Animal Cults, Ecology, and Sufism

Environment and Ecology in Sufism

Ethnographic fieldwork in Bangladesh, January 2014 and June 2019, and Pakistan, February
2020 | Outcome: 3 conference papers and 1 peer-reviewed book chapter [forthcoming]

The research explores the ancient practice of keeping ‘sacred animals’ in semi-captivity at some
of the most famous Muslim ‘natural’ sacred sites in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Some of these
animals are classified as ′extinct in the wild′ by the IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature). These sites include the shrine (mazar) of Bayazid Bistami at
Chittagong, whose name became associated with this Sufi sanctuary in the 18th century, and its
dynamic eco-spiritual relationship with a large population of huge black soft-shell turtles called
Bistami Kasim (Aspideretes nigricans) and snakehead fish (Channa merulius), known as gozar
fish, living in a fresh-water pond in the compound; the Shah Jalal Shrine at Sylhet, which next to
the mazar, or place of visitation of the tomb of the famous Bengali Sufi saint (pir), has gozar fish
in a fresh-water tank as well as blue rock pigeons (Columba livia) in the compound; the Seyyed
Chasni Pir Mazar, also at Sylhet, in which Rhesus Macaque monkeys live; as well as the Khan
Jahan Ali Mazar at Bagerhat and the Mangho Pir Mazar at Karachi, both of which house marsh
crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) in attached tanks. By offering a safe habitat and breeding
ground for these rare species, the Sufi shrines function as a vital refuge for a section of the
respective species thus contributing to the species’ conservation. The animals are venerated, fed
by hand, and protected. In turn they bring significant benefits to local and national communities.
They attract large numbers of pilgrims of different religions who queue every day to make votive
offerings, propitiate, and seek barkat (blessings) from the animals that are thought to have
restorative properties and to be able to grant boons. Traditionally these animals are believed to be
the descendants of nature ‘spirits’ (locally known as bhut or jinn) that were metamorphosed into
these creatures – perhaps intimating a kinship, even a blurring of boundaries, and cross-species
sentience. The rationale for preserving and sustaining sacred natural groves, water sources, and
the attendant animal population is based on dynamic religious entanglements passed down
through generations. These are buttressed by the local ecology – vegetal, liquid, and animal –
which is renowned for its blessing and healing properties, and these powers are connected to the
sacred power of divine intermediaries, the respective charismatic pirs (Sufi saints), to transcend
and miraculously transform ‘natural’ forces (including sickness). Local belief is highly
influenced by Sufi thought which emphasizes the inherently fluid, traditional practices of the
‘cult of pirs’ who are believed to be able to cross the boundaries of nature and to subdue the
dangers of the natural world with its wild animals. As a result, they are regularly petitioned for
‘miracles’ and their shrines (called either mazar, place of visitation, or dargah) are regularly
visited. These practices are increasingly criticized by ‘orthodox’ Islam and some of the animals
became victims of attacks by Islamic movements who criticize these nature-based religious
traditions as ‘un-Islamic,’ innovative practices. Drawing upon ethnographic data gathered
through fieldwork undertaken in Bangladesh and Pakistan as well as from empirical materials
collected in the local Sufi communities, this research investigates the ‘environmentalist
engagement’ of the respective Sufi shrines.

Conference Presentations Forthcoming

Public Talks/Conference Presentations

Teaching