Hello Friends,
I wish to share a documentary I watched a while ago.
I'd be interested to hear people's comments and opinions.
This isn't the 'debate' section, so I hope we can more or less express ourselves and perhaps go so far as to lightly comment on parts of others' posts.
What put in on my mind is that tonight my Wife and I are going to the Sufi Centre here in Toronto to have an evening with the Dervishes, the music and watching them join with the whirl of the Cosmos.
Caution:
Don't be turned off by the opening scenes please. It's not as bad as it looks. Opening with an explosion was not THE most enticing start...
However..
This is one seriously awesome documentary about spirituality and music.... not that they are separate by any means....
So be patient please and bear with the beginning, it's part of the point/contrast, I feel.
Google:
Sufi.Soul Documentary
Youtube playlist in 5 parts:
Part 1:
[youtube]ha0T5Vro6_w[/youtube]
Sufi.Soul.Channel4.Documentary part 1 - YouTube
May you enjoy it and experience it fully and deeply in your Heart.
-The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me-
:namaste
SageTree
I wish to share a documentary I watched a while ago.
I'd be interested to hear people's comments and opinions.
This isn't the 'debate' section, so I hope we can more or less express ourselves and perhaps go so far as to lightly comment on parts of others' posts.
What put in on my mind is that tonight my Wife and I are going to the Sufi Centre here in Toronto to have an evening with the Dervishes, the music and watching them join with the whirl of the Cosmos.
Caution:
Don't be turned off by the opening scenes please. It's not as bad as it looks. Opening with an explosion was not THE most enticing start...
However..
This is one seriously awesome documentary about spirituality and music.... not that they are separate by any means....
So be patient please and bear with the beginning, it's part of the point/contrast, I feel.
Google:
Sufi.Soul Documentary
Youtube playlist in 5 parts:
Part 1:
[youtube]ha0T5Vro6_w[/youtube]
Sufi.Soul.Channel4.Documentary part 1 - YouTube
The film follows William Dalrymples personal journey into the mystical and musical side of Islam as he charts traditions of Sufi music in Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Morocco.
With a dogmatic and fundamentalist view of Muslims increasingly predominant in the Western media, there has never been a more important time to show an alternative view of Islam. Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam that preaches peace, tolerance and pluralism, while encouraging music as a way of deepening ones relationship with God. This documentary explores Sufism and its music in different parts of the Islamic world, including Syria, Turkey, Pakistan and Morocco.
Sufi Soul reveals the views and beliefs of devotees while examining the growing threat from fundamentalist Islam and showcasing fantastic performances from some of the worlds greatest Sufi musicians.
As Muslim extremists dominate the headlines, writer and historian William Dalrymple explores an altogether different side of Islam. Sufi Soul the Mystic Music of Islam, follows Dalrymple on a personal journey into the mystical and musical side of Islam as he charts the traditions of Sufi music in Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Morocco.
For 1400 hundred years there has been a debate within Islam between liberal Sufi and orthodox approaches. For millions of Sufi followers worldwide, music is at the heart of their tradition; a crucial vehicle for getting closer to God. This is at direct odds with fundamentalist Islam which either disapproves of music or, at its most extreme, thinks it should be banned. This has led to varying degrees of Sufi persecution by fellow Muslims over the centuries.
Taking many different forms across the Islamic world - from the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey to the Qawwali music of Pakistan or the latest Grammy-winning CD by Youssou NDour - Sufism has produced some of the worlds most spectacular and inspirational music celebrated by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Exactly where and when Sufism began is difficult to say, but its often forgotten that Islam and Christianity have shared roots in the Middle East. Dalrymples film traces this common history, and discovers Sufism to be a peaceful, tolerant and pluralistic bulwark against fundamentalism.
Sufi Soul shows the music in its authentic, live setting in Sufi shrines and meeting places across the Islamic world, but also how its a part of popular culture. In Pakistan it features the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, the extraordinary Sufi troubadour Sain Zahoor and Pakistans most popular pop group Junoon. In Turkey theres ney player Kudsi Erguner, Whirling Dervishes from Istanbul and the club-Sufi Mercan Dede. Dalyrmple also charts the worldwide impact of Rumi, the 13th century Sufi mystic who was perhaps surprisingly - the best-selling poet in America in the 1990s. The film closes in Morocco at the Fes Festival of Sacred Music where the ideals of Sufism are extended to embrace faiths worldwide. The Senegalese star Youssou NDour performs a song celebrating one of the Sufi saints of Fes. Before the recent problems, for the majority of Muslims Islam was always a religion of peace and tolerance. I believe music can correct the image of Islam.
May you enjoy it and experience it fully and deeply in your Heart.
-The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me-
:namaste
SageTree