Elif Shafak is one of Turkey’s most acclaimed and outspoken novelists. She was born in 1971 and is the
author of six novels, including The Forty Rules of Love, The Bastard of Istanbul, The Gaze, The Saint of
Incipient Insanities and The Flea Palace, and one work of non-fiction. She teaches at the University of
Arizona and divides her time between the US and Istanbul.
Sufism is a religion which emphasizes direct knowledge of the divine within each person, and meditation, music, song, and dance are seen as crucial spiritual strides toward attaining unity with God. Sufi paths of mysticism and devotion, motivated by Islamic ideals, are still chosen by men and women in countries from Morocco to China, and there are nearly one hundred orders around the world, eighty of which are present and thriving in the United States. The Chishti Sufi order has been the most widespread and popular of all Sufi traditions since the twelfth-century. Sufi Martyrs of Love offers a critical perspective on Western attitudes towards Islam and Sufism, clarifying its contemporary importance, both in the West and in traditional Sufi homelands.
The Hejāz And The Saūdi-wahhābi Nation-state