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 the author of Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest; and the editor and compiler of Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan, for which he also wrote the critical introduction. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France. inayatiyya.org

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  Nizam un Nisa Ayeda Husain
  

  Nizam un Nisa Ayeda Husain

  Nizam un Nisa is a Shaykha, Cheraga, Guide, Representative and Facilitator of the Anjumani-Islam group in the Inayatiyya. A student of classical Chishti Sufism since 1988 and a devoted follower of the Inayatiyya since 2004, she has led Inayatiyya centers in Lahore, in Dubai and now in Oakville, Ontario where she lives. A journalist and editor by profession with an MA in Journalism/Near Eastern Studies from NYU, Nizam un Nisa is a graduate of the first European Suluk class, Knight of Purity, and mentor to the Naubahar Suluk class. She has led Sufi retreats, taught Sufi meditation to Buddhist monks in Tokyo and been invited to the UN as part of an international delegation of spiritual leaders. She is currently working on setting the Urdu poetry of Hazrat Inayat Khan to music.

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  Deepa Gulrukh Patel
  

  Deepa Gulrukh Patel

  Deepa Gulrukh Patel is a creative facilitator in the interdisciplinary field of the arts and the sciences and a strategic thinker with a passion for social justice, heartful conversation and the contemplative life. She was born in Kenya to Indian parents and lives in England. This experience has influenced both her professional and personal life. Deepa has worked with young people, in the field of cultural diversity as a Live Music producer and in music education. Her current work is with The London College of Fashion, UNHCR and the University of Sheffield in refugee camps in Jordan and Africa and the Fetzer Institute on two projects, one on creating sacred space in the virtual world and the other on their shared spiritual heritage project. Deepa is a guide and teacher in the Inayatiyya, a mentor in Suluk and chair of Inayatiyya Interntional. She is also the chair of Tamasha Theatre Company, an advisor to the Loss Foundation, a bereavement support service to to those that have lost some to Cancer or COVID-19 and Charis Interspirituality on their interfaith dialogue projects.

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  Jacob Miraj Dominicus
  

  Jacob Miraj Dominicus

  Jacob Miraj Dominicus helps people deepen their meditative practice. Jacob has been a murid of the Inayatiyya since 1997, served on the Inayati Order Board of Trustees under Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and Pir Zia Inayat Khan, and helped start Suluk Academy serving as its inaugural administrator. In 2007, he graduated from Suluk’s Kafur class. Since 2015 Jacob has co-led retreats with Gulrukh Patel at the Zenith Institute in Switzerland. He currently serves as the co-Madar-ul-Muham of Inayatiyya Inner School (Oceania and North America). Professionally, he consults with corporate teams and teaches meditation. Jacob holds a B.A. from NYU in Organizational Behavior, Narrative Theory, and Mysticism and has been a Visiting Scholar at NYU Tisch’s Interactive Communications Program (ITP). He lives in Los Angeles, where he studies the Chinese martial arts of Xingyi and Bagua and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats.

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  Urs Qutbuddin Schellenberg
  

  Urs Qutbuddin Schellenberg

  Urs Qutbuddin Schellenberg has been a murid of the Inayatiyya since 2002. He serves as a guide, teacher, Siraj, and representative. Currently, he is a member of the board of Inayatiyya Switzerland and holds the position of Vice President at Zenith Camp. Qutbuddin graduated from the first Suluk program in Europe in 2010 and has also served as Vice President of Universal Worship Europe. Qutbuddin is a Doctor of Philosophy, with an MA in Religious Studies and Philosophy of Religion. He is also a trained schoolteacher. His professional work has included active involvement in interreligious dialogue and lecturing in Religious Studies. He currently teaches at a university in Switzerland, where he trains students to teach Religion and Ethics in public schools. Qutbuddin resides in Switzerland with his wife and two daughters.