For our latest episode we're joined by Zarqa Nawaz , creator of the CBC comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie (the first sitcom to ever focus on the lives of Muslims in the west). During this breezy conversation Zarqa discusses her own entry into the creative arts, how the idea for the show came about and how it got to the air. She also talks about her engaging and very funny book Laughing All the Way to the Mosque: The Misadventures of a Muslim Woman . Listen via the embed below, and as always, s...
Jun 24, 2016•57 min
Welcome to our special Ramadan episode of Diffused Congruence, as Parvez and Zaki are joined by guest Imam Tahir Anwar for some insight into how best to maximize one's spiritual pursuits during the month of Ramadan, and fitness trainer Rehan Jalali on how to make one's morning and evening meals as efficient and healthy as possible so you don't feel ill-effects from the long fasts. We had a great time with both of our guests, and we're confident you'll find a lot to benefit from in these intervie...
Jun 06, 2016•1 hr 28 min
For our latest episode we're delighted to be joined by Joe Bradford, Muslim scholar, author, blogger, and entrepreneur. Joe discusses his journey to Islam and experiences studying Islamic law and legal theory in Saudi Arabia. We spent a good amount of time discussing issues related to finance and the current projects he is involved with in that field. We also discuss a recent and very interesting encounter he had with the Ted Cruz campaign! Check it out through the embed below, or via iTunes or ...
May 16, 2016•1 hr 19 min
Well this is a first. We started out recording this bit as a brief, five minute addendum to tag onto the live show, but as tends to happen when we get together, five minutes stretched into twenty-five, and so we decided to turn it into its own little mini-episode. For this special show, Parvez and Zaki have a conversation about the recent deaths of public figures, some Muslim, some non-Muslim, and how they've resulted in a particular conversation in regards to seemliness of expressing grief or s...
Apr 29, 2016•29 min
We were honored to present our very first live recording of the show a few weeks ago, and now here it is for your enjoyment. Our guest this time was poet and storyteller Mark Gonzales, who talked about his own journey to Islam, and what he's learned along the way. It was a fun and invigorating conversation that also included a Q&A with the audience at the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, in Oakland, CA. Many thanks to the Muslim Writers' Collective for arranging this special e...
Apr 29, 2016•1 hr 30 min
For our latest episode we're pleased to be joined by Dr. Meraj Mohiuddin , author of the upcoming book Revelation: The Story of Muhammad . Listen in as Dr. Mohiuddin shares how he came up with the idea for the book fifteen years ago, and his long journey bringing it to fruition. You can catch the show via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher Radio. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page , and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com...
Apr 15, 2016•1 hr 13 min
For this month's show we're joined by Dr. Ingrid Mattson , renowned scholar and former president of ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America), who discusses her own personal journey to Islam, and also her experience at the forefront of combatting Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment during her ten years with ISNA. It's a fascinating and insightful conversation that we hope you'll enjoy listening to via the embed below. You can also listen at iTunes and Stitcher Radio . Send any comments or q...
Apr 01, 2016•1 hr 8 min
With this election season's craziness really kicking into gear, we're very excited to be joined by Mohammad Fadel , Associate Professor of Law at University of Toronto, to help us make sense of the rampant Islamophobia being espoused by many candidates, how that may translate into the election, and what the recent death of Justice Antonin Scalia will mean for the tone and tenor of the Supreme Court moving forward. We had a blast recording this one, and we're confident you'll have as much of a bl...
Feb 26, 2016•1 hr 26 min
Happy New Year! Starting 2016 strong with our latest episode! We are truly honored to be joined by one of the foremost Muslim scholars in America, Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah. Dr. Umar takes us on a riveting journey as he shares his personal story, with stops along the way reflecting on America, metaphysics, Islam in America and the modern world, to name just a few. Listen to the show via the embed below, or via iTunes or Stitcher Radio. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page , and send ...
Jan 08, 2016•1 hr 57 min
We've had a great 2015 here at Diffused Congruence, and we wanted to wrap up the year's offerings with something a bit less serious than perhaps we're used to. With the current release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens tearing up box office records in its wake, old school Star Wars fans Parvez and Zaki decided it might be fun to spend an episode unpacking this revival of the storied franchise. To that end, we've invited lecturer and film critic Omer Mozaffar to join us for a fun conversation about...
Dec 28, 2015•1 hr 13 min
For our latest episode we're joined by renowned author Dr. Joseph Lumbard, who served as co-editor of The Study Quran, a new translation that aims to contextualize and add commentary to the text, and features contributions by several well-known Islamic scholars. In addition to discussing the fascinating story of his own journey to Islam, Dr. Lumbard also explains why The Study Quran is so essential in today's politically-charged environment. Listen below or at DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com , and ...
Nov 30, 2015•1 hr 4 min
Continuing last month's theme about emotional problems within the American-Muslim community, we're joined by Micah Anderson, an expert on meditation and mental health, for a fascinating conversation about his own journey, as well as some best practices that we can all adopt to nurture our own emotional well-being. Listen below or at DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com , and be sure to hit "like" on our Facebook page !
Nov 06, 2015•1 hr 3 min
This month we're joined by clinical social worker Sabeen Shaiq for a riveting conversation about the things that tend to remain unsaid in many American Muslim families. Sabeen talks about the importance of communication in relationships, how mental health challenges are manifesting in the current generation, and the work she does to help people overcome them. Listen to our chat via the embed below, or download at the link . Also, be sure to hit us up at our Facebook page to let us know how we're...
Oct 20, 2015•1 hr 2 min
This episode we're joined by Hind Makki, interfaith activist, speaker, and founder of the globally-acclaimed website Side Entrance , which catalogs the "sisters' sections" of mosques all over the world. In addition to discussing her interfaith work, Hind also shares her experiences with ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America), talks about the role of feminism in Islam, plus much more. It's a fascinating conversation that we're confident you'll enjoy listening to just as much as we enjoying e...
Sep 19, 2015•1 hr 29 min
For our latest episode, we're joined by Mokhtar Alkhanshali, the "Indiana Jones of coffee" and founder of Mocha Mill , who shares the amazing story of how your favorite caffeinated beverage originated in the Muslim world, and how its spread through the world also ends up being the story of civilization. He also shares his harrowing tale from earlier this year of being trapped in Yemen while fighting had broken out, and trying to find his way back home to the United States. It's gripping stuff, a...
Sep 04, 2015•1 hr 7 min
For our big twenty-fifth episode, Parvez and Zaki are honored to be joined by Dr. Ebrahim Moosa , renowned scholar and professor of Islamic Studies at University of Notre Dame, Indiana. Dr. Moosa shares his life journey with us, and also examines many of the pressing issues facing the American Muslim community today. Listen to our interesting and enriching conversation via the embed 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!...
Aug 12, 2015•1 hr 9 min
For this week's show we're joined by actress, comedian, and commentator Maysoon Zayid , who's made a name for herself thanks to her raw political comedy and her many appearances with Keith Olbermann on his former MSNBC show. Maysoon discusses her approach to comedy, the challenges of being a practicing Muslim in this field, and how she learned to incorporate her cerebral palsy into her act. It's a breezy hour of big laughs and deep thoughts, and you can listen via the embed below, or download vi...
Jul 17, 2015•1 hr 9 min
Diffused Congruence welcomes in July with a fun and funny conversation with the jokesters at satire site Islamica News ! Founded in 1999, Islamica revels in combating Islamophobia through a humorous lens, while also poking fun at some of the humorous eccentricities that those of us within the Muslim community are all too familiar with. We're happy to be joined by co-founders Azher Ahmed and Mirza Baig as we discuss their earliest collaborations (including a video that Zaki had a cameo in), the c...
Jul 03, 2015•1 hr 14 min
It's twice the Diffused Congruence this month! For this episode of the show we're joined by Haroon Moghul, PhD candidate at Columbia University and renowned commentator on Islam and public affairs, for a fun and free-flowing conversation that includes his explanation for why he doesn't mind being a "punching bag" for the anti-Muslim industry, and what Islamophobes can learn from the upcoming reboot of Star Wars. Listen via the embed below, or download via iTunes and Stitcher Radio . Feel free to...
Jun 19, 2015•1 hr 19 min
This month we're honored to be joined by Dr. Sherman Jackson , professor of Religion and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, for our lengthiest conversation yet as he shares his personal story, going deep and wide into the amazing journey he's been on throughout his life. Listen to the show 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 ....
Jun 05, 2015•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 11
For this month's show we're joined by self-proclaimed "serial entrepreneur" Shahed Amanullah , founder of AltMuslim.com, Zabihah.com, Halalfire.com, and many others, for an in-depth chat on the role of Muslims in engaging with new media. With extensive experience in both the activist and policy spaces, having worked for the State Department under Secretaries Clinton and Kerry and also serving as one of the architects of the recent Haqqathon conference in Abu Dhabi, Shahed is uniquely equipped to...
May 15, 2015•1 hr
For this month's show we're joined by Marvel Comics' Sana Amanat. In addition to overseeing multiple fan favorite titles, Sana is also director of content and character development for the American's biggest comic book publisher, helping to spearhead the 2014 creation of Kamala Khan, a.k.a Ms. Marvel, the first female Muslim superhero to headline her own monthly title. This conversation offered us a chance to let our fanboy flags fly, and whether a fan of Marvel's comics, movies, or merchandise,...
Apr 03, 2015•1 hr 3 min
We're very excited to be joined by renowned scholar Imam Zaid Shakir for this month's episode. As a founding member of Zaytuna College , the first accredited Islamic college in the United States, Imam Zaid discuss the school's history and its mission, and then shares the amazing story of his own journey to Islam, in the process helping to add yet more layers to the ongoing tapestry of the American Muslim experience that we've been weaving together ever since our very first show. It's a fascinati...
Mar 09, 2015•1 hr 19 min
This month we're joined by award-winning playwright, journalist, and humorist Wajahat Ali for a far-ranging conversation that starts with a lengthy discussion about the recent tragic shooting of three Muslim college students in Chapel Hill, NC. After that, we tackle Wajahat's work on Fear, Inc., a report uncovering the Islamophobia network, as well as how his other recent projects are helping to positively shape the American Muslim narrative today. There's plenty of deep thoughts and big laughs,...
Feb 20, 2015•1 hr 23 min
For the first episode of 2015, Parvez and Zaki are joined by stand-up comedian Azhar Usman -- "America's Funniest Muslim" -- for a wide-ranging, free-form conversation that's as incisive and introspective as it is hilarious. Azhar covers everything from the role of satire and humor in Islam to the recent tragic terror attacks in Paris -- and that's just scratching the surface. You can listen in via the embed below, or download at the link . Also, be sure to hit us up at our Facebook page to let ...
Jan 24, 2015•1 hr 42 min
This month Parvez and Zaki are pleased to be joined by actor, comedian, and writer Aasif Mandvi as he talks about his journey as a working actor to becoming The Daily Show's "Senior Foreign Looking Correspondent." He talks about how his time with Jon Stewart has made him more "Muslim-ish," what he's learned during a lifetime occupying many different cultures, and how that all led to his new book, No Land's Man . Listen via the embed below, or download at the link . Also, be sure to hit us up at ...
Dec 15, 2014•58 min
Since its launch last October, the Serial podcast has taken the country by storm. Reporter Sarah Koenig's gripping investigation into the 1999 murder of high schooler Hae Min Lee, and the subsequent conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed for the killing -- a crime for which he maintains his innocence to this day -- has set records and spurred conversation with how it combines the intrigue of a weekly procedural with broader questions about cultural assimilation and the peculiarities of the le...
Nov 27, 2014•1 hr 3 min
We start off episode thirteen with highlights from Zaki's roundtable interview with Daily Show host Jon Stewart on his feature directing debut, the based-on-true-events Iranian prison drama Rosewater. After that, listen to Parvez and Zaki's lunchtime conversation with comedian and political commentator Dean Obeidallah as we cover a whole host of topics, including his time at Saturday Night Live, what drew him to comedy, and the portrayal of Muslims in media post-9/11. You can download or stream ...
Nov 13, 2014•1 hr 7 min
After last week's debate about Islam and Muslims between Bill Maher and Ben Affleck (which conspicuously had no Muslims actually involved in the conversation), Parvez and Zaki use the twelfth episode of Diffused Congruence to chat with each other about the rise of anti-Muslim and Islamophobic invective from mainstream media figures, and why this podcast is meant at least partially as a response to that. In addition, they also delve into the secret origins of the show, and and what they hope to a...
Oct 10, 2014•1 hr 14 min
For this episode of the show, Parvez and Zaki shine a spotlight on Muslim authors who've successfully broken through into the mainstream. First, we chat with Ayesha Mattu, co-editor of Love, Inshallah and its new sequel Salaam, Love about how the two books came about, what the reactions have been, and what she's learned from her audience. After that, we have a conversation with Ali Eteraz, author of Children of Dust and the upcoming Falsipedies and Fibsiennes . You can download or stream below, ...
Sep 23, 2014•1 hr 20 min
