Inayat Returns to the United States

In March 1923, Inayat journeyed to America once more,126 a trip he had discussed extensively with Murshida Rabia Martin through their letters. Rabia’s address was the Sufi Order School of Philosophy and Metaphysics at 153 Kearny Street in San Francisco.127 This long-awaited trip would be an eventful one reminiscent of his first visit to the United States, with Inayat again experiencing both prejudice and admiration, seeing Rabia again and observing her struggles, and writing love letters to Ora in the midst of it all.

Once he had arrived in America, Inayat again confronted some of the racism that he had observed and faced during his first fateful trip when he had met Ora. Inayat was detained at Ellis Island, due to the quota of Indians being reached during the month of his arrival. Because one of his mureeds, a woman named Mrs. Marya Cushing, was able to answer security questions properly, Inayat was able to leave detention. It is interesting to note that, despite the institutional racism he had faced, many Americans were, according to Inayat, upset by the treatment he had faced and were anticipating his arrival. Despite Inayat being mentioned in multiple newspapers,128 including an article that reported his meeting with Henry Ford,129 neither Inayat or Ora expressed any fear about his encountering Ora’s brother or family. One might speculate that this was because Inayat’s status might offer him some protection, or perhaps because Inayat made sure to avoid Pierre, but no clear reason emerges in any family accounts. Adding to this is the fact that Inayat had considered bringing Ora and their children along to America in a letter to Rabia dated December 27, 1920, writing: "...Begum (my wife) would very much like to go to the States…and from New York she would go to Kansas City to her mother…It will be difficult for me to leave my wife and children for the reason that she is from America and she must see her people." 130

Despite Ora’s desire to go to America and his own wish to bring her with him, Inayat ended up venturing to America alone, possibly because finances were a concern, as brought up in the same 1920 letter. Even though it was the norm for Inayat to travel alone much of the time while leaving Ora and the children at home, the letter suggests that, in his mind, America was a different case due to Ora being American and her mother living there. Once again, it is unclear what discussions or thoughts Ora and Inayat had about Pierre and her father, considering only her mother was mentioned in the letter. It might be that the suggestion of her mother implies that she was not among the family members that had supported Pierre and/or that Inayat’s own appreciation of the mother in the family may have played a part.

During his stay in the United States, Inayat’s letters to Ora spoke of both his feelings about the Sufi Movement in America, as well as his concern for Ora’s fluctuating health.

With regards to the Sufi Movement in America, Inayat’s observations showed his alertness for both racism and misogyny. He noticed that Rabia didn’t seem to be very popular, which he thought could potentially be attributed either to "race prejudice" or "a spirit of jealousy and rivalry."131 Perhaps Inayat was referring to Rabia’s Jewish background 132 or her being a woman, suggesting that racism and sexism might have generated animosity towards Rabia’s leadership in San Francisco. In his biography, Inayat similarly reflected on how the male members of his movement tended to treat female members as inferiors: "Among some of my man-collaborators I saw a spirit of slight contempt toward the woman-workers, as man has always thought that woman is superfluous or too tender, too much devotional and unintelligent; and they have always sought for a man’s collaboration in the work. Nevertheless, however much qualified men proved to be in the work, the valuable service that women have rendered to the Cause has been incomparably greater." Inayat marveled, "If it was not for some women as my collaborators in the Cause, the Sufi Movement would never have been formed. How easily man forgets the place of woman in all walks of life. It is his self that covers his eyes from recognizing the importance of woman’s collaboration in every work."133

Inayat wrote of the general progress achieved in America as well as his general view of its importance with regards to the Message. In another letter, written five days later on the 21st of April, Inayat told Ora, "The progress of the Message here is not made in a sensational way and I am glad about it for this slow process may keep it alive and give it continuity. Now I have learned many American words and phrases and when I come home with my added accomplishment you will all be so surprised to see the change. I feel America was the place for work, not France: don’t tell Budhi (Fazal Mai), she won’t like it. You don’t like it too. But I love America perhaps because I love you." 134 Whether Ora’s not liking the prospect of America being a better place for Inayat’s work was because of a wariness she might have still possessed regarding Pierre or because she preferred Europe to the United States is uncertain.

Inayat’s outright expression of love for Ora in the final line of the quote is not the only time his care for his wife can be observed. In three of these letters, he voiced his concern for Ora’s health. On April 16th, he wrote, "I hope you follow the medical advice every (day) without fail and breathing." Five days later, he expressed relief that she had help with the domestic work: "My soul, I am so glad now that you have a cook and a nurse for the children. I hope you will take the needed rest and the treatment which I sent in that prescription. Mari, I am so anxious about your health and you cannot help me better than taking good care of your self." However, he continued to worry, as he wrote on April 28th: "I received your letter, my soul, and was afraid you will use that nurse for pressing clothes or doing some thing other than helping you relieve you of your work that keeps you on your feet. I am realizing now every day that if we had a hundred servants to help, still you would work just the same, for work is your disease. It is most unfortunate that you ignore my advice and neglect your health…It is my devotion for you which make me so uncomfortable and anxious for your state of health…"135 Perhaps Inayat’s discomfort and anxiety may have been eased by the fact that he was with Ora and their children every summer for the school program that they had established in France.