Iyad is co-founder and Chairman at Kawaakibi Foundation. Recognised as one of the most influential Arab voices online, he was jailed and exiled from his home in the UAE for his pro-democracy advocacy in 2013.  A prominent Norwegian-Palestinian intellectual, he lives in Oslo, Norway, where he was granted political asylum. He is a survivor of severe PTSD and an advocate for psychedelic-assisted therapy for victims of state-repression. He is a board member at Munathara, the Arab debate NGO, and co-author of The Middle East Crisis Factory.

A Testimony of Faith: A Personal Journey with Psychedelics and Islam.

This talk explores the intersection of psychedelics and Islamic spirituality, sharing experiences from Iyad’s personal healing journey and highlighting how psychedelics not only helped him to recover, but transformed his relationship with his faith and deepened his spiritual practice in the process. This presentation will also touch on potential cultural and theological tensions, and cover the integration of spiritual insights from more diverse faith practices into the psychedelic space.   The presentation aims to give participants insight into modes of integrating psychedelic experiences with Islamic spirituality, and the challenge of working towards wider acceptance of psychedelic experiences within faith communities.