Roots Reloaded. Culture, Identity and Social Development in the Digital Age

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Chapter: Shaykh Nazim and the outward-orientation of the Order:
Named after Cyprus-born Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, who is listed as the fortieth master in a chain of inheritance of the Order's leadership (Kabbani, 2004), the widespread and highly accessible Haqqani-branch of the brotherhood managed to establish permanent centers and fellowships in Western Europe and North America (Böttcher, 2006; Damrel, 2006). It must be noted that the remarkable dedication and charismatic personality of its leader has been preserved in numerous written works, on audio-tapes and video-recordings (Raudvere & Stenberg, 2008). Therefore it should not be surprising that even after his physical departure in 2014, Shaykh Nazim is continuing to attract people to his spiritual way through countless archived live-streams and social media profiles (Stjernholm, 2015).
When Weismann (2007) acknowledges the Shaykh's ability to accommodate the Sufi path to the current realities of globalization (2007, p. 3), he is considering it as the continuation of a historical pattern that made the grandmasters of the order throughout the centuries modify and adjust their teachings to their socio-political environment - and often enough actively shaping it. As pointed out by Yemelianova (2001, p. 663).
By the eighteenth century, the majority of Muslims of the eastern North Caucasus were Sufis. (...) The Russian invasion of the North Caucasus in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries stimulated political and military functions of tariqatism which were not characteristic of mainstream Sufism. The Naqshbandi tariqa provided a mobilizing framework for resistance to Russian expansion in the region.
Furthermore, the active role of the Order in military resistance is stressed by the examples of Chechen Naqshbandi master Shaykh Mansur Ushurma - who, during the eighteenth century united the Chechens and various peoples of Dagestan into an anti-Russian political-military union (Yemelianova,

Dr. Martin Abdel Matin Gansinger (born 1979 in Austria) studied Communication Science and Political Science at the University of Vienna. He published works on communicative aspects of HipHop and Free Jazz and conducted long-term field research on music and traditional culture in Ghana, Morocco and Cyprus. Next to his professional experience as a journalist and PR coordinator in the music industry he is currently holding the position of Assistant Professor and Head of Department/Radio, TV & Cinema at Girne American University.

Dr. Ayman Kole studied at the University of Sydney, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree with triple majors: English, Performance Studies and Studies in Religion. He also completed an MA in English in 2006 from the same university and wrote the short story 'The Mirror' which was the Phoenix Journal finalist, published by Sydney University Press. He is the author of the historical novel 'Mark of the Crescent', based on research of various social movements during the 17th century. He holds a PhD in History, English and Creative Writing from Charles Stuart University and is currently the Head of Social and Digital Media Department at Girne American University.