Whirling Dervishes
The Mevlevi have always been ecumenical in outlook, welcoming non-Muslims to the sema in the belief that all people are equal in the sight of God. (Seljuk society was an equally ecumenical place: a ruling class of Turks and a populace of Byzantine Greeks, Jews, Armenians, Kurds and others).
Rumî's most famous writing is his invitation to the sema:Whoever you may be, comeEven though you may beAn infidel, a pagan, or a fire-worshipper, comeOur brotherhood is not one of despairThough you have brokenYour vows of repentance a hundred times, come
<< Home