The Islam That Hard-Liners Hate

[groovedaddy]

KASUR, Pakistan — In Pakistan’s heartland, holy men with bells tied to their feet close their eyes and sway to the music. Nearby, rose petals are tossed on tombstones. Free food is distributed to devotees.

This peaceful tableau is part of Sufism, Pakistan’s most popular brand of Islam, which attracts millions of worshipers at about a dozen major festivals throughout the year. Each day, thousands visit shrines dedicated to Sufi saints.

But the rituals came under heavy attack in 2010, as minority hard-line militants took responsibility for five shrine attacks that killed 64 people — a marked increased compared with 2005 to 2009, when nine attacks killed 81 people.

Attacks in previous years occurred in the middle of the night or when worshipers were not present, apparently in an effort to avoid casualties. But in 2010, terrorists carried out suicide bombings when thousands of worshipers were present, and in the nation’s largest cities, like Karachi and Lahore.

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/the-islam-that-hard-liners-hate/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22

[Drale]

1. The bottom line is any religion can be turned to evil uses be evil men

I think we have seen that in this country with the Tea baggers, gay hating groups, and anti-abortion groups.

[DBoon]

2. Sufis are behind the World Trade Center Islamic Center

Blaming them for Al Queda is like blaming Quakers for the Spanish Inquisition

[Igel]

3. Enemy of my enemy isn't my friend.

Sufism has meant a lot of things over the centuries and still does. The key is that it is syncretic in being mystical in orientation. This isn't unique to Islam. Bach was castigated for his "personal" and "mystical" views by his fellow Lutherans, yet he was still Lutheran.

Some Sufis have been noted anti-Muslim bigots, firmly dedicated to the "righteous" oppression of non-Muslims and spreading of Islam by force. Some haven't. Currently more are peaceful than not, and there are Sufis who will say that such an attitude is required. Some are so openly syncretic that they're all but UUC--there are other Sufis who would merrily call for their execution. Often the distinction is that found in some fundie Xianities: The law should be enforced, just not by me--peaceful but militant. In the West most Sufis ignore, often to the point of being unaware, of the harsher strain of Sufism present even in some writers that are still admired and quoted.

This leads to the conclusion being peaceful and tolerant of other religions and strains of thought are a necessary part of Sufism. It's just a really, really common adjunct. This shouldn't be underappreciated. Neither should it be used to whitewash strains of thought that aren't quite so accepting of others.

However, since Sufis, even the harsher ones, are still not Salafists and as devoted to political power they come under attack. Note that most Iraqi Kurds are Sufis.

[YankeyMCC]

4. Seems like this is a historical pattern

where the more conservative, controlling schools or sects of a religion, in other words where the people in charge have developed a system they are successful in controlling and maintaining power and influence, stamp out the more mystical schools and sects because those tend to be the places where people with more liberal and open minded interpretations gather. And therefore these groups of open minded people become likely to challenge the status-quo will go and become potential centers of counter power and competition?

I'm no expert in religious history but from what I recall seems to me that that this happened in Christianity too, in the early Christian centuries there were quiet a few mystical interpretations and practices of Christianity but they were largely wiped out and surprised by the growing central catholic and other centralized Christian power centers.