The Urgency of Racial Justice

June 11, 2020

Dear Friends,

The brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor have shocked the conscience of the world. These tragedies have put into sharp relief the systemic injustices that African Americans continue to endure in the United States. The Inayatiyya stands united with all those who are grieving and calling for an end to the entrenched and pervasive presence of white supremacy in our society.

The oppressive legacies of slavery and Jim Crow are palpable and pernicious. As a result, African Americans on the whole earn less, are employed less, own homes less, have less access to quality education and health care, are exposed to more polluted air and water, are more often pulled over by the police, and are treated more harshly by the justice system, resulting in incarceration at over five times the rate of White people. Black men are more than twice as likely to be killed by police than White men.

In the Inayatiyya, we affirm that humanity is one body. An attack on Black bodies is an attack on the whole of humanity. Black lives profoundly matter. Our earnest wish is to be of service in the creation of a kind, just, equitable world in which all people stand shoulder to shoulder in the pursuit of the common good.

We realize that our work must begin within our own community. We recognize that the Inayatiyya is not yet nearly as diverse as the world around us, and that, like so many institutions, our movement has been consistently more accessible to White people than to Black and Brown people since its founding a century ago. This must change, and the change will require a process of sustained reflection and action on the part of all of us.

The events of the last weeks have intensified our conversation on Inclusion. On May 31^st we convened a forum on Race, Justice & Love facilitated by Onaje Muid, Fatima Hafiz, Omid Safi, and Jennifer Alia Wittman. My opening remarks may be found here.

On June 14^th and 21^st we will convene two more forums. As part of a larger endeavor, these conversations will help guide our approach to the dismantling of racism, conscious and unconscious, in our movement and in our world. I hope you will join us.

I close with the words of our founder, Hazrat Inayat Khan: “The Sufi Message is not for one nation, race, or community; it is for the whole of humanity. Its one and only object is to bring about a better understanding between the divided sections of humanity by awakening their consciousness to the fact that humanity is one family.”

Yours ever,

Pir Zia Inayat Khan

INAYATIYYA FORUM ON RACE, JUSTICE & LOVE

As mentioned in Pir Zia’s letter above, on Sunday, May 31, 2020 we convened an Inayatiyya Forum on Race, Justice & Love. Please see here for the forum’s audio and for a transcript of Pir Zia’s remarks that day: https://inayatiyya.org/inayatiyya-forum-on-race-justice-love/

INAYATIYYA UPCOMING GATHERINGS

Inayatiyya Forum on Race, Justice, Equity & Love Two
Murshid, Identity & Race: A Historical Perspective w/ Pir Zia Inayat Khan
Sunday, June 14, 3-4:30 pm EDT

Inayatiyya Forum on Race, Justice, Equity & Love Three
A Global Perspective on Race, Colonialism & Equity w/ Omid Safi
Sunday, June 21, 3-4:30 pm EDT

Season of the Rose: Inayatiyya Leaders
Saturday, June 27, 2020
This day for leaders within the Inayatiyya will spend an afternoon session exploring Race & Climate.

Race, Justice, Equity & Love Conversation: Going Deeper
We are designing ongoing ways that our community can more deeply explore issues around racism, justice, and equity. Email: kinship@inayatiyya.org

Pir-o-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan’s Birthday
Sunday, July 5, 2020, 3-4:30 pm EDT

RESOURCES ON RACE

We encourage everyone within our community to explore the root causes of racism, individually and collectively. Here are some resources that are a good beginning.

We acknowledge and appreciate our Inayatiyya Race, Justice, Equity & Love Leadership Group for leading our exploration. Members include Fatima Hafiz-Muid, Onaje Muid, Omid Safi, Sab Bonfonti, Jabriel Hasan, Rabia Povich, Halim Knobel, Gulrukh Patel, and Pir Zia Inayat Khan.