The Inayatiyya Board of Trustees
North America & Oceania

PIR ZIA INAYAT KHAN, PH.D.
President, Richmond, VA & Suresnes, France

Pir Zia Inayat Khan, PH.D., 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 Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan with a Critical Commentary by Pir Zia Inayat Khan; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; and Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest. He is editor of Caravan of Souls: An Introduction to the Sufi Path of Hazrat Inayat Khan and A Pearl in Wine: Essays in the Life, Music and Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France.

NOOR AMINA PETERSON
Chairperson, Boulder, CO

Noor Amina Peterson was initiated into the Inayatiyya in 2001 and has studied extensively with Taj Inayat and Gayan Macher. She is currently in the Suluk Global class of Na-koja-abad. She is a certified professional coach and recently retired from a career in Business Administration and Human Resource in small and start-up businesses. Noor Amina joined the Finance Committee in 2017 and the Inayatiyya Board in December 2020. She lives in Boulder Colorado. Executive Committee.

SOHROB NABATIAN
Vice Chair, San Rafael, CA

Sohrob Nabatian started at a zikr circle in Montreal in 2002 and the tractor beam of Inayati transmission locked on and has been steadily pulling him closer ever since. After living a year at the Abode and joining the first class of Suluk Academy, Sohrob pursued higher education at Harvard Divinity School, worked as a cook and hospital chaplain, and since 2008 has been serving at Kalliopeia Foundation directing financial resource to organizations rooted in spirit. Sohrob loves nonprofit work, and finds great joy in seeing organizations move through developmental challenges to more fully inhabit their destiny. He lives north of San Francisco with his wife Hannah and children Isaiah and Alma, and for fun teaches a spin class, is learning to surf, and watches too much Netflix. www.linkedin.com/in/sohrobnabatian

KHATIDJA ARCADIA RODRIGUEZ-RUIZ
Treasurer & Secretary, New York, NY

Khatidja Rodriguez-Ruiz was initiated into the Inayatiyya in 2008 and is a graduate of the Suluk Academy (Naubahar). She currently serves on the North American Board of Trustees as chair of the Fundraising Committee. Khatidja received her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Sociology and Public Policy from the University of Virginia. Professionally, she works as a fundraising strategist in higher education philanthropy where she works to expand accessibility and inclusivity in higher education. In her volunteer life, she uses improv music and theater as a conduit to support local grassroots organizations and the arts, in order to amplify their message and spread it to a wider audience. She is motivated by the philosophy that our diverse outlooks can make us stronger, if we work collaboratively to weave a unifying ideal of love, harmony, and beauty. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

RASHID BRIAN GILBANE
Berkeley, CA

Rashid Brian Gilbane is a retired clinical social worker in Berkeley California, who spent nearly 40 years in in facilities serving the severely mentally ill, both as a clinician and later a leader in policy, training and especially Patients’ Rights issues. He was initiated by Risala Laird in 2003, given the accolade of Knight in 2016, became Regional Rep in 2020 and part of the Ethics Oversight Committee in 2021. Cooking, reading, birdwatching, woodworking, walking his Golden Retriever, travelling with his wife Alice Stern, an artist, and puttering in the garden are among his other devotions. He joined the Board in 2022.

TED BASIR YASI
Freehold, NJ

Ted Basir Yasi, after many years wandering as a self described “tourist” of spiritual traditions finally found his home in the Inayatiyya, and was initiated in 2008. He is a graduate of the Jabalqa Suluk class, and became a Healing Conductor in 2018. Conflict resolution and Peacemaking have been a central theme throughout his life and remain a focus of his work. His professional experiences include working with the documentary unit of the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in Southeast Asia and Central America. Using his heart and lens to help people see and understand each other and the world around them continues to be his passion.

SHAMS AL HAQQ Farzad Attar Jafari
Vancouver, British Columbia

Shams al Haqq is classically trained in Sama. He has extensively studied the turn, sama meditation, as well as mysticism and Persian mystical poetry of Sufism and Irfan. He curated and has taken part in many spiritual music Ceremonies and sama presentations. He serves the Sufi communities in Canada, presenting some of their work through Rumi Canada. He is also a student within the Inayatiyya & graduate of Suluk Academy. He currently lives in Vancouver, Canada & holds monthly sessions for Sama / inner listening meditation.

AMIRA KARDISH
Tucson, AZ

Amira Kardish found her heart’s path in Sufism in the 1970’s.  It’s been a steady beat in her life ever since.  Amira retired from 26 years of teaching gifted students in critical and creative thinking. These were great life skills for someone who enjoys continually learning and growing!  Her degree is in bilingual multicultural education. She has been a part of a strong Inayatiyya community in Tucson, Arizona for decades.  As a Representative in the Inner School, she enjoys guiding, teaching, as well as advising in leadership training. Currently she is honored to be serving as Advisor to Inayatiyya leaders training in Turkey.  Amira is a graduate from Suluk in the Tasnim class and has served as Mentor in Nasim and Na-koja-abad classes. At home in the Sonoran Desert, she enjoys hiking, music, gardening, visiting with friends, her son and grand dog!


The Inayatiyya Advisory Council
North America & Oceania

AMINA HALL
Rochester, NY

Amina Hall is the Vice President of the Inayatiyya’s Universal Worship activity in North America. She is also co-founder and co-leader of the Rochester Center for Sufi Studies in Rochester, New York. In the business world, Amina has founded multiple consulting firms to facilitate organizational transformation for large and small companies alike, providing executive leadership development for over 200 CEOs and their teams over the years. Amina has provided consultation and development support to many non-profit boards as well, serving on and chairing more than twenty non-profit boards of trustees. She currently serves on the board of the Rochester Business Alliance and is Chair of the Women’s Council Board of Directors. Amina is a graduate of Suluk Academy (Alif), an Inayatiyya representative, active in Universal Worship, the Healing Order, and Zira’at. Amina is a member of the Executive Committee, and was a member of the board from 2007-2017. She lives in Rochester with her husband, Husam Richard Bachner. Photo Credit: Sabine Photo Art

NIZAM UN NISA AYEDA HUSAIN
Oakville, Ontario

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.

JAHANARA SALLY MARQUIS
Santa Fe, NM

Jahanara Marquis was initiated in 2011 after attending classes taught by a lover of Rumi, whirling with Dervishes, and listening to Pir Zia, who brought her “home.” For five years she hosted Gayan Macher’s Caravans in Seattle and continues to do so in her new home of Santa Fe, New Mexico. In her professional life, Jahanara worked for over 25 years in the Environmental Resource profession (USEPA and Seattle Public Utilities). Since 2010, she has been an Executive Coach, working with leaders and teams to lead more authentic and joyful lives. Being with animals is a passion and she has been volunteering with the New Mexico Wildlife Center (rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured wildlife) as an animal feeder and board member, and with the Santa Fe Animal Shelter as a puppy socializer and dog fosterer. She lives in Santa Fe with her husband.

FAZL PEAY
Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Fazl was initiated by Murshid Samuel Lewis in 1969, and a year later, became a student of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, with whom he lived at the Hurkalya Center in Novato, California. During this period, Fazl served as Pir Vilayat’s West Coast Representative, coordinating retreats for him in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as leading his own classes. Fazl is a cherag in the Universal Worship, a sheikh in the Sufi Ruhaniat International, a former Inayatiyya center leader in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and an active member of the Baraka Center in Washington, D.C., before relocating to San Diego in 2011. He is a former member of the board of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, and currently serves on the board of the Sufi Ruhaniat International. Professionally, Fazl was a successful commercial real estate developer in Washington, D.C., developing high-rise office buildings, restaurants, hotels, senior living communities, golf courses, and multi-family properties. He retired in 2005, and was a member of the Inayatiyya board for over ten years. Photo Credit: Sabine Photo Art

ROSHAN PEAY
Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Roshan Peay was initiated into the Inayatiyya in the mid-1990s by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and is a graduate of the Suluk Academy (Alif and Andalib). Professionally, Roshan is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology and a licensed commercial interior designer. The owner of a corporate design firm in Washington, D.C., she specialized in designing office spaces for non-profit associations, law firms, corporate headquarters, restaurants, and retail stores. She served as President of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), a non-profit networking organization for women in real estate, and was also a member of Leadership Washington. Roshan served on the Inayatiyya board from 2014 to 2018. She is retired and lives in San Diego with her husband, Fazl. Photo Credit: Sabine Photo Art

RABIA POVICH
Charlottesville, VA

Rabia Povich was initiated into the Sufi path by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan in 1975. Currently she serves as an Inayatiyya Representative, co-leading a center in Charlottesville, VA. Rabia is a retreat guide, a Cheraga in the Universal Worship and a leader in the Kinship Activity. Motivated to advance the ideals of justice and equity with compassion and understanding, Rabia is engaged with local interfaith clergy to help address systemic racism. Her professional background spanned more than 25 years in public policy, where she utilized advocacy, research, communication, and organizational development skills to reduce poverty and injustice while increasing opportunity for marginalized communities. Rabia served on the Inayatiyya Board of Trustees for five years and later helped actualize Pir Zia’s inspiration, Seven Pillars House of Wisdom. Rabia and her husband Zakir Amin share life and love in Charlottesville.

HADI REINHERTZ
Vallejo, CA

Hadi Reinhertz has been a student of Sufism in the Inayatiyya since 1981. He was the coordinator of the West Coast Sufi camps from 1982 through 1992, and served as the Director of the Abode of the Message, a retreat center community operated by the Inayatiyya, for more than two years, beginning in 2000. In his professional career, Hadi was an educator, functioning both as a teacher and principal for forty years. Currently, he works for Loyola Marymont University as a field supervisor monitoring and mentoring candidates in the Teach for America Program. Hadi and his wife, Shakina, are the leaders of an Inayatiyya center in Vallejo, California, and he served on the Inayatiyya board for fourteen years. Photo Credit: Sabine Photo Art

BAYAZID WARE
Atlanta, GA

Bayazid Jonathan Ware, a devotee of the Sufi Message, has served as a member of the Inayatiyya’s Advisory Council since March 2016. His prior leadership roles within the Order include Vice Chair – Board of Trustees; Chair of Legal Committee; Chair of Personnel Committee. Bayazid also serves as assistant general counsel to the world’s largest airline.