The Sufi Question The view that Sufism might some day serve as a "new" alternative to Salafi Islam, or in contradistinction to the Wahhabis, is worth thinking about. The counter argument, that the Sufis have had maybe 1400 years to make their point and have failed is valid enough; indeed, I think it is irrefutable, but things are not so simple. In point of fact there have been attempts to resuscitate Sufism so that it might become the nucleus for a "new Islam" -throughout the history of the Mid East, India, and much more recently in the West itself. I remember well exactly this in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, when the New Age discovered Sufism and its leading thinkers like Rumi. The big name of that era was Idris Shah, who is still widely read, but he also was somewhat of a crook, not above misrepresentation to gain wealth and followers, but he at least was someone around whom many people sympathetic with "peaceful Islam" could rally. He wasn't all bad and did have a number of redeeming qualities like a perceptive mind and enough imagination to inspire others. These days the "big name" with respect to some version of Sufi revivalism is Zuhdi Jasser, who talks with anyone who will listen about his vision of a renewed and Sufi led version of Islam. Indeed, Jasser is sort of the darling of the humanist element of the media and has appeared on a number of television shows. About Jasser, however, see the May 12, 2013 edition of The Geller Report (then still known as Atlas Shrugs) in which Geller shreds modern Sufism as not much better than standard issue Sunni Islam in terms of actual behavior in the world. About this I am not sure and in cases I would argue against Geller's view, but I do know that there has been major disillusionment with Sufis in India,
which was anything but always true, because of recent historical studies that tell us about Sufi complicity in Mughal and other Muslim atrocities against Hindus, but maybe we can set that aside for now, anyway, because of all the research it would take to be sure one way or the other. In any case, it is safe enough to say that Jasser has gotten almost nowhere and Idris Shah's day in the Sun came and went. In short, while Sufi poetry has gained a devoted following and continues to have cultural influence, otherwise there is hardly any traction. Basically no Muslims are "buying it." If I was to "put a number on it," the Sufi percentage among all Muslims in the West is no better than maybe 5 or 7%. Possibly higher in scattered locations but in others it is effectively zero. BTW, keep in mind that there are a number of different kinds of Sufis. Some in Egypt, probably a majority of Sufis there, are little different than hard nosed Salafis, which also seems true in the Caucasus. Those in Turkiye, as much as I understand of it, are mystics and were well known at one time for their spiritual dances, hence the popular idiom, "whiling dervishes." Those in India have (still have even while this is declining) the best reputation for peacefulness and an ecumenical spirit but outside of India one never hears of them. Best known in the West have been Sufis of Iraqi and Iranian background. Indeed, one such group morphed into the Baha'i Faith in the 19th century. About which I know a good number of things if for no other reason than my years as a Baha'i and the fact that this was a topic of interest to nearly all fellow believers. And in the 1970s a number of Sufi leaders of Iraqi or Iranian background headed West, to the United States, and recruited small followings, in each case presenting a "modernized" version of Sufism to people it sought to win over. You can still find a few such groups. There is one other factor or consequence which may explain why Sufism has had no more than limited success. Exactly what is Sufism? My opinion is that it began as an attempt to preserve something of indigenous religions of the Mid East in the era when Islam was sweeping all before it. Hence some Sufi groups are de facto Zoroastrian survivals, others, much more numerous, are de facto Christian or Hindu survivals. There is even one that is Mithraist under the surface. For me this is all for the good, or mostly all for the good, but my interpretation isn't far from a standard Sunni interpretation. And the Sunnis definitely do not put a good spin on it. This means that Sufis are under a cloud as no better than semi-Muslims, hence nearly heretics. To the extent this is true, how far is it possible for Sufism to go? Not very far -unless Muslim orthodoxy collapses. Of course, if that happens, the door would also be wide open to mass conversion to Christianity, or Buddhism, or you name it, including a revival of Zoroastrianism. My humble opinion... Billy -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
