Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

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 In...

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 imp...

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 ...

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 i...

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 t...

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 peo...

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” Murtaz...

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 ethnica...

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 di...

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 scho...

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 Reha...

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 Khol...

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.

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 ...

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 

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, Californ...

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 ...