DURING the fasting month of Ramadan we tend to see people attempting to be closer to God. The mosques are enlivened by tarawih (optional evening prayer) and tadarus (lengthy recitals from the Qur’an). Hotels hold religious study sessions for executives. Television stations broadcast shows of group thikr, praises of God chanted in unison. Religious teachers instantly become public icons.

Ten or 20 years ago, it would have been difficult to imag