To an American Sufi Scholar:

 One of the few reputable Sufis who knew Sidi Muhammad Al-Jamal was Nurideen Durkee. Sheik Durkee was a distinguished and sincere American Muslim/Sufi Teacher, who knew Sidi long ago in the Seventies, when Sidi was little-known preacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Nurrideen had been influential in the establishment of the Lama Foundation and the Dar-Al-Islam community in Abiqui, NM. He was one of the earliest Western students at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, perhaps the most important source of Islamic Theology.

In a recent article, Sheik Nurideen attempt to both honor the truths  Sidi taught and to explain the un-Islamic attitudes of the  Ibrahim Jaffee/Energy Healing subgroup that exploited Sidi's status and teaching and substantially co-opted it. Implying that Dr. Jaffe had become Sidi's Heir Apparent. (Which was NOT the case, and the silsila of Sidi has died without anyone, certainly NOT Dr. Jaffee, receiving Sidi's ring.

Here we list Sheik Nurideen's obituary of Sidi Muhammad along with our response to the same, which, sadly, was written to late for Skeik Nurideen to comment on. We like to think Nurideen was perhaps too kind and could not imagine the depravity and financial scandal Sidi Al-Jamal would fall prey to in his later years.

Few indeed are the long-standing members of the Shadhillya Community who have satisfactorily dealt with the long list of abuses practiced by Sidi . Especially the ignominious, de-humanizing marriage of new disciples to each other, whether or not they had any particular attraction for each other or even knew each other's last names!! . Of course, having set up many unstable marriages in this fashion, he also set HIMSELF up as the marriage counselor for those so paired.

Of course, financial irregularities were part of the picture as well. In this regard, an early blog makes for interesting reading.