in October 2007, he explained how one interview could ruin a whole day of writing. After hearing his recitation, I can only imagine how much time Barks spends in meditation before he puts his pen to the page.

In that same interview, Barks talked about his education in Sufism, that mystical branch of Islam that Rumi practiced. Barks had a living teacher named Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. To illustrate his teacher's enlightenment, Barks said, "When somebody asked Bawa what reality was like, he said it's like you're driving a car, and you're inside driving, but you're also the landscape you're driving through." This insight must have informed his poem, "Extravagance":

It is a huge extravagance
hiring a car to get home
the final 67 miles,
having missed the last shuttle from the Atlanta airport to Athens by five minutes. So I enjoy it, napping or nearly napping on the middle van seat.

It is a raining February night.
A cheerful Ethiopian man is driving, steady and very fast, passing the trucks with their vast sleeping compartments
behind their cabs, spaceships.

It feels like I have not watched traffic sideways since I was a child.
At 70, going 80, 85.

The drips on the sidewindows do their slow slide toward the rear.
How can that be? What is the physics of such slowness?

We are going fast, but the drips are finding a leisurely way,
stopping awhile, shivering, continuing on, as though making watery decisions,
this magnificently dawdling troop of Taoist masters, who arrive at the rubber edging of my window
from up in the nowhere of this night's coldfront.

• • •

I graph with fingers
their progress on the convex pane.

Whatever presences we are blessed by, we must bless others with, to keep the blessings moving along,
the nearly formless ones
who drop vertically in,
and just for a sideways drawn-out moment are with us, and we see them held supinely in the custody of an amicable Ethiopian man.

We feel them sliding through and out the bottom of being as they become songs and sentences,
the notions and beauty of the liquid fire of presence, in people we meet, in the nightair we breathe cupfuls of.

Barks poems are enlightened, and he carries them around like matches. They sparkle and burn when he reads them. That must be what he means by "being an ecstatic." But I think he proves that one must be a contemplative in order to muster the ecstatic. Just as quickly as he finishes reading a poem, he fades back into a state of quiet amusement. I was struck by the way he amuses himself.
People all over the world, especially the Middle East, have read Barks’ translations of Rumi. In fact, I first picked up one of his books while living abroad. I was tickled to death to learn where the author lives. But Barks doesn’t dwell long on time and place: his poetry is a bridge capable of connecting us to other people, other cultures, and even to the Divine. That’s powerful stuff.

Peter Brook Directs Play on the Tijani Sufi Tierno Bokar

"A Play on Tolerance and Reason: Nearly 85, Director Peter Brook Continues to Explore Spiritual Themes Within a Multicultural Context" By PAUL SHARMA, February 12, 2010, Wall Street Journal

With his current work at London's Barbican Theatre, director Peter Brook returns to West Africa and examines a conflict in Mali, which, fueled by French colonialism and religious arguments, reached its peak in the 1940s.

Adapted by Marie-Hélène Estienne and Mr. Brook from the book "The Sage of Bandiagara" by African writer Amadou Hampaté Bâ, the play "11 and 12" tells how teacher Tierno Bokar is drawn steadily into a dispute over whether a certain prayer should be recited 11 or 12 times, which leads inexorably to hatred and massacres.

Like Mr. Brook's 1985 theater production "Mahabharata," the work has undergone a number of revisions and has slowly evolved into its present form. This version was first performed in Paris last November, while earlier versions were performed in the U.S. and Europe under the name of the main character "Tierno Bokar."

As he prepares to turn 85 next month, Peter Brook's recent work can be viewed in a line of lifetime work that explores spiritual themes within a multicultural context, including the Indian epic "Mahabharata," and his film based on G. I. Gurdjieff's book "Meetings With Remarkable Men."

So while on the surface, "11 and 12" seems far removed from some of his earlier productions -- not least the famous "A Midsummer's Night Dream" of 1970 -- it continues to explore the idea that theater has a unique language between thought and gesture -- by telling the story as a set of interweaving parables.

We caught up with Mr. Brook's long-term collaborator and the play's writer, Marie-Hélène Estienne, in Paris by phone as the Bouffes du Nord group was preparing to come to London for their four-week residency. Mr. Brook founded the International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris in 1971 and it moved to its permanent base in the Bouffes du Nord Theatre in 1974.

"The project has taken at least 30 years and started around the same time as when we worked on 'The Conference of the Birds,' which is also a Sufi text, so the two pieces are connected," Ms. Estienne said.

"After agreeing to the rights to 'Tierno Bokar,' we adapted the play seven years ago and the first version in French was produced around five years ago. Even 'The Conference of the Birds' was done in English and French. We were satisfied, but not 100%, with the French version. It's like that with some pieces. For us, it's a bit like the 'Mahabharata,' which was worked on for 20 years," Ms. Estienne continued. "When we came to do the English version we made some changes to the cast: The piece now has fewer actors -- seven and one musician -- and only has men, as the women's roles didn't work that well in the French version. And now, the cast has two Palestinian actors and less of an African presence. Overall, we call it a 'carpet show' rather than a chamber piece and we feel it is more alive than the previous versions."

The play's central story concerns a disagreement over how many times a prayer should be repeated, which is given additional importance due to the focus on prayer and zikr (remembrance) in Sufism, which is often characterized as emphasizing the more mystical side of Islam and has its own distinctive aspects in West Africa.

The play is linked to a Sufi order called Tidjania, which first recited "The Pearl of Perfection" prayer 11 times and then later shifted to 12 times, Ms. Estienne explains. "Many, many years later Sheikh Lakdhar from Algeria traveled to West Africa to return the order back to the original 11 times, which he viewed as more serious and sacred practice," she says.

While the play's central character Tierno Bokar follows the now established orthodox practice of 12 times, 11 is the insurrectionary figure used by a younger teacher, Cherif Hamallah. And it is Tierno Bokar's adoption of Hamallah's view, as both an act of reconciliation and spiritual conversion, which leads to his downfall, followed in time by Hamallah's.

"This religious disagreement which started around 1910, eventually developed into a tribal conflict that reached a peak at the start of the Second World War, with thousands being killed, with the French and the Vichy government siding with the 12. Of course after the play ends, we saw the end of the Vichy regime, Charles de Gaulle and then Algeria," Ms. Estienne said. "The aim of Hampaté Bâ's book was to reconcile the two groups and now the relations between the two groups is much better, nothing like it was during the '40s and the war."

Perhaps the key lines in the text come from Tiero Bokar: "There are three truths, my truth, your truth, and the truth ... Our truths are crescent moons situated on one side or another of the perfect circle of the full moon. Most of the time, when we argue and only listen to ourselves, our crescent moons turn their backs on one another. First we must turn them back toward one another, then our two crescent moons will be face to face, they will gradually come closer and closer and perhaps in the end meet one another in the great circle of truth."

The play "11 and 12" is at the Barbican Theatre in London until Feb. 27, accompanied by a season of films by Peter Brook.

Write to Paul Sharma at Paul.Sharma@dowjones.com

Anticipatory bail for maulana who ‘made offensive speeches’ against the Sufi Saint Khwaja Garib Nawaaz

While addressing a gathering at Ghatkopar last month, Maulana Sheikh Rabbani had allegedly made abusive and hurtful remarks against a saint [Khwaja Garib Nawaaz (ed.)]

By Mumbai Mirror Bureau
Posted On Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 02:14:09 AM

A week after being untraceable, Maulana Sheikh Mehraj Rabbani of the radical Ahle Hadees appeared before the Sessions Court on Tuesday in a case of hurting religious sentiments of Dargah-going Sunni Muslims by his allegedly offensive speeches. Hearing his anticipatory bail plea, the court granted him interim relief from being arrested till February 16.

On January 30, the Ghatkopar police registered an offence against the maulana for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of fellow Muslims, mostly Sunnis of the Barelvi denomination.

While addressing a gathering on January 28 at Ghatkopar’s Chirag Nagar, Rabbani had allegedly made abusive and hurtful remarks against Khwaja Garib Nawaaz, a saint whose shrine at Ajmer is India’s most famous Sufi shrine. At that time, a massive mob of protesters had gathered at the venue demanding an apology from Rabbani, but police escorted him to safety.

With Rabbani’s speeches escalating tension between different sects, police finally registered a complaint against him. Muslim leaders and scholars approached Home Minister R R Patil, apprehending a law and order situation.

Seeking anticipatory bail, Rabbani claimed before the court that he had not delivered any speech as alleged in the FIR. The court, however, noted that this could not be determined until the investigating officer’s report on the evidence is submitted and thereby granted Rabbani interim relief.

Meanwhile, Rabbani - who makes frequent trips to Saudi Arabia - has surrendered his Indian passport to the Sessions Court.

As the police escorted him out of the court, a group of Barelvis gathered around the van and began shouting slogans against him. As the van picked speed, some protestors climbed onto the van and began banging on the windows, attempting to hit Rabbani.

Advocate Rizwan Merchant, who has filed an intervening application to oppose Rabbani’s plea, said, “Despite the police issuing a gag order on Rabbani, he again made offensive speeches on February 1 and 2 in Kurla, Kandivli and Kalyan. His utterances not only abuse the revered Khwaja Garib Nawaz, but also the saint’s followers. Such speeches are capable of causing communal disharmony, creating law and order problems, putting the state’s security at stake.”

However, as Rabbani’s lawyer Sudeep Pasbola said, “Rabbani has never stated any such thing in his speeches. His recorded speech doing the rounds is one he had delivered in Saudi Arabia many years ago, in some other context.”

Somali Sufis--Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa--organize to fight the al-Qaeda affiliated Shabaab

(We published this report on Nov. 10, 2009; but because it is relevant to recent post concerning the Somali Shabaab's movement declaration of Jihad against Kenya, we are including it here again.)

Original title: "Somalia Sufi forces organize to fight Shabaab"
NAIROBI (AFP) (The picture is of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Muhieddin, chairman of Somalia's main Sufi movement, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa.)

Somalia's main Sufi movement, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa, on Thursday wrapped up an unprecedented conference in Nairobi to strategize its response to the rise and radicalization of the Shabaab group.

Dozens of the usually quiet religious movement's leaders have in recent days converged on Nairobi from Somalia and from Western exile to close ranks against what they see as an existential threat.


" The Shabaab are misguided people who have misunderstood the true values of Islam "

Overall chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Muhieddin "The Shabaab are misguided people who have misunderstood the true values of Islam," overall chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Muhieddin told AFP before leaving Kenya Thursday.

Sufism is dominant in clannish Somalia, where Muslim saints are often also clan founders, but its leading clerics have voiced concern that hardline Islamist groups such as the Al Qaeda-inspired Shabaab were slowly eradicating it.

It emphasizes the mystical dimension of Islam and includes practices considered as idolatry by the followers of the Wahhabi sect adopted by the Shabaab.

A year ago, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa ('The Companions of the Prophet') took up arms after the Shabaab started hunting down Sufi faithful and desecrating their holy sites, notably in and around the southern Somali city of Kismayo.

"The Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa fighters are not a regular army who long for power, they are defending themselves and the lives of other Somalis whose way of life is threatened by the Shabaab's madness," Sheikh Sharif said.


Old religious feuds

" A group of people who were known as the Khawarij (or Kharijite) came to kill other Muslims who did not share their views. Now the Shabaab are killing Somalis because they are not with them "

Sheikh Sharif The Ahlu Sunna leader, the son of respected Somali cleric Sheikh Muhieddin Eli, explained the current conflict as a continuation of old religious feuds between Muslims touched off by the death of Prophet Mohamed.
"A group of people who were known as the Khawarij (or Kharijite) came to kill other Muslims who did not share their views. Now the Shabaab are killing Somalis because they are not with them," he said.

As Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa gathered in Nairobi for its inaugural "war council", a man sometimes described as the movement's political face was also in the Kenyan capital to seek support.

Recently appointed president of the semi-autonomous central state of Galmudug with Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa's blessing, Mohamed Ahmed Alin argued that his administration can help achieve what the central government in Mogadishu and its Western backers have failed to do.

"With some cooperation, I believe the Shebab could be eliminated from most of the country," he told AFP. "We need infrastructure support, military support, training of our troops but so far, just words and no action."

While the organization's military strength remains unclear, its grassroots nature gives it a popular legitimacy and territorial reach that no other movement can boast in fractious Somalia.

"In my region for example, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa never used to be a political affiliation. Everybody is Ahlu Sunna, that's all," said Alin.

And despite the religious movement taking on a new and more political dimension as it seeks to beef up against the Islamist threat, its top leaders are quick to emphasize they have no further ambitions.

"We are not after power, what we are fighting for is a peaceful Somalia governed by its elected leaders," said Abdulkadir Mohamed Somow, a senior Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa leader from Mogadishu.

"Our movement is fighting the Shabaab forces of anarchy but we will lay down our weapons as soon as they have been eliminated," he said.

Another senior Ahlu Sunna figure based in Garowe, the administrative capital of the northern semi-autonomous state of Puntland, was more circumspect.

"If it is God's will we may one day have a role to play in running the country, but it is too early to say more, there are consultations going on in Nairobi and elsewhere," Abdullahi Mohamoud Hassan said.

Al-Qaeda Affiliated Shabaab in Somolia calls for Jihad Against Kenya Since It is supporting the Somali government, which is allied with a Sufi Islamis

By Bill Roggio, February 8, 2010 1:09 PM, in The Long War Journal.

A senior leader of al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia has declared jihad against neighboring Kenya for supporting the weak Somali Transitional Federal Government.

The declaration of jihad against Kenya came from Sheikh Hussein Abdi Gedi, the deputy leader of Shabaab in the strategic southern port city of Kismayo. During an interview on Al Andalus Radio, Shabaab's radio station, Gedi accused Kenya of arming and training Somali's disorganized military.

"Kenya has prepared troops that comprise of Kenyans and Somalis, who are trained to attack and take over the regions," Gedi said, according to Garowe. "They are planning to attack us on the land, sea and air. We are urging people to be ready and defend our land."

Gedi's statement comes just days after the Ras Kamboni Brigade, formerly one of the four groups in the Hizbul Islam alliance, broke ties to the group and joined Shabaab. Both Shabaab and the Ras Kamboni Brigade pledged support for al Qaeda and the international jihad.

Kenya has trained more than 2,500 troops to fight against Shabaab and other anti-government Islamist terror groups such as Hizbul Islam, according to a Feb. 6 report in Garowe. The troops "are expected to complete the trainings in the coming days," a Kenya military official involved in the training told the newspaper.

The Somali government has promised that it will launch yet another offensive in Mogadishu in an attempt to eject Shabaab and Hizbul Islam from the capital. Previous offensives have failed to dislodge the Islamist groups.

The weak Transitional Federal Government, backed by thousands of African Union peacekeepers, controls only small enclaves within the capital of Mogadishu, and little else. The South is firmly in the hands of Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, although Shabaab has gained the upper hand since the merger with the Ras Kamboni Brigade.

A pro-government Sufi Islamist militia called Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a controls some regions in central Somalia, however, and often clashes with Shabaab and Hizbul Islam.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/02/shabaab_calls_for_ji.php#ixzz0fDSfWkD7

From Persia to Bidar: Shah Ni'matullah Vali's Poetry in India's Bidar

by Devu Pattar, translated by Savitha Karthik, Thursday 11 February 2010, Deccan Herald

It is heartening to see Sufi poetry written by a Persian saint on the walls of a Dargah in Ashtur village of Bidar taluk. The Dargah is home to a rare breed of secularism, visited by Hindus and Muslims alike, writes Devu Pattar

Rich tradition: Bidar is a great centre for Sufi art and culture. Photo by the authorThis might seem strange, but it’s true. The Sufi poetry written by a saint who lived in North Iran nearly five hundred years ago, can be found on the walls of a Dargah in Ashtur village of Bidar taluk.

Once you step out of Bidar fort and walk three kilometres, you can spot a row of graves belonging to Bahmani rulers. This is even before you step into Ashtur village.
The backdrop of the setting sun, the colour of the twilight and birdsong only add to the charm of these ancient structures.

Everyone who knows history needs no telling that there were two kingdoms from the south that fought against Tughlaq’s rule, and built their own empires. One is the Vijayanagar Empire of Hampi, the other, the Bahmani Empire that was founded in Gulbarga and ended in Bidar. After Alauddin Bahmani Shah who founded the empire in Gulbarga, eight kings ruled the empire. Among them, the eighth ruler Firoz Shah was one of the most significant. He had a deep interest in Persian poetry, art and culture, and was known to invite poets and scholars from Iran to his court. While some accepted the invitation, others sent their poetry to the king.

Khwaja Bande Nawaz’s visit

The well-known writer Khwaja Bande Nawaz was said to have come to Gulbarga during Firoz’s reign. While Firoz was hoping to elevate his son to the throne, his brother Ahmed was also eying the coveted position. Bande Nazwaz is said to have supported Ahmed, causing distress to Firoz. Eventually, Ahmed won the battle of the brothers. Tired of the palace intrigues and the bloodshed, Ahmed sought to shift the capital of the kingdom to Bidar. Meanwhile, both Firoz and Bande Nawaz had breathed their last.

Ideal capital

Bidar, it turned out, was the ideal capital for Ahmed, with its fertile land,good drinking water resources, and its geographical position, that of being at the heart of Deccan region. Also, it was to Ahmed’s advantage that it was at a reasonable distance from the Vijayanagar Empire. While in Bidar, Ahmed continued the tradition that his brother started, that of inviting poets and scholars from Persia.
Ahmed was a great believer in Hindu-Muslim unity, and was a lover of the Sufi school of thought.

With the death of Bande Nawaz, Ahmed missed a spiritual advisor. To fill that void, he invited Sufi poet Niyamathulla [i.e., Shah Ni'matullah Vali (ed.)] from Kirman region of North Iran. Niyamathulla, known to be the father of the Nakshabandi [(sic) Ni'matullahi (ed.)] tradition of Sufism, was then 98 years old, and couldn’t take up the arduous journey to Bidar. He instead sent his poetry as a gift through his grandson. While all is the historical background, even today, one can see beautiful Sufi poetry in the memorial of Ahmed at Ashtur. The poetry is a reflection of a blend of Hindu and Islamic cultures.

Beautiful calligraphy, evolved from an interface of two cultures, can be found in Ashtur’s Ahmed Shah Wali Dargah. Ahmed Shah’s memorial is considered by Hindus as Allamaprabhu’s temple, and by Muslims as Wali Dargah, and is home to a rare breed of secularism.

It is stunning to see the beautiful lines of Niyamathulla’s poetry engraved in gold and a variety of colours. Even on the interior walls, Niyamathulla’s lines have been beautifully depicted.

“All that we see and observe is true.
But, that is not the only truth.
One’s search must continue till one understands the mystery behind life.
One might lose out on the real truth if one goes by the surface.
If the lord hands over a cup of madira, how does one ignore it?
It behoves well for the follower to listen to what he is told and do as told,"
says one of the engravings here.

There are several such. And not all of them are limited to Niyamathulla’s poetry. Even lines from the Quran have been calligraphed here.

Allama Iqbal Open University releases CD on Bhittai’s life, poetry

Staff Report, Tuesday, February 09, 2010, Daily Times (Pakistan)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\09\story_9-2-2010_pg11_8

ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Monday released a 100 minutes compact disk (CD) on the life, poetry and philosophy of saint Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

The CD was released during a function organised by the AIOU Department of Pakistani Languages and Literature in collaboration with Institute of Educational Technology (IET) on the university’s premises.

The chief guest, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) Rector Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik, said Bhittai’s poetry and music was not meant to bring him in the limelight but to convey his philosophy to people.

He said Bhittai was born into a well-respected family but turned away from the comforts of life. He said Bhittai always carried with him a poetic collection of Maulana Rumi and the Holy Quran.

Malik said the CD was a must watch for people interested in knowing about Bhittai.

Chairman of National Language Authority Iftikhar Arif said teachings of Abdul Latif Bhittai were in line with the will of Almighty Allah. He said people liked reading work of foreign writers and poets but avoid studying writings of local poets and authors. He said Bhittai made folktales a subject of his poetry and gave Sufi touch to his work.

AIOU Vice Chancellor Dr Mehmudul Hassan Butt said Bhittai was a devout Muslim saint, but Muslims and Hindus had a high opinion of his spirituality. He said Bhittai was a great poet and saint.

Butt said the Pakistani Languages and Literature Department had completed research on Sufi poets, classical poetry and classical documentary in 18 languages of Pakistan and thus, opening ways for the country’s other educational institutions in the field of research.

Dean of the AIOU Social Sciences Department Dr Abdul Hafeez and Chairman of the Pakistani Languages Department Dr Inaamul Haq Javed also spoke on the occasion.

They said the department earlier released documentary on the works of Waris Shah.

A Sufi’s journey to peace and satisfaction: Naeem Mahmood

Tuesday, February 09, 2010
By Jan Khaskheli, in The International News, Karachi

Sitting on the floor of a small room, he calls his ‘ashram’ in Tando Mohammed Khan, Naeem Mahmood is a 51-year old sanyasi, Sufi, poet, and music composer. Hundreds of people, mostly low-caste Hindu and Muslim families, hailing from different parts of the province, wait patiently outside for his attention. The sanyasi is busy, for a moment though, reading old books to update his knowledge of indigenous herbal plants that are used for medication. Most part of his ashram is occupied by diaries, old books, bottles, small weighs for measuring herbs, and a harmonium. All this stuff and his followers, the sanyasi says, are his real assets.

It is not often that we come across a person, who writes poetry in four languages, composes music, roams hundreds of shrines, and provides his services to the people as a sanyasi. Difficult, however, not impossible, Mahmood is one such person.

He belongs to a lower class family based in Tando Mohammed Khan town. He is a Sufi and roams in different shrines of Sufi saints all over Sindh, goes through their poetry, and listens to the music to add to his knowledge. He is a skilled music composer and artist, as well as writes poetry in Sindhi, Urdu, Hindi and Seraiki.

Apart form his followers, Mahmood’s ashram is visited by local artist to learn from him on a daily basis. He, being a sanyasi, has a peculiar kind of relationship with them. Though he is dependent on his skills as a herbalist to feed his small family, he teaches his students absolutely free of cost.

Mahmood told The News that he has a vast knowledge of the Sufis’ lives, their views, music notes, and rhythm, adding that he has memorised works of the poetic giants such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Kabeer, Bulhe Shah and others.

Born to home of Usman Ali in 1956 at Dock Bungalow village, Nawab Shah District, he passed class II from there and left the school when his family migrated to Tando Mohammed Khan town. He said that he started learning healing from Sain Gayandas of Kotri. He stayed with Gayandas for several years, and then traveled for long from one place to another in search of peace and knowledge.

He learned Hindi from low caste Hindus visiting the ashram of his spiritual leader, Sain Gayandas, he said.“Sain (Gayandas) was a Sufi, healer, a kind man, and was loved by the poor, who used to come to him frequently for healing. He was also a well skilled composer as well,” Mahmood said.

Meanwhile, the 51-year old sanyasi said that he was also inspired by his grandfather, Ali Bakhsh, who, according to him, was a famous storyteller of that time, and had great skills playing music instruments.

Mahmood also possesses good knowledge of classical, semi-classical and folk music. He said that he used to visit Syed Habib Shah of Naushehro Feroz, who also imparted the first lesson of music to one of South Asia’s leading artists, Abida Parveen. The sanyasi claimed that they both (he and Abida) are contemporaries and got their first lessons from the same guru. Later, he said, Abida continued with music and he stepped into other fields too, such as healing, poetry, and traveling. “I decided to stay aloof for the sake of learning,” he added.

Mahmood has also been to Multan for studying about traditional medicine from senior sanyasis.

However, a section of people in his neighbourhood points fingers on his ‘different’ style of love as he sides with the Hindus. “All human beings are equal. I learnt this from the good people I have lived with for long,” Mahmood said.

Moreover, he said that many people visited his ashram and assured him of publishing his works but in vain. He said that he never felt it necessary to remind them to have his works published as his gurus had taught them against doing so.

Punjabi University Holds Sufi Music Concert

Punjabi university to record Gurbani in the voice of prominent artists
By Gagandeep Ahuja,
Punjab Newsline Network,
Saturday, 06 February 2010

PATIALA: Punjabi University will record Gurbani in the voice of prominent artists related to different music streams of India and this recording will be preserved in Archives of Music which is being established by Gurmat Sangeet Chair.

This was stated by Vice Chancellor Dr. Jaspal Singh here today on the occasion of Sufi Music Concert.

Sufi Music Concert has been organized as a joint venture by Gurmat Sangeet Chair and Guru Gobind Singh Deparment of Religious Studies with the financial support of North Zone Cultural Centre & ICHR.

Artists Adreem Khan and Shakur Khan presented different compositions of Bulle Shah, Ghulam Farid and Shah Latif in their melodious traditional style. Their performance was accompanied by their traditional instruments Kamaichan, Khartaal, Manjira and Dholak.

Vice Chancellor Dr. Jaspal Singh also honored these Sufi artists.

Dr. Gurnam Singh - Dean Faculty of Art & Culture, Dr. Deepak Manmohan Singh, Dr. Amarjit Grewal, Dr. Nivedita Uppal, Dr. Paramvir Singh, Dr. Swaraj Singh, Dr. Jasbir Singh Bhatia and many other were present in this function

Exam success: Map out strategies, Kano Islamic scholars urge government during Annual Celebration of the Birthday of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani

SAFAR 25 1431 A.H., TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2010 published in the Daily Triumph (Kano, Nigeria)

ISLAMIC scholars in Kano state have advised government to map out strategies aimed at ensuring the success of school examinations among students, most of whom fail at the O level stage. This observation was made by Sheikh Isma’ila Khalipha during the celebration of the 52nd anniversary of the birthday of Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani, held at Jakara quarters in Dala local government area.

According to Sheikh Khalipha, students are always committed to their studies but at the end, they end up failing the final exams. He added that, “this retards them to further their education as well as hinders them from getting an employment.” He, therefore, urged government and authorities concerned to look into the matter seriously to enhance the educational development in the state.

Similarly, Sheikh Farouk Hassan Sani Kafinga has enjoined Kano state government to promote the wellbeing of its citizens especially in the provision of adequate drinking water, electricity and employment oppor-tunities. Sheikh Kafinga made this call in his lecture, where he also highlighted the significance of Sufism as fear of God.

In his speech, Sheikh Sani Muhammad Katagum, Dan Madamin Katagum, urged Muslim Ummah to sympathize with the victims of Jos crisis by supporting them with necessary assistance and prayed for unity among Muslims.

Among the participants were Sheikh Yusuf Gabari, Sheikh Sani Shehu Mai Hula, former Speaker House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’abba, and former Kano governor, Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

Classical musicians bring Dalrymple's ‘Nine Lives’ to life

February 08, 2010, published in the Daily Times (Pakistan).
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\08\story_8-2-2010_pg7_40

LAHORE: A concert “Nine Lives: Sacred Music in Modern India-Pakistan” was organised at the Peeru’s Café on Friday by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop (RPTW).

The main focus of the event was to celebrate the success of acclaimed travel writer, William Dalrymple’s latest book, ‘Nine Lives’. The book is about music of the subcontinent and has been well received and much appreciated in music circles. A large number of people showed up for the event where US Consul General Carmela Conroy was the special guest.

The evening showcased a reading of passages from Dalrymple’s book, followed by musical performances by artists such as Susheela Raman, Paban Das Baul who performed the Bauls of Bengal, and the Shahjo Raag Fakirs. Susheela Raman’s angelic voice, the wandering music cult of the Bauls of Bengal derived from Vaishnavite Hinduism together with Sufi Muslim thought made the evening truly a treat for all folk-music lovers. The Shahjo Raag Fakirs, a folk group that has been singing at the shrine of Shah Latif Bhitai for over 30 years and have won numerous national and international awards, also gave a special performance. “My extensive study of Sufi music in the region has introduced me to various brilliant stories that I have compiled in my book, ‘Nine Lives’. The one thing that could connect people from all religions and regions is this mystic music,” he said. staff report

Prince Charles wowed by whirling dervishes at celebration sponsored by Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

February 08, 2010, published in The Asian News, UK

Prince Charles was guest of honour at a celebration of Sufi Muslim culture at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground where he was entertained by whirlers in traditional dress.

Greeted by artists, religious leaders and musicians, he made his way into a hushed hall at the stadium where he enjoyed a musical recitation of the Holy Quran accompanied by a whirling dervishes dressed in traditional costumes.

The Spirituality in Action event celebrated the contributions of Sufi culture and heritage to 21st Century British life.

It shows how Sufism has positively influenced contemporary British society through its unique traditions and cultural practices. The event specifically highlights the importance of religion and freedom of expression on the lives of young people – showcasing examples of rehabilitation through spiritual healing.

Host Shaykh Mohammed Hisham Kabbani, spiritual leader of the Sufi Muslim order [of the Naqshbandiya under the guidance of Shaykh Nazim al-Qubrusi (ed.)], told the prince that he and his mother were in their 'hearts' before he departed with an excited crowd shouting out their blessings.

Healing Notes

by Prabhjot Sohal on IndianExpress.com, Sunday , Feb 07, 2010,

Arms rose gracefully, bodies twirled in soulful trance and lips chanted hymns of love and peace, as a crowded gathering danced to the solitary notes of one man’s guitar. Thursday evening resonated with spiritual incantations and vibes, as Pir Shabda Khan of Sufi Ruhaniat International led his listeners into a zikar — dance of universal peace.

The dargarh of Sufi saint Hazrat Sufi Inayat Khan in Nizamuddin [i.e., the area around the shrine of the great Chishti saint, Hz. Nizamudding Awliya] is witnessing the 100-year anniversary of his journey to the West to spread the message of universal love. The performers come from India and abroad, revealing spirituality through their music. Apart from Khan, the four-day event that ends today also saw a performance by Ensemble Tumata, a Turkish group that upholds a 6,000-year-old performance style of Turkey in its dances and costumes.

The spirituality of Israel will be represented by Ruth Wieder Magan, who will present ancient Jewish Prayers while Delhi-based Sonam Kalra will present gospel music. Both will perform today. “This event, which brings together performers from various faiths and nationalities, is much needed today, when religion is acquiring dark shades of fanaticism,” says Kalra.

Promotion of Sufism can help eliminate terror: Declares Pakistan's Minister of State for Information, Sumsam Bukhari

LAHORE, Feb 7 (APP- Associated Press of Pakistan): Minister of State for Information Syed Sumsam Bukhari has said the promotion of Sufism is vital to eliminate extremism, terrorism and other ills from society.Addressing a ceremony here at Alhamra Hall on Sunday, he said Sufis had played an active role in spreading the message of love, brotherhood and humanity.He said Islam is a religion of peace and its main focus is to protect human rights and guide humanity to goodness.‘Sahab-e-Karam’ and ‘Ulema-e-Karam’ focused on promotion of teachings of the Qurran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) throughout their lives, he said.

Muslims should follow in their footsteps for success in this world and hereafter, he added.

Sumsam said suffering, humiliation and problems of Muslims in the world were as they had ignored Islamic values and moved away from the guidance of Sufia-e-Karam.

The minister also emphasised unity in the Ummah and a united stance on collective issues and against non-Muslims.

He also stressed fighting the cultural invasion of western values in Islamic society.

He recalled the golden era of Islamic history when Muslim society strictly followed teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) but when they started deviating from it, their development, progress and above all respect in the comity of nations was badly damaged.

Allah is ‘Rabbul Aalemeen’ and He made our Prophet Rehmatul-lil-Almeen,’ he said and questioned how followers of the Great Prophet (PBUH) could be terrorists if they were sincere with their religion?

Sufi teachings can help overcome challenges: Declares Pakistan's Minister of Education, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman

Sunday, February 07, 2010

LAHORE Provincial Minister for Education Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has said we can overcome the law and order and other challenges facing the country by following the teachings of Sufiakram. He said Khanqahi Nizam was still a successful manifesto of welfare of the humanity and Syed Ali Hajveri (RA)[also spelled Hujwiri (ed.)] served the humanity under this system. He said that Ali Hajveri was a sympathizer of the poor and the ailing humanity. He was addressing a conference on ‘Stability of Pakistan and Teachings of Islam” held under the aegis of Anjuman Asatza Pakistan at the MAO College, Lahore on Saturday. Maarf-e-Olia director Prof. Mian Maqsood Ahmad, Ahl-e-Sunnat ameer Pir Muhammad Afzal Qadri and the central president of the Anjuman, Ziaullah Rizvi, also addressed the conference.

The Education minister said that Pakistan was achieved as a result of efforts of Olia-e-Karam [the Noble Saints, ed.] and the struggle for its protection was our top priority. He said that hundreds of thousands people accepted Islam due to the character and teachings of Muslim Sufis. He said that the country could be brought out of the crisis through the provision of justice. He said that Kashful Mahjoob [trans. by R. Nicholoson, now titled in English Revelation of the Mystery, republished by Fons Vitae Press was the best book of Data Ganj Baksh's [i.e., Hujwiri's] teachings. He said that [the] best way to pay tributes to Data Ganj Baksh was to act upon his teachings. Participants of the conference demanded the government include the teachings of Oliakaram and their biographies in the syllabus of all classes, in the light of the recommendations of syllabus committee of Anjuman-e-Asatza Pakistan. They also demanded the government make graduation compulsory for the recruitment of primary school teachers. Primary school teachers should be given grade-16 and recruited through the Public Service Commission, they said.

Tripping on a caravan from east to west

Sat, 06/February/2010
"Tripping on a caravan from east to west"
by Mohamed Radwan, from al-Masry al-Youm

During this tumultuous period in Egypt’s sectarian relations, some have offered a cultural venue to begin alleviating the tensions that have been running high between Christians and Muslims.

For a second year in a row, Reverend Paul-Gordon Chandler of St. John’s Episcopalian/Anglican Church in Maadi, Cairo hosted a spectacular event with themes of harmony, understanding, and respect. Caravan: Festival of the Arts has been extolled as a testimony to coexistence and harmony.

The event which was held from 28 January to 3 February was not only a bridge between faiths, but also one between the East and the West. “A lot of efforts to create this connection are held at higher levels with the same leaders. We are trying to do something on a local grassroots level, to build on commonalities, to act as a catalyst,” explains Chandler.

“Our goal is to form friendships,” he continues. “Forty-six artists hardly knew each other before this event. Hundreds of people who would never sit together attended the event and subsequently conversed, forming new relationships.”

Forty-six Arab and Western artists, each submitted one piece of work that reflected the title, “Harmony: East and West.” Reputable names, such as Mohammed Abla and Reda Abdel Rahman from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, were among the leading contemporary artists present.

Asmaa Takieddine, a Syrian/Egyptian artist explains her work titled, "Harmony". “I painted this piece specifically for the event. The Egyptian girl portrayed in the foreground with the mosques and churches in the background reveal the multi-religious society in Egypt.”

“What I loved most about this experience was that the gallery did not impose any conditions for participation. It allowed an opportunity to create something from deep within,” she explains.

Roland Prime, the event curator and organizer, is an English artist who participated this year with two magnificent pieces. His sculpture, constructed from keys of a pipe organ, was meant to convey the rhythm of music and how the synergy is transformed to emphasize harmony.

Prime’s second work is a painting titled “At One” which depicts a crescent and a cross, engulfed in a circle symbolizing the world. The painting is bounded by a square “where everyone lives together”.

Ten percent of the sales of the art will go to the Spirit of Giving, an organization that supports charities working with both Muslims and Christians.

On the other hand, the chosen film for the festival was the controversial “Hassan and Morqos”, a film starring Omar Sharif and Adel Imam. The film caused a commotion at its debut in 2008 with Sharif vehemently defending its content and criticizing the religious extremists who were quick to label the film as blasphemous.The film shows the lives of a Muslim sheikh and a Christian theologian who are threatened by religious extremists on both sides. They are brought into a witness protection program that requires them to disguise themselves as the Christian Morqos and a Muslim Sheikh, Hassan el-Attar. When they move into the same building, a friendship begins, but they must endure the difficulties of prejudice and social persecution.

For the music segment, the world renowned Iraqi oud master, Naseer Shamma, performed at St. John’s Church with its domed architecture offering great acoustics. He played several well known numbers such as “Birds” and “Amriya”, the latter a song dedicated to an incident in the 1991 Gulf War where hundreds of women and children were killed.

Gordon explains how “the choice of these great personalities for the event was based on their passion for the theme we would like to present to the public.” No stranger to music, the reverend had spent many years of his life in Senegal around neighborhoods of other international great musicians such as Youssou N’Dour and Cheikh Lô. “I’m passionate about the oud and cherish the chance to have people come to a venue like this,” he said.

The literary guest, Tahir Shah, is an Anglo-Afghani best-selling writer and the son of the famous late Sufi writer, Idries Shah. The author came from Casablanca, where he currently resides, to discuss his books and the importance of becoming part of the bridge. “One small way to bridge would be to correct some of the misconceptions that are all-pervading when it comes to the East.”

The event was held in the wake of a national upheaval surrounding sectarian clashes that took place on Coptic Christmas day this year in Naga Hammadi near Qena in Upper Egypt.

When asked about the extent of the event’s stated goals on the people in those remote areas of the country, Gordon explains that “the television broadcast of the Grand Mufti’s opening, side by side with the Bishop of London together endorsing the aims of the event, could have the impact that is needed.”

“If we don’t start doing practical things now, then the momentum will never build up, no change will occur,” he added.

The organizers have created a task force to ascertain the possibility of holding the event next year. But from the overwhelmingly positive reactions of both the visitors and artists, we can all remain enthusiastic that next year will be even bigger and just as fascinating.

A Treasure

By John Smith, *Speaker offers insights into Sufi way of Islam* - Reading Eagle - USA
Saturday, January 30, 2010

Attendees at the monthly Spirit on Tap program Tuesday at the Reading Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wyomissing, learned of the third "S" of Islam, whose adherents believe that "love is the brew that keeps the cosmos going."

In addition to the well-known Sunnis and Shiites, who split over who should succeed Muhammad, there are the Sufis.

Dr. A. Hind Rifai, a psychiatrist at St. Joseph Medical Center, explained the "way" these devout people have trod for many centuries.

The Sufis are the mystical or psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam, coming mainly from the Sunnis but also from the Shiites. One could very roughly parallel them in Christianity with the charismatics, who can be found in so many varied branches.

Rifai gave a detailed - at times too detailed - account of the Sufis from the very early days. One principle is that God loves them and they love God.

Why did God create man? Because "He was a treasure and desired to be known."

One thing the Sufis do not know is the origin of their name. Rifai suggested three roots: soof, or wool, because the earliest Sufis wore it; sufah, bench or porch, where they gathered; or sufa, purity. A fourth possibility is saff, meaning first rank.

The Sufis exist in about 20 orders worldwide, Rifai said. In some countries there are large numbers, but the closest worship center to Reading is in suburban Philadelphia.

Rifai listed four Sufi goals: discerning unity from multiplicity, dying (to the world) before you die, accepting what is happening at the moment and communing with God.

The Sufis are very big on Quran study. They would put to shame the most ardent biblical literalist, finding meaning in every letter.

Jihad came up once, but not in the 9/11 sense. She talked of the importance of a jihad against the ego, which begins as the commander, but ends at rest, so we can be nearer to God "than our jugular vein."

"The Sufis believe in no revenge," she said; "they forbid the shedding of other peoples's blood."

She offered a diagram of the Sufis' ladder, from material nature to inner consciousness, where only God is perceived, to innermost consciousness, where only God exists.

Differences with mainstream Muslims: wardrobe, little, Sufis might be a bit looser; diet, meals are simpler, fasting is more often; marriage, a gift they encourage, but realize it might not happen.

One expert, Dr. Alan Godlas, University of Georgia, has defined Sufism as "surrender to God, over and over, embracing with love at each moment the content of consciousness as manifestations of God."

Local Muslim leader Steve Elmarzouky gave a thumb's up to the presentation, noting differences are largely a matter of emphasis.

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Doing His Duty

By Afnan Khan, *PAPPU'S BACK* - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Lahore: The world famous dhol player Pappu Saeen has been allowed to resume performing on the premises of Shah Jamal shrine after a six-month ban by the Auqaf Department.

The department had banned Saeen in July 2009 on reports that drug users were among his audience every Thursday night. Another reason which led to the end of his decade-long reign at the shrine is terror threats, following the attack on Rehman Baba’s shrine in Peshawar.

Saeen, who has performed throughout the Muslim world and even taken his Sufi-style music to Germany, Switzerland, and Britain, has now been allowed to resume his mesmerising performances, albeit with a few restrictions.

Fans of his unique style are eagerly looking forward to converging on the Shah Jamal shrine today to witness his glorious comeback.

Waheed Khalid, a regular visitor and a professional photographer, told Daily Times that he was extremely happy to hear of Saeen performing again, and that he was an ardent fan of mystic music. He mentioned that the ban on drug use is implemented strictly – people are not even allowed to smoke inside the arena where Pappu performs. He opined that placing restrictions on such an iconic performer was a bad idea, which contributed to the overall cultural loss for Pakistan along with the threat of terrorism.

Other fans of Saeen called him an international phenomenon who has tirelessly promoted a soft image of Pakistan across the globe, with the likes of other mystic music greats such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Saeen told Daily Times he was really happy for the visitors who thronged the venue every Thursday night to watch him perform, and added that he is doing the duty assigned to him by his ancestors, “who can choose to take it back” whenever they desire.

He also said his ancestors had always strived to promote a message of peace through their activities, and their primary duty was to ensure that people from all walks of life come together as equals.

Saeen has also played with several leading bands in the country, and won a number of prestigious awards, including Sitara-e-Imtiaz from the government of Pakistan.

Aashiqi Sabr Talab

By Perwez Abdullah *Spreading the genius of Ghalib in English* - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Karachi: 'I want to inform the new generation, which is born and bred in Canada and other western countries, about Ghalib, his poetry and his genius. I want to tell them about the Urdu Language and its rich poetry traditions and that is the reason for me translating Ghalib in English', said Ziauddin Ahmed earnestly.

Ahmed is a writer who has been living in Canada for more than 20 years but, as he says, “I am embedded in family roots and literary traditions and that has allowed me to retain my love for Urdu besides trying my hand in English writing. In this translation of Ghalib, my attempt has been to cover two aspects, translate verse into verse and portray the essence and theme of Ghalib’s thoughts, of course as I understand them,” he explained.

He agrees that he might have drifted a little to capture the essence of poetry while translating the verses but reminded that “this makes the narration more palatable and attractive. A translation can never equal the original, yet making it attractive, perhaps motivates the reader to prod along to the end”.

Ahmed spoke about the Urdu-speaking Diaspora in Canada and said that there are families who try their best to acquaint their children of their language and tradition.

“The parents, most of them, want to teach Urdu to their children but living in a community with different languages and a completely different environment, it becomes very difficult. So it is my idea and endeavour to acquaint the younger generation with Ghalib and the background in which he (Ghalib) composed his poetry. I also intend to elaborate the hidden and concealed meaning of some of the verses. It would reveal the extent of depth and emotional experience Ghalib was capable of fathoming, expression and narration,” he said.

Ahmed acquired a literary taste and linguistic excellence, among others, from his aunt, the acclaimed Urdu novelist A.R. Khatoon and his uncle Professor Ahmed Ali, a diplomat and scholar. “I am indebted to both of them. It was not possible to be with them and not to be ‘intoxicated’ by the beauty of Urdu literature,” he remarked.

Another fact about Ahmed is also surprising. Other than having a Masters in Physics, he has also written a collection of essays titled ‘Thought Provoking Essays: For the Rational and Curious Minds’ and compiled ‘Celestial Marriage’, a new age commentary on Islamic thought.

He has also translated various Urdu poems, based on Sufism and Philosophy, in English. Ahmed’s translation penetrates into the soul of the verses of Ghalib while translating them. A couplet in the translated manuscript will speak for itself:

Aashiqi sabr talab
aur tamanna baytaab,
Dil ka kya rung karoon
khoon-e-jigar honay tak.

Love endears patience,
But desire is a restless flood.
What should I give to the heart?
Till my soul bleeds.

Poignantly explaining the verses, Ahmed said, “Love matures slowly, but it is difficult to control desire. What should one do is get peace (at heart) while the process of love is under process. Urdu poetry has given both heart and soul (represented by liver, which is a deep-rooted organ in the human body) prominence and importance in the human psyche.”

[Picture: A photograph of Mirza Ghalib. Source: Wiki.]

Out Of The Fear

By Bureau Reporter, *Peace Mela mirrors ‘true face of Pakhtuns’ - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Peshawar: Dancing Attan — a traditional Pakhtun dance — at the lone five-star hotel of the city on Tuesday, the performers gave a loud message that Peshawar was coming out of the fear of militants, who had literally paralyzed the provincial capital for the last many months through their most lethal weapon — the suicide bombings.

The drumbeat sound entertained the audience and the glow of joy could easily be seen on their faces, pointing to the days when Peshawar used to be the hub of cultural activities.

The programme was part of the ‘Peace Mela: The True Face of NWFP’ held under the aegis of Aurat Foundation (AF) at the Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel, which still bears the signs of the massive car-bombing that badly damaged a portion of the hotel, leading the administration of the hotel to close it down.

Reopening of the PC to host the guests on January 1 was itself a welcoming sign for Peshawarites.

“The prime objective of this fair is to show the world the true face of our province,” Ms Saima Muneer of the AF said.

Noted educationist Yar Muhammad Maghmoom said all Pakhtuns were peace-loving people, which was evident from the fact that poetry of Sufi poet Abdur Rahman Baba, known as the poet of humanity, had become a household term for Afghans all over the region.

The educationalist added that Pakhtuns were tolerant and accommodative people but they could not accept the meddling of alien forces on their soil.

NWFP Minister for Education Sardar Hussain Babak said holding of such events would help spread smiles on the faces of militancy-hit people of the Frontier province.

He referred to the sacrifices rendered by the Awami National Party and common people of the province in recent wave of terrorism in the province, showing his resolve that every worker of ANP was ready to sacrifice his life for restoring peace and bringing stability to the NWFP.

[Picture: Peshawar, Mohabat Khan Mosque, Interior. Photo: Wiki]

My Junooni Journey

By Faiz, *Salman Ahmed’s book “Rock and Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution” released in Pakistan* - KoolMuzone - Islamabad, Pakistan

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

While we had lost sight of the fact that Junoon is an entity still alive as a band, Salman Ahmed has clued us in.

The self-styled sufi rocker whose book Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution was released in North America by Simon & Schuster on January 12 and in Pakistan on January 15, is on a quest to bridge differences based on belief through “the universal language of music”.

The book “tells the remarkable tale of Salman Ahmed, a Pakistani doctor who became the first Muslim rock star,” and “serves to show how music and art can be a powerful force to end cultural conflicts and bring humanity together.”

Salman is spearheading this noble cause all by his lonesome, bearing the tremendous responsibility of being the world’s first Muslim rockstar with great élan.

But that is not all. Apart from the book we are sure people will be clamouring to buy, there is an album called Rock & Roll Jihad with “English and sufi rock songs,” the first single of which has been released. A video will be added in the coming weeks.

“Rock & Roll Jihad is the story of my junooni journey,” says Salman, “No matter how difficult the challenges and obstacles are, if you have the junoon you will overcome all the hardships and reach the skies.”

Rock & Roll Jihad has an introduction by Melissa Etheridge and has received great praise by Deepak Chopra and the incredible Amy Tan.

A Broader “Jihad”

By Matt Bradley, *New TV channel to give Sufism a voice* - The National - Abu Dhabi, UAE

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Cairo: A coalition of Sufi organisations is preparing to launch Egypt’s first Sufi-themed satellite television station before the end of the year.

The channel’s principal organisers, the Al Azmiyah tariqah, or “path”, said the station would be the fourth in the Middle East to identify specifically with Sufi Islamic thought.

Ala’ Abu al Azayim, the sheikh of the Al Azmiyah tariqah, said he hoped the station, which he plans to name Al Sufiya Wa Atasawaf (Sufis and Sufism), will help propagate Sufism’s moderate conception of Islam. But he also envisions it as an ideological foil to the dozens of conservative Salafi satellite channels that compete for viewers across the region – stations that Mr al Azayim said routinely attack Sufi thought, pollute the practice of Islam with an ultra-conservative ideology and defame the religion’s reputation throughout the world.

“There are a lot of satellite stations. All of them attack Sufism and some of them, or many of them … are [run by] ignorant people” said Mr al Azayim, who said he saw the proposed channel as part of a broader “jihad”, or spiritual struggle, to defend Islam from Salafi thought.

“They have no idea about Islam except the niqab for the ladies and the gallabeya and the long beard for the men.”Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that seeks to enable followers to embrace, or experience, God during life on Earth.

Although many scholars consider Sufism to be a distinct school of thought within Islam, its ideology often overlaps with other beliefs, allowing its practitioners a more fluid religious identity.

Egyptian Muslims have long held a unique affinity for Sufism, Mr al Azayim, whose grandfather founded the Al Azmiyah tariqah, said. He estimates that only about 25 per cent of Egyptian Muslims adhere to a specific Sufi tariqah, but about 70 per cent of the population identify with a more general practice of Sufi beliefs and customs. But as Middle Eastern societies have grown more conservative in recent years – thanks in part to the popularity of Saudi-funded Salafi religious satellite television programming – Sufism has come under attack, said some of the proposed station’s founders.

In more conservative circles, Sufism is seen as a religious innovation that deviates from the teachings of the Prophet. Many Sufis celebrate historical saints and past spiritual leaders, a practice some Muslims say is tantamount to polytheism. Sufi worship also includes religious singing and dancing, which are sharply at odds with the more austere conventions of Salafi worship.

For viewers, the presentation styles of the region’s satellite stations draw clear lines between such ideological differences, said Sami al Sharief, the dean of the faculty of mass media at the Modern University for Technology and Information in Cairo. Mr al Sharief is researching religious media in the Middle East.

Sufi stations often present religious music and lively sound effects. Some even employ female presenters and present discussions of topical issues, Mr al Sharief said. The Salafi stations, meanwhile, tend to be more sober.

“They present very strict Islamic thoughts and some of them teach Quran, but others give strict fatwas”, Mr al Sharief said. “They never use music. Women are not allowed to appear on screen either as presenters or guests. All men who appear on screen should wear a beard. Only senior ulema who are well known to be respected are allowed to give fatwas on screen. They refrain from dealing with political issues and they avoid clashes with political authorities.”

While conflicts with regional governments are a potential pitfall for Salafi stations – whose programming tends to run counter to secular-minded regimes such as Egypt’s – Mr al Azayim is confident he can avoid problems with Cairo’s political authorities. Religiously themed television stations are illegal in Egypt, but they are frequently broadcast from abroad and the government is likely to favour a channel that promotes a more moderate view of Islam, he said.

Mohammed Habib, a spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the outlawed but tolerated Islamist political organisation, said he opposed the channel’s ideological agenda, adding that it would “serve the ruling regime by letting them use Sufi thought against political Islam”.

“We have a comprehensive concept of Islam as a holistic thing, not a partial thing. And any other concept which is less holistic will not promote the development of the Islamic nation,” he said.
“If this satellite station is going to confront the attacks against Islam, it’s welcome. But with regards to its reviewing of Islam, I think it will be on the wrong side of our concept of Islam.”

After several years of planning, the project has nearly entered its fund-raising stage, said Mr al Azayim, who expects to be able to raise the required three million Egyptian pounds (Dh2m) [U$ 545'000.-] this year with help from charitable investors.

Mr al Azayim said he had already had positive discussions with NileSat, an Egyptian government-owned satellite operator and one of the largest satellite services in the Middle East. Like other religious satellite stations, Al Sufiya Wa Atasawaf will feature Sufi music and poetry, talk shows, theological discussions and lectures, as well as spiritually themed films and serials, Mr al Azayim said.

But unlike other stations, Al Sufiya Wa Atasawaf will treat its viewers to a principled defence of a religious ideology that some of the station’s sponsors feel is under attack.

“It is defensive. It is to stand by the truth, to clear all the misconceptions about Islam,” said Sheikh Sayf al Azmy, the leader of the Sudanese branch of the Al Azmiyah tariqah and one of the new station’s organisers.

“People have diverted from the righteous path, and the satellite would help people understand the right message of Islam and take people back to it.”

Picture: Ala’ Abu al Azayim, the shaykh of the Sufi Al Azmiyah tariqah, stands beside the tomb of his grandfather, who founded the sect. Mr al Azayim hopes to counter attacks on Sufism through a satellite TV station. Photo: Victoria Hazou for The National

The Art Of Patience

By Stephanie Cook, *Marble artist shows her skills Mine Calik demonstrates unique craft to students* - UAB Kaleidoscope - Birmingham, AL, USA

UAB faculty and students gathered in the HUC Great Hall on Thursday, Jan. 21 to watch Mine Calik of Turkey demonstrate the delicate art of marbling. The event was organized by the UAB Cultural Diversity Club.

Marble art, or ebru, is an old tradition in Turkey. It begins by mixing the correct proportions of seaweed and water. The marbler then mixes soil paint with oxgall, an animal substance that helps the dye to expand.

When the tedious preparation is complete, the marble artist uses a paintbrush to drop the paint into the water and seaweed substance. The artist then makes a design in the jelly-like substance and presses a piece of paper onto it to absorb the dye and make a unique piece of art.

Calik and her husband, who is also a marble artist, moved to the United States in 2004.
“This art is traditional Turkish art…I thought I should bring it to America. I’ve seen marble artists in America, but they are not traditional,” said Calik. She learned the art of marbling on a summer visit back to Turkey in 2006.

The American version strays away from the traditional marbling which practices painting flowers such as the tulip, rose, carnation, hyacinth, daisy, pansy, and field poppy, according to Calik.

Ferhat Zengul, president of the Cultural Diversity Club, helped explain the meaning of marbling, “the deeper meaning of this art goes all the way to the Sufi tradition, and in Sufi tradition everybody has a place, there is nothing ugly,” he said. Sufi is a part of Islam that emphasizes mysticism.

The art is also an expression of destiny because you can’t control the outcome, “that’s a part of destiny, you plan to do something, but you don’t know what will happen,” Zengul said.

Calik explained that the art is unpredictable because there might be bubbles in the paper, or the artist might shake the paper too much, slightly altering the final picture.

“Another name is the art of patience,” Calik said. “When we are preparing dyes and water it is hard.”

Calik said that the preparation for marbling is often harder than making the design because the amount of ingredients has to be very precise. “Sometimes you are thinking, ‘I will give up’…I am still doing it because of my husband…he pushes me, and I push him,” Calik said.

At the event on Thursday, Calik made several marble art pieces, including a rose for UAB President Carol Garrison. Attendees gathered around the table to watch and question Calik. Dressed in a bright red apron and a colorful head covering, Calik answered questions while carefully making each picture.

Calik now lives in Arizona and works as a substitute teacher at the Sonoran Science Academy.
“I got married and wanted to start my Master’s degree” said Calik. She has a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and still hopes to get a Master’s degree so she can teach.

Picture: Mine Calik, a Turkish marble artist, demonstrates her unique skills to students at the Great Hall on Thursday, Jan. 21. Photo: Stephanie Cook/Photo Editor.

Yet To Begin

By Javed Aziz Khan, *Rahman Baba shrine* - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Peshawar: A group of six women, four of them clad in all-covering ‘burqas’ and two young girls without the veil were seen offering fateha at the shrine of great Pashto Sufi poet Abdur Rahman Baba here Monday while over 40 children were reciting the holy Quran in the adjacent mosque.

As the women left after a few moments, another group of eight women arrived. The women did not seem afraid of the terrorists, who had bombed the shrine on March 5, 2009 as a reaction to visits by females there.

Terrorists attacked the tomb in Hazarkhwani village near Ring Road with five bombs. Prior to the bombing, they had warned the caretakers of the tomb against the frequent visits by women.

The terrorists translated their threat into action by destroying the shrine building but they could not stop the female visitors, as hundreds visit the shrine everyday to pay tribute to the great Sufi poet.

“Women are coming in large numbers nowadays. Nobody can stop them from paying tribute to the 17th century legendary poet, whose poetry is recited at Pakhtun ‘hujras’ and homes even today. He is respected, particularly by Pakhtuns, as an elder of their families,” said a visitor Malik Irfan.

Before the threats against females’ visits, a partition had been made for the male and female visitors at the shrine. “We cannot stop females to visit the place as there are graves of hundreds of other people, whose relatives frequently visit the graveyard where Rahman Baba’s shrine is located,” said the caretaker of the shrine.

Abdur Rahman, general known as Rahman Baba, was born in 1653 at Bahadar Killay on the outskirts of Peshawar. His poetry is a message of peace, love and education for Pakhtuns and contains words of wisdom for the common man.

The Sufi poet died in 1711 and was laid to rest outside Hazarkhwani. Many people quote a religious scholar, who claimed having seen Baba’s intact body and smiling face while the coffin was being shifted from one grave to another in the mid-90s when his tomb was rebuilt.

The gigantic dome over the grave was considered to be one of the two highest tombs in the country and was built at a cost of about Rs110 million. The then president, Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, inaugurated the shrine building and a library, mosque, conference hall and cafe on the premises. Except the mosque, the rest of the three buildings were never used since its construction over one and a half decades back.

After bombing of the mausoleum in March last year, Rs30 million was allocated by the government in April for its reconstruction. Despite a lapse of nine months, the reconstruction is yet to begin. The makeshift shelter is still there, while the grave is covered with a piece of cloth.

“The government should have carried out reconstruction within a couple of months as demanded by the devotees of Rahman Baba. Also, the people involved in the attack need to be punished publicly,” stated Amjad Khan, a young visitor, adding that people like him visited the shrine regularly seeking peace of mind.

It is a matter of concern that the authorities have not provided proper security to the place to prevent terrorist attacks in future. Only one police constable performs duty at the main entrance of the shrine. The roads leading from Rashid Garhi, Afridi Abad, Phandu Road and Ring Road to the shrine are also in a dilapidated condition and need reconstruction.

[Picture from Wiki]

Of The Human Spirit

By Nigel Collett, *Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple* - UPI Asia - Hong Kong

Three themes are woven through the nine tales in William Dalrymple's newest work on India, Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India, though he confesses, in his introduction, to only one of them. This, as he puts it, is an examination of the way "religious vocation has been caught and transformed in the vortex of India's metamorphosis during this rapid period of transition, while revealing the extraordinary persistence of faith in a fast-changing landscape."

He takes nine characters, all devotees of a particular faith, "to act as a keyhole" through which to see a slice of the hugely varied reality that underlies the veneer of India's modernization. In twenty-five years of travels, Dalrymple has met and re-met these nine men and women and from their stories has produced a spiritual travel book, one which, in fulfillment of the hope he expresses in his introduction, has "avoided many of the cliches about 'Mystic India' that blight so much Western writing."

So here in these pages we meet a Jain nun and a temple prostitute, or devadasi, from Karnataka, a theyyam dancer from Kerala, an epic bard from Rajasthan, a female Sufi from Sindh, a Tibetan Buddhist monk exiled in Dharamsala, a hereditary idol maker in Tamil Nadu, a female Tantric sadhu of Calcutta and a blind Bengali Baul, a singer of devotional songs.

The choice of these nine characters reveals Dalrymple's second theme, the depth of the sacred in India that lies outside the bounds of the organised major religious systems and the faiths which have grown up often in part in a reaction against them. Here is the theyyam dancer, Hari Das, a low caste Dalit labourer, who, for a season, incarnates the gods within his dance and so throws off the shackles of Brahmin contempt that mark the majority of his life: "Many of the theyyam stories mock the Brahmins […] They criticise them for the way they treat their fellow human beings, especially us Dalits." Here is "Red Fairy", Lal Peri, the female Sufi ascetic, "an illiterate, simple and trusting woman, who saw the divine and miraculous everywhere," and whose ecstatic drumming, dancing and music fuses Hindu and Muslim and defies the puritan mullahs who would destroy the shrine she serves: "Those hypocrites! They sit there reading their law books and arguing about how long their beards should be, and fail to listen to the true message of the Prophet." Here is the Baul singer Kanai, who travels the roads and railways of Bengal singing of God: "We believe that the way to God lies not in rituals but in living a simple life […] You come to understand that God is the purest form of joy -- complete joy."

From even these brief quotations you can perhaps discern the third strand of Dalrymple's spiritual quest, which is to uncover the humanity which links all those of whom he writes. This is not, I hasten to add, some simplistic and spurious idea of the unity of all faiths. It is not even anything which Dalrymple finds it necessary to discuss. Yet to those of us who have learned through his earlier works like White Mughals and The Last Mughal to see worlds of difference through the eyes of Dalrymple's own humanism, it does not come as a surprise to find that the most striking feature of this new book is the skill and sympathy with which he treats the people whose lives he lays bare to us.

These are real men and women, who, though their experiences are as far removed from our own as they conceivably could be, live and suffer as we do ourselves. Indeed, almost all of these subjects have suffered far more, I suspect, than it is possible for most of us to comprehend. It is their wildly differing approaches to faith that have provided for them the solutions to their suffering. Religion and the common lot of humankind are inseparable here. We meet the Buddhist Tashi Pasang, not long a monk when he was forced to flee Tibet in 1954, his mother tortured to death and his monastery destroyed by Chinese soldiers. This is a man who renounced his vows to kill the Chinese who were seeking to eradicate his faith and who now remains riven by what he has done, seeking to atone for his sins by ceaseless devotions and by printing prayer flags for others. We meet, too, Manisha Ma, devotee of the (to us) horrific deity Tara, drinker of blood, who dwells amongst the skulls and the burning bodies of the cremation ghats at Tarapith, who had escaped from her abusive husband and his oppressive family to find peace amongst the horrors of death.

Dalrymple introduces to us, touchingly, the Jain nun Prasannamati Mataji, who adopted as a teenager the extreme privations and wandering life of a Jain community and who for a lifetime traveled the dusty roads of western India with her companion Prayogamati. At the end, she found herself helping her only friend to die by self-imposed starvation and now waits her turn to do the same, unable to hide her sorrow for her friend despite all the precepts of the faith she has achieved. Dalrymple has come to know all these men and women as people, and he writes of them as though they are worthy of our acquaintance, too.

There is much to understand in this book, which is full of stranger and more outlandish things than any treatise on religion, and he gives us much to ponder, though not to judge. For one of Dalrymple's best attributes as a writer is that at no stage does he attempt to judge or criticize those of whom he writes; he illumines their lives and the beliefs to which they have come with the lightest of touches. He is indeed the best sort of traveler and this is the best sort of travel book, a guide to some very different manifestations of the human spirit.

--Nigel Collett is the author of The Butcher of Amritsar: Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer.

A Remarkable Addition

By WAM/ES/AM, *Egyptian Researcher and Moroccan Scholar win Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2010* - Emirates News Agency - UAE
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Abu Dhabi: The "Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Best Contribution to the Development of the Nation" went this year to Ammar Ali Hasan from Egypt for his book "The Political Establishment of Sufism in Egypt (by Dar Al- Ain Publishing, 2009).

The Award's Advisory Council's recognition came as a result of the unique topic the book discusses and the research and analysis methodologies the author implemented to present his findings.

The Council named the winning book "a remarkable addition" to the Sufism studies, and the larger knowledge base of the different Islamic movements and sects.

The Secretary General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Rashed Al Oraimi, also announced Mohammad Al Mallakh from Morocco the winner of the "Young Author" category for his book "Time in Arabic Language: its Linguistic Structure and Significance" (Arab Scientific Publishing, Inc., 2009 ).

Al Oraimi explained that the winning book provided a solid academic approach in tackling such an important linguistic study. "The book followed a scientific methodology that combined the accuracy of Arabic terminology and concepts", Al Oraimi elaborated.

The panel of six judges will remain anonymous to maintain the independence and integrity of the announcement process until after the awarding ceremony takes place.

The winners of the six Award categories will be announced throughout the coming weeks, to be followed by a grand ceremony to celebrate the winning achievements on 3rd of March 2010 at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, parallel to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

[Picture from the Award website]

More Than $750,000

By Raghu Krishnan, *An IPL auction is fanned into a diplomatic issue* - The Economic Times - India

Sunday, January 24, 2010

On the night of Tuesday, January 19, almost every Indian TV news-channel spun a conspiracy theory about the fact that there were no takers for Pakistani cricketers among the IPL [Indian Premier League] franchisees in the auction held earlier in the day.

It could not, the TV news-channel anchors solemnly opined, be a coincidence that none of the IPL franchisees had bid for the Pakistani cricketers. Pakistan, the anchors noted, was the reigning T20 world champ and the non-participation in the IPL of that country's cricketers for the second consecutive year would have a detrimental effect on Indo-Pak relations.

The TV anchors apparently failed to realise that the answer to the question of why no Pak cricketer had been bought lay in the comment that the channels had themselves made that the 2010 season would be the second consecutive year in which cricketers from Pakistan would not be participating in the IPL. With only 11 players being bought out of 67 and with each franchisee not having more than one or two slots to fill, it would have not made much sense to invest in a player about whose participation there was considerable doubt, going by the previous year's experience.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi stated in the post-auction press conference that Pakistani cricketers had not participated in the 2009 tournament because their cricketing board had advised not them not to play in India in the wake of 26/11. After such an experience, the IPL franchisees would themselves have not been too keen on even the most gifted Pakistani cricketer.

Instead of hinting at conspiracies and insinuating that the Government of India (GoI) had informally told the franchisees through the BCCI not to bid for cricketers from Pakistan, the anchors could have put themselves in the buyers' shoes. Where was the need for any GoI advice when the TV news-channels were quoting not just intelligence agencies but even visiting US defence secretary Robert Gates as stating that a Pakistan-based nexus of Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the LeT was planning another 26/11.

Unless, of course, it is anybody's contention that Lalit Modi got Gates to say all this!

Instead, the TV news-channels outdid each other in spinning out inside stories and conspiracy theories of GoI intervention being behind the absence of bids for Pakistani cricketers. And in a subcontinent where people are only too willing to take offence, it did not take too long for those in Pakistan to react to this `snub'. A Pakistani parliamentary delegation cancelled its visit to India. Pakistan's ministers stated that what happened during the auction would affect bilateral ties.

India's sports minister M S Gill stated that the GoI had nothing to do with this and that the franchisees were taking their own bidding decisions, based on their specific cricketing and corporate strategies. However, the hype goes on and some TV channels have even talked about the adverse impact on Indo-Pak relations!

To equate the IPL with a full-fledged Indo-Pak CBM (confidence building measure) is patently absurd. A performance in India by Pakistan's leading Sufi singers could do more to build good will than an individual investment of even $750,000 by an Indian franchisee on Shahid Afridi for IPL3, 4 or 5!