New Liberal Mosque Set Up in Berlin

[sayak83]

I do see some strong representation within progressive Islam from India - do you think it can successfully rival the strength of the Wahhabi movement there?

India is currently dominated by the Barelvi sect of Islam (70% of all Muslims), which organized itself as combination of Islamic theology and Sufi traditions and seeks to support South Asian Sufi and mystical traditions as opposed to more scholastic movements like the Deobandi (20% of Muslims) that seek to strip Islam of such practices. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, the scholastic Deobandi group is aligned with Wahhabi and Salafi Islam (due to Saudi donations). In India this has not yet happened, but Deobandi remains the conservative sect and Barelvi s remain the more diversified and more theologically liberal sect as well as the majority. It's not socially liberal though.

I can say no more than this as most Indian Muslim literature is in urdu which I cannot read.

Both deobandi and Barelvi Islam originated in North India and 99% of all South Asians still follow it. It's unfortunate that Deobandi Islam had fallen prey to Wahhabi formulations, but Barelvi sect remains the majority everywhere in South Asia, though increasingly vulnerable to Islamic extremist violence by Taliban like groups in Bangladesh and Pakistan who are seeking to wipe them out.

 

[Kirran]

India is currently dominated by the Barelvi sect of Islam (70% of all Muslims), which organized itself as combination of Islamic theology and Sufi traditions and seeks to support South Asian Sufi and mystical traditions as opposed to more scholastic movements like the Deobandi (20% of Muslims) that seek to strip Islam of such practices. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, the scholastic Deobandi group is aligned with Wahhabi and Salafi Islam (due to Saudi donations). In India this has not yet happened, but Deobandi remains the conservative sect and Barelvi s remain the more diversified and more theologically liberal sect as well as the majority. It's not socially liberal though.

I can say no more than this as most Indian Muslim literature is in urdu which I cannot read.

Both deobandi and Barelvi Islam originated in North India and 99% of all South Asians still follow it. It's unfortunate that Deobandi Islam had fallen prey to Wahhabi formulations, but Barelvi sect remains the majority everywhere in South Asia, though increasingly vulnerable to Islamic extremist violence by Taliban like groups in Bangladesh and Pakistan who are seeking to wipe them out.

Interesting, I wasn't aware the Deobandis were that small, numerically. Do you have sources?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

An attempt at liberalizing/modernizing Islam would not only do Muslims good, but the rest of the world as well. Such steps are well overdue and should be welcomed by all who support the free and open expression of all religions, and tolerance between them.

 

[sayak83]

Interesting, I wasn't aware the Deobandis were that small, numerically. Do you have sources?

Check wiki. They have the best source I found. Some other Internet links, but nothing special.

Here is a news article that's a bit incidental but informative.
Barelvis, Deobandis to join hands on electing Muslims? - Times of India

After PM Modi's appeal, Barelvi Sufis hit out against Wahabism in India

 

[Kirran]

Check wiki. They have the best source I found. Some other Internet links, but nothing special.

Here is a news article that's a bit incidental but informative.
Barelvis, Deobandis to join hands on electing Muslims? - Times of India

After PM Modi's appeal, Barelvi Sufis hit out against Wahabism in India

Interesting, thanks sayak. The former article suggests that politicians tend to try and appeal to Deobandis. It also says that Deobandis and Barelvis put together constitute about 80% of UP Sunni Muslims. Probably most of the remainder are non-denominational?

Then you've got 25% of Indian Muslims as Shia, with Ismailis pretty big. I would suspect it would be lower than that in UP, given greater numbers of Ismailis in Gujarat and Maharashtra, as I understand it.

The second article seems positive. Of how much import it is, who knows?

I suspect recent agitation over triple talaq is not coming from Deobandis.

 

[LuisDantas]

Religion always comes to change traditions
But the dogma does not change

I agree, although we must be careful to ensure that we are using compatible understandings of the word "religion".

Religion is much too important to be allowed to be contained by dogma.

 

[sayak83]

Interesting, thanks sayak. The former article suggests that politicians tend to try and appeal to Deobandis. It also says that Deobandis and Barelvis put together constitute about 80% of UP Sunni Muslims. Probably most of the remainder are non-denominational?

Then you've got 25% of Indian Muslims as Shia, with Ismailis pretty big. I would suspect it would be lower than that in UP, given greater numbers of Ismailis in Gujarat and Maharashtra, as I understand it.

The second article seems positive. Of how much import it is, who knows?

I suspect recent agitation over triple talaq is not coming from Deobandis.

The agitation to abolish triple talaq is coming from social workers groups and women's rights advocates. The govt. is considering it because it helps gain support from its own constituency, but then earlier govt. did nothing also because that aided their own base. So nothings new.

 

[Kirran]

The agitation to abolish triple talaq is coming from social workers groups and women's rights advocates. The govt. is considering it because it helps gain support from its own constituency, but then earlier govt. did nothing also because that aided their own base. So nothings new.

That makes sense. I didn't really expect there'd be any genuine force coming from the government on the issue. Grassroots only.

 

[Notanumber]

It is not difficult to understand
But you have to be honest in your search

I found this to be an interesting discussion.

 

[Jerusalem719]

This of course goes completely against the quran, i dont think muslims will be too happy about that.

 

[j1i]

Ibn Rushd Mosque is being set up in Germany, spearheaded by Seyran Ates, a Turkish-born German Muslim woman. There'll be two imams leading Friday prayers, one man and one woman. They've also reached out to Imam Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, a fairly prominent figure in the pro-LGBT progressive Muslim sphere.

This is one of a growing number of such mosques to be found in the Western world, where it is safe for them to be set up openly. They are building on grassroots groups which meet informally for prayers etc, such as Imaan in the UK and these kinds of people.

Source.

Please note that this is in Discussion, not Debates

The mosque is a place of worship for God and is a sign of his obedience
To succeed in worship we must not oppose it in its laws
God rejects homosexuality