Mevlevi Order
Dance is unusual within Islam, but circle dance is used in the Islamic Haḍra dances. In the tradition of the Mevlevi Order founded by Rumi, ecstatic Sufi whirling is practised by devotees as a form of active meditation within the Sama (worship ceremony). In 2007, Sufi practices including ecstatic dance and the reciting of religious poetry were a focus for political resistance in Iran, reportedly "demoniz[ed]" by Shi'a clerics.