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Can Rumi save us now?

Life and words of the popuIar 13th-century Persian poet have
speciaI meaning for a 21st-century worId torn by war,
genocide and hatred
Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, April 1, 2007
DurIng LIe IusL decudes oI IIs IIIe, LIe PersIun poeL RumI wus
surrounded by news oI LerrorIsm, jusL us we ure eIgIL cenLurIes IuLer.
TIose were LIe duys oI MongoI InvusIons LIuL swepL pusL LIe sLeppes
oI AsIu InLo AnuLoIIu, LIe Neur EusL und oLIer ureus oI geogrupIIcuI
ImporLunce. Muss murders Irom wur -- wIuL Loduy wouId be cuIIed
genocIde und eLInIc cIeunsIng -- were u rouLIne purL oI RumI's 1LI-
cenLury worId.
So, wIere's LIe bIoodsIed In RumI's wrILIng? WIere ure uII LIe
purubIes ubouL gore und conIIIcL und MongoI uLrocILIes?
NowIere, reuIIy, suy RumI scIoIurs, pInpoInLIng u cenLruI IncongruILy
Lo LIe poeL's IIIe: RumI, u mun so udvunced In sIumIc LruInIng LIuL Ie
couId Issue IuLwus, dIvorced IImseII Irom LuIk oI revenge, reLrIbuLIon
und eye-Ior-un-eye kIIIIngs. Ike Jesus, GundII und MurLIn uLIer
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KIng Jr., RumI InsIsLed vIoIence wus un unsuLIsIyIng wuy oI resoIvIng
Issues. n IucL, RumI beIIeved peopIe couId IInd suIvuLIon In LIeIr
enemIes' IuLred.
"Every enemy Is your medIcIne ... your beneIIcIuI uIcIemy und IeurL
IeuIIng," RumI suys In IIs epIc sIx-voIume work, LIe MuLInuvI, us
LrunsIuLed by MujId NuInI, un runIun AmerIcun scIoIur. "Curry LIe
burden smIIIngIy und cIeerIuIIy, becuuse puLIence Is LIe key Lo
vIcLory."
SenLImenLs IIke LIuL Iuve Lurned RumI InLo one oI AmerIcu's besL-
seIIIng poeLs -- someone wIose LIougILs on Iove und oLIer muLLers
ure revered by Iundreds oI LIousunds oI reuders.
RumI Iud uIreudy Iound un uudIence In AmerIcu beIore qJ11, buL
InLeresL In LIe mysLIc Irom PersIu (now run) -- und In IIs beuuLIIuI
words; In IIs someLImes Iunny sLorIes; In IIs uII-IncIusIve messuge
LIuL LIe IuILIIuI oI uII reIIgIons Iuve u common IumunILy -- Ius
musIroomed In LIe pusL sIx yeurs. n recognIzIng LIIs yeur us LIe
8ooLI unnIversury oI RumI's bIrLI, LIe UnILed NuLIons EducuLIonuI,
ScIenLIIIc und CuILuruI OrgunIzuLIon, wIIcI Is known us UNESCO,
cuIIs RumI un "emInenL pIIIosopIer und mysLIcuI poeL oI sIum"
wIose "work und LIougIL remuIn unIversuIIy reIevunL Loduy."
Scores oI concerLs und evenLs wIII murk LIe unnIversury, IncIudIng u
ceIebruLIon on TIursduy und rIduy In Sun runcIsco LIuL IeuLures
CoIemun Burks, LIe reLIred UnIversILy oI GeorgIu proIessor wIdeIy
credILed wILI popuIurIzIng RumI In LIe UnILed SLuLes.
Go Lo Borders, Burnes & NobIe or uny neIgIborIood booksLore, und
you're IIkeIy Lo IInd muny more RumI LILIes LIun books by RoberL
rosL or WuIL WIILmun. BesIdes poeLry sIeIves, RumI Is promInenL In
booksLores' cuIendur, reIIgIous und musIc secLIons. RumI's words --
IyrIcuI und resonunL, especIuIIy wIen voIced In PersIun -- Iend
LIemseIves perIecLIy Lo musIcuI expressIon. CIurIes Ioyd, LIe brIIIIunL
suxopIonIsL wIo pIuyed wILI OrneLLe CoIemun und ErIc DoIpIy In
LIe 1q6os, Is umong LIe juzz urLIsLs wIo've recenLIy puId musIcuI
LrIbuLe Lo RumI.
So, wIo Is RumI, reuIIy? He wus u mysLIc und u scIoIur. He wus un
6/13/2009 Can Rumi save us now? /
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udIerenL oI reIIgIous sIum (IIs IuII nume wus JuIuI uI-DIn
MuIummud BuIkII) wIo dId LIe Iujj Lo Meccu, buL wIo, In LIe IuLer
purL oI IIs IIIe, IumousIy suId, " um noL u Jew nor u CIrIsLIun, noL u
ZorousLrIun nor u MosIem." By LIuL, suys NuInI, RumI meunL LIuL IIs
IuILI In God, In AIIuI, knew no boundurIes -- LIuL IL dIdn'L muLLer
wIuL counLry Ie IIved In, or wIuL oIIIcIuI reIIgIon Ie desIgnuLed,
becuuse LIe Iove und IongIng LIuL RumI IeIL wus everywIere,
IncIudIng IIs souI.
"Keep In mInd LIuL LIe IoIy Qurun sLuLes LIere Is no Iorce In reIIgIon,"
suys NuInI, u RumI experL wIo Ius IecLured on LIe poeL uL LIe UnILed
NuLIons. "RumI wunLs Lo remInd us LIuL we ure uII cIIIdren und LIe
creuLIon oI God, regurdIess oI reIIgIon, ruce, coIor, nuLIonuIILy, eLc."
Born on SepL. o, 1zo;, In wIuL Is Loduy LIe ureu oI BuIkI,
AIgIunIsLun, RumI mIgIL Iuve been u reIIgIous cIerIc uII IIs IIIe were
IL noL Ior SIums oI TubrIz, u wunderIng dervIsI wIom RumI meL uL
uge 8. As cIronIcIed In NuInI's book, "MysLerIes oI LIe UnIverse und
RumI's DIscoverIes on LIe MujesLIc PuLI oI ove," TubrIz cIuIIenged
RumI's perspecLIve by uskIng IIm II LIe mysLIc BuyuzId BuusLumI wus
"IIgIer" In sLuLure LIun LIe MusIIm PropIeL MuIummud. By
conIronLIng RumI In u pubIIc spuce, und durIng Lo compure BuyuzId
und MuIummud, SIums unnerved RumI, wIo encounLered someone
unuIruId Lo muke u specLucIe und quesLIon reIIgIous orLIodoxy.
OuL oI LIuL IIrsL meeLIng In Konyu, Turkey, RumI und SIums becume
InsepurubIe. SIums wus uL IeusL zo yeurs oIder LIun RumI, und
unLruIned In sLrIcL sIumIc LIeoIogy, yeL RumI -- wIo wus LIe IIgIesL
MusIIm uuLIorILy In Konyu -- cIose SIums Lo be IIs menLor. As noLed
by NuInI, SIums usked RumI Lo reIInquIsI IImseII Irom LIe LruppIngs
oI IIs Iume und IorLune, und Lo Iocus jusL on un unudorned, seIIIess
connecLIon Lo God. To "dIsconnecL Irom LIe worId oI desIres und
dependencIes," us NuInI noLes, und Lo enLer InLo u IIgIer spIrILuuI
devoLIon Lo LIe AImIgILy, RumI IoIIowed SIums' udvIce Lo perIorm u
wIIrIIng dunce cuIIed Sumuu, und Lo IIsLen Lo mysLIcuI musIc
perIormed on u reed IIuLe. (RumI prucLIced LIe Sumuu on un empLy
sLomucI, suys NuInI.) sIumIc LrudILIonuIIsLs consIdered RumI's new
ucLIons IereLIcuI.
6/13/2009 Can Rumi save us now? /
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Seven cenLurIes IuLer, some MusIIm IundumenLuIIsLs sLIII suy LIe
movemenL LIuL RumI spuwned -- LIe MevIevI, uIso known us LIe
WIIrIIng DervIsIes -- Is un-sIumIc becuuse oI ILs empIusIs on pubIIc
song und dunce. BuL NuInI und oLIer scIoIurs rebuL LIuL, suyIng RumI
und IIs IoIIowers ure embIemuLIc oI sIum's SuII LrudILIon, wIIcI
empIusIzes u mysLIcuI cIoseness Lo God, und Lo oLIer Iumuns,
regurdIess oI LIeIr IuILI. L's LIIs unIversuIILy LIuL uppeuIs Lo RumI's
reuders und uccounLs Ior LIe sLIII-growIng InLeresL In RumI's work.
WesLerners wIo muy be oLIerwIse uIruId oI sIum see In RumI und
LIe MevIevI u Iorm oI LIe reIIgIon LIuL IeuLures duncIng, musIc und
LuIk oI broLIerIy und sIsLerIy IeIIowsIIp. TIey see someone Irom
PersIu wIo Lurned IIs buck on IuLred und revenge. n LIe currenL
cIImuLe oI wur und wurmongerIng, RumI IeIL beIInd voIumes oI work
LIuL Iuve guIned reIevunce us LIme Ius pussed.
RumI dIdn'L Lry Lo sugurcouL IIs IIIe or LIe IIves oI oLIers. AILer SIums
mysLerIousIy dIsuppeured, RumI IeIL sorrow Ior muny yeurs. HIs
sLorIes oI LryIng Lo reLuIn u cIoseness Lo God LIrougI Iove und Ioss ure
uL LIe IeurL oI IIs wrILIng.
n "MysLerIes oI LIe UnIverse," NuInI empIusIzes RumI's
LIougILIuIness on scIence, musIc, und nuLure, buL RumI's bIggesL gIIL
Lo reuders Loduy muy be IIs empIusIs on LIe power oI Iove und
LoIerunce.
"RumI suId, 'rom Iove, LIorns become IIowers,' " NuInI suys. "RumI
LeucIes LIuL even II LIe DevII IuIIs In Iove, Ie becomes someLIIng IIke
(LIe ungeI) GubrIeI, und LIuL evIIness dIes wILIIn IIm."
TIe RumI ConcerL, sponsored by LIe CuIIIornIu nsLILuLe oI nLegruI
SLudIes, Lukes pIuce uL 8 p.m. TIursduy und rIduy uL LIe PuIuce oI
Ine ArLs In Sun runcIsco. or more InIormuLIon, vIsIL
www.cIIs.eduJpubIIcprogrumsJsprIngo;JrumI_concerL.ILmI. E-muII
JonuLIun CurIeI uL jcurIeIsIcIronIcIe.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/01/INGA7OTN521.DTL
This article appeared on page ( of the San Francisco Chronicle
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