Drugs, Gangs, and Addiction – How Faith Saved Us
An Imam who developed an opioid addiction. And a professor who was once a gang leader. Today, they are inspiring leaders who are changing the world for the better. Come hear the story of how faith helped them survive through it all.
Nobody Plans To Hit Rock Bottom
CEO of Penny Appeal Canada, Fawad Kalsi was once addicted to opioids. It almost robbed him of his life.
He’s finally talking about his journey from a former Imam who became heavily addicted to opioids, to a leader of a global humanitarian organization. Come listen to his harrowing story of how treating a medical condition spiraled into a 50 pill-a-day addiction and how his faith helped him survive.
Fawad’s message is simple:
If you are suffering from addiction, there is hope and there is a way out. You can survive and become a contributing member of society, just like him.
He will be joined by Dr. Farhan Chak, professor of Political Science who will share his own story of how in his younger years, became a gang leader in Edmonton, Alberta. Just like Fawad, Farhan’s faith pulled him out of a lifestyle that was plagued with drugs, extreme violence, and the death of many he knew.
The fact is this: We don’t talk about drugs, gangs, or addiction enough in our community. We whisper about the brother who “went down the wrong path.” We pretend the sister who stopped coming to the masjid is just busy. We assume addiction and gang violence happen to other families in other communities. It happens to us as well.
This will be a night of honest, unfiltered conversation on the reality of addictions and gang life. No lectures. No scare tactics. Just two people telling the truth about the devastating lives they once lived and how they escaped.
About the Speakers
Fawad Kalsi
Hafiz. Imam. Business Executive. Humanitarian. CEO. A Story of Recovery and Redemption.
A Hafiz-ul-Qur’an since his teens, Fawad also studied Fiqh at Darul Uloom Al-Islamiyah and later served for five years as an Imam in British Columbia. Alongside his religious service, he built a successful career in the corporate world, spending 12 years at TELUS, where he served as a Business Executive. He later became Managing Partner of Falcon Travel, helping thousands of Canadian Muslims undertake the journeys of Hajj and Umrah.
After suffering from severe pancreatitis and being prescribed opioids for pain, Fawad developed an addiction that would take him into one of the darkest periods of his life. Today, he serves as CEO of Penny Appeal Canada, leading a Canadian humanitarian organization working to bring relief, dignity and opportunity to vulnerable communities around the world.
Fawad will speak openly about what addiction took from him, what it took to find his way back, and the role faith played throughout that journey.
Dr. Farhan Chak
PhD. Professor. Author. Former Gang Leader.
Dr. Farhan Mujahid Chak grew up in a working-class Edmonton neighbourhood in the 1970s and ’80s, where racism and violence were an everyday affair, and the teachers and police meant to protect him often looked the other way. What began as fighting back grew into a network across Canada that protected other minority youth. But as it grew, some members turned to drugs, stolen goods, and worse. The victims became the bullies. After more than a dozen court cases, he left Canada at 19. A long hospital stay in Pakistan, and an uncle who told him to use his education to help others, changed everything. He went on to earn a PhD from Durham University, spent 16 years in Doha at Qatar University, and has authored two books on Pakistan and Kashmir. Today he teaches Political Science in Edmonton, the same city where he once ran the streets.
Dr. Chak knows how young people get drawn in, because he was one of them. And he’ll tell you exactly what it took to get out.
Why You Need To Be In The Room
More than 53,000 Canadians have died from opioid addictions since 2016. In the latest year of data, that’s about 17 people every single day.
In 2024, gang violence was behind roughly 1 in 5 homicides in Canada, and nearly 8 in 10 of those involved a gun. That same year, more youth under 18 were charged with homicide than the year before.
It’s not everyday that you hear a CEO, professor or anyone else in a successful role, share or be vulnerable about such deeply personal matters. If an event like this can save even one life, it’s worth it.
If you’re battling addiction and feel like there is no life outside of dependency, this event is for you. If an aunt, an uncle, a nephew, niece, or anyone close to you has been afflicted by addiction or gangs, this event is for you. If you’re a parent, teacher, imam, or youth worker and are seeing the scourges of drugs and violence, this event is for you.
You’ll walk away with an understanding of:
How addiction and gang involvement actually take hold, from people who know
What turned things around for them: role models, faith, self-belief and a lot of hard work
Practical ways to support someone you love who’s in it right now
WHERE YOU START DOESN’T DECIDE WHERE YOU FINISH
There is life and purpose after addiction and gangs. And sometimes, the chapter you thought would destroy your life becomes the chapter that gives you the strength to change the lives of others.
Bring Someone Who Needs To Hear This
Both Fawad and Farhan’s life is proof that addiction and gangs do not have to define how your story ends. He was a Hafiz, an Imam, a husband, a father and a successful professional, and still, addiction found him. His story could have ended there. It didn’t. Through faith, family, perseverance and recovery, Fawad rebuilt his life.
You probably already have someone in mind. A friend who’s slipping. A cousin who’s gone quiet. A younger sibling who’s starting to hang around the wrong crowd.
Don’t send them a link. Bring them with you.
Contact our donor care team:
1-855-880-4141
Open Mon - Fri : 9:00am - 6pm EST