There is a link between Punditts and Sufism, not the Sufism of ritual and dogma, nor of dressing up in Eastern garb. Idries Shah points out that while Sufism works well in Islam, Sufism is pre-Islamic. Since Islam is relatively new, I would have to point out that the work of the Punditts predates all known religions, and that Punditts down the centuries have worked and helped all religions. Punditts are in religion but not of it.
Some people will tell you that the Koran is shallow, and has no power, as it is the latest of the religious books that start with the Torah, then the Bible. In fact, the Koran is a repository of spiritual power that transcends all other religious books. I am not referring to Islam and its rules and rituals as interpreted in an increasingly extremist fashion, predominantly as a reaction to Western pressures. This polarisation between the spiritual powers of the Punditts connected to the Koran, and the rise in extremism as the Western Powers (USA and UK primarily) strive to bomb Islamic societies into Western values, creates an extraordinary spiritual tension. Just as conventional wars bring about a massive acceleration in technology and science, I predict that the political and military tensions between the West (ie “Christian” countries) and the Islamic world will result in dramatic spiritual progress for the world. We live in interesting times.