Article

2004-04-21 Iraq-Jordan

Sufi Baathists among Fallujah insurgents

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Posted by Dan Darling 2004-04-21 1:18:59 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Before the war, Human Rights Watch condemned Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish- led militant group sympathetic to Osama bin Laden, for destroying the shrines of Sufi saints in north-eastern Iraq. But now, says Sheikh Abdulwahab, the two movements have found common cause.

I against my brother; I and my brother against our cousin; my brother and our cousin against our neighbors; all of us against the foreigner.

Posted by Paul Moloney 2004-04-21 1:54:19 AM|| 2004-04-21 1:54:19 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Sufism is a fascinating subject, although my knowledge of it is only through reading the Sufi "pope" Idries Shah. From what I can tell, it is virtually a completely different religion than, say, Wahabism. It is a "spiritual", ie psychological interpretation of Islam, definitely not literalist. There is a long history of Sufis being persecuted by the more mainstream religion because they don't take the Quran literally. Some people have theorized that Sufism is a remnant of an older religion related to Hinduism and Buddhism, and there are a lot of resemblances. It is organized around spiritual masters and their students. This cell-like organization, which tends to be secretive anyway, lends itself to infiltration by poltical forces who then turn it toward subversive activities. For every genuine mystic or saintly master there are probably 10 or 100 false ones.

Posted by virginian 2004-04-21 9:07:40 AM|| 2004-04-21 9:07:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Sufi Ba'athists? I thought the Sufis would have more sense.

Posted by mojo 2004-04-21 2:15:02 PM|| 2004-04-21 2:15:02 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Sufi jihadists in Fallujah is just Darwinism at work. Dervish meets Devil Dog = dead dervish.

Posted by RWV 2004-04-21 2:46:53 PM|| 2004-04-21 2:46:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 several commentators e.g.,Stephen Swartz of the National Standard (who I think is a Sufi) and Winds of Change site, have given Sufi good PR for a couple of years. I always suspected that there was a dark evil side of Sufi ism.

Posted by mhw 2004-04-21 4:32:19 PM|| 2004-04-21 4:32:19 PM|| Front Page Top

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