Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience (Parvez Ahmed & Omar Ansari)

Parvez and Omar are joined by Aaron "Haroon" Sellers and dive deep into his early years, his conversion and his early experiences as a Muslim, in part 1 of a 2 part conversation.

About Aaron “Haroon” Sellers

Aaron “Haroon” Sellars was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he majored in graphic arts and developed a special interest in film, photography and music. After converting to Islam in 1994, he sought out ways to serve the Muslim community with his multi-media knowledge and interests. This drive inspired his move with his wife and daughters to the California Bay Area in the Summer of 2001 to serve the audiovisual needs of Zaytuna Institute and other Islamic organizations and institutions in the local Muslim community. Currently, Aaron is the Audiovisual Manager and longest serving employee at Zaytuna College -America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college where he has taken thousands of photographs and recorded hundreds of hours of lectures, classes, and other events using a variety of digital media to document and share the college’s historic contributions to Islam in America and the world, alhamdulillah.

Parvez and Omar sit down with Yousuf Azhar who shares his personal experiences joining and then leaving a Muslim cult, the corrosive spiritual manipulation and abuse he suffered, and the patterns to look out for.  

About Yousuf Azhar

Yousuf Azhar was born in India and migrated to the USA at the age of two.  He studied Arabic at the University of Damascus for one year and has studied general Islamic sciences with various scholars throughout his life.  He now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.  Yousuf is a software testing lead at a Silicon Valley tech company.

 

We are joined by Umair Haseeb.  They discuss his family background, growing up in Chicagoland, the spark that led to his spiritual awakening, and his studies towards Islamic scholarship abroad.

About Umair Haseeb Umair Haseeb formally studied Arabic, the basics of Islam, and Quran in Chicago, which lead him to move to Morocco and Sahara to pursue a full time study of Arabic and Islamic Law. He received his ’Shahada’, or degree as well licenses directly from their Scholars, after studying at The Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco. He holds licenses in Legal Theory (Usul), Maliki Law, Grammar, Theology, and the Prophetic biography. He currently serves as the Imam of the “Sayyida Fatima Project at CIC”, under the auspices teacher Shaykh Muhammad el Emam, serving the South West Side of Chicago, as well as doing post graduate work at al Azhar University- Cairo

Parvez and Omar are truly honored to host Dr. Mohammad Subeh who just returned from a five week medical mission to the Gaza Strip, specifically the Rafah Crossing to the south. Dr. Subeh shares his background born to a Palestinian refugee family living in Kuwait and then forced to flee overnight at the start of the First Persian Gulf War and invasion of Kuwait. Dr. Subeh shares in harrowing detail what he witnessed first-hand during his time in the Gaza Strip. It is a sobering listen as he recounts the unprecedented devastation and humanitarian crisis unfolding before our very eyes as Israel continues its brutal military incursion into Gaza. In the midst of the brutality and horror he also beautifully details the unyielding faith and resilience of the Palestinian people. It is an absolute must listen for anyone dismayed by what is occurring in Palestine. Please give it a listen, share widely, and above all pray for an end to the suffering and the ultimate liberation of Palestine.       

 

About Dr. Muhammad Subeh

Dr. Mohammad Subeh is an emergency physician and traumatologist with a deep passion for innovation and discovery, both inside and outside of medicine. After completing his undergraduate degree (BA Human Biology) and graduate work (MA Sociology, MS Epidemiology/Biostatistics) at Stanford University, Mohammad took his first major dive into entrepreneurship. He founded HireLabs, an outcomes analytics company aimed at deciphering organizational data to reshape and guide how people are managed within these organizations. Since then, he has founded and advised several companies in the health tech space. More recently, his love for science and coffee led him to launch Kenz Coffee Roasters, a bay area-based specialty coffee roastery that sources high quality coffee microlots worldwide and featuring these unique coffees to coffee lovers across the globe. Dr Subeh received his MD from Oregon Health and Science University, and completed Emergency Medicine residency training at the University of Chicago and Ultrasound Fellowship at UC Irvine. Currently, he serves as Partner of Vituity and Assistant Medical Director of the El Camino Hospital Emergency Department in Mountain View, CA. Additionally, he practices emergency medicine at UC Irvine, Catalina Island Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA. He enjoys spending time with his family of four, deep sea fishing, and traveling to different countries to provide free medical care to underserved communities.

    

Parvez and Omar are joined by Sana Saeed from AJ+ to discuss, among other things, social media culture, holding Muslims leaders to a standard, the "akh-right" and the transition to the Biden administration.  It was an engaging, no holds barred conversation that we hope you'll join us for.

About Sana Saeed

Sana Saeed is a Host and Senior Producer who has been with AJ+ since 2014, helping launch the channel. A Canadian who has spent most of her life in the United States, she’s interested in politics, religion, culture and working very hard to stay out of arguments on Twitter. She has a background in media critique and analysis, with her work having appeared in The New York Times, LA Times, Quartz, Guardian, Salon and AJE.

Sana is currently working on ‘Pop Americana’ - a show that looks at American pop culture as a vehicle for politics. In reality, she’s really just living out her ‘VH1 Behind The Music’ remake fantasy. She’s also usually the one in the room who sounds like that reading you kinda, sorta skimmed in your elective liberal arts class.

We had the pleasure of sitting with Dr. Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History at the University of California Berkeley for a detailed, highly enlightening and impassioned discussion of the history of the Palestinian struggle. Dr. Makdisi masterfully contextualizes what is happening right now in Palestine within the broader history of the Western colonialist, Zionist project that has dehumanized, brutalized, and ethnically cleansed the Palestinian people for over 75 years.   

About Dr. Ussama Makdisi

Dr. Ussama Makdisi is Professor of History and Chancellor’s Chair at the University of California Berkeley. He was previously Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University in Houston.    

Parvez and Omar are joined again by Aaron Sellers and dive deep into his path as a Muslim convert, his move from the east coast to the west, to work at Zaytuna Institute, and Zaytuna's transition into a college.  This is the second episode of a 2 part conversation.

This is a continuation from episode 119, where we talked to Aaron about his early years, his conversion and his early experiences as a Muslim.

About Aaron “Haroon” Sellers

Aaron “Haroon” Sellars was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he majored in graphic arts and developed a special interest in film, photography and music. After converting to Islam in 1994, he sought out ways to serve the Muslim community with his multi-media knowledge and interests. This drive inspired his move with his wife and daughters to the California Bay Area in the Summer of 2001 to serve the audiovisual needs of Zaytuna Institute and other Islamic organizations and institutions in the local Muslim community. Currently, Aaron is the Audiovisual Manager and longest serving employee at Zaytuna College -America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college where he has taken thousands of photographs and recorded hundreds of hours of lectures, classes, and other events using a variety of digital media to document and share the college’s historic contributions to Islam in America and the world, alhamdulillah.

Parvez and Omar welcome R. David Coolidge (former Muslim chaplain at Dartmouth College and Brown University, and current PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA) to discuss his journey into and within Islam, which has taken him through the Sunni and Shia traditions.  The discussion was especially timely considering we’re in the month of Muharram.

Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

About David Coolidge

David Coolidge was born in Chicago, and raised in Kenilworth, IL. He has a BA from Brown University and an MA from Princeton University. He converted to Islam in 1998.  From 2008-2013 he worked as a Muslim chaplain, first at Dartmouth College and then again at Brown. From 2014-2017 he taught an undergraduate course on Islamic law and ethics at New York University. He is currently a PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

 

 

To close out 2024 Parvez and Omar are joined by two Syrian-American guests to share their perspectives on the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the potential implications and challenges facing post-Assad Syria, and how the Syrian-American community is responding to these events. Along the way the show's guests candidly (and humorously!) discuss their experiences growing up as children of Syrian immigrants in the United States. To change things up a bit, the show begins dropping listeners in the midst of a "pre-podcast" conversation about the present challenges of professional life and grind culture in Silicon Valley. Interestingly a conversation that’s happening right now on social media after Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent comments.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Dr. Sofia Ghani to discuss health and wellness in this holy month of Ramadan.

About Dr. Sofia Ghani

Dr. Sofia Ghani started her career as a clinical pharmacist managing patients' drug therapy at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Being around very sick people on a laundry list of medications was an everyday norm for her. It never failed to surprise her how many medications one human can be on at the same time. In 2010 something shifted. It started with an idea of her doing a weight loss challenge with a couple of friends. By the time her friends asked some of their friends, word spread and 35 women joined this challenge! 12 weeks later, 35 lives were changed for the better and this was the start of Sofia’s journey in health and wellness. Her passion was and still is helping women get healthier, stronger and more confident in their body. Since then Sofia has worked with 100s of women individually and in group settings. She now practices as a Health & Wellness Coach, is a NASM (Nat’l Assoc. of Sports Med personal trainer and is on her way to becoming a certified Jay Shetty Life Coach. She is passionate about helping women get healthy and strong at any age. “The best part of my job is seeing women start believing in themself, radiating confidence, loving themself and knowing that they CAN get healthy and lead a well-balanced life”.

Parvez and Omar make a trek down to Orange County to sit with a pioneer in the American Muslim experience, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi and learn about his life's journey from India to Madinah to United States and to discuss his legacy and impact on the American Muslim community.

About Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi is the imam and religious director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, Garden Grove; he also chairs the Fiqh Council of North America and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. Siddiqi has previously led the Religious Affairs Committee of the Muslim Students Association, Department of Religious Affairs at the Muslim World League Office to the UN and the United States, Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., and Islamic Society of North America. He is also a founding member of the World Economic Forum's Community of West and Islam Dialogue (C-100). Siddiqi is a frequent participant in interfaith events, authors commentary and issues fatwas through the internet hub IslamOnline.net, and lectures widely on Islamic law. Siddiqi was one of the signatories in October 2007 of A Common Word Between Us and You. He is a graduate of the Islamic University of Medina, Birmingham University, and Harvard University.

Parvez and Omar welcome Sadia Jalali, LMFT to start a conversation on marriage and divorce in the American Muslim community.  They discuss the importance of premarital counseling, of nurturing marriages from day one, and of getting help before it's too late to save a marriage.

About Sadia Jalali  Sadia Jalali is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Sadia holds a BA in Psychology from U of Houston and MA in Psychology/Family Therapy from U of H-Clear Lake. In her over 14 years as a counselor, she has worked with hundreds of clients specializing in relationships, parenting, anger management, divorce care, self care, and being Muslims in America. Active in the Houston Muslim Community for over twenty years, she has held workshops and speaking engagements for many local and national Muslim organizations. She founded Muslim Bliss, which is  dedicated to bringing issues of mental health and relationships to the forefront in the Muslim community. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Islamic Studies from Bayan Claremont to better serve the community.

For our first episode of 2024 we present an interview conducted during our trip to Chicago with Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi, Founder and Executive Director of Khalil Center. Dr. Keshavarzi discusses his journey connecting with his faith, becoming a clinical psychologist, and how he integrated his studies in Islamic theology and spirituality towards creating an optimal, holistic model of mental health care and wellness. Dr. Keshavarzi's insight and in-depth of knowledge of Western and Islamic modalities of psychology made for a wide ranging conversation exploring physical, mental and metaphysical approaches to wellness and the variety of services and therapeutics that Khalil Center provides. We were fortunate to sit and record our conversation at Khalil Center's headquarters in Lombard, Illinois.

 

About Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi 

Hooman Keshavarzi is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois, he holds a Doctorate and Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelors of Science – specialist psychology track/minor in Islamic Studies. He currently serves as the program director for the Masters in Counseling Islamic Psychology Program in Doha, Qatar, is a visiting scholar for Ibn Haldun University (Istanbul, Turkey) and adjunct  faculty at the Hartford Seminary.  He is the founding director of Khalil Center – the first Islamically oriented professional community mental wellness center and largest provider of Muslim mental healthcare in North America. He is also a senior fellow at the International Association for Islamic Psychology (IAIP), conducting research on topics related to Islam, Muslims and Mental Health. Hooman Keshavarzi is an international public speaker and trainer providing education on the intersection of Islamic studies and behavioral health.

Hooman Keshavarzi has also authored several published academic papers in recognized peer-reviewed journals on integrating Islamic spirituality into modern psychological practice. 

 

 

 

 

 

Parvez and Omar take a visit to Souther California to sit down in person with Sue Obeidi and Evelyn Alsultany to discuss the state of Muslims in the media.

About Our Guests

Sue Obeidi is the Director of the Hollywood Bureau for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). Obeidi ensures that MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau is a partner with the entertainment industry.

Evelyn Alsultany is a leading expert on the history of representations of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. media and on forms of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism. Alsultany is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Parvez and Omar return from a short post-Ramadan hiatus and meet with Shaykh Jabir Tarin to discuss his path as a young man to scholarship, his work in the growing and important field of Muslim mental health and counseling, as well his involvement with the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America (HFSAA).

About Shaykh Jabir Tarin

Shaykh Jabir Tarin is a registered associate marriage and family therapist. He has served as a teacher at several Islamic institutions, including Dua Seminary, where he teaches the Islamic Sciences, and Nur Institute. Shaykh Jabir has previously served as a therapist and spiritual and religious leader through the Muslim Mental Health Initiative at UC Berkeley and served the greater community through the Khalil Center. Currently, he passionately maintains similar roles through Wasilah Connections. Shaykh Jabir’s professional interests include providing mental health and spiritual training to the City of Fremont, integrating Islamic spirituality with mental wellness, and teaching Islamic theology to young adults and college students.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Shahan Mufti, author of American Caliph, The True Story of a Muslim Mystic, a Hollywood Epic, and the 1977 Siege of Washington, DC.The new book is the first full account of the largest ever hostage taking on American soil and of the tormented man who masterminded it. Informed by extensive archival research and access to hundreds of declassified FBI files, American Caliph is a riveting true-crime story that sheds new light on the disarray of the 1970s and its ongoing reverberations.

About Shahan Mufti

Shahan Mufti is the chair of the Department of Journalism at the University of Richmond and a former daily news reporter for the Christian Science Monitor. His work has been published in Harper’s, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many others.

He is the author of The Faithful Scribe: A Story of Islam, Pakistan, Family, and War. His second book, American Caliph: The True Story of a Muslim Mystic, a Hollywood Epic, and the 1977 Siege of Washington, DC won the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award in 2020.

Shahan holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Near Eastern Studies from New York University and an undergraduate degree from Middlebury College. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to India in 2004.

He lives with his wife and children in Richmond, Virginia.

Zeshawn and Aman Ali join us to discuss their new documentary, Two Gods.

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY

An intimate documentary about faith, renewal, and healing, Two Gods follows a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer in New Jersey, as he takes two young teenagers under his wing to teach them how to live better lives.

Shot in a striking black-and-white, Two Gods explores the juxtaposition of grief and the rituals of death with the vibrancy and potential of adolescence. The documentary turns an empathetic lens on Muslim American stories, ultimately crafting a moving portrait of both the intimate moments and the complexities of the everyday Muslim American experience.

About the Filmmakers

Zeshawn Ali was born and raised in Ohio. He moved to New York to study film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he concentrated on directing and cinematography. He directed the short film Shallows and short documentaries for the 30 Mosques series which were featured in festivals and publications across the country. He's currently based in New York.

Aman Ali is an award-winning storyteller in New York City. He’s made appearances on dozens of media outlets including the NY Times, CNN, Buzzfeed, NBC News, and HBO to tell stories about the Muslim American community. He is also one of the brains behind the social media phenomenon 30 Mosques in 30 Days, a 25,000 mile road trip he took to all 50 States in the U.S. with the mission of telling profound stories about Muslims in America.

 

Parvez and Omar are joined by Hamid Khan to discuss the end of the Afghan war and the crisis that followed.

About Hamid Khan

Mr. Hamid Khan is an accomplished legal professional with 20 years’ experience advancing the rule of law through public policy, global program development, and legal education.

Mr. Khan is also an expert in Islamic constitutionalism, issues of Islamic law in armed conflict and post-conflict justice, gender issues under Islamic law, and trends in modern Islamic political thought share his insights on the current crisis in Afghanistan, evacuation and resettlement efforts, and potential ways forward. Mr. Khan has worked in justice sector and legal development issues with a wide variety of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and U.S. Government agencies including the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Federal Judiciary, the United Nations, NATO, ISAF (Afghanistan), and the U.S.-Islamic World Forum at the Brookings Institution. He is a Judicial Education Attorney with the Federal Judicial Center and has served as Postdoctoral Fellow for Stanford Law School’s Afghanistan Legal Education Project.

Next stop in Chicagoland takes us to Skokie where Parvez and Omar had the honor of sitting with author, educator and school administrator, Habeeb Quadri. We had an in-depth conversation about his experiences growing up in Chicago, what inspired him to become an educator, and his journey from teaching inner city schools in Detroit and Chicago to serving as Principal and Superintendent of a renowned Islamic school.

It was also a great opportunity for Parvez and Habeeb, who have known each other for over 30 years to reconnect, reminisce about cutting their teeth as youth activist in the 90s with Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) and the organization's resurgence in recent years.      About Habeeb Quadri Habeeb Quadri has served as principal of the Muslim Community Center Academy (MCCA) since 2002, where he has focused on changing school culture, financial turnaround, and transforming educational standards. He led MCCA to become one of the first Islamic parochial schools to receive national accreditation by implementing a comprehensive improvement plan that engaged stakeholders at all levels. Habeeb is on the principal advisory board and a part-time staffer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principal Center and the founder of High Quality Educational Consulting. He was one of five private school leaders to be selected for the 2019 class of nationally distinguished principals by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. He has lectured throughout the United States, Canada and abroad on Islam, society, and social problems confronting Muslim youth and the community at large, including workshops for the U.S Department of State, weekend and full-time Islamic schools, public schools and universities.  Habeeb holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Wayne State University and a B.A. in the Teaching of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has pursued continued advanced studies with Harvard University’s Professional Development Program.

We are back to discuss the ongoing crisis in Palestine, this time focusing on the one-sided and ideologically motivated media coverage. To offer his analysis and perspective, and discuss the possible factors that may change that status quo, we are joined by The Intercept's veteran journalist Murtaza Hussain. 

About Murtaza Hussain

Brooklyn-based journalist and “Habitual line stepper” Murtaza Hussain is a political commentator for The Intercept, embodying the online publication’s dedication to “producing fearless, adversarial journalism.” 

His work focuses on human rights, foreign policy and cultural affairs. Murtaza's work has appeared in The New York Times, Al Jazeera English, Common Dreams, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, Salon and elsewhere. His writings are also available via his Substack https://mazmhussain.substack.com/ and he is active on Twitter/X @MazMHussain

Diffused Congruence begins 2020 with a new co-host! Listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Here is an episode that's been a few years in the making! We finally had the privilege of sitting with Dr. Jihad Saafir of Islah LA to discuss his background, academic training, as well as the remarkable and pioneering work that Islah LA and Islah Academy are doing to serve the community in South Los Angeles. As you've come to expect from the podcast we cover a lot of ground including the socio-cultural realities of Islam in the Inner City and some of the interesting topics Dr. Saafir explores as an academic and Assistant Professor of Religion and Community Development at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. 

 

Islah LA is one of the first of its kind in the United States – an inner-city community center founded by Muslim-Americans to serve South Los Angeles. Islah LA is poised to start a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim-American community.

Bayan Islamic Graduate School is a seminary that seeks to “desegregate” theological education and provides higher education to men and women who serve as Muslim religious leaders, scholars, chaplains, activists and educators.  

 

About Dr. Jihad Saafir

Dr. Saafir earned a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Leadership from Bayan at Claremont School of Theology (CST) in 2014, and then completed his Ph.D. at CST in Practical Theology. He is the resident Imam and the Founding Executive Director for Islah Academy, a K-8 Islamic private school based in Los Angeles. He is a former chaplain of The California Institute for Women and the former Imam of Masjid At-Taqwa in Altadena, CA. In 2018, Imam Jihad was awarded with the prestigious KCET Local Hero’s Award. More recently, South Coast Interfaith Council recognized Dr. Saafir as its "2022 Faith Leader of the Year." Through Dr. Jihad Saafir’s leadership, Islah LA has spawned a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim American community. At Bayan, he teaches courses in Muslim adolescent identity formation, leadership development, and Islamic education.

It's not too often that you come across a Silicon Valley raised and Dar-ul-Uloom trained Imam but that's exactly who joins Parvez and Omar to kick-off the blessed month of Ramadan. Imam Tahir Anwar, Imam of the South Bay Islamic Association and Lecturer at Zaytuna College returns to the show! This time around the discussion includes a deep dive into his background, his religious education and training, in addition to having him impart precious gems of wisdom and advice for Ramadan. As always it's a far ranging discussion that we hope you enjoy and benefit from! Ramadan Mubarak!       

 

About Imam Tahir Anwar

Imam Tahir Anwar is an American Muslim scholar and preacher. Born in London, England, he has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1983. Imam Tahir is a scholar of Hanafi Fiqh with an ijaza to teach Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, and Usul al-Fiqh. Imam Tahir is a native Gujurati and Urdu speaker. He is also proficient in Arabic and Hindi.

After completing his religious studies, Imam Tahir has served the Bay Area Muslim community since 2000 as an Imam of one of the area’s oldest mosques, South Bay Islamic Association.  

In addition, he is the founding board member of Averroes High School, the Bay Area’s first Muslim high school. He is currently the chairman of the board of NISA, North-American Islamic Shelter for the Abused, an organization that works towards alleviating issues related to domestic violence.

In the past he served on the Human Rights Commission for the City of San Jose for over 5 years and on the Human Relations Commission for the County of Santa Clara for one year. He also leads groups for Hajj & Umrah each year.

Imam Tahir joined the faculty of Zaytuna College in 2010 where he teaches Islamic Law with an emphasis on the Hanafi School.  

 

Parvez and Omar are joined by Tarek El-Messidi, founder of CelebrateMercy.  They look back to the inspiration behind the organization, discuss its genesis and initial launch, and touch on some of the team's current initiatives.

About CelebrateMercy

CelebrateMercy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that teaches about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s life and character – to Muslims and the general public. They do this through short films, online campaigns, traveling conferences, and webinars that feature world-renowned speakers and scholars on Islam.

In 10 years, CelebrateMercy has: 

• • Reached 300 million people through national media coverage
• • Held 25 events for 200,000 participants in 115 countries
• • Produced 200+ videos with 7 million views on YouTube & Facebook
• • Generated social media posts leading to 700,000 subscribers

 

About Tarek El-Messidi

Tarek El-Messidi is a Muslim-American speaker, activist, and social entrepreneur. In 2012, he was listed by Georgetown University in the Muslim500 as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims worldwide. He has pursued Islamic studies in the United States, Morocco, and Jordan and served for 10 years on the boards of multiple mosques, including as President and Vice-President of two Islamic centers.  

In 2001, while serving as President of the Muslim Student Association at his university, Tarek co-founded Fast-a-thon: an event that raises money to feed the hungry when non-Muslims try fasting with their Muslim peers for one day. Fast-a-thons at 300 universities have raised over $2 million total to feed the hungry across America.

In 2010, after earning an MBA and working as a supply chain manager at Procter & Gamble, Tarek founded CelebrateMercy.  

With only days left until the pivotal 2020 U.S. election, Parvez and Omar are joined by Democratic strategist Mustafa Tameez, to discuss how we got here and possible outcomes for election night and thereafter.

About Mustafa Tameez

Mustafa Tameez is Outreach Strategists’ Founder and President. Mustafa began his career in New York advertising for corporate clients, but after moving to Texas he shifted to advising successful campaigns for state legislators, mayors, members of Congress and public institutions. Mustafa is a national opinion leader with over 600 appearances on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and CBSN. The Atlantic names him as a top Democratic consultant in Texas and Texas Monthly refers to him as one of the top Democrats to watch. Mustafa is the Chairman of the Transportation Advocacy Group board, a Director of the Texas Lyceum, and a member of the Unity National Bank board, among other civic and business affiliations. He has also provided extensive consulting services for the Department of Homeland Security.  

Parvez and Omar sit down with returning guest Shadi Hamid to discuss the midterm elections and his new book, The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea.  

In The Problem of Democracy, Shadi Hamid reimagines the ongoing debate on democracy’s merits and proposes an ambitious agenda for reviving the lost art of democracy promotion in the world’s most undemocratic regions.  What happens when democracy produces "bad" outcomes? Is democracy good because of its outcomes or despite them? 

About Shadi Hamid

Shadi Hamid is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an assistant research professor of Islamic studies at Fuller Seminary. He is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic, where he writes a monthly essay on culture and politics. His new book is The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea (Oxford University Press). His previous book, Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World, was shortlisted for the 2017 Lionel Gelber Prize for best book on foreign affairs. Hamid’s first book, Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East was named a Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2014.  He is also the co-editor of Rethinking Political Islam with Will McCants.

 Zaki Returns to Discuss The Matrix Resurrections and More in the Film Industry

Zaki Hasan, co-founder of the show, returns to catch up with Omar and Parvez.  They discuss the impacts of social media on the polarized state of politics, Muslim Twitter and much more!

About Zaki Hasan

Zaki Hasan has been a media scholar and critic for more than twenty years. His film reviews and analyses have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, HuffPost, and The Philadelphia Weekly, and in 2015 he was inducted into the prestigious San Francisco Film Critics Circle. He also co-wrote Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture, contributed to books on the Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and Blade Runner franchises, and has appeared as an expert panelist on HuffPost Live and Al Jazeera America's The Stream.

We visited the Stanford University campus to sit with Professor Adnan Zulfiqar to discuss his journey and his work in the fields of law, history and religion, as well as some of the research he is currently doing in the areas of criminal law & procedure, Islamic jurisprudence, and rule of law in the Global South.  We found Adnan's experiences to be extraordinary and his insights to be enlightening, and we think you'll really enjoy the discussion!  

About Adnan Zulfiqar

Adnan Zulfiqar is an interdisciplinary scholar in the fields of law, history and religion whose research focuses on critically examining the frameworks underlying legal discourses in both domestic and global contexts. His primary fields of inquiry are criminal law & procedure, Islamic jurisprudence, and rule of law in the Global South.

His most recent work centers on studying how Muslim jurists conceive of and utilize legal obligations, particularly in the context of revolution and war; rethinking approaches to the diffusion of human rights norms; and, exploring questions relating to police discretion in the United States. His scholarship has appeared in a number of publications, including the Yale Journal of International Law, Journal of Comparative Law (U.K.), West Virginia Law Review, NYU Journal of International Law & Politics and the Journal of Islamic Law [Harvard].

Professor Zulfiqar is a Regional Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania's Middle East Center, Editor at Harvard Law School's SHARIASource and faculty affiliate at the Rutgers Center for Transnational Law and the Center for Security, Race & Rights. 

During the 2022-23 academic year, Professor Zulfiqar was an External Faculty Fellow in residence at the Stanford Humanities Center.

He earned his J.D. (law), M.A. and Ph.D. (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations) from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.L.S. (International Affairs) from Georgetown University and a B.A. (Religion and Anthropology) from Emory University. He is proficient in multiple languages and has spent over a decade in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Parvez and Omar are honored to be joined by Shaykh Jamaal Diwan, co-founder and Resident Scholar at The Majlis. This was a wide-ranging conversation with Shaykh Jamaal discussing his personal journey connecting with his faith, his studies at Al-Azhar University, and the principles underlying The Majlis. Beyond his personal journey the conversation touches on parenting, the challenges of nurturing a sense of community in the United States, a "cultural topography" of Southern California, and much more.

This is an excellent companion episode to Episode 131 with his wife Shaykha Muslema Purmul, co-founder and Religious Director at The Majlis.      

About Shaykh Jamaal Diwan

Shaykh Jamaal Diwan was born and raised in Southern California to parents from Newfoundland and Pakistan. He accepted Islam in 2003 while at UCSD. After getting married and graduating from UCSD in Third World Studies, he and his wife moved to Egypt to study Arabic and Islamic Studies. He stayed there for the better part of the next seven years finishing an undergraduate degree in Sharia from al-Azhar. During that time he also completed two years of graduate work in Islamic Studies from the American University in Cairo. In addition to his formal studies he has also obtained ijazat (traditional licenses to transmit and teach) in various branches of Islamic Studies such as aqidah, fiqh, tazkiyah, and hadith.

Upon returning from Egypt in 2011 he has served as a religious teacher and instructor in Southern California in various capacities such as Resident Scholar, University Chaplain, and Islamic Studies teacher.

He cofounded The Majlis with his wife, Shaykha Muslema Purmul. The Majlis seeks to nurture safe community spaces where people can learn and live Islam, based on the traditional sources of understanding the faith, while acknowledging the particular challenges of the American context. It focuses its efforts on religious education, spiritual refinement, love, and service. He is a father of two, residing in Southern California with his family.

 

Parvez and Omar sit down with Michael Wolfe to discuss his journey to Islam, his pilgrimages to Mecca, and his work with Unity Productions Foundation (UPF).

About Michael Wolfe

Michael B. Wolfe is an American poet, author, and the President and Co-Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation. A secular American born in Cincinnati, Ohio to a Christian mother and a Jewish father, Wolfe converted to Islam at 40 and has been a frequent lecturer on Islamic issues at universities across the United States including Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, SUNY Buffalo, and Princeton. He holds a degree in Classics from Wesleyan University.

Parvez and Omar welcome Professor Mohammad Fadel to discuss the current political climate in light of COVID-19, the recent Supreme Court decisions involving various hot button issues, and the upcoming election, which is less than four months away.

 

Mohammad Fadel is a Professor and Toronto Research Chair for the Law and Economics of Islamic Law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Parvez and Omar are joined by a fellow podcaster, Ahmed Khan.  They sit down at Zaytuna College in Berkeley to discuss the power of storytelling, and the inspiration behind some of their respective work in the world of podcasts.

About The Creative Minority Podcast

The Creative Minority seeks to engage with contemporary intellectual issues ranging from but not included to politics, philosophy, theology, sociology, metaphysics, ethics, history, medicine and others. Our speakers include world class academics, theologians, scientists, professors, and celebrities who are at the forefront of shaping academia and culture.

The Creative Minority on Apple Podcasts

Happy New Year! Diffused Congruence celebrates 2020 by taking a look at the latest film in the storied Star Wars saga with special guest Omar Ansari for a deep dive into the close of this latest trilogy. Listen as Zaki, Parvez, and Omar discuss what they liked, what they didn't, and just generally geek out over their shared love for this beloved franchise. Plus: An announcement about the future of the show! Check it all out via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher). As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Co-hosts Parvez Ahmed and Omar Ansari are joined by a very special guest, former NBA player, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, for an in-depth conversation covering his early days as a youth in Mississippi to his ascension to the NBA, his acceptance of Islam, the national anthem controversy, current events, and his future plans.  Join us for this long-awaited conversation!

Parvez and Omar check one off the bucket list, with NBA superstar Hakeem Olajuwon joining them for an in-depth conversation covering his entire career and more.

About Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon, nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and eventually the Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers and one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

He became the first non-American to be an All-Star and start in an All-Star Game, the first non-American to win NBA MVP, the first non-American to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and in the 1993–94 season, he became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995.  Olajuwon was a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning United States national team, and he was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830) and is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double.

 

 

Parvez and Omar welcome Imam Hadi Qazwini (a Shi’i scholar and current Ph.D student at USC) as we partake in a deep dive into Shi’i history, theology and common practices.  The two part discussion is the 2nd in a series of conversations on the topic of Shi’ism in this Islamic month of Muharram. 

Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

Imam Syed Hadi Qazwini is an educator, public speaker, and lecturer in Islamic studies. He is a graduate of the Shiʿi Islamic Seminary of Qum and also has a Master’s from Bayan Claremont.  Imam Hadi and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion and Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His areas of academic interest and research include: Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on theology, law, and Imami-Shiʿism.

10/3/2013 - 10/3/2023

Parvez gets on mic to ruminate on 10 years of the podcast, its genesis, mission, accomplishments, pitfalls avoided, and future plans. We are immensely proud and grateful for these past 10 years but we could not have done it without you, our listeners! Thank you for your continued support, feedback, and for sharing the show. We pray that Allah blesses us with 10 more years and beyond by His Fadl and Tawfiq.

Join Parvez Ahmed and Omar Ansari as they catch up (virtually) from their homes in the bay area to discuss their experiences self-isolating and socially distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Like countless others today we are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, teacher, and supporter Usama Canon . He will always hold a very special and dear place in our hearts as the guest on our very first show. He agreed without any hesitation and as was his nature was extremely generous with his candor, hospitality, and time. We pray that God envelope him in His mercy and Grace, overlook his human frailties and shortcomings, and provide patience and solace to his wife, children, family, and friends. إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ To God we belong and to Him we are returning

Parvez and Omar welcome Imam Ibrahim to talk about his youth, his transition to Sunni Islam, and his nearly 50 years of needs based community work in the Chicago area for the past 50 years.  

About Imam S. T. Ibrahim

Imam Ibrahim served as the founding Imam of the Mosque of 'Umar, Inc. on Chicago's Far South Side in the Roseland community from 1973 to 2009.  He led prayers and all related services, coordinated needs based programs (food panty, youth, voter registration, job training, etc.) and partnered with Muslim merchants to establish a sense of brotherhood in the inner city.  From 2009 through 2018 he operated Masjid Khalil'ullah in Chicago's Morgan Park community. He also served as the Director of the Transitional College Prepatory Program (TCP) at Chicago State University from 1992-2009.  Imam Ibrahim was a participant (along with Imam Siraj Wahhaj) in the 1st Imam Training Program in Saudi Arabia in 1978 sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education.  

Parvez and Omar discuss Dr. Celene Ibrahim's works on women and gender in the Qur'an

About Dr. Celene Ibrahim

Dr. Celene Ibrahim is the author of Women and Gender in the Qur'an from Oxford University Press (2020) and the editor of One Nation, Indivisible: Seeking Liberty and Justice from the Pulpit to the Streets from Wipf & Stock Publishers (2019). Her current book project on the concept of monotheism in the Qur'an and Islamic intellectual history is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

Ibrahim holds a doctorate in Arabic and Islamic Civilizations and a master's degree in Women's and Gender Studies and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, a Masters of Divinity from Harvard University, and a bachelor's degree with the highest honors from Princeton University.

As a trusted public voice on issues of religion and civic engagement, Dr. Ibrahim is deeply committed to counteracting bigotry and fostering values of pluralism, integrity, and civic responsibility. She offers lectures, workshops, and educational seminars around the world and is a graduate of the United World College of the American West.

 

About the Book

Stories about gendered social relations permeate the Qur'an, and nearly three hundred verses involve specific women or girls. The Qur'an features these figures in accounts of human origins, in stories of the founding and destruction of nations, in narratives of conquest, in episodes of romantic attraction, and in incidents of family devotion and strife. Overall, stories involving women and girls weave together theology and ethics to reinforce central Qur'anic ideas regarding submission to God and moral accountability. Celene Ibrahim explores the complex cast of female figures in the Qur'an, probing themes related to biological sex, female sexuality, female speech, and women in sacred history. Ibrahim considers major and minor figures referenced in the Qur'an, including those who appear in narratives of sacred history, in parables, in descriptions of the eternal abode, and in verses that allude to events contemporaneous with the advent of the Qur'an in Arabia. Ibrahim finds that the Qur'an regularly celebrates the aptitudes of women in the realms of spirituality and piety, in political maneuvering, and in safeguarding their own wellbeing; yet, women figures also occasionally falter and use their agency toward nefarious ends. Women and Gender in the Qur'an outlines how women and girls - old, young, barren, fertile, chaste, profligate, reproachable, and saintly -enter Qur'anic sacred history and advance the Qur'an's overarching didactic aims.

Parvez and Omar are joined by screenwriter and director Kamran Pasha, to discuss The Exorcist (1973). 

In addition to being a favorite film of both Parvez's and Kamran's, The Exorcist has had a significant influence on popular culture and has received critical acclaim, with several publications having regarded it as one of the greatest horror films of all time.

We hope you enjoy this discussion, part of a recurring series of recordings focused on movies and film.

About Kamran Pasha

Kamran Pasha was one of the first Muslim filmmakers to succeed in Hollywood.  He recently worked as writer-producer on Showtime Network’s drama series set in the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, directed by Oliver Stone.  Previously, Kamran served as a writer and co-producer of Showtime’s Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated series “Sleeper Cell,” about a Muslim FBI agent who infiltrates a terrorist group.  Kamran has also served as a writer and producer on television shows such as “Reign,” “Nikita” and “Roswell, New Mexico” on the CW, and “Kings” and “Bionic Woman” on NBC. He also served as head writer for the “Tron: Uprising” animated series on Disney XD.

Kamran’s movie career launched when he sold his first feature script to Warner Brothers Pictures, an historical epic on the love story behind the building of the Taj Mahal.  He is currently developing a movie on the famed Sufi poet Rumi, as well as a feature film about Ibn Battuta, which follows the adventures of an Arab traveler who journeyed from Morocco to China in the 14th century.

Kamran is a published novelist as well.  In 2009, Simon & Schuster published “Mother of the Believers,” a novel showing the rise of Islam from the eyes of Prophet Muhammad’s wife Aisha.  His second novel, “Shadow of the Swords,” follows the conflict between Richard the Lionheart and the Muslim leader Saladin for control of Jerusalem during the Crusades.

Kamran holds a BA and an MBA from Dartmouth College, a JD from Cornell Law School, and is an alumnus of the MFA Producers Program at UCLA Film School.

Next stop on Parvez & Omar's Chicago sojourn is the beautiful CAIR offices on historic State Street in downtown where they had the privilege of sitting with Ahmed Rehab. Ahmed's ability to articulate a clear and convincing analysis of contemporary social and political issues while maintaining a fidelity to Islam's normative teachings and practices made for a wide ranging and thought-provoking interview.      

 

About Ahmed Rehab

Ahmed is Executive Director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations as well as CAIR's National Strategic Communications Director. CAIR is the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group.

A prolific writer and lecturer on contemporary social issues including civil rights, media relations, and Islam-West relations, Ahmed lectures at various University campuses in Chicago and around the nation.

Ahmed comments regularly as a guest on various local TV and cable news programs, as well as on radio stations. He has been interviewed by news publications such as the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Herald, the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, the Economist, the Boston Globe, Crain's Business Magazine, Germany's Die Zeit, and many more. His Op-Ed's have been published in numerous newspapers around the country.

Co-hosts Parvez Ahmed and Omar Ansari are joined by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, founder of SeekersGuidance.  They dive deep into what Ramadan will look like this year, given the stay at home orders, and Shaykh Faraz shares his thoughts on, among many things, how to take advantage of the month's blessing despite the disruption.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Dr. Ali Ataie (professor of Arabic, Qur'an, and Comparative Theologies at Zaytuna College) for a discussion covering early Muslim history,  Ahl-al-Bayt, and sectarianism in Islam.

This episode is the last in a series we are doing in the month of Muharram.  In the previous three episodes, we covered a believer's journey from Sunnism to Shi'ism and Shi'ite theology, history and practices.

About Dr. Ali Ataie

Dr. Ali Ataie is a perennial student and researcher who has been involved in interfaith activities for over two decades. He holds a Masters in biblical studies with a focus on New Testament and biblical languages. He also holds a PhD in cultural and historical studies in religion from the Graduate Theological Union. His doctoral work focused on Muslim hermeneutics of biblical texts, especially the Gospel of John. He lives in San Ramon, CA with his wife Roya and three daughters.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Mona Haydar and Sebastian Robins to discuss their upcoming PBS Documentary, "The Great Muslim American Road Trip".

About "The Great Muslim American Road Trip"

Follow a millennial Muslim American couple on a cross-country journey along historic Route 66. As they meet new friends and explore more than a dozen stops, Mona and Sebastian weave a colorful story about what it means to be Muslim in America today.

About Mona Haydar and Sebastian Robins

Mona Haydar is a Syrian American Muslim born in Flint, Michigan. Her husband Sebastian Robins is an educator and convert to Islam. Both are passionate advocates for civil rights and inclusivity. In 2015, in the wake of extremist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, the couple gained international attention for their "Talk to a Muslim" project — an impromptu stand they set up in Cambridge, Massachusetts to "replace trauma with love" by offering coffee, free donuts and flowers in exchange for questions and dialogue.

An English major and a poet, Mona Haydar holds an M.A. in Christian Ethics from the Union Theological Seminary in New York. In 2016 she turned her talents to rap music. When her debut song "Wrap my Hijab" went viral, Billboard Magazine placed it among "The 20 Best Protest Songs of 2017" and named it one of the "Top 25 Feminist Anthems."

Sebastian Robins has served as both coordinator and CEO of the Lama Foundation. He has also worked as an elementary school teacher, vice principal, and assistant professor. As an advocate for sustainable agriculture, he has helped establish and maintain farms across the country. Sebastian is Mona Haydar’s music manager.

Together, the couple have been featured on NPR, CNN, CBS, BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, People Magazine, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Mic, Marie Claire, Glamour, Refinery 29 and other publications. Their work was showcased in a 2017 episode of the Peabody and Emmy-nominated short documentary series "The Secret Life of Muslims".

 

 

Parvez joins Mahin Islam on Episode 036 of the Sultans and Sneakers podcast to talk about "Podcasting, Platforming, and Politics".

The Sultans and Sneakers podcast, based out of Chicago, is a podcast, according to Mahin, which asks "WHY do we believe the things we do?"  Mahin regularly interviews "interesting people to understand the WHY behind their beliefs."  He has interviewed athletes, entrepreneurs, professors, and artists to discuss belief systems around sports fandom, politics, religion and personal development.  

 

Co-host Omar A. Ansari's brother-in-law, Aasim Syed, was just diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which impacts the bone marrow. He has already received an initial round of intense chemotherapy and the doctors have now said a blood (stem cell) transplant is required ASAP. We also learned that there is NOT A SINGLE MATCH in the entire registry for him right now. Unfortunately South Asians (which have the highest chance of matching with him) are overwhelmingly underrepresented in the registry. If you can register to see if you're a match, you could save a life. Register at:

USA:  my.bethematch.org/aasim, OR at www.aadp.org INDIA: www.datri.org OUTSIDE of THE USA please go to www.swabtheworld.com If you’re above 44, register here: https://www.dkms.org/. This also works for India, Germany Poland, Chile and the UK.

Registration takes

Parvez and Omar are joined by Lena Khan, to discuss her latest achievements in directing films.

About Lena Khan

Lena is a Canadian American writer and director. Her first feature film, THE TIGER HUNTER, released in over 60 cities nationwide and garnered effusively positive reviews from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and more. Fresh off of her first film, Disney tapped Lena to direct FLORA AND ULYSSES, a live action family comedy.

With a background from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and experience at noted production companies such as Participant Media, Lena spent years directing short films, commercials and music videos before embarking on her first film. Lena and her work have been profiled in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Teen Vogue, USA Today and The New York Times. She was also listed as one of the 25 Screenwriters to watch in MovieMaker magazine.

Lena recently sold a television show, directed multiple episodes of Netflix's "Never Have I Ever," and is overseeing development on a few feature projects.

We are back to close out 2023 and continuing our discussions on Palestine, this time through the prism of the Civil Rights struggle in the United States. Professor Michael Fishbach joins us to discuss his 2019 book Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color. Professor Fishbach chronicles how Black Power activists and others in the Civil Rights struggle came to see Palestinians as a kindred people of color, waging the same struggle for freedom and justice as themselves. He brings his meticulous research to bear for a fascinating conversation about the Palestinian conflict's role in Black activism and the ways that the struggle shaped the domestic fight for racial equality, deeply affected U.S. black politics, and animated black visions of identity well into the late 1970s.

 

About Dr. Michael Fischbach 

Michael R. Fischbach is professor of history at Randolph-Macon College. Dr. Fischbach holds a PhD in History from Georgetown, MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown, and a BA in History from Northwestern University. 

He specializes in land issues relating to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians and is the author of State, Society, and Land in Jordan, Records of Dispossession: Palestinian Refugee Property and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Jewish Property Claims Against Arab Countries, The Peace Process and Palestinian Refugee Claims: Addressing Claims for Property Compensation and Restitution, and two related works The Movement and the Middle East: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left, and the book we discussed: Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color.  

Parvez and Omar are joined by Shaykha Muslema Purmul, co-founder and Religious Director at The Majlis.  They discuss her family’s journey from Afghanistan to Southern California, as well as her motivations to pursue her religious studies at Al-Azhar University, and the work she is doing today as Religious Director at The Majlis.

About Muslema Pumul

Muslema Purmul was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and raised in San Diego, California. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a double major in Religious Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. During these years she served a number of different roles at her local MSA at UCSD as well as MSA West. After graduating she left to study in Egypt where she spent the better part of the next 7 years. She completed the Bachelors program in Sharia from al-Azhar University in Cairo and also completed almost two years of graduate work at the American University in Cairo in Islamic Studies. She also attended the International Union of Muslim Scholars “Future Scholars Program” while she was studying in Cairo.

Upon her return to America, she served the Southern California community in various capacities including religious instruction, directing youth and young adult programs, university chaplaincy, and offering community pastoral care at and with local masjids and organizations. She has taught classes and spoken nationally and internationally about issues related to Islamic law and ethics in an array of educational settings including conferences, retreats, universities, libraries, and mosques. Currently she serves as Religious Director at The Majlis, a community organization she and her husband co-founded together seeking to nurture safe community spaces where people can learn and live Islam, based on the traditional sources of understanding the faith, while acknowledging the particular challenges of the American context. She is a mother of two and resides with her family in Southern California.

 

Parvez and Omar welcome Imam Hadi Qazwini (a Shi’i scholar and current Ph.D student at USC) as we partake in PART TWO of a deep dive into Shi’i history, theology and common practices.  This discussion is the 2nd in a series of conversations on the topic of Shi’ism in this Islamic month of Muharram. 

Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

About Imam Hadi Qazwini

Imam Syed Hadi Qazwini is an educator, public speaker, and lecturer in Islamic studies. He is a graduate of the Shiʿi Islamic Seminary of Qum and also has a Master’s from Bayan Claremont.  Imam Hadi and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion and Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His areas of academic interest and research include: Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on theology, law, and Imami-Shiʿism.

 

We continue making our way through our Chicago recordings with a very special conversation about Palliative Care, a topic that is hardly discussed in the Muslim communities but can impact the lives of young and old alike within the community. Palliative care specifically deals with relieving serious health-related suffering, be it physical, psychological, social, or spiritual for patients with serious illness like cardiovascular disease, cancer, major organ failure, end-stage chronic illness, acute trauma, or extreme frailty related to old age. It includes pastoral considerations, and more broadly can have profound implications on legal matters such as Living wills and other advance directives, the necessity of families having discussions about of quality of life and long terms care, among other issues. 

About Our Guests Dr. Aziz Ansari, is a Professor of Medicine and is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Optimization and Revenue Integrity at Loyola University Medical Center. He is a practicing and board-certified hospitalist and palliative care physician.

Omer Mozaffar serves as the Muslim Chaplain at Loyola University Chicago where he addresses theological, personal, social matters for students of all sectarian outlooks. He has received Islamic studies training both through traditional and academic sources.  Across the Muslim community, for nearly three decades, he has been giving sermons, officiating weddings, leading classes at Islamic centers.

Join hosts Parvez Ahmed and Omar Ansari as they sit down with Ahsan Syed to hear about his journey from India to the United States half a century ago, and all the ups and downs that came with being an immigrant in America.  This is the first in a series of episodes where we'll hear the stories of Muslim immigrants to the United States.  Please note that this episode was recorded prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Zaki Hasan, co-founder and former co-host of the Diffused Congruence podcast.  In this episode, commemorating seven years since the launch of the podcast, we catch up and discuss all the craziness of 2020.  This episode was recorded on Friday, October 9th, only a few weeks before the upcoming U.S. election.

Zaki Hasan has been a media scholar and critic for more than twenty years. His film reviews and analyses have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, HuffPost, and The Philadelphia Weekly, and in 2015 he was inducted into the prestigious San Francisco Film Critics Circle. He also co-wrote Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture, contributed to books on the Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and Blade Runner franchises, and has appeared as an expert panelist on HuffPost Live and Al Jazeera America's The Stream.

 

 

Parvez and Omar have the opportunity to sit with Shaykh Amin Kholwadia and learn about his lifelong journey towards Islamic scholarship, from childhood, schooling, coming to America, and ultimately, the establishment of Darul Qasim, an institute of traditional Islamic higher learning headquartered in the Glendale Heights suburb of Chicago.

About Shaykh Mohammed Amin Kholwadia

Shaykh Amin is continually engaged with a diverse following of mentees. His deep knowledge in the Islamic tradition and his aggressive engagement with contemporary issues facing everyday Muslims in the West has endeared him to young Islamic scholars and professionals all over. 

Shaykh Mohammed Amin is a Muslim scholar, mentor, and the founder of Darul Qasim, an institute of traditional Islamic higher learning headquartered in the Glendale Heights suburb of Chicago. Shaykh Amin is an active advocate of the classical Sunni tradition of Islamic scholarship and a passionate promoter of traditional Islamic sciences and methodologies of teaching and learning. He is regarded internationally as an expert theologian and an authority in the fields of Islamic philosophy and theosophy.

Parvez and Omar welcome Dr. Amer Raheemullah (M.D.) to put a light on the increasingly important (and sometimes taboo) subject of addiction, a topic perhaps more important than ever in the "Age of Covid".   Dr. Raheemullah specializes in opioid and benzodiazepine tapers, and treating substance use disorders in residential and outpatient programs, as well as inpatient and office-based settings. 

About Dr. Amer Raheemullah

Dr. Amer Raheemullah is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and Director of the Addiction Medicine Consult Service at Stanford Hospital. He is board-certified in Addiction Medicine and Internal Medicine. He completed his addiction medicine training at Stanford University School of Medicine and his Internal Medicine training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.  He is also a consultant at the Silicon Valley based startup Lucid Lane, which empowers people with medication dependence and substance use disorder to live better and healthier lives, leveraging data driven interventions and personalized behavioral health support.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Habibe and Ishrat Husain, from the Rahima Foundation.  They tell the story of their immigration to the United States, their (inter-cultural) marriage, their migration out West, and the forming of Rahima Foundation. About Habibe   Habibe came to the United States in 1962, as a high school foreign exchange student from Turkey. After completing high school, she went on to earn a degree in Pharmacy from Temple University in Philadelphia. In Pennsylvania, she met and married Ishrat Husain and, in 1973, they moved to the Bay Area. While being a mother and wife, she started and ran the first Weekend Islamic School in the Bay Area for many years.   On the 21st night of Ramadan in 1993, she was inspired to start Rahima Foundation to provide groceries to the local, underserved community. As the work grew, the organization was registered as a 501 c(3) Charitable and Educational Foundation in 1997. Her vision was to establish an institution of charity to serve the financial, educational, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the communities. In the last 25 years, the organization has impacted over half a million lives through food and financial assistance. Habibe Husain specializes in serving indigenous people, refugees, and immigrants who are struggling to meet their basic human needs. Inspired by her faith, her relentless service is a testament to her compassion and dedication.   About Ishrat   Ishrat was born in Aligarh, India, grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and migrated to the US in 1966. He has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Karachi and a Masters Degree in Physics from University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Ishrat earned a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Farleigh Dickinson University. After decades of working in the tech industry, Ishrat retired from IBM in 2013 and joined Rahima Foundation in 2014 as its Executive Director and President. Ishrat is married to Habibe Husain, the founder of the organization, and has been involved with Rahima since its inception in 1993.

We are deeply honored and privileged to be joined by the eminent historian and perhaps leading academic on Palestine in the United States, Professor Rashid Khalidi. Dr. Khalidi discussesed his new book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 which chronicles his personal and ancestral connection to the land of Palestine and what he characterizes as a war on the Palestinian people by colonial powers and Zionist settler colonialism for over one hundred years. 

Dr. Khalidi joined from his office at Columbia University.  About Dr. Rashid Khalidi 

Rashid Khalidi is Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University. He received a B.A. from Yale University in 1970 and a D. Phil. from Oxford University in 1974. He has taught at the Lebanese University, the American University of Beirut, and the University of Chicago. He is co-editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies and has served as President of the Middle East Studies Association. He has written or co-edited ten books, including The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017  and Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (rev. ed. 2010).

 

For the show's 150th episode Parvez & Omar are joined by the second guest ever to appear on the podcast, Zahra Billoo , Civil rights Attorney and Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA). Zahra brings her years of tireless Civil Rights work and activism to bear as she discusses the recent protests and encampments taking place across college campuses placing them within the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and discussing their overall goals and objectives. The conversation also tackles the criticisms that such protests and encampments have garnered from voices outside of and within the Muslim community, as well as certain initiatives and organizations that some argue seek to normalize relations with the State of Israel and Zionism.

About Zahra Billoo

Zahra Billoo serves as the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) office, the oldest CAIR chapter office. Since joining in 2009, Zahra has led the organization through a period of six-fold growth. Today, she manages one of the largest CAIR offices in the country with a team of civil rights and social justice advocates dedicated to the empowerment of American Muslims through legal services, legislative advocacy, and community organizing.

Under Zahra’s leadership, CAIR-SFBA has filed lawsuits against the United States Department of Justice, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Southwest Airlines, representing American Muslims facing discriminatory treatment. CAIR-SFBA has also significantly expanded its capabilities to provide know-your-rights sessions on a nearly weekly basis to mosques and community members in the San Francisco Bay Area, while also providing direct legal representation to Bay Area residents facing numerous civil rights violations, including FBI interviews, employment discrimination, airport harassment, school bullying, and hate crimes.

Zahra’s advocacy has included media appearances in local and national media, including MSNBC, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and even FOX News. Among her awards, she received the 2017 Human Rights Award from the Society of American Law Teachers and the 2018 Community Builder Award from People Acting in Community Together (PACT). She was also listed by the San Jose Mercury News as a “Woman to Watch” in March 2017 for Women’s History Month, as well as by the Chronicle of Philanthropy in their January 2018 cover story on millennials who lead.

She is currently a fellow with Levi Strauss Foundation Pioneers in Justice, a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum’s Silicon Valley Chapter and an alumna of Rockwood’s Fellowship for a New California, LeaderSpring’s Executive Directors Fellowship, and USC’s American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute. Zahra earned her undergraduate degrees from the California State University, Long Beach, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings. She is licensed to practice law in California.

 

 

On our latest episode, we're joined by Imam Dawood Yasin, Dean of Student Life & Experiential Learning at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, CA. Listen as he shares the fascinating story of his own journey, going from the modeling on the catwalk to studying and teaching Islam all over the world. It's a fun and wide-ranging discussion we're confident you'll enjoy. Check out the show at the embed below or at this link. As always, send any questions or comments to diffusedcongruence@gmail.com, or at our Facebook page.

On our latest episode we're joined by Lena Khan, writer/producer/director of the new film The Tiger Hunter, in theaters now. The film stars Danny Pudi, Rizwan Manji, and Jon Heder, and is inspired by her father's immigrant experience coming to the west in the 1970s. We had the opportunity to chat with Lena about her own interest in the film industry, some of her artistic inspirations, and the long journey of bringing this film to the screen, from concept to crowdfunding, to completion. It's a story about artistic perserverance that's at least as inspirational as the film itself, and you can hear it all at the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

On our latest episode we're very excited to speak with our special guest A. David Lewis, graphic novelist, scholar, and author of the new book Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation. We had a great time geeking out about the history of the medium and its traditionally thorny depictions of Muslims and Islam, as well as how/if that trend has changed in recent years. We know you'll really enjoy this one, and you can check out the show at the embed below or at this link. As always, send any questions or comments to diffusedcongruence@gmail.com, or at our Facebook page.

For this episode we are joined by Omer Mozaffar, thought leader, film critic, and educator in the Chicagoland area, to discuss the alarming instances of sexual and spiritual abuse perpetrated by leaders within the Muslim community. He discusses his difficult role in mediating some of the high profile cases he has been involved with which we then used to delve deeper into defining terms like predatory behavior, spiritual abuse, secret marriages, etc. that often come up as the community grapples with these issues. Join us for a riveting and timely discussion, as more and more cases of sexual abuse and predatory behavior seem to be emerging more and more frequently both within the Muslim community and the broader society at large. Listen below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For this special episode of Diffused Congruence we're pleased to present the audio from a sit-down with Dr. Sherman Jackson that we moderated this past summer in the Bay Area. We're very excited to have Dr. Jackson back on the show, and for you to hear him hold forth on a variety of subjects of relevance to the American Muslim Experience, all with his usual ability to cut right to the heart of the matter in ways that are both enlightening and entertaining. Listen below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

As we wrap up 2017, we continue what's become a December tradition by once again inviting lecturer and film critic Omer Mozaffar for a conversation about the newest entry in the Star Wars saga: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. This new visit to the galaxy far, far away gave us all a lot ot unpack from a variety of perspectives, and we spent eighty minutes going all in with a fun conversation we think you'll enjoy listening to as much as we enjoyed participating in. Listen to it below, or download at the link. Also, be sure to hit us up at our Facebook page to let us know how we're doing!

For our first episode of 2018, we're very excited to present an in-depth conversation with Imam Siraj Wahhaj. A world-renowned scholar and tireless advocate for Islamic causes for several decades now, Imam Siraj shares his fascinating journey with our listeners, as well as plenty of anecdotes from his time in the trenches. It's an interview that's well worth your time, and you can hear it all at the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For this episode we are joined by Dr. Heather Laird Jackson, a psychologist and mental health professional, to discuss her own journey to Islam and her work with impacted communities to increase awareness of mental health issues in underserved communities. It's a timely and relevant conversation that you can hear via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We were lucky enough to get a few moments with visiting scholar Ubaydullah Evans and returning guest Micah Anderson a few weeks ago, and got both of them to sit down for a brief, freewheeling conversation about a whole host of topics we think you'll be very enthused to share in. Check out our chat below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and know that we have every intention of having both of them back soon for something more in-depth. Think of this as a teaser of things to come! As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

This episode we're joined by Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, founder of Lamppost Productions and the Lamppost Education Initiative, and head of Zaytuna College’s Islamic law program. Listen in to hear the story of his journey to Islam, as well as his reflections on racial and religious intersectionality as it pertains to the role of Black Americans in modern discourse, plus much more. We had a great time chatting with Dr. Ali, and we're confident you'll enjoy listening as well. Listen below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Our guest for this episode is Imam Shane Atkinson, Muslim life coordinator at Elon University, who joins us to share the story of his own to journey to Islam from his beginnings as a Southern Baptist in the Deep South. It's a fun and engaging discussion we're sure you'll enjoy, and you can hear it via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For this episode we're glad to be joined by Jihad Turk, founder and president of Bayan Claremont -- the country's first graduate school to offer accredited Master’s degrees in the fields of Islamic Studies, Education, Chaplaincy and Leadership -- for a lengthy and enriching conversation that spans his own personal narrative and encompasses the role of Muslims in modern American life and what they can offer the broader community. Check out our chat below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Our guest this episode is playwright Bushra Burney, whose new play Designated Muslim had its first staged reading earlier this month. Bushra shares the origins of this play, why she was moved to write it, and the process of bringing it to the page and beyond. It's a fascinating window into how American Muslims are striving to make a place in pop culture for their culture. Listen to the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We have a very timely discussion this episode, as we're joined by Ahmad Nassar, President of NFL Players Incorporated, the National Football League Players Association’s licensing and marketing business, for a conversation about his journey to this role, as well as his thoughts on recent actions taken by the NFL with regards to players' protests on the field. It's another fun and engaging discussion in the Diffused Congruence style, and we're sure you'll enjoy hearing it as much as we enjoyed being a  part of it. Listen via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We're joined by comedian Preacher Moss (The "Allah Made Me Funny" comedy tour) for our latest episode, in a free-wheeling conversation that covers the current state of politics in the United States to the current state of comedy within the Muslim community! You'll laugh hard, and you'll think harder, which is a little taste of what it's like to be in the audience for one of Preacher's shows! You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We're joined this episode by legendary Hip Hop artist and community activist Brother Ali for an in-depth conversation about his journey to Islam, his musical inspirations, and how he tries to better the world at large through his art. It's an engaging and insightful hour-and-change, and we're sure you'll enjoy giving it a listen just as much as we enjoyed simply being there to facilitate it. Listen via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

After a brief Summer hiatus, Parvez and Zaki reconvene for a brief and breezy episode catching up with each other and a lot of the news and headlines from within and without the Muslim community! Think of this as a chance to get caught up before we get into our roster of guests for the fall! You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Diffused Congruence is back for the fall! This episode, Parvez and Zaki are privileged to share a lively and engrossing conversation with Dr. Ali Ataie of Zaytuna College. Listen in as he discusses his long history of fostering interfaith dialogue, as well as his own journey of reconnecting with Islam after watching Spike Lee's film Malcolm X.  You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Parvez and Zaki reconvened in the wake of last week's midterm elections and the subsequent "Blue Wave" to take stock of what these results mean for the state of our politics moving forward. In addition, we also pause to mourn the passing of two giants: Religious scholar Dr. Sulayman Nyang and comic book creator Stan Lee, appreciating the considerable impact each made in their respective fields. And finally, we celebrate five years of this podcast, looking back at where we started, and what our plans are moving forward. It's a busy show even without a third guest, but hopefully you find the conversation energetic and uplifting. Listen via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For our latest episode we're excited to be recording from Hub925 in Pleasanton, CA, with special guest Zachary Markwith a doctoral student at the Graduate Theological Union specializing in early Islamic spirituality and comparative religious studies. Listen in for a fun and far-ranging conversation spanning the gamut of topics, including his journey to Islam and his continued interfaith work and even a brief digression on what prophetic stories have in common with superhero myths. You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We close out this year's crop of episodes with a return visit from Dr. Ali Ataie, who joined us the morning after Christmas for an expansive and engrossing conversation about Jesus in Islam, and how Muslims view him and the nature of the crucifixion. It's the kind of discussion we look forward to on this show, and we hope you'll enjoy giving it a listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We inaugurate a new series-within-a-series with this episode: Movies That Matter! On occasion we will take some time to look back at the long history of cinema and examine films worthy of deeper examination from a variety of perspectives. For our first such foray, we look at a mutual favorite, The Godfather and its two sequels, and examine the films' thematic impact, sociopolitical commentary, and much more. We hope you enjoy this digression from our usual interviews, and please let us know what you think and what you'd like to hear us discuss next! You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For this episode we're joined by special guest Sundiata Al Rashid, Emir of the Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland, CA, for a wide-ranging discussion about his journey to Islam, and how the face of Islam in the Bay Area has changed over the last three decades. You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

This month we're joined by special guest Danish Qasim, founder of the website In Shaykh's Clothing and a counselor to victims of spiritual abuse. We tackle a lot of heavy topics in this discussion, but it's necessary and important, and we hope you'll give it a listen. You can hear it through the embed below or via iTunes or Stitcher, and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Our guest this month joined us for our special live show from the University of Michigan campus: Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer discussing her fascinating story as well as her book Muslim Cool, documenting the linkage between Islam and hip-hop music. Listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For the second of our two live episodes recorded during Diffused Congruence's Michigan tour, we were honored to be joined by a roundtable of MI luminaries -- Najah Bazzy of Zaman International, Mark Crain of DREAM of Detroit, and Imam Dawud Walid, Executive Director CAIR Michigan -- for a rousing and informative conversation about the role of sacred activism in the American Muslim community. Listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

This month we’re joined by world renowned fitness expert Zainab Ismail, who tells us the remarkable story of her journey to Islam, as well as the best nutrition practices to get the most out of fasting in Ramadan! Listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Evelyn Alsultany, a leading expert on the history of representations of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. media and on forms of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism, and an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Alsultany joins us for a wide-ranging and very engaging conversation about the nature of representation for Middle Eastern and Muslim characters in television and film, with special focus on the recent release of Disney's live action remake of their animated Aladdin. Listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

For this episode of the show we're joined by poet Amir Sulaiman, who shares his story, spanning his journey from growing up in Rochester, New York to his time on the stage for HBO's Def Poetry Jam. He also closes the show with a reading of some of his incredible work. It's an engrossing and lively hour of conversation, and you can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Our special guest this month is famed chef and restaurateur Lisa Ahmad, who shares her heartfelt and inspiring story of coming to Islam, and how she founded Fremont, California's renowned Mirchi Cafe. It's a veritable feast for the senses in this episode, and you hear it via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We're joined this month by special guest Youssef Ismail, sharing his expertise with the science of moon sighting as we prepare to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha. In addition, he also tells the story of his time in the Bay Area during the early days of what would become Zaytuna College, and being "present at the birth," so to speak. Listen via the embed below (or at iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We're joined this episode by author Asma T. Uddin to discuss her new book When Islam is Not a Religion, as well as her reflections on the rise of the Muslim community in her native Florida, and much more. It's a fascinating and insightful conversation about a topic that's extremely important and relevant. You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We're joined this episode by filmmaker Justin Mashouf, who discusses his engrossing new documentary The Honest Struggle, as well as the path he followed to pursue a career in filmmaking. It's a conversation we're confident you'll find educational and insightful, and you can check it out via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher). As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

We're joined this episode by renowned photographer Peter Sanders for a fascinating dive into his personal journey to Islam and what he's learned during his five decades capturing indelible and iconic images. Listen via the embed below (or at iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Our guest this episode is Kalia Abiade, Managing Director for Strategy and Partnerships at the Pillars Fund. Ms. Abiade joins us for an engrossing discussion about the nature of her work and why it serves an important function within and without the Muslim community. Listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Closing out the blessed month of Muharram, Parvez and Omar are back for a timely and important discussion about Muharram, the Day of Āshūrā, and the events of Karbala from a Shīʿī  perspective. This is a deep dive into Shīʿī  readings of early Muslim history and the centrality of the Ahl-al Bayt (The Household/Progeny of the Prophet Muhammedﷺ) and specifically how the events of Karbala and the venerative rites and traditions of Muharram inform Shīʿī  devotional life.  

 

About Ahmad Rashid Salim 

Ahmad Rashid Salim (احمد راشد سليم) is a doctoral candidate and instructor at the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley, in the fields of Islamic studies and Persian literature. His areas of scholarship include classical Persian literature - particularly mystical poetry, translation, Sufism, Qur’an interpretation, language and power, Persian literature in Afghanistan, the Kabuli dialect, Shīʿī  - Sunni polemics, and religious thought in Afghanistan. His dissertation is titled: The Harmony of Hayrat: Words, Wonder, and Worlds in Persian Mystical Poetry and Poetics. Salim is also the founder of Aleff Institute, a premier online instruction program for the Persian language, with a special emphasis on the Kabuli dialect. He is the author of Islam Explained, a best-selling book utilized in a number of university courses throughout the United States. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a focus on Islamic studies, and was awarded a master’s degree by the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley.

Parvez and Omar are joined by Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi, as they discuss the challenges (and joys) of raising Muslim children.  She shares some of her own experiences growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area and also offers insights about how to instill a love of the Deen and a strong Muslim identity in our children.

About Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi 

Hosai Mojaddidi has been serving the Muslim community for over 25 years as a teacher, public speaker, author/writer, spiritual counselor, and mental health advocate. She began her Islamic studies over 20 years ago at Zaytuna Institute in the Bay Area California where for several years she served as the lead female organizer and studied aqeeda, seerah, Hanafi fiqh, tazkiyyah an-nafs, tajweed, hadith, Arabic, and other sacred subjects with several resident and visiting scholars. She offers talks throughout the year locally and internationally on a range of topics including spirituality, self-development, seerah, women's issues, family/marriage, youth issues, social media literacy/safety, and mental health advocacy. She teaches weekly and monthly spiritual development classes (tazkiyyah) for adults and youth for multiple local and international organizations and via social media. She also currently teaches Seerah, Qur'an, logical and critical thinking, as well as Islamic studies in her local area. She is a mental health advocate and uses both her social media platforms to promote emotional and spiritual well-being and offers workshops on social-emotional learning for students & educators throughout the year. She’s a wife and mother of two and resides in California with her family.

A special discussion for the Haj and Eid-ul Adha season, Parvez and Omar are joined by returning guest Dr. Ali Ataie. The show dives deep into the Prophet Abraham(as) in the monotheistic scriptures/traditions, including Abraham's service of sacrifice, the innumerable blessings bestowed to Abraham and his covenant with God. The conversation then examines how the Biblical and Tanakhic traditions has been co-opted and distorted by Jewish and Christian Zionists alike as it relates to the modern state of Israel. 

The goal was to release the show a couple of days after Eid so we are sorry for the delay!

 

About Dr. Ali Ataie 

Dr. Ali Ataie is a scholar of biblical hermeneutics with field specialties in Sacred Languages, Comparative Theology, and Comparative Literature. 

He received his BS in accounting from Cal Poly State University in 2000. In 2011, he received his MA in Biblical Studies from Pacific School of Religion, and in 2016, his PhD in Cultural and Historical Studies in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union.

Dr. Ataie is a native Persian speaker. He can read and write Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek. Dr. Ataie joined the Zaytuna College faculty in 2012. 

At Zaytuna College, Dr. Ataie has taught Arabic, Creedal Theology, Comparative Theology, Sciences of the Quran, Introduction to the Qur’an, and Seminal Ancient Texts.