Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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 publi...

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...

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, entrepr...

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 Tex...

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, p...

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...

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, his...

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 ...

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  Rama...

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...

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.  Ab...

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 pul...

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...

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...

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 c...

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.