Sufism in Canada

Weaving Islamic Practice and Contemporary Spirituality

Edited by GeneviÃ¨ve Mercier-Dalphond and Merin Shobhana Xavier

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Sufism in Canada

Weaving Islamic Practice and Contemporary Spirituality

Edited by GeneviÃ¨ve Mercier-Dalphond and Merin Shobhana Xavier

Offers a new perspective of Sufism through a Canadian lens.

Whirling dervishes. Ecstatic experience. Historical and contemporary expressions of Sufism are suffused with spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism. Sufism in Canada asks how we can understand this fascinating religious practice in a specifically Canadian context and, by extension, how Sufism informs Islam and popular spirituality not only in Canada but across the globe.

Using case studies rooted in Canadian concerns and communities, scholars of Islamic studies, sociology, ethnomusicology, and history analyze the meaning and practice of Sufism in this country. They investigate the institutional and transnational histories of the Inayati, Halveti-Jerrahi, and Naqshbandi orders; they explore tensions between gendered Muslim spaces and Sufism as a universal spirituality; and they revisit old Sufi stories in a new landscape.

Sufism in Canada not only adds to a growing body of literature on Islam and Muslim identities in Canada but also helps define new paths of exploration for this important field of study.

Read More Read Less

Religion: Islam, Religion and Society

View all books from University of British Columbia Press

Reviews
Table of contents
Excerpt
Gallery
Awards
Author Events
Related Titles

Reviews

"Until recently, there has been nothing written about Sufism in Canada. This collection is exceedingly important."

Mark Sedgwick, author of Western Sufism: From the Abbasids to the New Age

Table of Contents

Introduction / Merin Shobhana Xavier and GeneviÃ¨ve Mercier-Dalphond

Part I: Situating Sufism

1 Sacred Landscapes and Universal Sufism: From Canada to South Asia / GeneviÃ¨ve Mercier-Dalphond

2 Circles of Remembrance: The Halveti-Jerrahis of Toronto / Atif Khalil

3 Sufism and Spiritual Ecology: The Pacific Northwest / Merin Shobhana Xavier

4 Shaykh Ibrahim Joel Kreps: A Sufi Sage of Montreal / Marcia Hermansen

Part II: Practices and Rituals

5 What Is "Sufi" about the Montreal Sufi Centre? A Portrait of a Neighbourhood Zawiya / NaÃ¯m Jeanbart

6 The MTO Shahmaghsoudi Order: From Iran to Canada / Emily Victoria Hanlon

7 Branches of Sound: The Aurality of Safety in Sufi Toronto / Alia O’Brien

Part III: Reflections on Sufism

8 Reweaving Old Sufi Stories: Three Canadian Writers / Sara Abdel-Latif

9 Speculations on Sufism and Gender in Canada: Critical Dialogue between Two Racialized Scholars / Amina Jamal and Maryam Khan

10 Light upon Light: Would Sufism by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet? / Abdul-Rehman Malik

Index

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!