In week 12 Professor Asani discussed the ways in which literature and art function as forms of critique and resistance to contemporary Islamic ideologies. Asani utilized the example of the veil worn by many Muslim women as a custom that art often pushes back against. To provide context, Asani noted that the Quran never commands […]
During week 8, Professor Asani explored music and dance in the Sufi tradition. According to “The Shambhala Guide to Sufism” written by Carl Ernst, “no other aspect of Sufism has been more contentious…than the practice of music and dance” which is dominant but “by no means universally found among Sufis” (179). As Asani explained, Sufi’s […]
During week 10, professor Asani lectured extensively about various forms of literature and arts which populate contemporary Muslim society. One such form is the Masnavi: Sufi Persian narrative epics which follow a double rhyme scheme. The format afforded by Masnavi poetry is often used to discuss and reflect on mysticism, the most famous example of […]