Another Thought for Shazia

Submitted by Aidan Maconachy (Canada), Sep 15, 2005 at 13:43

Hello Shazia - Thank you for your gracious and insightful commentary.

Yes indeed, true Islam has a profoundly spiritual aspect and has produced some amazing art over the centuries. Sufism -or "tasawwuf" in Arabic - is in many ways the inner or mystical side of Islam. I believe the Islamic scholar, Seyyed Hossein Nasr claimed this to be true in his book "The Interior Life of Islam". I personally have greatly enjoyed reading the works of great Sufi poets such as Jalaluddin Rumi, Ibn el-Arabi, Al-Hallaj and Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Those with concerns about the aggrandizing ambitions of Wahhabism and the Jihadist mentality in general, should keep in mind that there are many deeply devout Muslims who are appalled that men such as Osama bin Laden and Musab al Zawqari claim to be acting in the name of their God. At the highest level of observance, Islam is indeed a religion that tends toward peace and harmony, and it is a great shame that its teachings have been perverted and co-opted by villains who twist the words of the prophets in order to justify their immoral acts. In my opinion, they misrepresent Islam to the world and do a great disservice to all true Muslims.

Thank you again Shazia, your words lifted my spirits.

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