Zikri or Zigri (from the word dhikr-remembering, repeating the names of Allah) is a small Muslim sect that is widespread in Pakistan, as well as in some parts of southern India, Afghanistan and in Iranian Balochistan. In Pakistan, the Zikri mainly live in the territory of Balochistan, in the south-west of which, near the city of Turbat, is their main shrine Kuh-e-murad ("Mountain of Desire"). In the Gwadar district, the Zikri constitute a confessional majority, with some groups living in Karachi, Quetta, Las Bela and Makran. According to rough estimates, about 750 thousand people belong to the sect in Pakistan. This statistic is inaccurate, since many Zikris are accused of heresy by the majority Sunni Muslims in Pakistan, and they simply hide their religious affiliation. Keywords: Zikri sect, Sufism, Mahdism, "female" gender role The standard charges against zikri are that they replace the obligatory ritual prayer (salat) with dhikr, do not fast during Ramadan, and instead of performing Hajj perform the ritual of ziyarat ("visiting") of their shrine. Most of all, the Zikri are afraid of repeating the fate of another, more famous and numerous Islamic sect, the Ahmadiyya, whose members were declared non-Muslims in 1974 by a decree of the Pakistani parliament and on this basis were subjected to the most severe persecution for many years (the latest example is the armed attack on Ahmadiyya mosques in Lahore in May 2010). In contrast to the Ahmadiyya, among whom there are many educated middle-class people who have managed to create large communities in Western countries (the head of their state). The article was written with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for National Research, grant "Female leader in Traditional Muslim Society: the Benazir Bhutto phenomenon", N 10-03-00014a. page 122The majority of Zikri are fishermen, farmers, and small artisans (in particular, basket makers). Fear of reprisals, isolation, and the constant threat of" excommunication "f ... Read more