Supporters livid after Muzaffar Ali said this to a question on the Persian poet's sexual orientation
Supporters livid after Muzaffar Ali said this to a question on the Persian poet's sexual orientation
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'I died a mineral and became a plant, I died a plant and rose to animal, I died an animal and I was Man,' wrote Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Rumi. There's no way this man was gay yelled writer-director-designer Muzaffar Ali. The occasion: the announcement of the Jahan-E-Khusrau Sufi music festival, organised by the Rumi Foundation.
But to say Shams was his beloved is foolish, says Ali of the mystic's much-debated sexual orientation. "Aisa kuch nahi hai. Agar woh gay hote, to aisi hi cheezon mein phans jaate. Everyone has the right to interpret and misinterpret, but theseu00a0 allegations about Rumi are baseless," he fumed.
So did Rumi's gay supporters, against Ali's insensitive comments. "Kya kar sakte hain. It's an ignorant statement. Most people who've studied Rumi know why Shams was killed," says Saleem Kidwai, gay scholar and author of Same Sex Love in India.u00a0u00a0
Sufism is associated with love that is boundless and transcends conformity. Ironically, Ali talks of this aspect, too. "When you want to talk peace, you need to lead with an icon who crosses all boundaries. So Rumi was the first and final choice for the festival."
But Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal of Vagina Monologues fame hopes Ali changes his own outlook first. "Whether Rumi would have been a poet or not has nothing to do with his sexuality. He would have been one irrespective of his sexual preferences," she said.
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