Sufism prepares for more growth in Canada

Sufism is becoming Canada's most appropriate form of Islam, in its bid to build a tolerant and diverse society. This is why Sufism is taking root and growing in the Canadian society. Sufi schools are sprouting in different areas in this country as well as Sufi discussion forums and literature.

There is a dearth of information about the places where the Muslims of Canada live or are concentrated. Nevertheless, there are more than a million Muslims in this country, according to a 2001 census.

Muslims make up the second largest religious group in Canada after Christians.

Nonpartisan American think tank, Pew Research Center, expects the number of Muslims in Canada to exceed 3 million by 2030.

The center expects Canada's Muslims to join in strongly-knitted ideological groups in the future.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Institute of Sufi Studies says almost half of Canada's Muslims are members of Sufi orders in the country.

Social characteristics

Canada's Sufism is characterized by the following:

Novelty

The official locations of Sufi orders in Canada show that the 1980s is the most prominent time point for the spread of Sufism in the country. This means that modernity is a fundamental variable in the history of the dervish style.

Political involvement

A study by the Institute of Islamic Studies (ISL) at McGill University in Canada says that the main reason for the 1980s correlation with the rise of Sufism is the political will to calm the country after the rise of separatism in Quebec at the time.

Quebec is the country's largest geographic region, with the majority of the population speaking French. The population of this region has seen many demands for secession and the creation of an independent state in eastern Canada. These demands intensified in the 1960s, but eased somewhat after a referendum that rejected the split in 1980.

Since then, the Sufi orders have started to spread and establish different centers. The orders' selection of Quebec as a starting point for its branches such as the Center of the Evidence Order and the Naqshbandi Haqqani Order is a primary reason for the study's belief that the Sufi way enjoys a political favor in the country.

Perhaps evidence of this is the fact that Omar Kony, the leader of the Naqshbandi Haqqandi in Canada, has acquired a high profile in society. The other was able to influence the present state, besides playing an important role as an alternative to the Takfiri entities in Western countries.

Systematic growth

Sufi orders in Western countries rely on centers and gatherings as a definitive tool, but Sufism in Canada is characterized by the existence of schools and institutes that teach the ideology of Sufism in different streams. They do not specialize in a specific way, but these schools work to explain the mysticism and the definition of its most famous symbols, such as Jalaluddin Rumi, and his companion Shams Tabrizi.

Spiritual sport

The sport of meditation is one of the most prominent characteristics of Sufism. The country is spreading centers that offer meditation sessions as a kind of Sufi affinity, sometimes called silent sessions, in which people sit in specific situations, they are silent and manage in the creation of God. For example, the Sufi Meditation Toronto Meditation Center, and Sufi centers that practice meditation as a weekly activity, are attended by a large number of people.