The Christian origins of the British singer of Pakistani origins, Sira Peter, did not prevent this singer from admiring Islamic Sufi poetry, but rather specializing in it, and performing in dozens of art halls inside and outside Britain, and she developed a new style by mixing Western opera techniques and Islamic Sufi poetry.

In this dialogue with Al-Jazeera Net, Saira Peter talks about the secret of her attraction to Islamic Sufi poems, and the meanings that she found in these poems, and reveals the interaction of the Western audience with the artistic content that it presents in more than 17 languages.

When was your first experience with Sufi singing?

My first real experience with Sufi songs came in 2006 after completing my MA studies when I decided to record an entire album by the Sufi poet Amir Khusraw (651-725 AH / 1253-1325 CE), one of the most famous Sufi poets in India in the seventh century AH called “The Voice of Sindh” Then, in the year 2014, I was the chairperson of a committee in a Pakistani singing program called "Sowt Sindh", and Sufi singing caught my attention and I was attracted to it more.

Later, I met the Custodian of the shrine of the famous Sufi Sheikh Shah Abd al-Latif Bahtai (1102-1165 AH / 1689-1752 CE), who was known for transmitting the meanings of Islam in his poetry. Sufi party in Karachi attended by many of the country's famous people.

What are the reasons that made you interested exclusively in Sufi songs?

Having the mystical spiritual values ​​that I inherited from my family ultimately led me to sacrifice my major in science, and with all the turmoil that followed the events of September 11, 2001, I wanted to know the historical periods in which societies of diverse backgrounds coexisted successfully.

I completed a master's thesis on Islam and the West at Queen Mary University in London, which helped me understand the historical contexts surrounding the great poets such as Ibn Arabi and Ibn al-Farid, and then I worked a lot on Andalusian music that was produced in Cordoba, and I found that these Sufi poets emphasized the proximity to God because they realized that when we achieve this we can build a true community based on love, and I soon realized that music is something that can strongly bring people closer to God and bring them together as well.

And I thought how I could also use my singing to promote harmony in our world.

Saira Peter dreams of transferring Sufi values ​​to the international scene in a global language (Al-Jazeera)

What are the spiritual meanings found in Sufi poetry?

Sufi poetry calls on his listeners to meditate on the love of God and make this love a lamp for their lives, and to show compassion, tolerance, self-sacrifice, and unconditional love for the rest of the people, and I was particularly affected by Ibn Arabi, who was given a house by a ruler and then Ibn Arabi gave him to a homeless beggar because he was famous for his sympathy with the poor.

If all of humanity begins to live according to these mystical values, and everyone cares about their needy neighbor, our world will become a more peaceful place.

These values ​​made me dedicate myself to Sufi music.

How does the western audience interact with Islamic Sufi songs?

I learned that in order to convey the message of Sufism, from great Sufis such as Ibn Arabi, Ibn Al-Farid and others, to Western audiences, I needed to present it in a culturally appropriate way, and that is why I studied Western classical singing and opera specifically.

As a result, the Pakistani and Middle Eastern media named me a "Sufi opera singer" and started producing Western classic songs with Sufi poetry.

And in 2016 we organized a Sophia Festival in London.

I did a Sophie duet with the prominent British actor and singer, Michael Ross.

British piano coach Paul Knight accompanied us.

The international audience really liked it and told a lot afterwards that they learned a lot and for the first time realized the depth of meaning in mystical poetry.

I also toured many American universities, giving lectures and playing Sufi music.

The interaction of the professors and students was always very positive towards the Sufi songs. I even received a warm welcome from a thousand students and professors after performing the song "Sufi opera" in their council.

How does the Muslim audience interact with you during your performance of these songs?

Probably more than 60% of my audience are Muslims, and they welcome me warmly wherever I go.

The Pakistani media and the Middle East are announcing and announcing my Sufi performances and the two "Sufi opera" projects.

They showed me great love.

Many of them say that I am their ambassador, and I carry their values ​​of harmony, peace and love to the whole world.

I have also won many awards for my work in this field, including the Shah Latif award from the Shah Latif shrine, making me the second person after the late Benazir Bhutto - the former Prime Minister of Pakistan - to receive it directly from the shrine's servant.

Tell us about your project "Mystical Opera"?

I wanted to bring Sufi values ​​to the international scene in a global language, so I adapt the famous Sufi story of the famous poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai and present it to English speakers as a Sufi opera.

Written about 300 years ago, this story tells of a woman who leads a way of purity, courage and dignity.

It took 3 years to research this story and develop it to a new stage in the English language, with musical work suitable for an international audience.

We will first be organizing this opera in London once the lockdown ends.

What is your message to the Arab audience?

I invite them to adhere to their rich Arab culture and roots and based on my studies and observations as a singer, the Arab civilization is one of the oldest civilizations with a rich cultural heritage of hospitality, kindness, generosity, humor and a quiet life that we so desperately need in our fast-paced world, the soil of the Middle East is the rich inheritance of the prophets who passed from there. In addition to the language and culture based on rhythm and sound, and if you take the rhythm away from the Arabs, their emotions will wither and die.

I am also amazed to see how much Arabs understand music, and I have never seen such enthusiastic audiences before, Umm Kulthum was a really great singer with the rarest abilities to be perfect with long notes and expressing a whole range of emotions.

As opera singer Maria Callas said, "Only when the singer and orchestra listen to each other, to become one person, can they produce real music."

Umm Kulthum embodied this quality, and I hope to perform her song "Inta Omri" again in front of a new audience.