Images of Sufism and ‘Peaceful Co-existence’ in the Republic of India

Abstract

This paper analyzes four types of English-medium non-academic texts and tries to demonstrate the popular image of Sufism and peaceful coexistence in the contemporary Republic of India. The first two texts are an explanation by a Sufi organisation on their website and a politician’s speech at an international conference held by the same organisation. These texts project the image of Sufism that the presenters want to promote in the contemporary political and social context. In a major online newspaper, The Hindu, Sufism is frequently presented in relation to culture, especially music. These images are mostly presented as personal opinions with various social standings. School textbooks mention cultural interactions between Sufism and other religious traditions in India but do not proactively describe Sufism as contributing to peaceful coexistence. Although all these texts show the image of Sufism embracing humanitarian values, there are differences in the person/ social group ultimately responsible or accountable for the peaceful coexistence.