Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

Special Live Episode: Mark Gonzales

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 event. We had a blast participating, and we're confident you'll feel the same after listening. Check it out through 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.

Episode 35: Dr. Meraj Mohiuddin

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

Episode 34: Dr. Ingrid Mattson

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 questions to diffusedcongruence@gmail.com or via our Facebook page!

Episode 33: Professor Mohammad Fadel

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 blast listening to it. Listen to our conversastion 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!

Episode 32: Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah

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 any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com

Episode 30: Dr. Joseph Lumbard and <i>The Study Quran</i>

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 iTunes (don't forget to leave us a review!). Send e-mail to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com, and be sure to hit "like" on our Facebook page!

Episode 29: Micah Anderson on Meditation and Mindfulness

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 iTunes (don't forget to leave us a review!). Send e-mail to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com, and be sure to hit "like" on our Facebook page!

Episode 28: Social Worker Sabeen Shaiq

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 doing!

Episode 27: Hind Makki of Side Entrance

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 engaging in it. Listen below or at iTunes (don't forget to leave us a review!). Send e-mail to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com, and be sure to hit "like" on our Facebook page!

Episode 26: Mokhtar Alkhanshali

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, and you can hear it all at the embed below, or download via iTunes and Stitcher Radio. Feel free to send any comments or questions our way at diffusedcongruence@gmail.com, and make sure you hit "like" on our Facebook page!