Sufism in America by Hazen Julianne;

Author:Hazen, Julianne;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic

Chapter 4

Issues of Acculturation

Ethnicity, Race, and Gender

O Humankind! We have created you from a pair of male and female and have made you into peoples and tribes that you may know one another [not that you would dislike each other]. Truly, the most honored among you in the sight of God are the most righteous among yourselves. Indeed, God is the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing.

—Qur’an 49:13

At the beginning of my undergraduate course “Islam and the West,” I ask the students whether they think Islam and the West are compatible or destined to be in conflict. Their answers typically fluctuate across semesters, depending on what is being broadcast in the news and whether the moderates or extremists in Islam currently appear to have the upper hand. Consistently, however, Muslim students have stated that Islam and the West are compatible because they are living examples of it. Every day, they negotiate what it means to be both Muslim and American.

Islam manifests as a complete way of life, and it is intimately connected to cultural traditions and self-identity. Across the world, Muslim interpretations of Islam and Islamic ideals differ, which has led to a spectacular array of expressions of Islam. Muslims in rural Africa1 have their unique cultural approach compared to, for example, Muslims in urbanized China.2 This can be seen in popular outfits, construction styles of mosques, and other traditions particular to the local culture and history of Islam there. Likewise, Muslims in America have had to negotiate with the local traditions and laws to acculturate their understanding of Islam, merging it to create a uniquely American Islam, but Islam nonetheless. All Muslims, regardless of their approach to Islam, age, gender, ethnicity, or any other difference are united by the shahāda.

This chapter looks at how the Sufis in America have adapted to this pluralistic, Western setting, particularly regarding ethnic, racial, and gender issues. There is evidence of a lively dialogue going on concerning the appropriate degree of acculturation and the inclusion of women and individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The Alami Ṭarīqa has adapted to the American environment in a number of ways and offers to men and women of any ethnic background opportunities for spiritual progress, while striving to uphold the essence of sharī‘a law. What does this mean for the self-identity of the ṭarīqa, and how does this compare with other Sufi movements in America?

The Acculturation of Sufism in the West

Globalization has created an environment where ideas and individuals interact on unprecedented levels. Islamic guidance for living is interpreted by the schools of sharī‘a and then applied with much debate and variation in local settings, as Geertz, for example, found in his study of Islam in Indonesia and Morocco.3 Local Islamic practices and identities have global dimensions, and likewise the global have local dimensions. This is well demonstrated by studies of transnational ṭarīqas and the interactions between Muslim of various ideologies. Islam in Western settings is characterized by opposing and merging identities as a result of a diverse population and different interpretations of Islam brought into contact by forces of globalization.

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