| Awaken Bharata |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| SUFIS AND MILITANCE | |
| Hindus
must recognizer the different sides of Sufism. There are many great
Sufi poets and philosophers of various types and from different
countries. There are also many ordinary Sufis, Sufi charlatans, and
Sufi militants. Various Sufis attained altered states of
consciousness, yet these led them not always to tolerance but to
fanaticism. One can quote wonderful and profound mystical statements
from both liberal and conservative Sufis.
One can similarly quote statements of intolerance or praise of Islamic militance even by Sufis honored as great mystics. The important thing is to examine Sufi literature as a whole and not to ignore its political side. Of course, limitations and prejudices can be found in religious and mystical groups all over the world. Certainly no group is without such blemishes. Yet this should not bar any group from scrutiny, and in this context the Sufis have not been adequately examined, particularly by Hindus. In conclusion, the point of this discussion is not that Hindus should uncritically reject all Sufi mysticism as harmful, which would be an error of the other extreme. The point is that Hindus need to be discerning of all forms of mysticism, especially that of religious groups who have traditionally sought to convert Hindus, who might use the Hindu fondness for mysticism to mislead them. They need to know about the Ahmed Sirhindis and Shaikh Waliullahs along with their political counterparts like Aurangzeb or Shah Abdali, and learn about how modern Sufis view the world as well. |
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