LAHORE: Participants in a conference on Sufi poet Shah Husain underscored the need to separate Sufism and Mullahism to enable people to recognise the difference between those promoting peace and love, and those stoking extremism.

“The word Sufism, a category renowned poet Shah Hussain falls in, reflects human friendship, love, affection and enlightenment. But people normally don’t differentiate the words of Sufism and Mullahism. It is the need of the hour to differentiate these two terms,” Fakhar Zaman, chairman of the World Punjabi Congress, said at the event organised by the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture at the Alhmara Cultural Complex on Thursday.

He said: “It is the need of the hour to highlight Shah Hussain’s message of humanity, love and enlightenment.” He sought commemoration of the days of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and other luminaries in other provinces as well.

The developed nations, he said, recognised and followed in the footsteps of their intellectuals. “If we have gathered here to pay tributes to Shah Hussain, we should take it as an opportunity to question the Punjab government that why it is focusing on Orange Line, Panama Papers etc., instead of building the first Punjabi university in Lahore. India already has six such institutions,” he said.

Ms Mussarat Kalanchvi said the poetry of Shah Hussain is full of lessons. “His poetry tells us very clearly what we have to do in different situations.”

Dr Ayub Nadeeem said there’s a need to promote Sufism which is an answer to many ills. “Allah Almighty has given us an opportunity to gather here to pay a tribute to Shah Hussain and we must disperse with willingness to promote Sufism in society,” he said.

The speakers corroborated Mr Fakhar Zaman’s assertion and said the saints and seers enlightened societies and they must not be confused with Mullahs.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2016