Fariha al Jerrahi

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Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi (born Philippa de Menil; June 13, 1947) is an American art curator and co-founder of the Dia Art Foundation. She is also the spiritual guide and Sheikha of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in New York City.[1]

Biography

She was born in 1947 into a socially committed, eclectic

Schlumberger Limited oil-equipment fortune.[2]

In 1974, de Menil, along with then-husband, art dealer Heiner Friedrich; and Helen Winkler, established the Dia Art Foundation nonprofit to provide funding to artistic endeavors – reminiscent of patronage systems from the Renaissance era.

In 1985, Dia experienced a period of financial upheaval after the collapse of the Schlumberger stock, prompting a series of controversial decisions that severely affected artists' budgets and risking the foundation's collections since de Menil was no longer able to offer financial support personally. Dia was forced to take out a $3.8 million loan from Citibank, secured by 140,000 shares of de Menil's stock. After a restructuring of the board, wherein Friedrich had departed and Winkler was ousted, de Menil's mother, Dominique, had installed former Metropolitan Museum of Art executive vice president Ashton Hawkins as chairman, with Philippa (now under her Sufi Muslim name Fariha al-Jerrahi) still maintaining a seat.[3]

Path to Sufism

At the age of 29, she met her mentor and

direct transmission from him in 1980.[4][5][6][7] Sheikh Muzaffer also gave direct transmission to fellow American dervish Sheikh Nur al-Anwar al-Jerrahi, who envisioned a radical and illumined path of the heart which he called Universal Islam. Coincidentally, Sheikh Muzaffer, had died the night before the first new Dia board meeting, and she embraced it as a sign of change. After Sheikh Nur's death, she would take on the guidance of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order and its circles of dervishes around the world.[4]

Sheikha Fariha al-Jerrahi leads

Muslim American communities, the role of women in Islam and spiritual ecology have been of special importance to her message.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Shaykha Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi".
  2. Texas Standard
    . April 5, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. New York Media, LLC
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-9801633-0-8
    .
  5. ^ "Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi | WISE Muslim Women Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi". WISE Muslim Women. November 5, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  6. ISBN 978-1-351-25654-4
    .
  7. ^ "The Rise of the Sheikha". Vice. June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Remains of the Dia". Vanity Fair. July 12, 2012. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  9. ISBN 978-1-4129-9908-3
    .
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