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Cyber Sufis: Virtual Expressions of the American Muslim Experience
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.
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.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2019
26 people want to read
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January 8, 2020
Definitely a very academic book, so if you're unfamiliar with academic terms, be aware (i'm definitely not). It was interesting, although, as Rozehnal admits, a very narrow view of how Sufis use the internet.
In a way, part of what made it interesting to me was how Rozehnal talked about the internet. Since i grew up when the internet was really just coming into its own, i've grown up also with technology developing extremely fast, so to a degree, i don't think anything of it. Rozehnal, of course, has; he has to. That's part of the whole point of him writing this. He sees the internet as being very markedly different from any other media-- which it is-- & wants to know how that affects even a very specific "brand" of Sufism. He wants to know how it facilitates & hinders things like ritual, & the importance Sufis place on being in a space with other Sufis, & especially with a spiritual leader. These are questions that i've never considered, since not only am i so used to the internet, but i'm also not part of any religious group-- or, at least, definitely not one that has long-standing, important rules of conduct.
It's interesting, because the author also continuously refers to the internet as a space, but a kind of weird one, like "space" with a question mark. Rozehnal asks what kind of space it is, how virtual reality affects/will affect religions. Again, considerations that i've never thought of. I suppose i kind of take the internet for granted, & just think of it as its own thing, without interrogating it & the impacts it may or may not have on religion, spirituality, & our social tendencies.
I would've really liked to have had interviews in the book, even if it would've made it longer. Rozehnal quotes directly from webpages, texts, & videos, but i would've liked to know how the internet is used from a Sufi's point of view, in conversation with the author. He does bring up the need for interviews, saying that other books & studies will surely be done where people will interview Sufis about how the internet affects their practices. But i feel like having those in this book would have helped a lot. Rozehnal has a lot of ideas about how the internet is affecting Sufism, both positively & negatively, but if he had been able to sit down with anyone from the Inayati Order (the Sufi group he specifically looks at here), whether Pir Zia or everyday murids, i feel it would have added much more to his ideas.
Overall, it's a thoughtful read, especially if you're like me & tend to take the online world for granted, even just to an extent. We tend to talk about the internet already as its own kind of space, & the interactions we have online are just as important (sometimes more so) as ones we have offline. Rozehnal's book is about looking deeper into that, within the context of a very specific religion, & whether what i take for granted crosses over into that realm.
In a way, part of what made it interesting to me was how Rozehnal talked about the internet. Since i grew up when the internet was really just coming into its own, i've grown up also with technology developing extremely fast, so to a degree, i don't think anything of it. Rozehnal, of course, has; he has to. That's part of the whole point of him writing this. He sees the internet as being very markedly different from any other media-- which it is-- & wants to know how that affects even a very specific "brand" of Sufism. He wants to know how it facilitates & hinders things like ritual, & the importance Sufis place on being in a space with other Sufis, & especially with a spiritual leader. These are questions that i've never considered, since not only am i so used to the internet, but i'm also not part of any religious group-- or, at least, definitely not one that has long-standing, important rules of conduct.
It's interesting, because the author also continuously refers to the internet as a space, but a kind of weird one, like "space" with a question mark. Rozehnal asks what kind of space it is, how virtual reality affects/will affect religions. Again, considerations that i've never thought of. I suppose i kind of take the internet for granted, & just think of it as its own thing, without interrogating it & the impacts it may or may not have on religion, spirituality, & our social tendencies.
I would've really liked to have had interviews in the book, even if it would've made it longer. Rozehnal quotes directly from webpages, texts, & videos, but i would've liked to know how the internet is used from a Sufi's point of view, in conversation with the author. He does bring up the need for interviews, saying that other books & studies will surely be done where people will interview Sufis about how the internet affects their practices. But i feel like having those in this book would have helped a lot. Rozehnal has a lot of ideas about how the internet is affecting Sufism, both positively & negatively, but if he had been able to sit down with anyone from the Inayati Order (the Sufi group he specifically looks at here), whether Pir Zia or everyday murids, i feel it would have added much more to his ideas.
Overall, it's a thoughtful read, especially if you're like me & tend to take the online world for granted, even just to an extent. We tend to talk about the internet already as its own kind of space, & the interactions we have online are just as important (sometimes more so) as ones we have offline. Rozehnal's book is about looking deeper into that, within the context of a very specific religion, & whether what i take for granted crosses over into that realm.
Displaying 1 of 1 review