PURISTS ON THE PROWL

Wahhabi codes run counter to the age-old Sufi tradition.

• Wahhabis forbid invoking names of prophets or 'pirs'; Shrines are viewed as 'deviant' and forbidden.
• Stringent dress codes are prescribed for both men and women. Men must grow beards, wear a prayer cap and keep trousers just above their ankels; women must observe purdah.
• Music and dance, even loud laughter and demonstrative weeping at funerals, is actively discouraged.
• Alcohol, tobacco and other stimulants are prohibited.
• Women are dissuaded from working except where their families are in financial distress.
• Gender segregation is actively enforced. Men and women are discouraged from socialising in public forums