Now, more than ever, the world needs to know that there are diverse interpretations of Islam such as the spiritual, mystical dimension evident in the Sufi allegory The Conference of the Birds presented at Brandeis Theater Company last month.
As a Muslim theater artist with a special interest in the performing arts (dance, drama, music) of the Islamic world, it is very painful to hear the deeply meaningful word “Islamic” bandied about in the context of this multi-headed and variously named monster called ISIS, ISIL, IS (yet, how ironic that its acronym continues to lose limbs).
Let there be no misunderstanding: ISIS does not represent Islam. The Muslim faith belongs to the Abrahamic tradition and shares many of the very same beliefs and values as Judaism and Christianity; indeed one ought to speak of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition. Forming almost a quarter of the earth’s population, there are 1.6 billion Muslims spread across the world (cf. Middle East, Central and South Asia, Far East, North and West Africa; not to mention the Diaspora communities in Europe and North America). It is worth noting that the Organization of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) lists fifty-seven Muslim member states.
via Performing Arts in the Islamic World: The Divine Spark | HowlRound
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