The role of Sufism in the Middle East
A
very thoughtful article on Sufism and it's possible role in the Middle East:
bq.
Sufism and the Future of Islam
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- As the year came to a close, in an elegant residence in the capital city of this Central Asian ex-Soviet republic, Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf, the 52-year old, former grand mufti, or chief Muslim cleric for Central Asia, spoke in a manner seldom heard from Islamic community leaders inside the United States. He began by declaring that Muslims worldwide need to study and take responsibility for the problem of Islamist extremism. He also spoke appreciatively of visiting Washington.
bq. He then remarked, in a colloquy on how U.S. leaders should formulate global policy and strategy, "Sufism, our Muslim spiritual tradition, enjoys support from the American authorities."
bq. This belief, which seems naïve at best, is easy to understand, given that certain Washington voices have advocated such an approach. In a recent confidential study, a Defense Department contractor recommended that one of seven major strategic goals for Western success in the Muslim world consist of backing Sufis, adherents to the eponymous movement, as an alternative to radical Islam.
bq. Similarly, in March of last year, a conference at the Nixon Center in the capital heard the West's preeminent academic expert on Islam, Bernard Lewis, answer how the Bush administration might improve dialogue with Muslims: "I would suggest that they should talk to sheikh [Muhammad Hisham] Kabbani." The leader one of the largest groups of Sufis, Kabbani has been an outspoken supporter of the United States against Islamist radicals.
bq. Clearly, as America refines its leadership in the war on terror, some aspects of Sufism may have increased in relevance. The basic questions are two:
* What is Sufism and where is it geographically distributed?
* What are its relations with Muslim radicalism, and can it indeed be used as an American policy and strategic asset?
The rest of this fascinating article traces the history of Sufism and the various branches of its practice. My first wife was a Mevlevi Sufi and I went to many of the ceremonies and Zikrs (Remembrance of God). A nicer group of people you could not meet.
Posted by DaveH at February 13, 2005 4:16 PM