Cyber Sufis: Virtual Expressions of the American Muslim Experience

by Robert Rozehnal

Overview

In America today, online spaces serve as critical alternatives for tech-savvy Muslims seeking a place to root their faith, forge religious identity, and build communities.

With a particular focus on the Inayati Order, a branch of the oldest Sufi community in the West, Robert Rozehnal explores the online revolution in internal communication, spiritual pedagogy, and public outreach – and looks ahead to the future of digital Islam in the age of Web 3.0.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780747583
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	08/13/2019
Series:	Islam in the Twenty-First Century
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.05(d)

About the Author

Robert Rozehnal is Professor of Religion Studies and Founding Director of the Center for Global Islamic Studies at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Islamic Sufism Unbound, the editor of Piety, Politics and Everyday Ethics in Southeast Asian Islam, and numerous articles. He lives in Madison, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction: Cyber Sufis In The Digital Age 1

1 Mapping Digital Religion And Cyber Islam 21

2 (Mis)Interpreting Sufism 39

3 Sufism In The American Religious Landscape 57

4 Narrating Identity In Cyberspace: Inayati Tradition And Community 73

5 Virtual Practice: Inayati Rituals And Teaching Networks 101

6 Bridging The Digital And Analog Worlds: Inayati Social Engagement 129

7 Contextualizing American Cyber Sufism 155

Bibliography 185

Notes 211

Index 235

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

‘Essential reading for students and academics with interests in the diverse expressions of contemporary Islam, on- and offline. By recognising and analysing the impact of the internet on Islam, Cyber Sufis will also appeal to those communities and individuals for whom cyberspace is an essential part of religious expression and identity in the modern world.’

Gary R. Bunt, author of Hashtag Islam, and Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Editorial Reviews

‘Captivating, thought-provoking, and groundbreaking. Cyber Sufis is a serious attempt to explore the highly understudied and mostly overlooked spiritual and mystical dimension of the “digital ecosystem.”’

Sahar Khamis

‘Essential reading for students and academics with interests in the diverse expressions of contemporary Islam, on- and offline.’

Gary R. Bunt