Free Republic

A (mostly) daily posting for those interested in history and the day to day news, politics and culture of a bygone world; the full edition of the New York Tribune from today's date in 1896 (digitized).

February 26, 2009 By Golnaz Esfandiari Lawyer Farshid Yadollahi was 18 years old when he had a spiritual dream that led him on a search for the truth and resulted in his becoming a Sufi. Seventeen years later, Yadollahi says that whatever he might say about his dream would belittle it. "It's not describable and it's not understandable for the outer world," he says. "It's like if someone says, 'Molecules are made of atoms, now show me the atoms.' Would that be possible? No. It's the same with Sufism; it's because of it that [Sufi poet] Hafez says, 'Alas! One...

1,000 arrested after police and Sufis clash in Iran 15 Feb 2006 Source: Reuters TEHRAN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Iranian police have arrested around 1,000 people in the central seminary city of Qom after violent clashes over the closure of a house of worship used by mystical Sufi Muslims, city officials said on Wednesday. Officials and a Qom resident said the police had fired teargas to disperse a crowd of dervishes, or mystics, and those who had gathered to support them. They said the dervishes were armed with knives and stones. Around 200 people were hurt in the clash, one...