Re: Another political question re: Tuffleverse

One Islamic group I've sort of tossed around  ideas for is a Sufi or
Sufic-influenced state/nation/subgroup.

The Sufis are interesting - considerably more open-minded that the
Saudi/Taliban brand of Islam. I had a Sufi prof when I took Islamic
History a few years ago, and she was a very interesting person. (Yes,
*she*. One of the interesting things about Sufic Islam is that it's a
whole lot less hung up on the role of women than more mainstream Islam)

Sufi groups wouldn't enjoy a hardline Islamic Federation very much, so I
could see small colonies out there - AE rocks, perhaps. Ther's never
been
Sufic Islamic government that I know of, but it could take up all the
best
elements of Islam, not the guns-and-beards conservative mess.

Something along the lines of the heights of Moorish Spain, or the best
(admitedly short) eras of the Turkish Caliphate - religious tolerance, a
remarkably open society, great respect for scholarship, etc.

It would be a nice change from everyone's 'Taliban in Space' Islamic
groups, anyway.

Brian - yh728@victoria.tc.ca -
- http://warbard.iwarp.com/games.html -