Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

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.  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 int

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.

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!

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.

Co-hosts Parvez Ahmed and Omar Ansari are joined by Dr. Umair Shah and Dr. Mir Alikhan in a discussion covering the public health impact of the coronavirus crisis.  Dr. Shah is Executive Director and Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – a nationally recognized $100 million agency serving the nation’s 3rd largest county (4.7 million). Dr. Alikhan is a private practice pulmonary & critical care physician on staff at Houston Methodist West Hospital and Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital, where he also serves as Medical Director of the Respiratory Care Department.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.