Beloved One,

I like to report that we are making much progress in the preparation for the meeting of the Federation of the Sufi Message from April 22 to April 25 in New York City, with the tremendous help of our local committee.

The local committee includes Khadija Goforth, Jean-Pierre & Monick, Michael Harrison, Uwais, Subhan, Aishah, Maritza, Deirdre & Lisa-Renee.

We are preparing a first night event at Saint Peter’s Church on Lexington &  54th Street. This event will be called “Mysticism of Sound.” The church has great acoustic and Nicholas will record the event. Subhan will take pictures.

We will be blessed and honored to feature Pir Shabda Khan & Michael Harrison for Classical Indian Music Ragas, Pir-O-Murshid Hidayat Inayat Khan for “La Monotonia: by String Quartet (Hidayat will introduce his music), Murshida Khadija Goforth: Mystical Poetry of Sufi Murshid Samuel Lewis “God Calls” & Dervish Dancers and finally Michael Harrison playing “Revelation” (a short version of 45 minutes on piano). This will be a commemorable event.

The Federation meeting will be held at Sufi Books on West Broadway (between White and Franklin) on Saturday and Sunday, April 23 & 24, 2005.

Sheikha Fariha al-Jerrahi, who leads the Jerrahi community, has given her blessing to our gathering of the “Federation of the Sufi Message”. The Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order is a community of dervishes within the Halveti-Jerrahi Tariqat, in the specific lineage and spirit of Sheikh Muzaffer Ashki al-Jerrahi & Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi.They are based at the Masjid al-Farah in NYC on West Broadway. I was always warmly welcomed at Sheikha Fariha Zikar on Thursday night when I attended by myself or with our Sufi Ruhaniat mureeds.

Sheikha Fariha has offered the use of her Masjid for Zikar one evening and asked if she could join us in prayer with her mureeds. I like to share with you that this beautiful woman touched my heart the day she welcomed one of my mureed to her inner study circle. She told this mureed that since she took hand in the Sufi Ruhaniat and also came to her Zikar, that she welcomed her with her own mureeds in her advance class. She also came once when Murshid Sauluddin lectured at the Sufi Books and sat at his feet with many of her mureeds, in turn, Saul stopped what he was doing and told a story of Sheikh Muzaffer.

The Federation board will meet on Monday morning.

I will be in touch regularly with Amrita to find out who is coming for the meeting and we will do our best to help anybody find suitable accommodation in New York. Please let Amrita know as soon as possible if you plan to join us.

Hidayat Inayat Khan, Aziza and Nawab will be staying at my home in Montclair, NJ.

I am grateful for all those who are helping to make this meeting happen and further the vision set in the ideal of the Federation of the Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan.

All praise be to Allah.

In service to the message.

Jean-Pierre