New York Sufi Festival

Hands waved overhead. Voices shouted lyrics and whooped with delight. Children were hoisted onto parents' shoulders. In the tightly packed crowd a few dancers made room to jump. T-shirts were tossed to fans from the stage. Yet in the songs that Abida Parveen was singing, saints were praised. They were Islamic saints, the poets and philosophers reve...

Hands waved overhead. Voices shouted lyrics and whooped with delight. Children were hoisted onto parents' shoulders. In the tightly packed crowd a few dancers made room to jump. T-shirts were tossed to fans from the stage. Yet in the songs that Abida Parveen was singing, saints were praised. They were Islamic saints, the poets and philosophers reve...