Speakers

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  Pir Zia Inayat Khan
  

  Pir Zia Inayat Khan

  Pir Zia Inayat Khan, PhD, is a scholar of religion and teacher of Sufism in the universalist Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Sulūk Academy, a school of Sufi contemplative study and practice.
  He is author of Tears from the Mother of the Sun with visual artist Amruta Patil, Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; and Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France.

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  Mu'izza Mizen
  

  Mu'izza Mizen

  Mu’izza Mizen (We’waskoney’egon), Bird Clan, lives on Traditional, unceded Algonquin Territory and is descended through her father’s lineage from the Algonquin, Anishinaabek First Peoples of what is now North Bay/Mattawa. Her mother is a Jewish British settler. Like many Algonquin families, hers was disenfranchised and colonially disconnected from land and community. She carries this with humility, cultivating reclamation and respectful relationships with several First Nations, and for 18 years has studied with Anishinaabe Elders, integrating the wisdom of Sufism with drum, song, and ceremony. Initiated by Pir Zia in 2004 and a Suluk graduate (Andalib, 2011), she leads Gatha Classes, is an active retreat guide, healing conductor, Knight, and founder of Asala, dedicated to reconciliation and harmony between cultures.

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  Nur ‘Azima Fiona
  

  Nur ‘Azima Fiona

  Nur ‘Azima Fiona, a new murid, lives in Noongar Country, on the lands of Minang Bibbulmen people of Western Australia. She is a ‘wadjela’ (white person) with Jewish ancestral lineage on her father’s side and mixed European on her mother’s. She has been a friend to Aboriginal people since childhood and has worked with Aboriginal peoples for the last fifteen years. With a university education and professional background in Youth Work, in recent years she has worked alongside Noongar colleagues in Community Development and at the School of Indigenous Knowledges at Murdoch University. Joining Dost-e-Asala in early 2024, she is committed to creating safe spaces within the Inayatiyya and the world, in the spirit of decolonisation, friendship, and conciliation.

• Qalbi Sami
  Qalbi Sami

  Qalbi Sami lives in Toronto on the land of the Mississaugas of Credit First Nations. She holds a Bachelor of Aboriginal Adult Education from Brock University and is completing a Master of Adult Education at Memorial University. Qalbi came into Hazrat Inayat Khan’s fold in 2002. After a decade of supporting people with disabilities, Qalbi worked as an instructor in the disability field at Fanshawe College in Toronto, at ILAC College, and led the “Indigenous Peoples in Canada” course for international post-grad certificate students. As a Dost-e-Asala, Qalbi continues forging deep friendships with the Indigenous people.

• Khalid Arthur Freeheart
  Khalid Arthur Freeheart

  Khalid (Arthur) Freeheart is from a settler family that has lived on Akwasasne Mohawk ( Northern NY US land for almost 200 years. Khalid is a Healing Cherag most interested in assisting people to make connections with First Peoples and spirits of the land they are on, as well as their own ancestral inheritance.

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  Jacques Vincelette
  

  Jacques Vincelette

  Jacques Vincelette, (Day Walker) Horse Clan lives on Traditional unceded Algonquin Territory. Of French Canadian heritage, being tokenized as signing and dancing, Metis helped navigate neurodivergence from a young age. Music still affords the privilege of border walking. Early on, Franciscan monks exemplified contemplation practice in the forest or in song. Cree elder Kenny Awasis supported Jacques’ coming of age along the traditional red road in 2003. Given Bayat-iTabarruk by Mu’izza in 2023, he serves Dost-e-Asala in the exploration of Sufi practices at the intersection of Anishinaabe red road, Islam, and Christian traditions. Jacques advocates for nuclear disarmament and the cleanup of plutonium alchemy on Algonquin Territory.

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  James Patrick O’Leary
  

  James Patrick O’Leary

  James Patrick O’Leary, Chi Chi Gijigo Neshish, is a member of Kitigan Zibi Algonquin First Nation and has served as Oshwaabewis (helper) for Grandfather Solomon Wawatay and Mu’izza Mizen. He also walks with the Shanenawa people of the Blue Bird tribe in the village of Shane Kaya, Brazil. James leads the Indigenous Sharing Circle for staff at the House of the Canadian Parliament, raising awareness of Indigenous issues within and beyond government. A father of three, he is also an author, singer, songwriter, musician, and painter. He serves Asala and the community by carrying forward the teachings of healing, connection, and reclamation.

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  Fazali Sheila Kelly
  

  Fazali Sheila Kelly

  Fazali Sheila Kelly, a friend of the Asala, lives in the Ohio Valley, U.S., acknowledging the Indigenous Tribes of this land Shawnee, Kickapoo, Wyandotte, Creek, Delaware, to name a few. She worked as a Registered Nurse for 22 years. During a health crisis, seeking healing led to the Indigenous teachings, ceremonies, and elders of Turtle Island. These encounters left a kinship and deep respect in her heart for all Aboriginal peoples. Studies include- Reiki, Healing Touch, Spiritual Care Counselor, and Spiritual Healer. Fazali is a Healing Conductor and Mureed of the Inayatiyya.

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  Kristina MacKay
  

  Kristina MacKay

  An animist from a young age, Kristina was drawn to study nature, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Ecology and now working for the Canadian government on policies to protect fish and fish habitat. She has travelled and studied many ecosystems from the Arctic to the tropics, with a keen interest in how people connect spiritually to their natural environment. Kristina has studied Indigenous as well as European neopagan traditions for over 30 years, particularly Anishnaabe and, recently, Nganasan (northern Uralic) teachings. Kristina is the daughter of Hungarian refugees and has been a devoted friend and ‘Ashiq of the Ottawa Inayatiyya community for over 20 years. She serves Asala by bringing training and experience in First Nation Reconciliation to the circle.

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  Joseph Wawatay
  

  Joseph Wawatay

  Chininishech (Joseph Jr Wawatay) is an Anishinabe medicine man of Wolf Clan from KokoomVille, living in Kitigan Zibi. Chininishech is deeply rooted in spirituality and traditional ways. He is a dedicated student of Grandfather Commanda, carrying forward teachings with humility and reverence. A hunter, fisher, and trapper, he walks in close relationship with the land and its rhythms. As a traditional singer, he shares songs that carry healing, memory, and connection to Spirit. His life’s path is guided by service, ceremony, and the continuation of ancestral knowledge for future generations.

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  Nirtana Vivienne
  

  Nirtana Vivienne

  Nirtana Vivienne lives on Mengang/Bibbul Noongar Boodja on the South Coast of Western Australia. She is a representative, retreat guide, healing conductor, and knight, and a leader of Dances of Universal Peace. Nirtana has been on the Sufi path for over 25 years and sits on the Australian Message Council and the Executive Council for the Inayatiyya International Board. Nirtana is passionate about exploring the collaboration between Sufi and Indigenous ways, and has co-led Sufi/Indigenous retreats in the West Australian desert. She is also passionate about the arts, and is currently directing a large-scale community cultural project, Reclaim the Void, which draws together Sufi, Indigenous and artistic threads.