William Dalrymple is a wonderful guide as he is not only unabashedly enthusiastic about the subject matter, but wise enough to let the music and the performers speak for themselves. He is also honest enough to admit that he too was forced to overcome his prejudices about Islam when he was first introduced to Sufism while living in India. It was at a temple in Delhi that he first encountered the practice and he was amazed to find as many Hindus as Muslims attending ceremonies there. To him, and me by the way, this was more than enough proof that the Sufis weren't exaggerating when they say that all are welcome in their places of worship. For, if in India, where violence between Muslims and Hindus is a depressingly common occurrence, interfaith worship can happen, it can happen anywhere in the world.
While there is no denying that there are Muslims who teach and are taught to hate other religions and to work towards the establishment of an Islamic state, the DVD Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music Of Islam reminds us that another, peaceful aspect of the religion exists. The Sufis believe that through music and song people can learn how to love God. It doesn't particularly matter to them how you express that love, or whether you want to call that expression of love Christianity, Hindu, Judaism, or Islam; what matters is that you love.
As a special feature for the DVD the film makers have included bonus material of extended performances by five of the performers featured in the film. This gives you a chance to not only hear somebody talk about what the music is designed to do during worship, but an opportunity to experience it. Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music Of Islam goes on sale in the United States on September 30, 2008. Take the opportunity this disc offers to learn how much more there is to know about Islam than what we've been led to believe by centuries of prejudice and stereotypes.
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Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
This looks great! Gonna have to pick it up. Thanks for the review, Richard.
2 - William Hill
The writer of this dribble has absolutely no education on the history of islam and the treatment of non-believers once an area was conquered by the muslim hoard. You only need read the koran and the Hadith of mohammed to know that human rights abuse, rape, pillage, murder and slavery were what the jews, Christians and others who lived side by side with islam in the conquered lands of the middle east. Israel is not the cause nor has it ever been the cause of hate, violence and human rights abuses taught, learned and the practiced by islams' followers. Please, please if people want to post statements about the hostory and ideology of islamists, it should be a law that they study and learn the truth about what they publish. This is a musical review but it sounds more like trained statements of someone hired and put out there as an appologist for islam by the muslim brotherhood. If you can't get it right about the polotics and history then at least keep to the music and not false statements flowering an ideology like islam that profains the name of any religion by it's own hate filled writings, teachings and history of robbery, human rights violations, rape, murder and even the sickening child molestation teachings of it's so called profitt, 'marry at six, and have sexual intercourse to consumate the illigitimate marriage at 9.' Free all of our imprisoned child molesters and send them East for the freedom to live as the profitt taught.