Come! Whatever You Are, Come!

We have put forth the philosophy of Mevlana, peace be on him; we have included women along with men in our choir and in the Sema Ceremony.
Rumi wasn't a poet; he was a great thinker. Eight hundred years ago he said:
"Come! Whatever you are, come! Whether you are an infidel or idol worshipper,
Whether you've broken your vow of repentance a hundred times, still come... This is the gate of hope, not the gate of despair. Come, come regardless!"
He invites everyone with the following statement:"Regardless of what you are...
"He calls out both to men and women, without separation over...(to be continued)

Discussions on Rumi...Hasan Dede's Own Words By Ayşe Özalp and Carole J. Douglas