Between real and virtual communities: Sufism in Western societies and the Naqshbandi Haqqani case
Sufism, the mystical/esoteric Islamic path of soul purification, is spreading extensively throughout Western societies. The internet is one of the most important vehicles of this diffusion. This article first describes the use of the internet in four European Sufi orders, underlining how the interne...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2016]
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| In: |
Social compass
Year: 2016, Volume: 63, Issue: 1, Pages: 93-108 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Nāẓim ʿAdl al-Ḥaqqānī, Muḥammad 1922-2014
/ Naqšbandīya
/ Western world
/ Sufism
/ Virtual reality
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| IxTheo Classification: | AZ New religious movements BJ Islam |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Sufism, the mystical/esoteric Islamic path of soul purification, is spreading extensively throughout Western societies. The internet is one of the most important vehicles of this diffusion. This article first describes the use of the internet in four European Sufi orders, underlining how the internet: (1) is an instrument of promotion, information and knowledge about Islam and Sufism; (2) reduces the distance between disciples and Masters; (3) is a digital space where religious experiences are reaffirmed, not lived. The second section of the article concerns the Naqshbandi Haqqani case, which is completely different from the other orders studied. For some Naqshbandi disciples, the internet is also a place in which to practise religion through rituals, prayer requests, initiation and religious experiences. Through an analysis of this particular use of the internet, the author explores the transformation of European Sufism both in the frame of post-modern religiosity and in the frame of transnationalism. |
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| ISSN: | 1461-7404 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Social compass
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0037768615606619 |