Source: The Seattle Times

On May 25, 2002 The Seattle Times featured an article on the ninth annual Sufism Symposium being held in Seattle, WA. "Event organizers expect more than 700 Sufis from around the world to attend the event... JoAnn Haymaker, spokeswoman for the [International Association of Sufism], said it's difficult to determine the number of Sufis in the world. There are an estimated 1 billion Muslims worldwide, and the association estimates 20 percent of those are Sufis... Celebrating differences among all religions and among Sufis themselves, the meeting is the only known gathering of the world's Sufi orders... A panel discussion about religious tolerance... will specifically look at transcending the boundaries of religious denominations to achieve peace."