Sufism, Pluralism and Democracy

This volume provides a composite of contemporary Sufi involvement in politics using a range of approaches and disciplines. It explores the role of Sufi-related parties where they exist or are emerging. It also examines how parties that condemn Sufism have adopted aspects of Sufi organization and practice. Changes in views within the academy on politics and Sufism are discussed. Perspectives on Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are included as are overviews of Sufism’s political dimension across various regions. Contributions in the volume seek answer questions such as: Where Sufi related parties exist, what policies do they propose, and how do they differ from those of Islamist parties? How would “law” be understood? What is the relationship between secular and Sufi ideas about the role of religion in society? How do Sufi views about how to structure the state in Muslim majority space differ from alternatives? Are Sufis more likely to support democracy?

This volume provides a composite of contemporary Sufi involvement in politics using a range of approaches and disciplines. It explores the role of Sufi-related parties where they exist or are emerging. It also examines how parties that condemn Sufism have adopted aspects of Sufi organization and practice. Changes in views within the academy on politics and Sufism are discussed. Perspectives on Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are included as are overviews of Sufism’s political dimension across various regions. Contributions in the volume seek answer questions such as: Where Sufi related parties exist, what policies do they propose, and how do they differ from those of Islamist parties? How would “law” be understood? What is the relationship between secular and Sufi ideas about the role of religion in society? How do Sufi views about how to structure the state in Muslim majority space differ from alternatives? Are Sufis more likely to support democracy?

INTRODUCTION Sufism, Pluralism and Democracy: contexts, comparisons and critiques Clinton Bennett Section One: Multi-contextual 1. Sufis, Saints and Politics in Islam: an historical survey Clinton Bennett Section Two: European/Euro Asian Contexts (Kosovo/Albania & Turkey) 2. Sufism as a Working Spirit in Globalization and Pluralism: The Case of the Hizmet Movement, a Turkey-oriented Global Islamic Network (Turkey) Heon C. Kim, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania 3. A Paradox of Political Mysticism: The Bektashi Sufi Order as an Islamic Esoteric Community and Factor in Albanian National History (Kosova/the Balkans) Stephen Schwartz, Center for Islamic Pluralism, Washington DC Section Three: A Middle Eastern Context (Iran) 4. Sufi Politics in the Contemporary West: The Role and Definition of Sufism in the works of Javad Nurbakhsh (1926-2008) (Iran) Milad Milani, University of Western Sydney Section Four: South Asian Contexts: Bangladesh, Indonesia & Pakistan 5. Anti-saint or anti-shrine? Tracing Deoband's disdain for the Sufi in Pakistan Charles M. Ramsey, Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan 6. Sufis as shapers of pluralist political culture: the examples of Bangladesh and Indonesia Clinton Bennett 7. In Search of God, In Search of Humanity: Vilayat-e-Mutlaqa of Hazrat Delaor Husayn Maizbhandari (Bangladesh) Sarwar Alam Section Five: Literary/Theoretical Underpinnings 8. Two Beloved Sufi poets of the Punjab: A Case of "Hearing Without Listening". Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Colby College, Maine 9. Looking Inside the Heart: The Universal Appeal of God and Humanity as Reflected in Ibn al-'Arabi's Fusus al-Hikam and Maulana Rumi's Mathnawi Manawi Sayed Hassan Akhlaq Hussaini, George Washington University CONCLUSION: "Corporate Islam" v Sufi Islam and the articulation of the present Sarwar Alam

• Edited by Sarwar Alam
• Edited by Clinton Bennett

"Sufism, Pluralism and Democracy succeeds in exploring the often-sidelined political contribution of Sufism. The chapters clearly answer questions such as what role Sufism plays in promoting pluralism, secularism, and democracy. [...]This book works well for those looking to get a basic idea about the political engagement of Sufis in modern democracies." --Shameer Mondongal, Reading Religion, August 7, 2018 "For calling our attention to examples of Sufis in Turkey, Albania, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia who bring the resources of the Sufi tradition to bear on modern questions of governance and social cohesion, Bennett and Alam are to be commended." --Jason Welle, Journal of Church and State, October 2018
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