| Arise Arjuna Hinduism And The Modern World |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| YOGIC SPIRITUALITY AND ISLAM | |
| We shouldn't be
surprised by this either. Militant Sufi orders were the equivalent of priests and Jesuits
in Christianity. They were very devoted to their religion and went ahead to other lands,
much like spies, to learn the ways of their peoples in order to find out how better to
convert them. While liberal Sufi groups appear to have opposed Islamic militancy, they do
not seem to have had much affect upon it. They may never have been strong enough to really
challenge it. They may have had enough work merely to protect themselves and their communities, much less to protect those of other religious beliefs even if they sympathized with them. However much those in the yogic tradition may wish to sympathize with the Sufis and see a common spirituality in their tradition, they should not ignore the different orientation and foal of most of Sufism, or the fact that the more Sufism comes to resemble yogic spirituality, the less it appears to be part of Islam. They can take what is good in Sufism without having to uncritically accept anything that calls itself Sufi. In fact the truly mystical Sufis in India have generally been more honored by Hindus than by orthodox Muslims. Yet ever recognizing the differences that exist between yogic and Sufi spirituality Hindus would be much happier if Sufism, particularly of the liberal variety, were more influential in Islam, as with the Sufis there is ground for dialogue. They wish the Sufis well in their struggles with the militant Muslims who oppose them.
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