Salaam, I was interested to hear your recent remarks on the state of American Sufism on a podcast sponsored by Ibrahim Jaffe's group. I also found your audio interview with a couple of the other authors of your book. I read your entry in the book as well as that of PhD candidate on the Sufi farm. I was rather delighted at first blush to find scholastic interest in what I had surmised was mostly a detour of well off the main highway of Western Sufism. To be perfectly honest, my interest in the progress of American Sufism only persists to the extent that I have relatives and former friends still involved. I personally find most of it rather hierarchical and irrelevant to my own personal path. Not to speak of the plague of amateurs infecting whatever original integrity it might have had. Not to criticize anyone else, but as you may see, I have run the gauntlet with it all and am done. Though I wish any sincere seeker of any stripe more success that I may have ...
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 Mu...
Anonymous August 6, 2013 at 11:31 PM Some people may find the comments posted by someone called "Lover of God" to the following forum useful. This is a follow up of my previous post to this forum on March 27th, 2013. http://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?12,57030,page=4 "I am familiar with this group. It has its issues, but by and large it helps alot of people deepen their spirituality. For the handful of negative stories, there are thousands of active participants in the U.S. and many more around the world who get alot out of it and feel it is very positive for them. Keep in mind this group is mostly made up of converts, although in the last few years it has attracted more Muslim-born immigrants. The majority of the membership are intelligent, educated professionals. Think psychologists, doctors, business people. These are people who would be critical of any hokum pokum as they have a good head on their shoulders. Sufi masters who aren't the real deal sometimes ...
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