In episode 15, two podcast worlds collide. #GoodMuslimBadMuslim hosts Taz Ahmed and Zahra Noorbakhsh discuss podcasting while Muslim, Iranian, Bengali, American, feminist, comedian, artist, activist…(you get the point). We talk about what it’s like to walk the fine line between what it means to be a good and bad Muslim — and…
Read More
I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy, lately. Starting here: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I’ve often wondered if we are born to be empathetic, or if is it something that has to be proactively cultivated within ourselves. Humans are intrinsically programmed to…
Read More
Major sportswear manufacturer, Nike, recently revealed an athletic headscarf for Muslim women. The product is termed the “Pro hijab” and is made of lightweight cloth with tiny holes that help the athletes’ skin breathe while keeping the skin covered. In producing such a product, Nike is the first large-scale sportswear…
Read MoreLike so many others, I was delighted when Mahershala Ali’s nabbed the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor this year. The fact that we had mutual friends, and that he belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was just a happy coincidence. Despite my joy, I waited for the backlash I knew…
Read MoreIs it possible to be “just Muslim?” In Episode 14, Sarrah AbuLughod and Shereen Yousuf reflect on Shia erasure and being invisible minorities in the American Muslim community. Guests: Sarrah AbuLughod, @SarrahABL, is the Community Engagement Manager at The Family and Youth Institute and a graduate student of Islamic Studies,…
Read MoreArt helps create and sustain social and political transformation. Sometimes that transformative power is more about the artist than the art—or, in the case of Mahershala Ali’s Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor in Moonlight, about national recognition for that artist. Ali’s win gave the spotlight to his performance, yes,…
Read More“Don’t judge Islam by the actions of a few. For Islam is perfect while Muslims are not.” What this advice fails to address is that people generally don’t care what you believe, only how you behave. Armed with this insight, American Muslims are shifting from expending precious time and resources…
Read MoreWhere are you from? No, where are you *really* from? It’s a question that many Black Americans don’t always want to or know how to answer. As Black History Month winds down, Makkah and Ikhlas speak with Kameelah Rashad and Bashirah Mack about why they decided to learn more about…
Read More“I invite anyone here who hears me to work to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world.” The White Helmets, directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara, took home the award for best documentary short at the 89th annual Academy Awards on Sunday. The short centers on…
Read MoreDo you ever feel like you exist in a world that doesn’t have space for someone like you? In Episode 12, Ikhlas interviews her good friend Yasmine Muhammad about her struggle to find her voice within Islam. We also speak with writers and poets Fatimah Asghar, Safia Elhillo and Hanif…
Read More