Messengers Of Peace And Understanding

Humility, often perceived as weakness, is not necessarily a common trait in the Muslim Middle East.
These words were those of an exceptional man, Mevlana (Mowlaana/Molavi in Persian), meaning “master.” The wise saying goes like this: “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
Sufi Islam attracts thousands of Westerners in their personal and spiritual search of truth and purpose, leading them to Turkey. The man named Mevlana Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi is responsible for drawing the crowds. Mevlana is famous for the whirling dervish order and his mystic poetry. Though Iran has not been open to all travelers, those who love Rumi can now begin to plan a trip. For Iranians, Molavi is a spiritual guide and guru whose words hold unmatched moral authority.
Interestingly enough, both Iran and Turkey claim Rumi. If you stop and think about it, it is not surprising. It is not unusual for two countries in this part of the world to make the claim for the same thing and disagree: The great poet Rumi (Molavi) is known by the Iranians as an Iranian and by the Turks as a Turk, each having their own reasons to claim the great poet. Iranians say he was born in Iran and wrote all of his works in Persian. Turks say that his tomb is in Turkey and his descendants and heirs live in Turkey. Whatever the situation may be, Rumi was a man of peace and tolerance and millions around the world think that Rumi or Molavi is a poet of the world and his works are for all to read and enjoy. Rumi's doctrine is loved by many. It advocates unlimited tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love.
Here is one of Rumi's gems:
“Choose Love, Love! Without the sweet life of Love, living is a burden -- as you have seen.”
Another well-known expression of Rumi's is: “Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times. Come, yet again, come."
And, of course, the saying, “What is a highway to one is a disaster to the other.”
Rumi was a 13th-century poet, philosopher and mystic whose works have been studied for centuries and still speak to millions today. Sadly, the land where Rumi lived and worked has, over the centuries, seen its fair share of disputes, intolerance, turmoil and violence.
Mevlana shared words of peace and wisdom. To help children learn about Rumi at an early age, Tiny Owl Publishing is creating books. In addition to some of his poems having been turned into musical lyrics by contemporary Western artists, some books have also been published in English in order to share some of Rumi's wise stories to readers of all ages. One for children in particular that comes to mind is “The Parrot and the Merchant.” This story is a wise story about true love in picture book format in the English language for children compiled by Pippa Goodhart (editor) and Marian Vafaian (illustrator). If you are not familiar with the work of the Iranian illustrator Vafaian, it is elaborateness and great detail that set her works apart from everybody else.
Tiny Owl Publishing believes that children's books are the best messengers of peace and understanding. On its website, it points out that one of Iran's prominent poets, Hafez, says this about love: “There is only one story of love and many narratives of that same story; still it is new whenever I hear it.” It is believed that Rumi's work influenced Hafez's life.
These days, the images portrayed in many television programs, movies, video games and in the media and news are more black and white and about conflict. From an early age, young minds need to hear and see different perspectives on universal concepts such as love, friendship, peace and freedom. It gives them a cultural awareness of the diverse and colorful global world that we live in.
"I am neither of the east nor of the west, no boundaries exist within my breast.” -- Rumi

CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON [Cihan/Today's Zaman]