The Maydan Podcast

In many Biblical and Qur'anic stories, the protagonist isolates themselves and, at times, even go to prison.  In this interview, I chat with Walaa' Qusaiy about her new book  "When Only God Can See: The Faith of Muslim Political Prisoners" .  Walaa' discusses how faith and spirituality of Muslim prisoners merge with that of prophetic ones, and how they find inspiration and hope in their stories. ...

In this episode of On The Square, former Sapelo Square executive director Latasha Rouseau spoke with Brother Umar Hakim-Dey, Compton, California native and founder of the groundbreaking community organization INKERIJ, about his journey to Islam, how becoming Muslim impacted his life and work, offered practical advice on how to sustain organizational work and activism through personal and professio...

In this episode of On The Square, guest host Tahirah Nailah Dean speaks with Dr. Aminah McBryde on the impact of singlism on the mental health of unmarried Muslims. Dr. Aminah McBryde is a recent PhD graduate in Community Health Sciences from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and holds a Master's in Public Health from the University at Buffalo in Community Health and Health Behavior. Tahirah Na...

I have always wondered about the roots of modern day Islamophobia?  When did it start?  How did it develop?  How was it formed?  In this interview,  Deanna Womack  takes us into her new book  "Re-inventing Islam: Gender and the Protestant Roots of American Islamophobia"  where she examines the connection between the history of missions and contemporary Islamophobia.  Along the way, she provides a...

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal is joined by Dr. Akif Tahieev to explore a topic that rarely appears in mainstream scholarship: Shia Muslim communities in post-Soviet Eastern Europe. Together, they discuss who these communities are, how they live and practice their faith, and why their stories have been overlooked in both Islamic studies and European studies. From questions of...

In this episode of  History Speaks , Dr. Roshan Iqbal sits down with Dr. Martin Nguyen, author of  Modern Muslim Theology: Engaging God and the World with Faith and Imagination , to explore what it means to imagine a “Muslim Malcolm X.” Together, they discuss how Malcolm’s faith shaped his vision of justice, community, and how retelling his story from the vantage point of his religious imagination...

In this episode of  History Speaks , Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr. Santiago Slabodsky, who holds the Florence and Robert Kaufman Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and directs the Jewish Studies program at Hofstra University. Drawing on his award-winning book  Decolonial Judaism: Triumphal Failures of Barbaric Thinking , Dr. Slabodsky explores the erasure of the Judeo-Islamic tradition and the inv...

When I was writing  The Islamic Mary , I became further interested in the field of Christian and Muslim dialogue and its relevance today and in the future.  This led me to various books published on the topic, such as Amir Hussain's new book  One God and Two Religions: Christians and Muslims as Neighbors .  Amir's book is unique in that it speaks about Christians and Muslim worshipping the same Go...

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr. Sarra Tlili, author of Animals in the Qur’an , a groundbreaking work—translated into Arabic—that has reshaped scholarship on Islam, ethics, and the environment. Together, they explore her thesis that the Qur’an is theocentric and not an anthropocentric text and what this means for how we understand creation and ourselves. This epi...

In this episode of History Speaks, I talk with Dr. Natalie Khazaal, Associate Professor in the School of Modern Languages at Georgia Tech. Drawing from her research, we explore how racism, speciesism, and cultural bias are embedded in animated films and how they shape what audiences learn about difference and belonging. We also discuss the MARS test, an original intervention Dr. Ghazaal developed,...

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with  Dr. Younus Mirza , founding director of the Barzinji Institute for Global Virtual Learning at Shenandoah University, about his recent book  The Islamic Mary . Together, they explore Maryam/Mary in the Qur’an, Hadith, Sufi thought, and the broader Muslim imagination. The conversation concludes by highlighting how significant Maryam/Ma...

When I started my career, I was interested in the figure of Abraham/Ibrahim and how he could be a bridge figure between Christians, Jews and Muslims.  However, as I wrote my book on  "The Bible and the Qur'an: Biblical Figures in the Islamic Tradition,"  I became more interested in the figure of Mary and how she could bring Christians and Muslims together.  This led me to the work of  Rita George-...

In this episode of History Speaks , Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr. Elliot Bazzano , Associate Professor at Le Moyne College, about Islamophobia, the election of Zohran Mamdani, and what his success means for U.S. Muslims. Together, they unpack the roots and impact of Islamophobia, tracing how it shapes both public perception and everyday Muslim life. Their conversation situates Mamdani’s rise wi...

In this episode,  Dr. Roshan Iqbal  speaks with  Dr. Saba Fatima , Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, about her new book, A Brief Guide to Shia Islam: Beliefs, Practices, and Exemplars. Together, they explore the core tenets, rich traditions, and influential figures of Shia Islam in a conversation designed to be accessible and engaging. This episode offers a warm...

When I started writing my book  The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries , I was drawn to the Qur’anic chapter of Mary or Surat Maryam.  As I started to research the chapter, I came across the work of  Shawkat Toorawa  who focuses on the sound, rhyme and rhythm of the Qur’an and points out some of Surat Maryam’s unique qualities and characteristics.  I was thus excited to see that he has com...

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal talks with Dr. Shabana Mir, Associate Professor of Anthropology at American Islamic College and author of the award-winning book  Muslim American Women on Campus . Drawing from rich ethnographic research, Dr. Mir explores how Muslim women navigate elite U.S. university spaces while negotiating the pressures of visibility, belonging, and religious...

What does it mean to act with nobility in the face of certain loss? In this episode of History Speaks, host  Roshan  Iqbal speaks with Dr.  Cyrus  Ali Zargar, Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Central Florida, about his powerful new book The Ethics of Karbala . Whether you’re familiar with Karbala or learning about it for the first time, this episode invite...

In this episode of A Common Word, Dr. Younus Mirza hosts Dr. Maria Barga. In the Chapter of Mary (Surat Maryam), Zechariah/Zakariyya foreshadows the coming of Maryam.  I sit down with Maria  Barga  to discuss her article "Redeeming Zachariah" which uses the Qur'an to understand the Biblical narrative and to argue that Zachariah should be seen more in a positive light.  Along the way, we discuss is...

While writing my book the Islamic Mary, I came across various works on Christian-Muslim relations, in particular the groundbreaking Catholic document of Nostra Aetate which speaks about positive relations with Muslims.  However, the document is silent on core issues of Muslim faith such as the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad.  This led me to the writings of  Jordan  Denari Duffner  who addresses t...

In this episode of A Common Word, Dr. Younus Mirza speaks with Dr.  Martin N guyen  on his edited book  “An American Muslim Guide to the Art and Life of Preaching”  by Sohaib Sultan. They discuss how the book was conceived, how Dr. Nguyen worked with Sohaib Sultan- the late Muslim chaplain at Princeton University- on the book before he passed away, and the work’s major lessons and takeaways.  Alon...

Younus Mirza sits down with Alexander Massad to discuss his new book " Witnessing God: Christians, Muslims, and the Comparative Theology of Missions" . Alex is a strong proponent of Evangelical and Muslim dialogue and with wrestling with the claims of each religion. In the interview, we discuss his spiritual biography, interest in Christian-Muslim dialogue, program at Wheaton College and theologic...

In this episode of  History Speaks , Roshan Iqbal is joined by Celene Ibrahim, Oludamini Ogunnaike, and Younus Mirza to explore distinct fasting practices and their inner and outer dimensions in Islamic scholarship, especially focusing on Al-Ghazali’s seminal book, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Practice. Part of a series designed as a classroom resource and a primer for lay audiences, this episode p...

One of the reasons I have been drawn to A Common Word and the Islamic Mary or Maryam in particular is the idea of a shared figure between various religious traditions and the interactions between them.  This led me to the emerging field of Interreligious Studies and to the new book  Interreligious Studies: An Introduction  by  Rachel Mikva .  I sit down with Rachel to talk about defining Interreli...

n this episode of History Speaks, Roshan Iqbal speaks with Cyrus Zargar on the role of storytelling and virtue ethics in the work of Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, the 13th-century jurist, philosopher, poet, and polymath. The conversation delves particularly into the virtue of ‘compassion’ within the context of the story ‘The Tale of the Sufi and the Judge,’ from Maulana Rūmī’s magnum opus, the Mathn...

In this episode of On The Square, Sapelo Square’s Executive Director Latasha Rouseau sits down with Salima Suswell. Salima is the CEO and President of Evolve Solutions and founder of the Philadelphia Ramadan and Eid Fund. Salima shares how her upbringing provided the foundation for her love of community and civic engagement. Her father, Imam Asim Abdur-Rashid (may Allah be pleased with him) was th...