Pluralism and authenticity

Based on research in the New York City area, this chapter explores the ways in which Sufi-Muslim identity is negotiated in a North American metropolitan context post-9/11. ¹ It aims to clarify the impact of a secular pluralist framework on the negotiation of religious boundaries between Muslims, with a focus on Sufi Muslims. Particularly, it asks how Sufis engage with the challenges and opportunities within a non-Muslim majority context that is both secular and pluralist. Engaging questions of religious boundary construction, the chapter reflects on the impact of the post-9/11 era on Muslims and Sufis within US identity politics. It then discusses three ideal-typical Muslim Sufi reactions to American society and culture ranging between seclusion from and appropriation of American lifestyles and values, and finally elaborates on those characteristic features of Western Sufism that seem to be furthered by the secular and pluralist situation.