Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

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 t...

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 t...

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...

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...

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 Califo...

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 Face...

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 listeni...

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 Cou...

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 b...

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 th...

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 essentia...

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...

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...

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...

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 fight...

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  do...

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...

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...

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 reboo...

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...

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...

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...

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 Ameri...

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...

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 vi...