About Us

Dr. Nahid Angha is an Iranian-American Sufi scholar, author, lecturer and human rights activist. She is the co-director and co-founder of the International Association of Sufism, founder of the International Sufi Women Organization, the executive editor of Sufism: An Inquiry. Nahid Angha is the main representative of the IAS to the United Nations (Department of Global Communications). She is the first Muslim woman inducted to the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame Marin and Huffington Post named her as one of the 50 Powerful Women Religious Leaders To Celebrate On International Women’s Day.

Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar, Shah Nazar Uwaiysi, is an Iranian American Sufi master of the Uwaiysi Tariqat. In 1983, together with Nahid Angha, he established the International Association of Sufism (IAS), a nonprofit humanitarian organization and United Nations NGO/DGC based in Northern California. IAS was founded to create and provide a global forum for dialogue amongst Sufis, scholars, interfaith leaders, poets, and scientists, and became the first organization of its kind to foster dialogue among Sufi leaders and communities from around the world. In the same spirit, in 1988, under Dr. Kianfar’s leadership as Chief Editor, IAS began publishing Sufism, An Inquiry, which remains the world’s longest-running publication on Sufism. He is also the founder of the Sufism Psychology Forum and the 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Program, both of which provide unique opportunities to explore self-awareness, personal growth, and healing for people of all faiths.

Dr. Kianfar graduated from the Police Academy in Tehran and earned a master’s degree in law and a doctoral degree in Sufism and Islamic Philosophy from the University of Tehran. He began his study of Sufism under the guidance of Moulana Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha, a 20th-century Persian Sufi master (d. 1980) of the Uwaiysi Tariqa. Dr. Kianfar was among the first of Shah Maghsoud’s students to be given permission to teach and lead Sufi gatherings. He received the title of “Shah Nazar” (The Sight of the King) from Shah Maghsoud, who also has accepted him as a spiritual son. Dr. Kianfar established a Department of Sufism and Islamic Philosophy at Yuin University in Los Angeles in 1980 and has taught continuously in the United States and globally since his arrival in the United States since 1979. He is also the author of a wide variety of books.

Amineh is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Sufi Masters Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. Dr. Pryor has continued as an active member of the International Association of Sufism for nearly three decades, serving on the Executive Committee for of the Institute for Sufi Studies, Sufi Women Organization Council, Beyond Identifications Program, Sufism and Psychology Forum, and 40 Days Program. She holds a Ph.D. in East-West Psychology, with a focus on Sufi Psychology. Dr. Pryor presents at local and international conferences and has published books and articles in the fields of spirituality, psychology, consciousness, and science. Her books include Psychology in Sufism and Sufism: Self, Path and Guide. She has also contributed chapters to Sufi Grace; Seeds of Transformation; Sufi Women: The Journey Towards the Beloved; and Caravan; and has published numerous articles in Sufism: An Inquiry, Sufism and Psychology Newsletter, and Community Healing Centers Newsletter. Dr. Pryor is a founding member of the Community Healing Centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and offers a Sufi Psychology study group on Zoom.

Katherine is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 25 years. She maintains a private practice in San Francisco and has held many clinical leadership positions overseeing and providing clinical training and supervision for therapeutic services throughout the Bay Area. Ms. Preston is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism and a member of International Association of Sufism. Ms. Preston serves as moderator for the 40 Days – Alchemy of Tranquility Program. She has contributed articles to the international journal Sufism: An Inquiry and written chapters for publication including Human Self, Volume One: Mind and Inspiration on the Holy Qur’an.

Jamal is a licensed psychotherapist in California and New Mexico. He is student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Dr. Seyyed Ali Kianfar. Dr. Granick is a member of IAS and serves on its Executive Committee, and has participated in many of its programs, including presenting on Sufism and Psychology nationally and internationally. He Beyond Identifications program, which brings together practitioners from across modalities to explore the spiritual dimensions of healing. Dr. Granick obtained a Ph.D. from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 2011. His doctoral research focused on transpersonal aspects of a therapist’s presence in psychotherapy, and Dr. Granick has taught counseling and psychotherapy at the graduate level in multiple academic settings. He also holds a fifth degree black belt in Aikido.