Being a Sufi in Nazareth
Ghassan Manasra is the son of Shaykh ‘Abd as-Salam, head of the Qadiri order in Israel. I’ve met and spoken with him and he is one of the most gentle and peace-loving persons I’ve met. He works hard for peace and reconciliation but it comes with a price as this article in Haaretz reports: “For decades, the mystical Sufis in Nazareth have celebrated Islam through music and poetry without considering themselves in danger. But nowadays, local Salafis, who practice a more conservative and coercive Islam, bully and beat Sufi leaders to deter them from their practices, Muslim community leaders told Haaretz.. “We visit tombs of holy peoples and they say it is forbidden; we chant and they say it is forbidden to use instruments; I say there should be dialogue with Israelis and Jews because the prophet Muhammed received delegations of Jewish tribes,” but Salafis object, said Nazareth Sheikh Ghassan Menasra, 44, a leader of the Qadiri Sufi Order of the Holy Land.” Click here to continue reading
