How a New Sufi Movement Globalized

When a charismatic Sri Lankan holy man moved to Philadelphia in the early 1970s and set up a new branch of his movement, he began a process of adaptation to the North American context that has continued since his death. Within the new Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, adherents in favor of a more liberal style of worship have clashed with a stricter official interpretation of the founder’s views on Islamic requirements, while relations with the original Sri Lankan organization have also experienced frictions. The history of the fellowship is a case study in how the globalization of religion results in heterogeneous versions of a common faith.