Farhan,
What's your take on Universal Sufism, R' Zalman's lineage? I was under the impression that many Muslims don't view it as real sufism because it's not within Islam, much in the same way that many Jews do not view non-Jewish kabbalah as kabbalah. I do understand R' Zalman's own pesonal approach may be a bit different than that of Universal Sufism given the way he communicated with traditional sufis in that last link. That seems to go along with his thinking on deep ecumenism.
Avi,
I read the backstory to all of that a while ago. It's on the lineage page farhan linked to, under the heading "The Inayati-Maimuni Lineage", first paragraph. It seems from that paragraph that he hadn't been pursuing any title at all. It sounds similar to how he'd accepted communion at a Church, substituting kosher wine and challah. He said he felt comfortable doing so there because of the perspectives of the people involved. They didn't see it as changing his status, but as a way of sharing together in spiritual practice. That from what I have read is at the root of his interfaith activities, getting beyond talking to sharing spiritual experiences with members of other religions.
-- Dauer
. I do not know what your religion is, but since R. Zalman is both a Rabbi and a Sheikh I guess the dialogue would be interfaith by definition 