The Saint and the Sword: How Sufi Scholars Resisted Colonialism and State Repression - a podcast by Ahmed Bin Qasim

According to Paul Heck, networks of taṣawwuf took the lead in resisting European colonial powers in the nineteenth century, for example in North Africa against the French and in the North Caucasus against the Russians. In this podcast, we speak to Dr. Farah El-Sharif, about how Sufi scholars led the resistance against colonial powers and injustice. In her work, she highlights how, for Sufi warriors like Emir Abdelkader and Omar Mukhtar, the commitment to principled resistance against oppression came about because of their commitment to taṣawwuf, not in spite of it. Contrary to the popular association of taṣawwuf with political quietism and docile pacifism, Dr. Farah brings our attention to how many doyens of taṣawwuf did not disengage themselves from the struggle against oppression, but instead actively participated in it. We also talked about India's domestication of taṣawwuf in Kashmir.

We talk about all this and many other things, in this podcast.

Recommended Readings:

• https://themaydan.com/2023/01/the-saint-and-the-sword/


• The Politics of Sufism, by Paul Heck


• Sufi Warrior Saints: Stories of Sufi Jihad from Muslim Hagiography, by Harry S. Neale

Further episodes of Koshur Musalman

Further podcasts by Ahmed Bin Qasim

Website of Ahmed Bin Qasim