Sunday, April 3, 2011

Sufism under attack...

Ref: www.torkhan.blogspot.com
One of the most amazing element of Islam happens to be its tolerance (quite against the popular perception today) to a variety of thoughts within the faith and outside. Out of this was born one of its most philosophical wings - Sufism. Its also the part of Islam least understood, and hence often misunderstood, not just by those outside the faith, but even by those practicing it.

I am no expert when it comes to Sufism, but I completely adhere to the thought behind it. Often I see myself as an atheist, yet the concept of God rarely fails to move me. And when the intentions are so noble (like Sufism), my heart reaches out to the One, while my mind holds me back.

The trigger for this post came from this news article in BBC about yet another attack on a Sufi shrine in Pakistan. I grieve too for the people, for this attack on this section of Islam which is increasingly coming under attack by the hardliners. How do we as people respond to this? I really do not care that the attacks happened in Pakistan, I see it as an attack on humanity. Bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice isn't enough, an overhaul in our thoughts is needed to accept what we do not necessarily adhere to. I have no solutions, not even suggestions; just a hope, a hope for peace.

Rumi said this - Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged. 

13 comments:

  1. I have read that Sufism used to be the popular sect in India until the Saudi educated Moulvis came here

    Until then there was no much differences between Hindu_Muslim. We are too hypocrites to blame the Hindu Muslim divide on British

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  2. its the dove that is strangled the most,because even while it is being strangled it takes the atrocities silently.
    truly stated indeed, sufism came in at a time to strike a chord of harmony between the resentment flowing in the undercurrents of the hindu-muslim milieu in india.

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  3. Pakistanis or not, they are humans too. Why do we have to kill someone is the name of whatever?

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  4. Salaam/Namaste Siddhartha ...

    Thank you for the acknowledgement ... my blog is something or a ramble, but if I manage to convey a message of peace, humanity and hope and if I can be that example, then I remain content.

    I quite agree, the attacks in Pakistan are, very sadly an attack on humanity.

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  5. "I really do not care that the attacks happened in Pakistan, I see it as an attack on humanity. "
    This falls on deaf ears and cold hearts,unfortunately. Ears that have been defeneaned by the conceitful obsession and the following uproar of war and bombs.
    nice read.

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  6. @Jon: I agree with the British part, they just used the divide to further their gains. Not so sure about the historical accuracy of the rest...in India Sufism was popular, yet never actually dominant.

    @rivercat: Thanks.

    @foravagabond: Yes they did quite well for the unity of two communities. especially at the time of the 'Bhakti Movement' in India, the spiritual sects of both Hinduism and Islam were at their pinnacle and brought the two communities together.

    But Sufism is so much more than that, in fact in its origin it has nothing to do with India or Hinduism. Do read Rumi, he was one of the pioneers in this though process.

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  7. @Nethra: Completely agree with you, no one deserves to die for thinking differently...

    @Tor_khan: You are most welcome, its always nice to come across people who look beyond the lines of faith...

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  8. I cold not agree with you more...."attack on humanity"

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  9. An interesting article in today's TOI, giving a very new perspective on the rise of attacks on the Sufis. Do have a look and share thoughts...

    http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIPU/2011/04/10&PageLabel=11&EntityId=Ar01101&ViewMode=HTML

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  10. Sufism. It's not something that I follow but I find it so beautiful. The heart wrenching kind of beauty. I don't know much about it either. But reading this post made me feel good. To discover this new dimension to your personality. The best thing, after befriending new people is to find out new things about those you have already befriended. :-)

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  11. Hey Zeba, always great to see someone read your old posts :)

    Sufism is quite popular in the Indian subcontinent, and maybe that's why there is more awareness. I am completely in love with it, their teachings, their music and dance, their belief in god and so on. Plus the kind of emphasis they lay on peace...

    So much music on my ipod is Sufi from India and pakistan :)

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