Friday, April 17, 2009

Can Sufi Islam counter the Taleban?



"Ayeda Naqvi...believes Sufism could play a political role to strengthen a tolerant Islamic identity in Pakistan. But she warns of the dangers of Western support."

1 comment:

  1. Oops I guess not.

    "US-based think tanks like Rand and the Heritage Foundation are counting on the Sufi message of love to counter Shabab’s ever-brutal violence, for tolerance to stem hatred and for music and dancing to triumph over coercion.

    But that’s not how things are playing out in Somalia....The fact is, both Pakistan and Somalia should realise that propping up Sufism as a counter to spreading militancy is a dangerous gamble. It breeds a culture of coercion, in which one interpretation of Islam is imposed on all citizens. Moreover, deepening the spiral of religious warfare will only result in years more of bloodshed and instability."

    from http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/13+the+somali+example-za-06

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