Sufi Handbook

12
One thing must not be forgotten. Forget all else, but remember this, And you will have no regrets. Remember everything else, But ignore this one thing, And you will have done nothing. It is as if a king sent you on a mission to a foreign land To perform one special task for him. If you do a hundred things, but not this appointed task, What have you accomplished? Human beings come into this world for a particular purpose, And if they forget it they would have done nothing at all. Jalal Al-Din Rumi The Tramway, Glasgow 4 to 6 August 2006 We hope you will find this handbook useful in learning about Sufism and the Festival. The aim is to help to look more deeply into this heritage occasion – a unique new event in Scotland. At this Sufi Festival you have the opportunity to dip into many strands of Sufism and Sufi ways. The way of the Sufi just might affect the way you look at things and what you do in the future. Pullout Children’s Section pages 3 to 6 Festival Programme from page 7 Sufi Handbook Sufi wisdom can still hit home in a modern world obsessed with pleasure and material wealth – obsessions that threaten the future of our planet. World Sufi Festival

Transcript of Sufi Handbook

Page 1: Sufi Handbook

One thing must not be forgotten. Forget all else, but remember this,

And you will have no regrets. Remember everything else, But ignore this one thing,

And you will have done nothing. It is as if a king sent you on a mission to a foreign land

To perform one special task for him. If you do a hundred things, but not this appointed task,

What have you accomplished? Human beings come into this world

for a particular purpose, And if they forget it

they would have done nothing at all.

Jalal Al-Din Rumi

The Tramway,Glasgow4 to 6 August 2006

We hope you will find this handbookuseful in learning about Sufism and the Festival. The aim is to help to look more deeply into this heritage occasion – a unique new event in Scotland.

At this Sufi Festival you have theopportunity to dip into many strandsof Sufism and Sufi ways. The way of the Sufi just might affectthe way you look at things and whatyou do in the future.

Pullout Children’s Section pages 3 to 6

Festival Programme from page 7

Sufi HandbookSufi wisdom can still hit home in a modern world obsessed with pleasure and material wealth – obsessions that threaten the future of our planet.

World Sufi Festival

Page 2: Sufi Handbook

This handbook has been prepared with grant aid by the Heritage Lottery Fund, whichis the main sponsor of our event. We wish to acknowledge the financial and in-kindsupport of the following for the Festival: City of Glasgow Council, Ministry of CultureGovernment of Pakistan, Pakistan International Airlines, BanglaScot Foundation,Robert Wiseman Dairies, ARY Digital, Boulevard Self Drive, MilanWedding, Sher Brothers, United Cash & Carry, United Polmadie,Anchul Collection, Snax 4U, Aaramis Dubai, Awaz F.M., EasternEye, Awaz newspaper, Village Curry House, Grafx DesignThis festival is part of the UK-wide Festival of Muslim Cultureswww.muslimcultures.org

Association of Poetry and MusicGlasgow wish all our visitors a warmwelcome to the Festival. Additionalinformation is on our website atwww.sufifestival.com. We hope all ofyou enjoy the event.

This booklet encourages us all tolook at life afresh, and thinkmore about who we are andwhat we do.

We wander through some Sufi stories to get the idea of the Sufimessage in an easy form and we look at other information that wehope you will find interesting and helpful. Especially we dip into thewonderful wealth of Sufi poetry. You may not have time to read all thisat the Festival – so please read the handbook when you get home.

How to learn moreAbout SufismVisit – Sufism Symposium 2006 –Edinburgh. International gatheringfrom 14 to 16 September, ideal forpeople wishing to learn more.www.sufisymposium.orgWeb – Try these web searcheswww.zensufi.com/stories or Googlesearch ‘Sufi story’Read – Principles of Sufism (Paperback) by Nahid AnghaSufism: The Transformation of theHeart (Paperback) by Llewellyn Vaughan LeeEssential Sufism (Paperback) by Robert Frager, Clifton Fadiman,James Fadiman

About Love and PeaceFor ChildrenRead - Peace, Love And Vegetables(Herb the Vegetarian Dragon)(Paperback) by Jules Bass, DebbieHarter (illustrator)

About World ReligionsVisit – St Mungo’s Museum of ReligiousLife and Art, 2 Castle Street, Glasgow G4 0RHThe Burrell Collection Islamic Gallery,Pollok Country Park, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow G43 1ATRead – Islamby Philip Wilkinson and Batul Salazar

For ChildrenRead - Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents (AesopPrize/Paperback) by Sarah Conover, Freda Crane, Valerie Wahl (illustrator)The Facts About Islamby Alison CooperThe Oxford Children’s A to Z of World Religionsby Anita Ganeri

For Adults Explaining to ChildrenIslam Explained (Paperback) by Tahar Ben Jelloun, Franklin Philip (Translator)The Kingfisher Book of Religions,Festivals, ceremonies and beliefsaround the world by Trevor Barnes

Sufi Handbook

Sufi HandbookResearch and Development: www.melange.org.ukIllustrations by Joanna Boyce.Design and Production: www.lunaria.co.ukAll copyright reserved. July 2006

Page 3: Sufi Handbook

Several blind people were brought into a large tent,where an elephant was kept. ‘Now you can find out what an elephant is,’ they were told. Each blind personfelt a different part of the elephant's body.

After they had come out of the tent, one ofthem was asked: ‘What does the elephant resemble?’ From the reply, ‘The elephant is like a pillar,’it was clear that this blind man had felt theanimal's leg. ‘No,’ said another, ‘the elephant is more like awall.’ A third disagreed, saying: ‘Like sailcloth,’ while a fourth cried: ‘Like a hose.’ Each of them was right, of course. The one who had felt the elephant's bellycompared it to a wall; the one who comparedit to sailcloth had felt its ear; the one who saidit resembled a hose had felt its trunk.

Today, Sufi poetry, music and ideastravel the world in seconds – thanks tothe Internet. It was not always so.

In early Sufi times the Sufi would travelthe world on a donkey, taking monthsto reach a destination, if not years. So it was a slow movement of ideas.

The Elephant and the BlindMen

Nowadays news travels fast around theworld. You can download to yourmobile or catch up with events as theyhappen on your radio, TV or computer.It was not always so.Troubadours, travelling singers andstorytellers would travel from village tovillage, town to town, bringing thenews and singing their songs,accompanying themselves on theirmusical instruments. The only way anews story got over a mountain was fora troubadour or other traveller to bringit by donkey – or if the traveller wasricher, he could afford a horse.Thesetroubadours would tell the stories ofwhat was happening through song,composing songs as they travelledaround and picked up more news.In a country such as Turkey there wouldbe a community house for the troubadouror traveller to stay. In that house villagerswould gather to hear the news throughlistening to songs and poetry In Turkeythere are over 30,000 such songs handeddown, written down over the generationsand now many are recorded.Western Europe also had thesetroubadours and the ones that travelledin Turkey would also get into Franceand Spain. In those days there were noborders, no visas. A traveller could goanywhere in any country.In the middle ages, a conflict beganbetween Christianity and Islam; tworeligions that like Judaism come from

the same part of the world and all have a common beginning in the familyof Abraham. The conflict made it harder for thetroubadours to come to WesternEurope. This meant a big change in the instruments that were heard inWestern Europe.Eastern sounding instruments wereremoved in the west. There are manymore musical scales in the Easterninstruments than in the Westerninstruments, around 15 times as manyscales. Western music has only 20musical scales. So when it came tocomposing music, westerners likeMozart were limited in a way thateasterners were not.This division in the Middle Ages meantthat the differences in the way of life, in the way of being, in simple thingslike food, became greater.Art and music have always beenproviding ways for us to expressourselves and reflect our sentiments.When we look into ourselves we seelots of different levels of feeling,different levels of joy, different levels of sadness, different levels of kindness,different levels of anger. (cont. over)

The elephant's body did have all those parts,

but they were not the elephant.

Those who wear blinkers in matters of faith and belief are like the blind mendescribing the elephant. Each is right up to a point, but the whole truth emergesonly if they get together and harmonise their conflicting views, instead ofcriticising one another and fighting in the dark.

Spreading ideas about peace and love…and also the latest news

page 1

Page 4: Sufi Handbook

page 2

Abul Hasan invented the Telescope.

Ibn Yunus of Egypt invented the pendulum, which led to the measurement of time by its swings.

The invention of the Mariners Compass revolutionised sea borne commerce and oceanic shipping enabling the Arabs to roam over the stormy seas in quest of new lands and additional markets.

Photography was invented by Ibn al-Hashem.

Muhammad Musa, a great scholar of geography, invented an instrument by which the earth could be measured.

Arab chemists introduced soap to the world.

Muslims, particularly in Spain, exhibiting marvellous skill and taste, manufactured wonderful cloth.

The first observatory in Europe was built in Spain under the supervision of celebratedmathematician, Jabir Ibn Afiah.

Ibn Katina, a Moorish Physician, discovered thecontagious character of the plague and its remedies.

Eastern music with its 300 scales allowsmany more avenues to express emotionsthan the more limited western scales.That’s one of the reasons why in the westso many people have become interestedin eastern music, especially Sufi music.As far back as the 13th century thesescales were used in therapy, held inhouses for people with mental healthproblems. In the 20th century there was alot of discovery going on along similar useof music and the arts in health situations.The Sufi ways are centuries old and haverelevance today. Nowadays, those whoare truly interested in peace and love arefinding ways to explore each other’scultures so we better understand just howmuch we actually have in common.Sufi thought has influenced many religiousand non-religious people. It is not onlyMuslims that look on themselves asfollowers of the Sufi way of life. However, most Sufis are Muslims. In schools, children will have learnedwhat Muslims believe. But not all adults know this.

For Muslims there are five importantactions (the five pillars) they should carry out:

The declaration of faith ‘I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and testify that Muhammad is his messenger’

The duty to pray five times a day

Give to charity

Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan

Making a pilgrimage to Mecca

At the Sufi Festival you have the opportunity to dip into many strands of Sufism and Sufiinfluenced activity. The Way of the Sufi just might affect the way you look at things and what you do in the future.

Some interesting things were going on in the Islamic world as Sufism was developing.

Page 5: Sufi Handbook

page 3

At 7 years old you'll be able to understand things you couldn't understand at 4.

In the same way, when you get to 70 you'll understand things you wouldn't understand at 40.

Some people at 40 forget things they understood when they were 4!

And some things in life we never understand. It is easy to ask what is the way to

Glasgow Green and get an answer.It is harder to get answers

to some questions.

Children, this middle section is for you. You can pull it out and keep it as a wall chart. This part is also for parents who want to explore ideas with their children.

There is still huge mystery aboutthe world and so much that wecannot explain. Sufis are peoplewho try to explain theunexplainable so that they can getcloser to God.Religions all over the world havea similar message, telling us tolove and respect our God throughloving and caring for each other.

This message of love and respectis at the heart of Sufi thought. Right back since the olden daysthe Sufi way of life has meantgiving things up and taking onchallenges in order to feel asclose to God as possible. Modernday Sufis still give up a lot ofmaterial possessions and livesimply only on what they need.

Sufis share their thoughts andideas by talking, havingdiscussions and telling stories. Many Sufis sing, dance and drum to connect themselvescloser to God.Caring about the Soul is central tobeing a Sufi. A good Sufi tries neverto be rude or vain or selfish, andinstead chooses to behave well andbe kind, tolerant and generous.

To be a Sufi you must listen to your conscience and pay specialattention to your inner voice.Discovering, celebrating andsharing God's love and beauty can help us on our way. Sufis believe that if we all act justly and respectfully then wedeserve to find our way to God.And in finding God, we canexperience peace and unity with all beings. For Sufis life is a precious spiritual journey.

Sufism Guide for Children

Page 6: Sufi Handbook

There was a young man called Aurangzebwho used to roam from town to town sellinghats for a living. One day he would be in one town and the next in another. One summer afternoon, Aurangzeb had justtravelled across a vast plain, so he felt tiredand wanted to take a nap in the jungle. He found a mango tree with lots of branchesand cool shade. Placing his bag of hats beside him, he went to sleep.

Aurangzeb was fast asleep in no time. When he woke up after a refreshing nap, he found that there were no hats in his bag! ‘Oh, no!’ he said to himself and shook hishead sadly, ‘Of all the people, why did thethieves have to rob me?’Suddenly, he looked up and noticed that themango tree was full of cute monkeys wearingcolourful hats. He yelled at the monkeys andthey screamed back. He made faces at themand they returned the same funny faces. He threw a stone at them and they showeredhim with raw mangos.

‘How do I get my hats back?’ Aurangzeb pondered.

Frustrated, he took off his own hat and threw it on the ground. To his surprise, the monkeys also threw their hats! Aurangzeb did not waste a second and hurriedly collected the hats and went on his way to the next town.

Fifty years later, young Habib, grandson ofthe famous hat-seller Aurangzeb, whoworked hard to maintain the family business,was passing through the same jungle. After along walk he was very tired and found a nicemango tree with lots of branches and coolshade. Habib decided to rest a while andvery soon was fast asleep. A few hours later, when Habib woke up, herealised that all the hats from his bag weregone! He started searching for them and tohis surprise found some monkeys sitting inthe mango tree wearing his hats.

page 4

Aurangzeb the Hat Seller

Page 7: Sufi Handbook

A thief entered the house of a Sufi, and found nothing there. As he was leaving, the Sufi saw the thief’s disappointment and threw him theblanket in which he was sleeping, so that he would not go away empty-handed.

The Thief and the BlanketHe was frustrated and did not know what to do, but then he remembered a story his grandfather used to tell him.

‘Oh, I can fool these monkeys!’ said Habib.

‘I will make them imitate me and very soon I will get all the hats back!’ Habibwaved at the monkeys and the monkeyswaved back at him. He blew his nose and the monkeys blew their noses. He started dancing and the monkeys also danced. He pulled his ears and the monkeys pulled their ears. He raised his hands and the monkeys raised their hands.Then, he threw his hat on the ground. One monkey jumped down fromthe mango tree, walked up to Habib and said,

‘Do you think only you had a grandfather?’

Much of the Sufi way of life was told centuriesago by the wandering Sufis who told stories likethe one about the thief and the blanket to getacross their message. When we think about the story of the thief andthe blanket most people might say, ‘how stupidthe man was to give away his only blanket!' But instead let's try to really think about thestory and see what it is that the Sufi storyteller is trying to tell us. The Sufi is suggesting that we should thinkabout the needs of people more than we thinkof our possessions. Even if we do not havemuch, we should always try to be kind andgenerous to others.

It is in our nature to care about other peopleand to look after and help our fellow humans,even those we do not know.Your task is to look for and understand the storyteller's messages.What mistakes did the characters in the storiesmake? Can you relate to anyone in the story?Would you have acted differently? Just like in the stories, we all have times whenwe end up being foolish and doing thoughtlessthings - its only human - but how can we try to be better? What can the stories teach us? We should learn from our mistakes andexperiences. We can grow to be morethoughtful, wise, and creative in the way we think. We can live our lives trying to make a difference, in the way we look after eachother and in how we challenge ourselves. We will be stronger in spirit and the journey of life will be all the more rewarding.

page 5

Page 8: Sufi Handbook

page 6

A moment of happiness, you and I

sitting on the verandah,apparently two, but one in soul,

you and I. We feel the flowing water of life here,

you and I, with the garden's beauty

and the birds singing. The stars will be watching us,

and we will show them what it is to be

a thin crescent moon. You and I unselfed, will be together,

indifferent to idle speculation,you and I.

The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar as we laugh together,

you and I. In one form

upon this earth, and in another form

in a timeless sweet land.

- Jalal Al-Din Rumi

A small boy banged a drum all day and loved every moment of it. He would not be quiet, no matter what anyone said. Various people were invited by the neighbours to do something about the child. The first person told the boy that he would burst his eardrums, if he continued to make so much noise,- but this was too advanced an idea for the child.

The second told him that drum beating was a sacred activity and should be carried out only on special occasions. The third offered the neighbours earplugs while the fourth gave the boy a book. Some of these cures worked for a short while, but none worked for long. A Sufi came along. He looked at the situation, handed the boy a hammer and chisel, and said,

‘I wonder what is inside the drum?’

Banging a Drum

Look for other Sufi stories in your local library or search through the Internet for ‘Sufi stories’.

Page 9: Sufi Handbook

The PoetsJoined by local poets, a group of award-winning poets appear in the Mushaira (poetry reading). Himayat Ali Shair of Karachi is poet,journalist, teacher, Urdu lyricist for televisionand film, drama writer and author of sevenpoetry and three prose books. He enthralsfans of Urdu poetry with his ghazals andnazms. His melodious rendering has upliftedthe mood of many a poetry meeting. Zahid Fakhri of Faisalabad, is an Urdu andPunjabi lyricist, drama writer and author offour poetry books. In India he was reported as ‘literally bringing tears into the eyes ofmany, mostly women’. Dr Inam Ul Haq Javed of Faisalabad, is an Urdu and Punjabi poet, drama writer and lecturer at Alsms Iqbal Open Universityas well as columnist of various Urdunewspapers. Javed is well known for comedypoetry. He’s written eleven books on poetryand presents Urdu and Punjabi shows on Pakistan TV. Hasan Sultan Kazmi of Lahore, an Urdu poetand writer, is the son of the famous poet NasirKazmi. He is assistant professor at IslamiaCollege, Lahore, and honorary editor of an Urdu magazine. Author of three books, he is president of the Nasir Kazmi Society.

Iftikhar Nasim lives in Chicago. He is anUrdu, Punjabi and English poet and writerand broadcaster on Chicago Asian Radio‘Sargam’. Iftikhar is author of eight books of poetry and short stories. Nida Fazli lives in Mumbai and is an Urduand Hindi poet and writer. A lyricist for filmsand a TV presenter, he is famous for hishaunting composition for the film ‘AahistaAahista’ and his celebrated lyrics were usedIn ‘Tum To Aise Na The’, ‘Is Raat Ki SubahNahin’ and ‘Gudiya’. His ghazals and variouscompositions are sung by almost all thereputed artistes of the day. Nida is author of fifteen books including poetry and prose. Urdu poet Rehana Qamar is from California.According to the Islamabad News, Rehana’spoetry ‘stands out as an expression of earnestdedication towards pure and unblemishedfeelings. Rehana has portrayed intenserealistic expression of unpolluted love’. She’s author of four poetry books.

Crafts Workers from MultanMultan is the main city of southern Punjab and one of the oldest living cities in south Asia.It has always enjoyed great importance. It attracted the Sufi saints so much that the citybecame the abode of Sufism in south Asia. The old city has many elaborately decoratedShrines of the Sufi saints, and a very interestingBazaar with Craft Market. Much of this CraftMarket is represented at the Glasgow festival.Kuraishi (crochet) work has been used for its beauty and decoration for centuries. In the beginning animal wool was used for this purpose. Now bed sheet, cushions andchadars are made of crochet. Fatima Kanwaldemonstrates this inherited craft.

Haq Nawaz ‘Okair Sazi’ (okairmanship) is very popular. ‘Okair’ means ‘to emboss’. It is used for embossed designs using specialthreads (‘Tila’) on leather products like shoes.Nowadays this art is used in calligraphy. Ustad Abdul Rasheed Qureshi makes thingsout of camel bone, including women’sjewellery, table lamps and lockets.Abdul Rehman Naqqash presents an art thathas been in this region for centuries. In 1910Ustad Abdullah introduced the Islamic touchto this art by making lamps of camel's skin. A hall in Serena Hotel Faisalabad has beennamed after his father and is declared the best hall of Asia. Next we have the expert in Kaashi,Muhammad Wajid. Multan is famous for blue pottery, especially turquoise tiles. This craft came to the sub-continent from Iran and the Middle East. Wajid worked at the Shrine of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam and on Bhong Mosque. Muhammed Shafiq is expert in the old craft of pottery. Ustad Ajmal Chistti is a glasswork expert, also an old tradition. Pieces of glass are joinedto form a specific design on buildings and fordesigning utensils or pottery. He has workedin Afghanistan and Japan. Finally there is Rashid Mukhtar, a leadingartist who is skilled across a range of arts and crafts from landscape painting to portraits,from photography to calligraphy. Calligraphyis especially important in Islam as the Prophet said ‘Good writing is importantbecause it makes the truth stand out’.

In this handbook we try to give you a bit of backgroundto the artists and crafts workers – but you can get moreinformation by doing web searches on many of thenames and activities you see here.

The Festival Programme

page 7

Page 10: Sufi Handbook

PerformersSalamat Ali and Azra Riaz from LahoreThis entrancing husband-and-wife teamsing popular ghazals and other songs,many from Sufi tradition. Salamat Aliis one of the finest classical singers inthe Pakistani music industry. Azra isequally impressive. Ghazal is a form of poetry set to light classical music of the north of the subcontinent.Originating in Iran around the 10th century AD, it came into Indiawith the Persian invasion in the 13th Century. Ever since it hascaptured the hearts and minds ofpeople who listen to this beautiful,most poetic of styles. One of theghazal's greatest virtues is that it draws from a variety of sources toarrive at a melody that gives theaudience a feeling of listening tosomething of beauty. As ever theghazal is still popular today.

Joler Gaan from DhakaJoler Gaan (music of water) - the nameitself portrays its characteristics, virtuesand nature. In the rivers inundatingBangladesh, different and diversifiedsymphonies are webbed throughoutthe country as the streams of waterflow. ‘We are the children of the soilwhere the river purifies us. Wewhisper the symphonies of this genrein soft and soothing voices. Dark atnight our dreams express themselveson a sailing boat in a land of naturalabundance. These rivers are like livesflowing away undeterred. Sometimesthey are poignant features of ourethnic roots. We sail away in theworld of fantasy and imagination. We aspire to know why the bird sings,why the sprinkling of water soundsharmonious. With questions like thesechurning in our minds we hum thetunes and sing Joler Gaan inunhindered voices’. Joler Gaan will play the roles oftroubadours of old, playing around the Sufi Festival site – including by the flowing water feature in theseclusion of the ‘Hidden Garden’.

Sher Miandad Khan Qawwal from Pak PattanWhen Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died in 1997 a couple of years after hisacclaimed concert in Edinburgh’sMeadowbank Centre, the art of SufiQawwali took a huge body blow.There is no doubt that Sher MiandadKhan carries the art forwardimpressively. Qawwali is thedevotional music of the Sufis.Originally performed mainly at Sufishrines it has also gained popularity in the mainstream especially with thework of Nusrat. Qawwali is a vibrantmusical tradition that stretches backmore than 700 years. Rooted in Sufitraditions, Sher Miandad Khan singsout of discretion and humility. As theresident qawwal and composer at theshrine of Sufi saint Baba Farid-ud-Dinin Pak Pattan, he offers melodies thatare deep and moving; thoughts thatare pure and humble. For him thefabled peace only exists in the timeless verses written by the mystics.

Ajoka Theatre from Lahore‘Bullha’ a play on the life and times ofBaba Bulleh Shah, a tribute to thegreat mystic. It is broadly based onthe events of his life, as communicatedthrough his poetry, historical recordsand popular myths. There is no dearthof dramatic episodes in the life ofBulleh Shah. His search for truth, hisdevotion to his mentor Shah Inayat, his conflict with the intolerant clergyand corrupt Nawabs, his opposition to the wars and bloodshed in thename of religion - are all incorporatedin powerful scenes in the play. Theplay has a great relevance to present-day South Asia. It is a strong plea forlove and peace, and an indictmentagainst intolerance, violence andhatred. ‘Bulleh Shah’ is not just aperiod play. It is also a celebration of the rich and vibrant culture of thePunjab. Ajoka’s critically acclaimedproduction has been seen in India,Iran and the US as well as in theirhomeland Pakistan, where Ajoka arethe country’s leading non-commercialand socially committed theatre group.In Urdu Punjabi with English surtitles.

page 8

The garden of Love is green without limit and yields many fruits other than sorrow and joy.Love is beyond either condition: without spring,

without autumn, it is always fresh

- Jalal Al-Din Rumi

Page 11: Sufi Handbook

page 9

The timetable is correct at time ofgoing to press. This does not show all events and you will come acrosssurprise events from time-to-time. World Sufi Festival will try to keep to this programme but changes maybe made over the weekend. Up-to-date information will beavailable at the Tramway Box Office.

Tramway 1 events are admission by ticket or wristband.

Page 12: Sufi Handbook

Talks and FilmJoin in our talks on Sufism and Sufi related themes.

Friday at 1.00 p.m. Islamic Sufism and Spirituality– Noorah Al-Gailani, ScotlandFriday at 3.00 p.m. What Sufism means to contemporary Punjabis– Ajay Bhardwaj, India

(includes film clips)Saturday at 1.00 p.m. Social outsiders and the role ofreligion in contemporary world– Dr Vandana Joshi, IndiaSaturday at 3.00 p.m. Sufism and the age-old traditional crafts– Fauzia Azim, PakistanSunday at 12 noon Kitte Mil Ve Mahi – Film and Discussion– Ajay Bhardwaj, IndiaSunday at 3.00 p.m. Sufism in the 21st Century– Panel discussion with

the above speakers.

WorkshopsFrom Monday 31 July there is a seriesof workshops. Details are available atwww.sufifestival.comIn this handbook we focus on what is available over the Festival weekend.Also, over the weekend you can tryout craft activities. Look at the programme on the insideback page for the location of activities.

Age 9 to 12 yearsChildren’s Poetry WorkshopSaturday 1.00 to 2.00 p.m.Explore the world of Sufi ideas throughpoetry and stories for children.

TeensPoetry WorkshopSunday 3.00 to 4.00 p.m.Explore the world of Sufi ideas and teenage challenges through poetry.

Adults Women’s Poetry WorkshopSaturday 3.00 to 4.00 p.m.Explore the world of Sufi ideas from a women’s perspective through poetry.Salamat Ali Music WorkshopSunday 1.00 to 2.30 p.m.Join the internationally acclaimedmusician and singer for a workshop on Sufi music and song.Community Poetry WorkshopSunday 1.00 to 2.00 p.m.Explore the world of Sufi ideas through poetry.

Other EventsWatch out for these additional highlights:

Friday at 4.00pm and 7.00 p.m.Fashion ShowAnchul Collection presents a beautiful show around Sufi themes.

Saturday at 12.30 p.m.Sufi SessionsMusic from workshops with local people developed by Kimho Ip and Joler Gaan

Sunday at 3.30 p.m.Shazia Mirza - ‘Fun’‘Fun’ is Shazia’s Edinburgh Festivalshow. A stand-up show on how Shaziatried to go about having fun (withinthe boundaries of her religion). ‘Funniest show she has ever done’ London Evening Standard

The Festival Programme

Special Events for ChildrenSufi Storytelling in the Boilerhouse Saturday and Sunday at 1.00 p.m, 2.00 p.m., 3.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m.Face Painting in the BoilerhouseSaturday and Sunday from 12.30 p.m.Children’s Challengein the BoilerhouseFriday, Saturday and Sunday from 12.30 p.m. Children’s Fun Fair Ridesin the Hidden Garden.Friday, Saturday and Sundayfrom noon.

Draw a picture of yourfavourite Sufi story or poemor song or craft worker thatyou heard or saw today.

The competition is dividedinto two age groups: under 8years and 8 to 11 years.There’s a first, second andthird prize for each agegroup each day. Meet in the Boilerhouse in the Hidden Garden.

Children’s Challenge