Sufi Books & Musics

Sacred Spaces religion briefs for the week of Feb. 11, 2012

SATURDAY, FEB. 11

• Torah with Soul is at 9:15 a.m. and Shabbat services are at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Rodef Sholom at 170 N. San Pedro Road in San Rafael. Call 479-3441.

• Patsy Welty, Aglow North Bay vice president for public relations, speaks at the Aglow International meeting at 10 a.m. at Peacock Gap Country Club at 333 Biscayne Drive in San Rafael. Coffee is at 9:30 a.m. Call Mary Ann at 456-4782.

• The Rev. Dr. James L. McDonald speaks about "The Real Presence of Christ in the 21st Century" at a ceremony for his inauguration as the 11th president of the First Presbyterian Church at 10 a.m. at the church at 72 Kensington Road in San Anselmo. Call 451-2821 or email inauguration@sfts.edu .

SUNDAY, FEB. 12

• Contemplative service is at 7:30 a.m., a "Season for Nonviolence" seminar is at 8:45 a.m. and celebratory service is at 10 a.m. at the Community Congregational Church at 145 Rock Hill Drive in Tiburon. Call 435-9108, go to http://ccctiburon.net or email lillkochler@aol.com .

Source: Marin Independent-Journal

Kevin (R.D.) Shepherd: Commentaries: Al-Hallaj, Sufi Radical

by kevin (r. d.) shepherd

My recent article on Web Hallaj was an exercise in synthesis. The subject is not easy, even if relevant to the history of religion. Hallaj raised working-class support and official censorship, its oppressive process revealing an effort to remove a source of opposition to the agenda and wiles of politicians and financiers. The decadent era of the late Abbasid caliphate was not in the interest of the general public, despite the efforts of the "virtuous vizier 'Ali ibn Isa to compensate for the corrupt tax policy. survive in sufficient detail to trace the fate of the chief opponents of Hallaj.They will not escape the calamitous cycle of violence that arose from that time in political circles. Even the Caliph al-Muqtadir (RGD 908-932) was a loser in the end the victim to his commander in chief, the veteran soldier greek Munis al-Khadim....

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News

Satan and mystics

Frontline - Dec 31, 1969

FOR centuries, the motif of Iblis (Satan) as a figure to be admired, rather than despised, has continued in Sufi lore and Islamic literature. Of course, Iblis also retained his place in religious belief as the damned one. The lay Muslim and the ulema

How Does Pakistan See The War On Terrorism? - Analysis

Eurasia Review - Dec 31, 1969

by D Suba Chandran This commentary is a response to a recent article on the war on terrorism (WoT), written by a former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, Ambassador Shamsad Ahmed, which appeared in The News (http://bit.ly/KdScTU).

Music and Nightlife Listings

Press Herald - Dec 31, 1969

8 pm Alhan Middle Eastern Ensemble, Arab Andalusian music in the Sufi tradition, Mayo Street Arts, Portland. $10. mayostreetarts.org. 8 pm Rock My Soul Gospel Concert, singers and instrumentalists, Saco River Grange Hall, Bar Mills.

Manto doesn't let you forget

The Express Tribune (blog) - Dec 31, 1969

Sufi mystics would agree with him wholeheartedly, asserting that God and the devil both reside within us. DESIGN: SIDRAH MOIZ My first 'experience' of Manto's work was with his short story 'Khol Do' – a deceptively simple tale set in the turmoil of

Has Imran Khan's Political Tsunami Hit Pakistani Shores?

CounterPunch - Dec 31, 1969

Untroubled by such skeptics, Imran Khan recognizes this obscure sufi as the “single most powerful spiritual influence” on his life. I respect this openness to the Unseen, this divinely implanted 'naiveté' – if you will – that lies at the heart of all