Signs that all is not well with a Pir or Murshid
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: November 07, 2014 08:06AM
Be alert, friends. The more sophisticated pirs will form networks in emigre communities in the West.
There is so much shame around these abuses, few dare complain.
Especially women and girls, who lose their honor (izzat or thar) if
sexually used.
So just because 'there have been no complaints' does not by itself
prove that someone is safe company -- for you or for your family.
One way to assess is to see what kind of a community condenses
around a pir or murshid.
Is the community full of turmoil and intrigue?
Is there a lot of competition for access to the pir?
Does the pir create an atmosphere of suspense and
uncertainty?
Play favorites then abruptly demote someone?
If too many insist the pir can do no wrong, is a miracle worker,
tell stories of skeptics dying or encountering other misfortunes
---avoid such a pir. This is a community made childish and slavish
by fear mongering.
If disciples of a pir are calm, speak mostly of Allah
rather than endless wonder tales of the pir,
if they take initiative in businesses,
are themselves sources of good influence wherever they go
treat their families and neighbors well, and have
the courage to go abroad, this kind of community indicates
that the pir is teaching in a way that inculcates
adulthood and creativity.
[www.dawn.com]
There is so much shame around these abuses, few dare complain.
Especially women and girls, who lose their honor (izzat or thar) if
sexually used.
So just because 'there have been no complaints' does not by itself
prove that someone is safe company -- for you or for your family.
One way to assess is to see what kind of a community condenses
around a pir or murshid.
Is the community full of turmoil and intrigue?
Is there a lot of competition for access to the pir?
Does the pir create an atmosphere of suspense and
uncertainty?
Play favorites then abruptly demote someone?
If too many insist the pir can do no wrong, is a miracle worker,
tell stories of skeptics dying or encountering other misfortunes
---avoid such a pir. This is a community made childish and slavish
by fear mongering.
If disciples of a pir are calm, speak mostly of Allah
rather than endless wonder tales of the pir,
if they take initiative in businesses,
are themselves sources of good influence wherever they go
treat their families and neighbors well, and have
the courage to go abroad, this kind of community indicates
that the pir is teaching in a way that inculcates
adulthood and creativity.
[www.dawn.com]
Quote
BBC NEWS
Thursday, 15 July, 1999, 14:24 GMT 15:24 UK
Pakistan's holy men under fire
Presenter Meriel Beattie speaks to village headman Wassim Rana: a baby was buried alive here
By Arlene Gregorius
Listen to the programme in full
Wassim Rana, a village headman from the Punjab plain in eastern Pakistan, is proud of his community. But not of what happened there a few months ago.
We'd come to his village after hearing that a baby girl had been buried there - alive - by her own family. Wassim had the gruesome task of exhuming the dead baby.
The girl, called Ikra, had been buried on the advice of a pir, one of many religious leaders-cum-faith healers who are believed to be intermediaries between Allah and the community.
There are thousands of pirs across Pakistan, with millions of followers, especially in poorer, rural areas. Part of the Sufi tradition of Islam, genuine pirs are the descendants of Sufi Islamic scholars or holy men, and are believed to have inherited their spiritual powers. People consult the pirs on anything from religious matters, to problems with their mothers-in-law or even medical problems like infertility.
Growing concerns
But now for the first time it's becoming clear that some pirs, especially fake ones, have been routinely abusing their power for corruption, extortion, even rape.
Sobia Rani lives in a poorer district of Lahore, Pakistan's second biggest city. She says she's only thirteen, though she looks a bit older, maybe sixteen. She's about eight months pregnant, or nine; she's not sure, and can't afford the medical treatment to find out. Sobia says she was abducted and raped by a pir and only escaped when she was about four months pregnant.
Her family had first contacted the pir about her brother, who "had supernatural things in his body and did strange things". A psychiatrist might have diagnosed epilepsy or a psychotic illness. But Sobia's family had heard that the local pir was an expert on these problems.
Sobia Rani and her family still suffer the shame of the pir's abuse
The pir agreed to treat Sobia's brother, saying that he'd have to come to their home and pray there for three days for the brother to recover. The family agreed. And one day when the parents were out, the pir said to Sobia that she'd have to come and pray at the local shrine with him. Along with two other men, the pir then abducted and raped her.
Sobia's violators are said to have left Lahore. Sobia says the police have been no help and that she doesn't expect to get justice.
No chance of justice
Sabir Piya is accused of rape and abuse, but denies all charges
We went to meet another pir accused of rape. Pir Sabir Piya sat on the floor in his carpeted room behind a raffia curtain hung with tinsel. He denied the allegations, saying they were baseless, fabricated by his former wife and her friends. But he did agree that in those cases where rape did take place, it would be almost impossible for the woman to get much help (let alone justice) from the police.
With little trust in the justice system, a majority of victims don't even bother going to the police. Asma Jahangir is a Supreme Court lawyer, a staunch supporter for women's rights, and a United Nations rapporteur for Human Rights. She, too, agrees, that it's almost impossible to successfully prosecute a pir.
"It would take a lifetime", she says. And why? Because many police are corrupt, and many pirs are well connected, even politically. Some are feudal landowners, and some are even Members of Parliament.
A pir's power to help
Aftab Shah Jilani (here with a picture of his father) has spent a lifetime promoting good practice
Pir Aftab Jilani is both a landowner and an MP. A direct descendant of an Iraqi Sufi scholar, and even, he claims, of the Prophet Mohammed, he's an example of what a good pir should be. Using his political clout, he's managed to get electricity to 300 villages in his area, as well as gas, drinking water and schools. If someone comes to him for medical or psychiatric problems, he refers them to a doctor.
That's the kind of pir psychiatrist Dr Saad Malik would like to see more of. Dr Malik works with less educated pirs who'd diagnose mental problems like epilepsy or depression as possession by evil spirits. They'd tie, even chain, patients to walls and trees, and leave them there until they got "cured".
Dr Malik set up free clinics to treat the patients medically, but made sure to work with the pirs and get their blessing on the treatment. Doctors know that the belief in the pirs is so deep-rooted, that it would be counterproductive to work against them.
But what can be done about the malicious pirs, the charlatans and sex abusers? Though the law is too weak to deal with them, there's is one other tactic: to expose them. And that's exactly what a number of playwrights and writers have started to do.
Novelist Tehmina Durrani is one of the best-known. Her most recent book, called Blasphemy, is based on what she says is the true story of a particularly sadistic pir, as narrated by his battered and humiliated wife.
To her surprise, there was no strong reaction from pirs when the book first came out. But that was the English-language edition. The translation in Pakistan's national language, Urdu, is due out soon, and Tehmina is not taking any chances. She's hired three armed guards to stand watch outside her house.
Re: Islamic Sufism -- Issues and Incidents
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: November 18, 2014 06:34AM
Self Proclaimed Pirs
[www.google.com]
Self Proclaimed Sheikhs
[www.google.com]
and
(Quote)In fact, Sufism and jurisprudence are like the two schools of a university that seeks to teach its students the two dimensions of the Shari'a so that they can practice it in their daily lives. One school cannot survive without the other, for while one teaches how to pray, be ritually pure, fast, give charity, and how to regulate all aspects of daily life, the other concentrates on what these and other actions really mean, how to make worship an inseparable part of one's existence, and how to elevate each individual to the rank of a universal, perfect being (al-insan al-kamil) a true human being. That is why neither discipline can be neglected.
Although some self-proclaimed Sufis have labeled religious scholars "scholars of ceremonies" and "exoterists," real, per-fected Sufis have always depended on the basic principles of the Shari'a and have based their thoughts on the Qur'an and the Sunna. They have derived their methods from these basic sources of Islam. Al-Wasaya wa al-Ri'aya (The Advices and Observation of Rules) by al-Muhasibi, Al-Ta'arruf li-Madhhab Ahl al-Sufi (A Description of the Way of the People of Sufism) by Kalabazi, Al-Luma' (The Gleams) by al-Tusi, Qut al-Qulub (The Food of Hearts) by Abu Talib al-Makki, and Al-Risala al-Qushayri (The Treatise) by al-Qushayri are among the precious sources that discuss Sufism according to the Qur'an and the Sunna. Some of these sources concentrate on self-control and self-purification, while others elaborate upon various topics of concern to Sufis.
After these great compilers came Hujjat al-Islam Imam al-Ghazzali, author of Ihya' al-'Ulum al-Din (Reviving the Religious Sciences), his most celebrated work. He reviewed all of Sufism's terms, principles, and rules, and, establishing those agreed upon by all Sufi masters and criticizing others, united the outer (Shari'a and jurisprudence) and inner (Sufi) dimensions of Islam. Sufi masters who came after him presented Sufism as one of the religious sciences or a dimension thereof, promoting unity or agreement among themselves and the so-called "scholars of ceremonies." In addition, the Sufi masters made several Sufi subjects, such as the states of the spirit, certainty or conviction, sincerity and morality, part of the curriculum of madrassas (institutes for the study of religious sciences).
Although Sufism mostly concentrates on the individual's
(Unquote)
For the rest, read here:
RumiClub - University of Massachusetts AmherstAlthough some self-proclaimed Sufis have labeled religious scholars "scholars of
ceremonies" and "exoterists," real, per-fected Sufis have always depended on ...
www.umass.edu/gso/rumi/rumi4.htm - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2014 06:37AM by corboy.
[www.google.com]
Self Proclaimed Sheikhs
[www.google.com]
and
(Quote)In fact, Sufism and jurisprudence are like the two schools of a university that seeks to teach its students the two dimensions of the Shari'a so that they can practice it in their daily lives. One school cannot survive without the other, for while one teaches how to pray, be ritually pure, fast, give charity, and how to regulate all aspects of daily life, the other concentrates on what these and other actions really mean, how to make worship an inseparable part of one's existence, and how to elevate each individual to the rank of a universal, perfect being (al-insan al-kamil) a true human being. That is why neither discipline can be neglected.
Although some self-proclaimed Sufis have labeled religious scholars "scholars of ceremonies" and "exoterists," real, per-fected Sufis have always depended on the basic principles of the Shari'a and have based their thoughts on the Qur'an and the Sunna. They have derived their methods from these basic sources of Islam. Al-Wasaya wa al-Ri'aya (The Advices and Observation of Rules) by al-Muhasibi, Al-Ta'arruf li-Madhhab Ahl al-Sufi (A Description of the Way of the People of Sufism) by Kalabazi, Al-Luma' (The Gleams) by al-Tusi, Qut al-Qulub (The Food of Hearts) by Abu Talib al-Makki, and Al-Risala al-Qushayri (The Treatise) by al-Qushayri are among the precious sources that discuss Sufism according to the Qur'an and the Sunna. Some of these sources concentrate on self-control and self-purification, while others elaborate upon various topics of concern to Sufis.
After these great compilers came Hujjat al-Islam Imam al-Ghazzali, author of Ihya' al-'Ulum al-Din (Reviving the Religious Sciences), his most celebrated work. He reviewed all of Sufism's terms, principles, and rules, and, establishing those agreed upon by all Sufi masters and criticizing others, united the outer (Shari'a and jurisprudence) and inner (Sufi) dimensions of Islam. Sufi masters who came after him presented Sufism as one of the religious sciences or a dimension thereof, promoting unity or agreement among themselves and the so-called "scholars of ceremonies." In addition, the Sufi masters made several Sufi subjects, such as the states of the spirit, certainty or conviction, sincerity and morality, part of the curriculum of madrassas (institutes for the study of religious sciences).
Although Sufism mostly concentrates on the individual's
(Unquote)
For the rest, read here:
RumiClub - University of Massachusetts AmherstAlthough some self-proclaimed Sufis have labeled religious scholars "scholars of
ceremonies" and "exoterists," real, per-fected Sufis have always depended on ...
www.umass.edu/gso/rumi/rumi4.htm - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2014 06:37AM by corboy.
One Sindhi Sufi who fought against feudal abuses
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: January 07, 2015 10:10AM
[tribune.com.pk]
The Express Tribune
The Express Tribune
Quote
Invoking Sufi tradition to defeat extremism
Published: January 8, 2012
Promote the message of love and peace, say scholars but warn against shrine worship.
KARACHI:
Noted scholar Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed has underscored the need to promote the ‘cosmopolitan message’ of Sufi saints to fight off the obscurantist forces of fundamentalism and extremism that are gnawing at the roots of the country’s social fabric.
“But instead of worshipping the shrines of Sufi saints, we should promote their message of love, peace and universal brotherhood,” Dr Ahmed, the director of Karachi University’s Pakistan Research Centre, told participants at a seminar on Sufi Shah Inayat, the first socialist Sufi of Sindh. The event was organised by the Sindh Sufi Institute at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi.
Most Sufi saints promoted peace, love and tolerance. But Dr Ahmed doesn’t believe in generalisation and instead calls for a critical approach to the teachings of the practitioners of this esoteric dimension of Islam.
“A blind following of the successors of Sufi saints (sajjada nasheens) has led to the exploitation of Sufism by feudal lords to further their political agendas. It has created political dynasties, such as the Gilanis, the Makhdooms and the Pirs, who exploited their religious statures to become powerful politicians,” he said.
Generally, Sufi saints are believed to be ‘self-mortifying’ hermits, or unproductive ascetics, praying and meditating in the wildernesses. “But look at Sufi Shah Inayat. He wasn’t a recluse, he fought for the rights of his devotees and led them in rebellion against the rulers,” he said.
Progressive writer Muslim Shamim credited Sufi Shah Inayat with conceptualising socialist ideology, though in a rudimentary form, much before Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital. But he lamented that while Marx became the godfather of Socialism – few acknowledged Shah Inayat’s ‘land to the tillers’ philosophy.
In his groundbreaking book ‘From Moses to Karl Marx’, renowned progressive writer Sibte Hassan ignored Sufi Shah Inayat’s contribution to the socialist philosophy in the South Asian subcontinent. However, later he realised his mistake and tried to make amends by writing another book, wherein he dedicated an entire chapter to Sufi Shah Inayat and called him ‘the first Socialist Sufi.’
Advocate Shamim pointed out that much before the establishment of La Commune de Paris – commonly known as the Paris Commune – Sufi Shah Inayat had set up a commune in the Jhoke area of Sindh, then called Miranpur. And his concept of ‘collective farming’ together with his message of love and universal brotherhood earned him a large following.
“In fact, Sufi Shah Inayat rebelled against the political establishment and clergy (read: Mullahism) of his time. And for this, he became a ‘traitor’ and an ‘infidel’. Subsequently, he was put to death by then local Kalhora rulers with the help of their Mughal masters,” said Advocate Shamim.
Zulfiqar Halepota, young columnist and secretary general of the Sindh Democratic Forum, and Professor Monis Ayaz of Khairpur University spoke about the Sufi tradition in the land of Sindh, with particular reference to the role of Sufi Shah Inayat. All speakers thanked Khadim Hussain Soomro, the founder-director of Sindh Sufi Institute, for organising the event.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2012.
A Naqshbandi Sufi Sect non Haqqani
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: January 17, 2015 10:49PM
In the Cult Education Archives, in the "Other Groups' section,
there is a listing for Sufi and Reidhaven
[www.culteducation.com]
Here are some citations from a recent Google search
The Naqshbandi sect appears to be one that is not connected
with the Haqqanis, but is a different branch, following
the deobandi trend.
[www.google.com]
Membership/affiliation with this sect might have led to
a complex predicament after the 9-11 attacks and especially with
the surge of radical Islamism in the UK and in Europe.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2015 11:29PM by corboy.
there is a listing for Sufi and Reidhaven
[www.culteducation.com]
Here are some citations from a recent Google search
Quote
[artsweb.bham.ac.uk] Reidhaven and the "cult"
Reidhaven and the "cult"
It was reported last April that James Ogilvie-Grant, Viscount Reidhaven, the heir of the Earl of Seafield, had been freed from the control of an Islamic cult by "cult-busting experts" from America after he had been kidnapped by former SAS personnel on the instructions of his father (see BMMS for April 1994). Mr Ogilvie-Grant issued a statement to the press on 25th September to "clear innocent people who have been insulted and whose names have been blackened". The statement was covered by the Scottish Sunday Mail (25.09.94), the Daily Mail and Scottish Daily Express (26.09.94) and was the subject of an authoritative article in Q News (30.09.94) written by David Rosser-Owen who obviously had access to a great deal of background information.
It transpires that Viscount Reidhaven embraced Islam in June 1990 and joined the six-hundred year-old and widely respected Naqshbandi Order under the tutelage of Muhammad Iqbal Ali, a brother-in-law of Yusuf Islam of the Islamia Schools Trust. It was this Order and Mr Ali who were referred to in the press as an "Islamic cult" and a "guru" respectively. The fears that the Viscount had been "brainwashed" were apparently founded on discussions at the home of his father between himself and Mr Ali in which "matters were discussed which the Naqshbandi Order does not normally deal with outside meetings of adepts" (Q News 30.09.94). This was compounded by expensive gifts given to Mr Ali by Mr Ogilvie-Grant and the impression that he was not free to make any decision without referring it to the former's advice.
In addition to obvious concerns about his son's health and freedom of action, the Earl of Seafield was concerned about the administration of the Reidhaven Estate as well as the Strathspey Estates to which the Viscount is heir. Currently the Reidhaven Estate is being administered by a curator but the Viscount is applying for control to be passed back into his own hands. He has emphasised that he is and has always been a Muslim since the time of his conversion and has never been brainwashed by Mr Ali or anyone else connected with the Naqshbandi Order. Serious questions have been raised about the legality of the kidnapping of Mr Ogilvie-Grant and his detention in a secret Highland location. [BMMS September 1994 Vol. II, No. 9, p. 4/5]
The Naqshbandi sect appears to be one that is not connected
with the Haqqanis, but is a different branch, following
the deobandi trend.
Quote
Islamia primary school, UK
[islamiaprimary.org.uk]
History
Islamia Primary School is probably the best known Muslim school in Britain, partly due to its founder, Yusuf Islam, who in the 1960s and 1970s was the well known singer/songwriter, 'Cat Stevens', before converting to Islam in 1977. He used his own resources to establish the school after the birth of his first child and has worked tirelessly for the school and the cause of Islamic Education ever since.
Islamia Primary School was the first full-time Muslim school of its kind in England and the first to get recognition from the government after a long and difficult struggle. The School opened in October 1983 at Number 8, Brondesbury Park, NW6. Since then we have moved to what was known as the Kilburn & Brondesbury Secondary School. At first just a Nursery, Islamia Primary quickly grew to an Infant and then a Junior School too.
The school was soon known for its excellent results and was hugely popular and as a result needed to expand. Also there was now a growing demand for a Secondary School. So in 1989, the Islamia Schools Trust bid for the Kilburn & Brondesbury Secondary School site which is now home to Islamia Primary School and the independent Islamia Girls Secondary School. The site had been an old, and rather exclusive, Grammar School with many prominent ex-pupils. It had also served as a Synagogue for a time, during the construction of a purpose built Synagogue over the road, (which is now part of the Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra Islamic School). Finally, in January 1998, fifteen years after the school was founded, the government granted it state funding.
The school continues to maintain excellent academic and spiritual standards.
Quote
[en.wikipedia.org]Quote
Madrasah Islamiah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasah_Islamiah
Wikipedia
Madrasah Islamiah is a well-known Islamic school and mosque in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1989 by Hafiz Mohammed Iqbal. Since then, the school has ...
[www.google.com]
Membership/affiliation with this sect might have led to
a complex predicament after the 9-11 attacks and especially with
the surge of radical Islamism in the UK and in Europe.
Quote
YOUR MONEY: If your child is wild, put the money on hold
Rebel without a cause? Then make him a rebel with a trust fund.
Dido Sandler reports Sunday 03 November 1996
Almost six years after becoming involved with an Islamic sect, James Ogilvie-Grant, Viscount Reidhaven, went public about his battle to evade its clutches. Fearing the Naqshbandi Sufi sect's increasing influence on his son, his father, the 13th Earl of Seafield, arranged to put his son's share in a pounds 25m inheritance into trust. The Earl's son is now seeking to convince the trustees that he has broken the sect's hold over him.
Be it sects, drugs or rock'n'roll, if you believe your progeny cannot cope with running their own affairs, establishing a trust may be the answer.
Trusts are a common and sometimes tax-efficient way for parents with capital to make arrangements for children they believe cannot look after themselves. They guarantee that funds are available while ensuring someone else controls the money, now or after the settlor, the giver, dies.
A discretionary trust, such as the viscount's, gives trustees total discretion over how they manage the assets. They can hand back responsibility for the estate to the beneficiary if they see fit. If the beneficiary is hooked on heroin, however, pumping large amounts of cash into his or her bank account is not going to help anyone. In which case trustees must reconsider how they use the money.
Moira Elms, the personal finance planning partner of Coopers & Lybrand, says conspicuously wealthy heirs or heiresses often have their money put into trust to protect them from gold-diggers.
For the rest of the article, read here:
[www.independent.co.uk]
Quote
john smith
February 25, 2011 at 1:42 pm
[www.independent.co.uk]
[www.heraldscotland.com]
Viscount Reidhaven and the “cult”
It was reported last April that James Ogilvie-Grant, Viscount Reidhaven, the heir of the Earl of Seafield, had been freed from the control of an Islamic cult by “cult-busting experts” from America after he had been kidnapped by former SAS personnel on the instructions of his father (see BMMS for April 1994). Mr Ogilvie-Grant issued a statement to the press on 25th September to “clear innocent people who have been insulted and whose names have been blackened”. The statement was covered by the Scottish Sunday Mail (25.09.94), the Daily Mail and Scottish Daily Express (26.09.94) and was the subject of an authoritative article in Q News (30.09.94) written by David Rosser-Owen who obviously had access to a great deal of background information.
It transpires that Viscount Reidhaven embraced Islam in June 1990 and joined the six-hundred year-old and widely respected Naqshbandi Order under the tutelage of Muhammad Iqbal Ali, a brother-in-law of Yusuf Islam of the Islamia Schools Trust. It was this Order and Mr Ali who were referred to in the press as an “Islamic cult” and a “guru” respectively. The fears that the Viscount had been “brainwashed” were apparently founded on discussions at the home of his father between himself and Mr Ali in which “matters were discussed which the Naqshbandi Order does not normally deal with outside meetings of adepts” (Q News 30.09.94). This was compounded by expensive gifts given to Mr Ali by Mr Ogilvie-Grant and the impression that he was not free to make any decision without referring it to the former’s advice.
In addition to obvious concerns about his son’s health and freedom of action, the Earl of Seafield was concerned about the administration of the Reidhaven Estate as well as the Strathspey Estates to which the Viscount is heir. Currently the Reidhaven Estate is being administered by a curator but the Viscount is applying for control to be passed back into his own hands. He has emphasised that he is and has always been a Muslim since the time of his conversion and has never been brainwashed by Mr Ali or anyone else connected with the Naqshbandi Order. Serious questions have been raised about the legality of the kidnapping of Mr Ogilvie-Grant and his detention in a secret Highland location.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2015 11:29PM by corboy.
A Naqshbandi Sufi Sect non Haqqani
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: January 17, 2015 11:30PM
In the Cult Education Archives, in the "Other Groups' section,
there is a listing for Sufi and Reidhaven
[www.culteducation.com]
Here are some citations from a recent Google search
The Naqshbandi sect appears to be one that is not connected
with the Haqqanis, but is a different branch, following
the deobandi trend.
[www.google.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2015 11:34PM by corboy.
there is a listing for Sufi and Reidhaven
[www.culteducation.com]
Here are some citations from a recent Google search
Quote
[artsweb.bham.ac.uk] Reidhaven and the "cult"
Reidhaven and the "cult"
It was reported last April that James Ogilvie-Grant, Viscount Reidhaven, the heir of the Earl of Seafield, had been freed from the control of an Islamic cult by "cult-busting experts" from America after he had been kidnapped by former SAS personnel on the instructions of his father (see BMMS for April 1994). Mr Ogilvie-Grant issued a statement to the press on 25th September to "clear innocent people who have been insulted and whose names have been blackened". The statement was covered by the Scottish Sunday Mail (25.09.94), the Daily Mail and Scottish Daily Express (26.09.94) and was the subject of an authoritative article in Q News (30.09.94) written by David Rosser-Owen who obviously had access to a great deal of background information.
It transpires that Viscount Reidhaven embraced Islam in June 1990 and joined the six-hundred year-old and widely respected Naqshbandi Order under the tutelage of Muhammad Iqbal Ali, a brother-in-law of Yusuf Islam of the Islamia Schools Trust. It was this Order and Mr Ali who were referred to in the press as an "Islamic cult" and a "guru" respectively. The fears that the Viscount had been "brainwashed" were apparently founded on discussions at the home of his father between himself and Mr Ali in which "matters were discussed which the Naqshbandi Order does not normally deal with outside meetings of adepts" (Q News 30.09.94). This was compounded by expensive gifts given to Mr Ali by Mr Ogilvie-Grant and the impression that he was not free to make any decision without referring it to the former's advice.
In addition to obvious concerns about his son's health and freedom of action, the Earl of Seafield was concerned about the administration of the Reidhaven Estate as well as the Strathspey Estates to which the Viscount is heir. Currently the Reidhaven Estate is being administered by a curator but the Viscount is applying for control to be passed back into his own hands. He has emphasised that he is and has always been a Muslim since the time of his conversion and has never been brainwashed by Mr Ali or anyone else connected with the Naqshbandi Order. Serious questions have been raised about the legality of the kidnapping of Mr Ogilvie-Grant and his detention in a secret Highland location. [BMMS September 1994 Vol. II, No. 9, p. 4/5]
The Naqshbandi sect appears to be one that is not connected
with the Haqqanis, but is a different branch, following
the deobandi trend.
Quote
[en.wikipedia.org]Quote
Madrasah Islamiah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasah_Islamiah
Wikipedia
Madrasah Islamiah is a well-known Islamic school and mosque in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1989 by Hafiz Mohammed Iqbal. Since then, the school has ...
[www.google.com]
Quote
YOUR MONEY: If your child is wild, put the money on hold
Rebel without a cause? Then make him a rebel with a trust fund.
Dido Sandler reports Sunday 03 November 1996
Almost six years after becoming involved with an Islamic sect, James Ogilvie-Grant, Viscount Reidhaven, went public about his battle to evade its clutches. Fearing the Naqshbandi Sufi sect's increasing influence on his son, his father, the 13th Earl of Seafield, arranged to put his son's share in a pounds 25m inheritance into trust. The Earl's son is now seeking to convince the trustees that he has broken the sect's hold over him.
Be it sects, drugs or rock'n'roll, if you believe your progeny cannot cope with running their own affairs, establishing a trust may be the answer.
Trusts are a common and sometimes tax-efficient way for parents with capital to make arrangements for children they believe cannot look after themselves. They guarantee that funds are available while ensuring someone else controls the money, now or after the settlor, the giver, dies.
A discretionary trust, such as the viscount's, gives trustees total discretion over how they manage the assets. They can hand back responsibility for the estate to the beneficiary if they see fit. If the beneficiary is hooked on heroin, however, pumping large amounts of cash into his or her bank account is not going to help anyone. In which case trustees must reconsider how they use the money.
Moira Elms, the personal finance planning partner of Coopers & Lybrand, says conspicuously wealthy heirs or heiresses often have their money put into trust to protect them from gold-diggers.
For the rest of the article, read here:
[www.independent.co.uk]
Quote
john smith
February 25, 2011 at 1:42 pm
[www.independent.co.uk]
[www.heraldscotland.com]
Viscount Reidhaven and the “cult”
It was reported last April that James Ogilvie-Grant, Viscount Reidhaven, the heir of the Earl of Seafield, had been freed from the control of an Islamic cult by “cult-busting experts” from America after he had been kidnapped by former SAS personnel on the instructions of his father (see BMMS for April 1994). Mr Ogilvie-Grant issued a statement to the press on 25th September to “clear innocent people who have been insulted and whose names have been blackened”. The statement was covered by the Scottish Sunday Mail (25.09.94), the Daily Mail and Scottish Daily Express (26.09.94) and was the subject of an authoritative article in Q News (30.09.94) written by David Rosser-Owen who obviously had access to a great deal of background information.
It transpires that Viscount Reidhaven embraced Islam in June 1990 and joined the six-hundred year-old and widely respected Naqshbandi Order under the tutelage of Muhammad Iqbal Ali, a brother-in-law of Yusuf Islam of the Islamia Schools Trust. It was this Order and Mr Ali who were referred to in the press as an “Islamic cult” and a “guru” respectively. The fears that the Viscount had been “brainwashed” were apparently founded on discussions at the home of his father between himself and Mr Ali in which “matters were discussed which the Naqshbandi Order does not normally deal with outside meetings of adepts” (Q News 30.09.94). This was compounded by expensive gifts given to Mr Ali by Mr Ogilvie-Grant and the impression that he was not free to make any decision without referring it to the former’s advice.
In addition to obvious concerns about his son’s health and freedom of action, the Earl of Seafield was concerned about the administration of the Reidhaven Estate as well as the Strathspey Estates to which the Viscount is heir. Currently the Reidhaven Estate is being administered by a curator but the Viscount is applying for control to be passed back into his own hands. He has emphasised that he is and has always been a Muslim since the time of his conversion and has never been brainwashed by Mr Ali or anyone else connected with the Naqshbandi Order. Serious questions have been raised about the legality of the kidnapping of Mr Ogilvie-Grant and his detention in a secret Highland location.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2015 11:34PM by corboy.
If you are an emigre sufi, keep an eye on your pir
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: April 13, 2015 11:17PM
"Ten dervishes can sleep on one rug, but two kings can not be accommodated in a whole kingdom."
Sa'adi
The Sultans became isolated in the Topkapi palace.kings became isolated at .
Something to consider about Sufi shrines.
If you see your Pir on television making appeals for donations to build
an expensive new shrine, be alert.
Grand buildings can turn a pir into an arrogant padshah.
The care and access for pilgrims and their donations many just
a few rupees from the poor, supported the shrines -- albeit with
very large grants from local rulers. A shrine grew, little by
little.
So even when a Sufi shrine became a palatial, it was accessible
by. The pir kept private only for his family and to teach favored
disciples, but the shrine and its glories was accessible to all Muslims
and a pir would make arrangments to greet visitors in public
audiences.
If the founder of a sufi order lies buried in a simple stone block tomb
(dargh) yet a successor lives like an arrogant Emir, supporting greedy relatives, runs religion as a business, remember how the Prophet and the
Jaunaid and Jilani lived and taught.
If a living Pir has supported construction of a new shrine and house for himself, this can be a source of pride when first
in place. All is bright and new.
But long term, a big building may become a burden for the community.
When a big building is in place, its upkeep must
be paid for by current and future members of that community.
If a lot of white marble is used, regular cleaning will be needed.
Consider the continued upkeep needed for the
the Taj Mahal. Automobile and factory exhaust can degrade
white yellow. Marble also corrodes when exposed to exhaust.
That type of building may become a burden for successors -
future pirs and for the community.
Another outcome: once a new building is in place, the pir may become less accessible, may retreat to more isolated quarters where only big men
can see him.
In such a situation there could be increased
competition to gain access to the leader.
The new building may
lead to increasing social isolation for the leader and for senior members.
This in turn may lead to bloated nafs. Members lower in the hierarchy may
be kept at a distance. Persons with a lot of money may be given
favored treatment on account of their wallets, rather than their
actual spiritual attainment.
An if a large building becomes costly, there may be pressure to
recruit new members, not for their spiritual acuity but to help
pay upkeep.
Sa'adi
The Sultans became isolated in the Topkapi palace.kings became isolated at .
Something to consider about Sufi shrines.
If you see your Pir on television making appeals for donations to build
an expensive new shrine, be alert.
Grand buildings can turn a pir into an arrogant padshah.
The care and access for pilgrims and their donations many just
a few rupees from the poor, supported the shrines -- albeit with
very large grants from local rulers. A shrine grew, little by
little.
So even when a Sufi shrine became a palatial, it was accessible
by. The pir kept private only for his family and to teach favored
disciples, but the shrine and its glories was accessible to all Muslims
and a pir would make arrangments to greet visitors in public
audiences.
If the founder of a sufi order lies buried in a simple stone block tomb
(dargh) yet a successor lives like an arrogant Emir, supporting greedy relatives, runs religion as a business, remember how the Prophet and the
Jaunaid and Jilani lived and taught.
If a living Pir has supported construction of a new shrine and house for himself, this can be a source of pride when first
in place. All is bright and new.
But long term, a big building may become a burden for the community.
When a big building is in place, its upkeep must
be paid for by current and future members of that community.
If a lot of white marble is used, regular cleaning will be needed.
Consider the continued upkeep needed for the
the Taj Mahal. Automobile and factory exhaust can degrade
white yellow. Marble also corrodes when exposed to exhaust.
That type of building may become a burden for successors -
future pirs and for the community.
Another outcome: once a new building is in place, the pir may become less accessible, may retreat to more isolated quarters where only big men
can see him.
In such a situation there could be increased
competition to gain access to the leader.
The new building may
lead to increasing social isolation for the leader and for senior members.
This in turn may lead to bloated nafs. Members lower in the hierarchy may
be kept at a distance. Persons with a lot of money may be given
favored treatment on account of their wallets, rather than their
actual spiritual attainment.
An if a large building becomes costly, there may be pressure to
recruit new members, not for their spiritual acuity but to help
pay upkeep.
Schuon -controversy in early Traditionalist Sufism
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: April 15, 2015 06:43AM
Debates of validity of Schuon's Maryamiya sect - a controversy in early Traditonalist Sufism that continues today.
Anyone interested in Sufi studies or interested in conversion to Islam or interested in joining a Sufi tariqua should be aware of this so that he or she
can avoid being distracted.
One European convert expressed concern that Traditionalist biases are often unstated but influence the tenor of many books and articles.
[books.google.com]
Traditionalists blog
[traditionalistblog.blogspot.com]
Sunni Forum
[www.sunniforum.com]
Some context -- Schuon's gradual drift away from Muslim guidelines
[books.google.com]
Discouraging a disciple from learning Arabic
[books.google.com]
[books.google.com]
Schuon's 'vertical marriage'
[books.google.com]
Anyone interested in Sufi studies or interested in conversion to Islam or interested in joining a Sufi tariqua should be aware of this so that he or she
can avoid being distracted.
One European convert expressed concern that Traditionalist biases are often unstated but influence the tenor of many books and articles.
[books.google.com]
Traditionalists blog
[traditionalistblog.blogspot.com]
Sunni Forum
[www.sunniforum.com]
Some context -- Schuon's gradual drift away from Muslim guidelines
[books.google.com]
Discouraging a disciple from learning Arabic
[books.google.com]
[books.google.com]
Schuon's 'vertical marriage'
[books.google.com]
Even an authentic tariqua can become despotic
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: May 12, 2015 10:04PM
Quote
Pepe, 39, is an ex-Muslim who was born in London but now lives in Canada with his Muslim wife and two children. He converted at 20, after discovering the religion through Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam. He remained a fairly practising Muslim for 15 years but he often struggled with certain aspects of the faith, which he shrugged off as “satanic thoughts”.
In his early 30s he became disillusioned with the hardline views held by many Muslims and joined the Chisti Tariqah, a Sufi Order originating from Afghanistan.
He agrees to an interview over Skype from his home. “The more I got involved with the Tariqah, the more cult-like it was becoming. I had to get permission from the Sheikh [religious teacher] to do a lot of things, like if I wanted to leave town. When I questioned things, they told me to completely stop reading books and only read what they gave me,” he says.
After his Sheikh interpreted one of Pepe’s dreams to suggest that his father didn’t care about him, he became disaffected with the Tariqah
[www.newstatesman.com]
Re: Islamic Sufism -- Issues and Incidents
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: May 22, 2015 10:31PM
[thesufiwoman.blogspot.com]
In the comments one person noted:
In the comments one person noted:
Quote
Some invented miracles, some standard statements to answer people’s question, a trade-mark set of garb , a specific zikr to read and a group of motivated individuals with advertising capabilities, and you are equipped to run a Sufism business. this is all you require to become
a Sufi brother
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