The photograph shows (from l to r): Dr Jurgen Wasim Frembgen; Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan; Dr S. Mehdi Raza Shah Subzwari, Sajjada Nashin, Qalandar Lal Shahbaz, Sehwan Sharif; and Dr Marcus Litz, Director, Goethe-Institut Karachi.
Karachi, 12 Nov.: Oxford University Press and the Goethe-Institut organized the launch of the book Journey to God: Sufis and Dervishes in Islam written by Dr Jurgen Wasim Frembgen. The book is a revised English translation by Jane Ripken of the original German edition. With a particular emphasis on Pakistan and India this book surveys the whole of the Muslim world to understand Sufi Islam as being embedded in wider social and cultural contexts. Focusing on its concrete, practiced and lived forms, the book shows how popular Sufism developed into the almost ubiquitous mass movement, present at all levels of Muslim society as a dynamic force until modern times. What distinguishes this study from the considerable number of introductions to Sufism currently available is that it tries to synthesize the perspectives and approaches of ethnography, history, and Islamic studies to explore the different facets of Sufism. The author not only looks at the perception of Sufi and dervish tradition as a spiritual path following mystical teachings but also focuses on its popular manifestations as a ritualized, performance-oriented part of local, everyday religiosity.
Dr Jurgen Wasim Frembgen is Chief Curator of the Oriental Department at the Museum of Ethnology in Munich as well as Private Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Munich. He has been a visiting professor at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and the National College of Arts in Lahore. Frembgen has been conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Pakistan on an annual basis since 1981. He has several publications to his credit including the book The Friends of God Sufi Saints in Islam: Popular Poster Art from Pakistan (2006/OUP Karachi). He has written extensively on Islam and the Sufi tradition, and curated numerous exhibitions dealing with cultures of the Muslim world.
Dr S. Mehdi Raza Shah Subzwari, Sajjada Nashin, Qalandar Lal Shahbaz, Sehwan Sharif, was the Chief Guest at the function. While giving a presentation on the book, Dr Jurgen Wasim Frembgen pointed out that the dynamic religious universe of Islam consists of several dimensions, versions, and interpretations complementing and interacting with one another and within this diversity, the Sufi tradition is a movement of devotion emphasizing spiritual and moral experiences. In her address, Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan, said that it is time to look at other facets of Islam and the way of the Sufis is one that is inclusive, tolerant and humane ideals that have a deep relevance for the modern world. Dr Marcus Litz, Director, Goethe-Institut Karachi, also spoke on the occasion.