American Murids: Muslim proponents of nonviolence open alternative conversations about Islam, jihad and immigration

This ethnography of a Senegalese religious community in New York, the Muridiyya, brings into conversation a nonviolent Sufi Muslim witness with an American discourse on Islam, violence and immigration. Murids put into practice the spiritual and ethical values of nonviolence learned from their founder, Shaykh Amadu Bamba. Starting with historical analysis and drawing on primary sources in Wolofal this study analyses what influenced Bamba towards the practices of nonviolence he developed. Then, through participant observation and interviews, the ways his disciples create Murid space in the diaspora and how they relate to the pluralistic non-Muslim context New York are explored. This thesis argues that Murids in post 9/11 New York continue to develop and modify their practices of nonviolence, recasting their founder as a Muslim peacemaker. Analysis of a new youth movement, Ndawi Serigne Touba, shows young Murids negotiating inter-generational tensions as they gain status and social capital in the community through mastery and performance of Muridiyya rituals. These youth see themselves as ambassadors with a mission to renew faith in Islam by serving Shaykh Amadu Bamba and putting his teaching into practice in all areas of life. It is shown that Murids in the diaspora seek to pass on their spiritual, ethical and cultural values to insiders and that they have a contribution to make to other Muslim communities and to the world through advocating their values and practices of peace and nonviolence. This study generates a new theoretical framework for understanding Bamba and the transnational Muridiyya through the lens of nonviolence. It argues that Murid space making is a social mechanism for peaceful relations with non-Muslims. This thesis reveals the emergence of American Murids committed to the spiritual and ethical values of Bamba and capable of adapting these to the American context.