The Israeli Dervish Finds Home In Mystical World Of Rumi



The Israeli Dervish Finds Home In Mystical World Of Rumi

Read and watch below the incredible spiritual journey of the only Israeli granted access to the inner sanctum of Rumi's Whirling Dervish Sufi Order in Maulana's adopted hometown and resting place, Konya, Turkey... 




Miki Cohen is a 58-year-old college teacher who has 'discovered' the works of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a 13th-century Muslim poet and Sufi mystic.

Attracted by Rumi's writings and philosophy, Miki translates his works into Hebrew and practices whirling in worship.

What makes Cohen's story so remarkable is that he is an Israeli.

The son of holocaust survivors and a veteran of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Cohen found himself searching for answers to his spiritual identity.

"I was in the Israeli army in the '73 war. And the war mentality, the killing mentality, the feeling that we are on one side victims and on the other side we are the oppressors. So, what are we? So I started, you know, looking for bigger answers let's say or deeper .... For many years I was looking in many places," he explains.

Along with several other Israelis, he undertakes a spiritual search and is attracted by the mysticism of Sufism.

But Miki goes a step further. He travels to Konya in central Turkey, the resting place of Rumi and a city once known as the 'citadel of Islam' with a reputation for religious conservatism. It is the centre for the Mevlevi Sufi order of Islam.


Courtesy of Al-Jazeera
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Thank you for visiting Maulana Rumi Online, a blog dedicated entirely to the life, works and teachings of Maulana Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi better known simply as Rumi here in our beloved America. Just as a memory refresher, all articles, e-books, images, links and reading materials listed in this Blog are solely for Educational purposes. This Blog is designed and maintained by yours truly, your comments, critiques or suggestions are quite welcome and greatly appreciated. As for my own Rumi Translations, you are welcome to copy and use them as long as it's not for commercial purposes. For best viewing, please try this Blog on Google Chrome Browser. This is a very long Blog though, so please make sure to use the Scroll To Top or Bottom Buttons at the left side, or Back To Top Button at the bottom right corner of your screen for smooth navigation. If you have any question, comment, critique or suggestion, please contact me by clicking the Contact Box embedded at the right middle corner. As Rumi would say, "Come, come, whoever you are, come back again.."!








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