God does not fit anywhere but the human heart.
The heart is the locus of remembrance of God.
- Shaykha Amina al Jerrahi
Amina Teslima al-Jerrahi is the head minister of the Nur Ashki al Jerrahi Sufi Order of Mexico City founded in 1987, following the guidance of her senior, Sheikha Fariha Fatima al Jerrahi. Sheikha Amina has been practicing and studying the Islamic tasawwuf path of tawhid or Oneness for 28 years under the guidance of various teachers of the Jerrahi Order of Istanbul, Turkey. In 1995 received the khalifat or the permission to transmit the light of this spiritual lineage as an official representative of the Order founded by Pir Nureddin al Jerrahi (Light of Faith, Surgeon of the Heart), a remarkable turkish saint who lived in the late Ottoman Empire period. Her spiritual director for 13 years, Sheikh Nur al Anwar al-Jerrahi (Lex Hixon, 1943-1995) transmitted to her his deep appreciation for the magnificence of all the sacred traditions and the nondual core wisdom within them. In 1984 she began studies on Advaita Vedanta tradition as well, under the direction of the late Swami Aseshananda a senior Indian monk of the Ramakrishna Order of Calcutta. More recently, she initiated studies on Zen Buddhism with Roshi Tetsugen Bernard Glassman, of the Japanese Soto Lineage.
For the last twenty years Sheikha Amina has been representing the Sufi Islamic tradition in the Americas as well as internationally in various interfaith organizations such as Religions for Peace and United Religions Initiative and the Zen Peacemakers. She has, as well, have been dedicated to promote a culture of Peace based on the appreciation of diversity at all levels. In 1992, Sheikha Amina founded along with an orthodox Ashkenazi Rabbi (Rabii Abraham Bartfeld) and the catholic Archbishop of Mexico City, the first Interfaith Council of religious leaders of Mexico. The Council offered the Code of Ethics for the Religious Associations, a document without precedent in Latin America which outlines the guiding principles for Peace among religious communities.
In 2000 Sheikha Amina along with spiritual companions founded the Light within Light Interfaith Institute, the center of the interfaith movement in Mexico City. Functioning as the regional presence of the International Peacemaker Community, the Institute promoted social action integrating spiritual practice with concrete expressions of active compassion.
In 2008, the Institute opened the Systemic Health Center, where Sheikha Amina offers to the general public the systemic and transgenerational therapeutic methodology developed by Bert Hellinger, as well as the Non Violent Communication Process, (NVC), developed my Marshall Rosenberg.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Amina graduated from a BA in Clinical Psychology in 1980 at the University of Puerto Rico and worked as a journalist for 17 years, for various newspapers and TV Networks in New York, Washington, Central America & the Caribbean, Europe, and Mexico.
As part of her life journey, she has completed pilgrimages in both traditions, in the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem as well as India.