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ix Acknowledgments First I would like to thank those who contributed to the early stages of this book project: Vincent Cornell for his guidance and insistence that I produce rigorous scholarship, Rkia Cornell for her wisdom and tenderness, and Omid Safi for inspiring me to research, write, and teach about Islam as I watched him teach Rumi so beautifully. I thank Leela Prasad for guiding me to sources and sharing insights that transformed struggle into progress. I thank Jackson Carroll for pointing out my strengths in ethnographic writing and encouraging me to excel. I thank miriam cooke for her enthusiasm and her nurturing spirit. She has a special way of making my ideas seem big and bright and then enhancing them with her wealth of knowledge. And I especially thank her for teaching me to claim Islamic feminism. I thank Bruce Lawrence for his abundant guidance and his generous intellect; he synthesized and highlighted key issues that constantly brought clarity to my work, its value, and its purpose. I thank my first colleagues in the field of Islamic studies: Kecia Ali, Hina Azam, Rick Colby, Seemi Ghazi, Zamyat Kirby, Scott Kugle, Rob Rozehnal , and Joseph Winters. I thank past roommates: Aqueelah Rasheed, a like-minded spirit who always brings joy to my heart; Shaza Fadel, a treasured companion on the path of sacred knowledge; Rahmah Abdulaleem, a generous soul and constant friend; and Lisa, a source of support. I thank Attiya Ahmad and Kia and Rashad Rahman for their hospitality. I thank Hoda Yousef, Laila El-Haddad, Kameelah Luqman, Baheejah Rasheed, Khadijah S., Anna M., and Karen A. I thank the women and men in Chicago and Atlanta who trusted me with their words. Their friendships made my project a priceless gift, and without them, there would be no book. I am grateful for the blessing of Sabanur Amatullah, an angel who appeared out of nowhere to transcribe my interview tapes. I thank others who assisted me in countless ways: Sulayman S. Nyang, Zubaydah Madyun, Yusuf Madyun, Carolyn Rouse, Ajile A. Rahman, x Acknowledgments Jameelah Abdul Kareem, Ateka Ali, Uzma Shariff, Rooman Ahad, Sofia Alam, Arlie Petters, and Hasiba Ali and her family. I especially thank Karen Leonard for her guidance and Sandra Shabazz for her friendship and early conversations on African American and immigrant Muslim relations . I thank Salaeha Shariff for showing me that friendships grow over time through thoughtful acts of kindness. Also, I thank Raneem Azzam, who listened and helped me process the material that I gathered during my Chicago fieldwork. I thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the Fund for Theological Education, and the Fadel Educational Foundation. My early drafts of this book were transformed and strengthened by feedback from colleagues at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for AfroAmerican and African Studies at the University of Virginia. I thank the institute for its generous support during a one-year postdoctoral research and teaching fellowship, and I thank the fellows and faculty at the institute for their comments and direction: Brian C. F. Brazeal, Vicki L. Brennan , Kennetta H. Perry, Sarah L. Silkey, Scot A. French, Valerie Cooper, Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton, and Milton Vickerman. I thank Jennifer Hammer, the religion editor at New York University Press, for her prompt and helpful editorial feedback as I prepared the manuscript for publication. I thank others who read my work during these final stages: Lut Abdul-Azeez Williams, Mahasin J. T. Abuwi Aleem, Kecia Ali, Nami Kim, Karen Leonard, and Hadia Mubarak. Closer to my heart, I would like to thank my mother, Marjorie Karim, for her amazing faith, love, and support, and my father, Ahmad Abdul Karim , for teaching me that I could blossom into everything that is beautiful . I thank Jamillah, my second mother, for her kindness, loving me as her own. I thank my teachers at Clara Muhammad Elementary and W. D. Mohammed High and my countless mentors, including Qur’an Shakir, Linda Abdul-Azeez, and Hassan Shakir, for teaching me the value of community. I thank my brother Khalil for his selfless spirit and for helping me move (the packing and unpacking) from Atlanta to Chicago. I also thank him for his beautiful children, Destané, Khalil, and Khalijah, who always provided the perfect study break. I thank my brother Sultan for his heart and shared love for knowledge and poetry. I thank my precious sister Ayisha for her love, admiration, and friendship. With her by my side, I am certain of...

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