Varieties of American Sufism : Islam, Sufi Orders, and Authority in a Time of Transition

Participant-observation-based studies that explore a range of Sufi movements operating across the contemporary American religious landscape. From Rumi poetry and Sufi dancing or whirling, to expressions of Africanicity and the forging of transnational bonds to remote locations in Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey, Varieties of American Sufism immerses the reader in diverse expressions of contemporary Sufi religiosity in the United States. It spans more than a century of political, cultural, and embodied relationships with Islam and Muslims. American encounters with mystical Islam were initiated by a romantic quest for Oriental wisdom, flourished in the embrace of Eastern teachings during the countercultural era of New Age religion, were concretized due to late twentieth-century possibilities of travel and immigration to and from Muslim societies, and are now diffused through an explosion of cyber religion in an age of globalization. This collection of in-depth, participant-observation-based studies challenges expectations of uniformity and continuity while provoking stimulating reflection on a range of issues relevant to contemporary Islamic Studies, American religions, multireligious belonging, and new religious movements. Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 Sufism and Islam 13 A Brief History of Sufism 14 Historical Overview of the Development of American Sufism 19 Mapping Diversity across American Sufi Movements 20 Perennial Sufism 20 Hybrid Sufi Movements 23 Authenticity Sufism, 1995–2010 26 Sufism and American Islam Since 2010: From Authenti‘fiqh’ation to Affect 28 Chapters in this Volume 30 Chapter Summaries 32 Notes 36 References 42 Cited Websites 46 1 The Message in Our Time: Changing Faces and Identities of the Inayati Order in America 48 The “Delocalization” and “Relocalization” of the Inayati Order 48 Historical Overview of the Founder 49 The New Age Years 53 The Globalizing Phase of the Inayati Order 57 Conclusion 62 Notes 64 References 71 2 The Golden Sufi Center: A Non-Islamic Branch of the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya 74 Introduction 74 The Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya 76 Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and the Golden Sufi Center 78 Legitimating Authority: Connecting to the Prophet 82 The Golden Sufi Center and the Naqshbandi Sufi Path 86 Conclusion: Rethinking Contemporary Sufism 91 Notes 93 References 98 3 The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship: Diverse Identities and Negotiated Spaces 102 Introduction 102 Methodology 104 The Arrival of Bawa to America 104 From the Masjid to the Mazar 108 The Authority of Bawa 113 The Teachings of Bawa 118 The Practices of the Fellowship 120 Conclusion 123 Notes 125 References 129 4 A Shadhiliyya Sufi Order in America: Traditional Islam Meets American Hippies 132 Encountering Shadhili Sufis 132 What Is Shadhili Sufism? 133 American Shadhilis 134 Shaykh al-Jamal’s American Students 135 Al-Jamal’s Life and Teachings 136 On the Relationship of Sufism and Islam 139 Institutional Structure 144 Community 145 Spiritual Practices 147 al-Wird 148 Dhikr 148 Al-Wazifa al-Shadhiliyya 149 Khalwa 150 Writing Out Shaykh al-Jamal’s Books 151 The Healing School 152 Future of the Order 154 Notes 155 References 161 Websites 166 Films Produced by Sidi’s Students 166 5 The Mevlevi Order of America 168 Historical Background 169 Süleyman Dede—Migration and Modernization 171 Jelaleddin Loras and the Mevlevi Order of America 173 Organization 175 Murids and Muhibs: Followers and Friends 177 Garments 177 Activities 179 Toward a Mevlevi Order of America Understanding of Sufism 180 On Authority and Legitimacy 182 A Shaykh’s Ijaza 183 Explicit Claims of Authority 184 Implicit Claims of Authority 184 To Dress the Part 185 To Walk the Walk 187 Initiation 189 Conclusion 190 Notes 191 References 195 Online Material 196 6 From the Balkans to America: The Alami Tariqa in Upstate New York 198 Balkan Beginnings 199 The Early Sufi Community in North America (1969–1977) 200 Establishing the Tariqa in Upstate New York (1977–1980) 202 The Alami Tariqa 204 Diversity within the Alami Tariqa 207 Turning Faith into Action 209 Challenges to Pluralism 211 Expanding Locally and Internationally 213 Final Thoughts 214 Notes 215 References 218 7 “There is an ‘I’ deeper than me”: The Ansari Qadiri Rifa‘i Tariqa and Transcendence in America 222 Presence and Authority from Baghdad to the United States 223 Becoming Transnational: East to West 225 Becoming Transnational: West to East 228 T\he Meat: AQRT Teachings 232 Practices 235 Sohbet 235 Traveling Shaykh and Traveling Murid Sohbet 237 Zikr 241 Conclusion 243 Notes 244 References 253 8 When the Divine Flood Reached New York 256 Black Americans in an African Sufi Order 258 Shaykh Hassan Cisse and the Appeal of an African Diasporic Islam 259 Becoming Black Sufis: Sunni Islam as a Path to Sufism 260 Hajjah Kareemah Abdul-Kareem 261 Imam Sayed Abdus-Salaam 262 Hajjah Ashaki Taha-Cisse 264 Heading the Call to Know God 267 The Appeal of Ma‘rifa 268 The Social Justice Imperative 271 Promoting Gender Justice and Affirming Africanity 272 Education and Child Welfare 273 Black Nationalism Begets Black Sufism 275 Conclusion 277 Notes 278 References 282 Contributors 284 Index 288 Acknowledgments -- Introduction / Marcia Hermansen -- The Message in Our Time: Changing Faces and Identities of the Inayati Order in America / Geneviève Mercier-Dalphond -- The Golden Sufi Center: A Non-Islamic Branch of the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya / William Rory Dickson -- The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship: Diverse Identities and Negotiated Spaces / Merin Shobhana Xavier -- A Shadhiliyya Sufi Order in America: Traditional Islam Meets American Hippies / Elliott Bazzano -- The Mevlevi Order of America / Simon Sorgenfrei -- From the Balkans to America: The Alami Tariqa in Upstate New York / Julianne Hazen -- 'There is an 'I' deeper than me': The Ansari Qadiri Rifa'i Tariqa and Transcendence in America / Melinda Krokus -- When the Divine Flood Reached New York: The Tijani Sufi Order among Black American Muslims in New York City / Rasul Miller -- Contributors -- Index __Participant-observation-based studies that explore a range of Sufi movements operating across the contemporary American religious landscape.____Varieties of American Sufism__