Here.
Via the despicable Radio Free Liars (I mean Radio Free Liberty), we get news that another female singer has been murdered in Pakistan’s northwest, this time in Peshawar. Most of them have been murdered by husbands or other male relatives who opposed their singing careers. However, a few have been killed by the Pakistani Taliban.
The Pakistani Taliban recently outlawed fun in Peshawar. All singing and dancing has been outlawed as anti-Islamic. Anti-Islamic means “fun.” If it’s fun, it’s anti-Islamic.
I am not sure what the Quranic basis is for outlawing singing and dancing. I thought this was an innovation that came from the austere Wahhabi movement that arose in the equally austere (and frankly no fun) deserts of Saudi Arabia in the 1800’s. I know that the Wahhabis consider singing and dancing to be haram, but I would like to see an official Islamic ruling on this, preferably out of Al-Azhar in Egypt or some other venerable institution.
As you can see, Pakistani music has a distinct Sufi feel about it. See those costumes, even on the woman? That screams Sufi. The headgear on the men broadcasts Sufism loud and clear also. I have also listened to this music and watched their performances and the whole thing from the sound of the music to the moves of the people on stage has a very Sufi feel about it.
I didn’t know that Sufism was so popular in Pakistan. However, Sufism has traditionally been very popular in Afghanistan and I think it has also long been popular in Shia Iran. It is also very big among Iraqi Sunnis, especially the more moderate type. Kurds are also deep into Sufism.
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I didn’t know that Sufism was so popular in Pakistan.
All of South Asia, to my understanding. I’ve heard Hindu Indians try and claim it as theirs, but alas…Rumi was born in what is now Afghanistan, and dies in Anatolia. Then of course, their is Omar Khayyám.
However, Sufism has traditionally been very popular in Afghanistan
Oh yeah. The Wahabbi/Salfist psycho view of the universe has always been rather foreign to the region. It took decades of endless warfare to get them where they are today.
and I think it has also long been popular in Shia Iran.
From their standpoint, they claim it as theirs. It was Richard Nelson Frye who said that Sunni and Shia Islam were imports to Iran and Central Asia, and the real culture and religion of the region was Sufism and Zoroastrianism.
Many times I have emphasized that the present peoples of Central Asia, whether Iranian or Turkic speaking, have one culture, one religion, one set of social values and traditions with only language separating them. – Dr.Frye
It is also very big among Iraqi Sunnis, especially the more moderate type. Kurds are also deep into Sufism.
Kurds don’t surprise me, since they are essentially of the same culture to their cousins to the East…Iraqi Sunnis I find interesting. Perhaps because of Baathism, they were more attuned the the finer poetic things in life?
Did Sufism develop before or independently of Islam then get incorporated into Islam, islamicised. Or was it from the start a mystical development of Islam, originating from within islam?
Christians in the U.S. have christian rock, I wonder how muslim rock would sound if they started that up!
Sufi rock exists…Though I would argue in the West, as is with Sufism in general, it is more “spiritual” and less “religious.”
Here’s some examples:
http://youtu.be/rqPOmd3ZbHI
And this:
http://youtu.be/ltXHG-9Moao
I’ve been to many a “Sufi” concert over the years.
Both the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin stated they were influenced by Sufi musicians in Morocco…Not really surprising, when you listen to the beats.
http://youtu.be/Z-7TRVsArgI
The Middle Eastern theme and beat is dually represented, with an obvious Western twist.
Good question. Depends who you ask…Personally I see it as more “Eastern” prior philosophies(Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism) merging with a “Western” religion, i.e Islam, in much the same way Christianity in Europe and European culture in general has elements to it strictly of European origin…After all, who hasn’t had an Irish aunt who dabbles in pagan witchcraft, while still calling herself a Catholic.
If there is any hope for the “Muslim World,” but more specifically the Arabs, it’ll be in the form of Sufism me thinks.
Dear Robert
if I’m not mistaken, Orthodox Jews don’t allow their women to sing, at least not in public. Cheers. James
Sufism is quite popular in Sindh but the Schizoid Punjabis are wrecking up Sindh with their Wahhabism. Pakistani Punjabis (and Pakhtuns) are the most confused people I ever met.
Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, was said to be a Sufi. If I’m not mistaken, the Taliban didn’t destroy Sufi shrines nor ban “grave worshiping” (taking graves as places of worship) during their reign.