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English, Extremism

More thoughts on Takfir – Tahir Kamran

Admin

The News, June 29, 2014 My last column ‘Takfir and terrorism’ evoked some responses which were brusque in articulation but well-meaning in intent and purpose. Some pointed out the column’s ‘inadequacies’ with candour. These responses, however, goaded me to reflect on the matter of takfir afresh, and also to deliberate on the process of it taking the centrestage of Muslim hermeneutics by the last years of the 19th century. This article aims to address these issues in the light of these responses, underscoring takfir in the South Asian perspective. One critique alluded to the flaw in the context in which the … Continue reading More thoughts on Takfir – Tahir Kamran

Diversity, English, Extremism

Takfir and terrorism – Tahir Kamran

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Like khalafah, umma, jihad and shahadat, takfir has attained a wide currency in modern day Muslim discourse. For analysts, takfir has a peculiar specificity, especially when referring to modern day proponents of revivalist Islam. Takfir denotes excommunication or declaration of a person or group of people to be non-Muslim. Although the instances of takfir can be gleaned from the early history of Muslims, it started featuring regularly in the Muslim discourse since the last quarter of the 19th century. Deobandi clerics were at the centre of the trend of issuing takfiri fatwas. Though not a takfiri treatise as such, Rashid Gangohi’s Hadayatush Shia (Advice to the Shia) is the first published … Continue reading Takfir and terrorism – Tahir Kamran

Diversity, English, Extremism

Who are the Takfiri Islamist extremists in Pakistan

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The Deobandis are an offshoot of the mainstream Sunni, Hanafi Islam in South Asia. While many of them are moderate and peace loving, a section of this community is influenced by a mutant and Wahhabized strain. Some of these people have aligned themselves with puritanical, literalist and takfiri Salafi and Wahhabi movements that seek to marginalize and apostasize the majority of Sufi, Shia and Barelvi Sunni school of thought. The Deobandi sub-sect is found primarily in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and has since 1950s spread to the United Kingdom, United States and has also a presence in South Africa. The name … Continue reading Who are the Takfiri Islamist extremists in Pakistan

Diversity, English, Extremism, Sufism

The Muslims in the Middle

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By William Dalrymple, Aug 16, 2010 PRESIDENT OBAMA’S eloquent endorsement on Friday of a planned Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center, followed by his apparent retreat the next day, was just one of many paradoxes at the heart of the increasingly impassioned controversy. We have seen the Anti-Defamation League, an organization dedicated to ending “unjust and unfair discrimination,” seek to discriminate against American Muslims. We have seen Newt Gingrich depict the organization behind the center — the Cordoba Initiative, which is dedicated to “improving Muslim-West relations” and interfaith dialogue — as a “deliberately insulting” and triumphalist force attempting to … Continue reading The Muslims in the Middle

Diversity, English, Extremism

The Diversity of Islam

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Nicholas Kristof, Oct. 8, 2014 A few days ago, I was on a panel on Bill Maher’s television show on HBO that became a religious war. Whether or not Islam itself inspires conflict, debates about it certainly do. Our conversation degenerated into something close to a shouting match and went viral on the web. Maher and a guest, Sam Harris, argued that Islam is dangerous yet gets a pass from politically correct liberals, while the actor Ben Affleck denounced their comments as “gross” and “racist.” I sided with Affleck. After the show ended, we panelists continued to wrangle on the topic … Continue reading The Diversity of Islam

Diversity, English, Extremism, Sufism

Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?

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By Megan Specia, Nov. 24, 2017 Sufism is a mystical form of Islam, a school of practice that emphasizes the inward search for God and shuns materialism. It has produced some of the world’s most beloved literature, like the love poems of the 13th century Iranian jurist Rumi. Its modern-day adherents cherish tolerance and pluralism, qualities that in many religions unsettle extremists. But Sufism, often known as Islamic mysticism, has come under violent attack in recent years. On Friday, Takfiri Islamist militants stormed a Sufi mosque on the Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 305 people in what officials are calling the worst terrorist … Continue reading Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?

English, Sufism

The Mystical Tradition of Sufism

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There is a lot of press given to Sufism (or Tasawwuf) these days, focusing on its moderate and inclusive political affiliations and promoting it as a paradigm of ecumenical tolerance and spiritual transcendence. One example of this is the worldwide popularity of Rumi.  He was cited as the best-selling poet in the U.S. in 2014 (BBC – http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140414-americas-best-selling-poet).  It is largely due to Rumi, in fact, that Sufism provides such potent imagery and ideas and has captured the Western popular imagination. Sufism consists of much more than the order founded by Rumi, of course, and its practices are as diverse as … Continue reading The Mystical Tradition of Sufism

Diversity, English, Extremism, Sufism

Sufi Muslims face prejudice and negative stereotypes by some sections within Islam

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The world’s 1.6 billion Muslims are united in their belief in God and the Prophet Muhammad and are bound together by such religious practices as fasting during the holy month of Ramadan and almsgiving to assist people in need. But they have widely differing views about many other aspects of their faith, including how important religion is to their lives, who counts as a Muslim and what practices are acceptable in Islam, according to a worldwide survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The survey, which involved more than 38,000 face-to-face interviews in over 80 … Continue reading Sufi Muslims face prejudice and negative stereotypes by some sections within Islam

English, Sufism

The diversity and unity of Sufism: a conversation with Peter Samsel

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SUFISM is sometimes called “the inner power” of Islam because of its focus on the Qur’an, the Prophet Mohammad, and tawḥīd— the ultimate divine oneness of God. Nevertheless, it is often misunderstood by both well-meaning newcomers and those seeking to strip Islam of its authenticity. While recognizing the complexity of all religions, independent scholar Peter Samsel wants to simplify Sufism in his book A Treasury of Sufi Wisdom, which includes a collection of and commentary on Sufi works. His aim is to provide a unifying concept to Sufi thought and practice, introducing the newcomer to its depths and diversity while also … Continue reading The diversity and unity of Sufism: a conversation with Peter Samsel

Sufism, Urdu

اسلامی تصّوف میں صوفیاء کے پانچ طبقات

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حضور صلعم کے زمانے میں چونکہ اھلِ بیت کے بعد صحابہ کا سب سے بڑا درجہ تھا اسیلئے مسجدِ نبوی کے چبوترے پر دن رات نشیب و فراز میں زندگی گزارنے والے قلیل تعداد میں اھلِ طریقت،  حقیقت و معرفت اصحابِ صفّہ کہلاتے تھے صوفی یا ولی یا عارف نہیں- وہ صوف لباس زیب تن کرتے تھے اسلئے اصحابِ صفّہ کہلاتے تھے وہ لوگ حضور کے مرید و طالب تھے اور مولا علی روحانی،  باطنی اور عرفانی خلیفہ کی حیثیت سے. انہیں علمِ لدنّی کی تعلیم اور عرفانِ الٰہی کی تربیت کرتے تھے جن میں حضرت بلال،  حضرت سلمان فارسی، … Continue reading اسلامی تصّوف میں صوفیاء کے پانچ طبقات