Sufism
●Sufism as Tasawwuf is mysticism in Islam, “characterized by values, ritual practices,doctrines and institutions”.
●It is variously defined as “Islamic mysticism”,”the inward dimension of Islam” or “the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam”.
●Sufis have often belonged to different ṭuruq or “orders” – congregations formed around a grand master referred to as a wali who traces a direct chain of successive teachers back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
●These orders meet for spiritual sessions (majalis) in meeting places known as zawiyas, khanqahs or tekke.
Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991
●Recently, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to respond to a plea challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
●Passed in 1991 by the P V Narasimha Rao-led government, the law seeks to maintain the “religious character” of places of worship as it was in 1947 — except in the case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, which was already in court.
●The law was brought in at the peak of the Ram Mandir movement, exactly a year before the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
●The act prohibits conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August, 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
●Sections (3) and (4) : Religious character of a place of worship shall continue to be the same as it was on August 15, 1947 and that no person shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination into one of a different denomination or section.
●The Act also exempted any place of worship that is an ancient and historical monument or an archaeological site, or is covered by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
Bandar Abbas
●Bandar-e ‘Abbās is a port city on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf.
●The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, and it is the location of the main base of the Iranian Navy.
Desert Flag
●For the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is participated in the Exercise Desert Flag-VI, hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force.
●It is an annual multinational large force employment warfare exercise which is hosted by UAE’s Air Force in the Gulf Region.
●Participants: The air forces of the UAE, India, United States of America, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Bahrain.
●The IAF has in the last five years participated in multilateral drills. These include in 2016 the American ‘Red Flag’; the Israeli ‘Blue Flag’ in 2017 and the Australian ‘Pitch Black’ drill in 2018.
Gulf of Aden
●The Gulf of Aden also known as the Gulf of Berbera is a deepwater gulf between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, Socotra, and Somaliland to the south.
●The Gulf of Aden is a vital waterway for shipping, especially for Persian Gulf oil, making it an integral waterway in the world economy.
●Approximately 11% of the world’s seaborne petroleum passes through the Gulf of Aden on its way to the Suez Canal or to regional refineries.
