https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to sufism en https://religiondispatches.org/2015/07/01/sacred-and-dead-trouble-sugar-magnolia She’s got everything delightful, she’s got everything I need, A breeze in the pines and the sun and bright moonlight, lazing in the sunshine yes indeed. ~ “Sugar Magnolia” My childhood home was equidistant between two of the Grateful Dead’s… Wed, 01 Jul 2015 10:51:08 EDT Kaya Oakes b7e0567b-8e8a-4c38-9c57-63a896f26635 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/06/26/dont-call-it-turkish-spring Much of the coverage of Turkey can be politely described as ‘trampoline journalism’—bounce into Taksim and bounce out. What I saw in Istanbul didn’t match the feverish descriptions that made it even onto the BBC or that clogged up my Twitter feed. More relevant to me, almost no one was interested in hearing from religious Turks. So I went ahead and talked to them. Wed, 26 Jun 2013 01:30:05 EDT Haroon Moghul 02cd7cc6-bb3d-45ab-97c3-7a93e329fcfd https://religiondispatches.org/2012/04/17/dreaming-beyond-madman-reflections-revolution-libya The tragedy of a dictatorship is that they so eviscerate their countries that, even after they are gone, it’s hard for people to pick up the pieces and move forward. But I am hopeful in seeing the banner of the pre-Qaddafi monarchy rooted in the Sufi orders that led the resistance to colonialism. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:14:28 EDT Haroon Moghul e169135e-ca9e-4df5-8cd8-962348cc13bc https://religiondispatches.org/2011/03/07/libyas-religious-leaders-take-surprising-position It’s your duty as a Muslim to rebel. Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:31:08 EST H.A. Hellyer b95deca2-7851-4d76-a56f-14b1c513bea7 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/10/20/pakistans-martyrs-love-under-attack Since last week’s bombing, I’ve spent quite a bit of time reviewing old photographs from trips to Pakistan. In seeing pictures of the shrine pre-attack, and in vividly recalling crowds of peaceful worshipers congregating there, posing no discernible threat to anyone, I was nearly moved to tears. Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:56:25 EDT Daanish Faruqi c2c7bd13-b22c-4a32-8e29-e463cf19600f https://religiondispatches.org/2010/08/26/what-we-still-dont-know-about-islam Many commenters are proving the Pew Poll right: we know very little about Islam. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:49:58 EDT Hussein Rashid 292b1058-621e-4222-86a7-ed4d9df58ac5 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/07/30/closing-gospel-morocco Although I have become more cynical about the power of simply listening to music in the decade since I found the CD, I still had high hopes for the festival. As a festival for music, it was beautiful, but as a venue for intercultural understanding, I believe it missed the mark more than it hit it. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:46:13 EDT Hussein Rashid b6a4273e-0203-4678-a9da-6d8457f80d6b https://religiondispatches.org/2009/11/03/suicide-bombers-and-prozac-god-review-dying-heaven A new work advancing a radical theory of the motivation behind suicide bombers is almost bizarrely off the mark. Stitching together thought and observation from disparate and often dissonant sources, Georgetown theology professor Ariel Glucklich’s book would be laughable were he not a consultant to the defense community. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:42:02 EST Bruce B. Lawrence a3289b55-1808-48cf-a9a8-08eb387074ef https://religiondispatches.org/2009/08/24/afghan-idol-can-talent-competition-save-nation An interview with the director of Afghan Star, a documentary that follows a tense but cathartic talent competition. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:03:48 EDT Becky Garrison 521f68cd-e235-4cbb-a957-ba7c16a5539e https://religiondispatches.org/2009/06/17/found-translation-how-thirteenth-century-islamic-poet-conquered-america The best-selling poet in America today was born in Afghanistan, practiced a form of Islam that originated in Iraq, and has been dead for 800 years. How did a white man from Tennessee, who doesn’t read a lick of Persian, make Rumi accessible to mainstream America? Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:44:51 EDT Willow Schenwar fba97b46-84c9-4871-bc14-29f9388c0a38