Islamic Alternatives: Non-Mainstream Religion in Persianate Societies: 16 (Gottinger Orientforschungen, III. Reihe: Iranica)

Islamic Alternatives are the proceedings of a symposium which was held in April 2014 within the framework of a research project entitled The Khaksar Order between Ahl-e Haqq and Shiite Sufi Order, funded by the German Research Foundation. The tradition and belief system of the Khaksar is closely connected to several cultural and religious traditions across a vast geographical area in the Orient: the territory of Persianate societies, which might also be called 'the territory of wandering dervishes'. The extensive historical and cultural relations and associations, the similarities between the Khaksar Order and the Futuwwa tradition or religious communities (such as the Ahl-e Haqq (Yarsan) and Bektashi order in different geographical territories), the relationship between this order and Dervish groups in Pakistan and Central Asia on the one hand and its connection with the official orthodox Shia on the other hand are the main topics dealt with in the present book. The commonalities and cultural relations of these numerous and diverse cultural traditions as well as the heterodox movements in this region are so substantial that understanding the related aspects of each helps us gain a deeper knowledge of the whole subject matter. This symposium and the present proceedings attempt to gather as many specialists of these diverse but associated themes as possible in order to achieve a better understanding of these concepts.