Islam
Islam – Some varieties of Islam have been labeled shamanic or shamanistic. Ioan Lewis discusses possession cults called Sar or Zar in North and East Africa, and the similar Bori cult in West and North Africa. It is sometimes claimed that the Alevīlik or Alevis, originating in Turkey, blend Shi’a and Sufi Islamic elements with pre-Islamic Turkic shamanic practices and ideas. However, to interpret the dervishes as performing a “trance dance” may be to focus on their techniques rather than their purpose or role in society, and at that level these communal dancers may not be accurately considered shamans.
SOURCE:
Historical Dictionary of Shamanism by Graham Harvey and Robert J. Wallis 2007
