Gretshelle Rivera

Gretshelle Rivera

Sufism in the News

2/28/12

On February 24^th, 2009 BBC released a news article raising the question of possibly using Sufism as a means to quell Taleban violence in Pakistan. The author of that article describes a mysterious, drug laced background of a Sufi gathering before starting her story, making me already a little cautious of orientalism’s effect on the this article. Orientalism is a romanticized, timeless and inaccurate perspective of the East conjured by the West.  Reading further into the article, this description is given, “It's one o'clock in the morning and the night is pounding with hypnotic rhythms, the air thick with the smoke of incense, laced with dope… It's packed with young men, smoking, swaying to the music, and working themselves into a state of ecstasy. This isn't how most Westerners imagine Pakistan, which has a reputation as a hotspot for Islamist extremism” (Platt 2009).  Barbera Platt, the journalist, interviews a Sufi teacher named Ayeda Naqvi who goes into more detail about how the Sufis are more interested in “love and harmony… there were no swords, it [is] very different from the sharp edged Islam of the Middle East” (Platt 2009).  The Sufi achieves this harmony through Qawwali. Qawwali is religious singing that gets one into a state of remembering God and being closer to Him. Thus, Westerners hope to use the peaceful Sufi practices as a buffer against the more violent sects of Islam.

According to Platt, because of Sufism’s presence in Pakistan, which is a “hotbed for Islamic extremism,” (Plett 2009) utilizing the message of love and entranced meditation from Qawwali may be able to snuff out the violent teachings of the “strict form of Sunni Islam followed by members of the Taleban and al-Qaeda” (Plett 2009).  Sufism still thrives in this area so the Rand Corporation (an American think tank) asks if this form of non-violent Islam can be a defense against extremism. However, there is disbelief within the Sufi ranks that this idea would take much effect at all. Kamil Khan Mumtaz, a Sufi, recalls the atrocities of the militants done in the name of religion and believes that the idea of using Sufism to counteract Islamic radicalism is political at its core and not religious. “’The American think tanks should think again,’ he says. ‘What you see [in Islamic extremism] is a response to what has happened in the modern world.” (Plett 2009).  Why is the struggle primarily political rather than religious, and why would that lead Mumtaz to believe that using Sufism as a buffer would not work?

Naqvi still thinks that Sufism could play a vital role in formulating a more tolerant Islamic identity, “but she warns the dangers of Western support” (Plett 2009).  I can understand why, considering the infamous past of the West involving itself in the war in the East. Naqvi does not want her religion to be associated with the West and be seen as a weapon to fight against the orthodox Islam, though extremist in action.

The University of Georgia Virtual Center and Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World (VCISIW) sponsors the web page on Sufism I used to compare to the BBC article for further research. It describes Sufism as a movement that did not exist before Islam. The religion seems to be a mixture of different doctrines in one, such as Greek Philosophy and Hinduism. “A cornerstone of mysticism is that true knowledge of God is achieved directly and the teachers of the Sufis, the Shayks, trace themselves back to the Prophet. Over the centuries this has led to a great deal of political conflict between mystics and non-mystics” (Baba February 28th, 2004). The conflict pertaining to mystics and non-mystics does point out the Sufi belief that Shayks have this direct link to the Prophet and perform miracles, Muslims believe otherwise. Also the practice of saint worship does not sit well with Muslims since no other being beyond God should be venerated. The Sufi message of love and peace permeates through their songs and their path of self-annihilation; according to Esposito this is called “Fana. (Esposito 2011)” By letting go of material possessions and following a lifestyle that is ascetic, one gains a more direct connection to God. Muhammad brought the Qur’an down to share with humanity and helped flesh out the Sharia (law) and the proper behaviors for the Umma (Muslim Community) and bring peace to the people within the Umma. The Sufi sect continues to spread peace through Qawalli gatherings and being active in caring for the community through Sufi centers. Though Sufism probably may not be used as a tool to overcome the Taliban in Pakistan, but maybe focusing more on the Sufi idea of not concerning the self too much with material prestige but on caring for the Umma as a whole would be bore effective. A reason to stop some of the tension and fighting would be the caring for the people within the Umma, this peaceful aspect of Sufism strengthens and brings the community together.