Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

Episode 36: Joe Bradford

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 Stitcher. As always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Bonus Episode: On Grief, Death, and Dying

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 sadness in a public sphere. Give it a listen to hear our thoughts, and then hit us up at DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com, or at our Facebook page to offer your take on our takes! 

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 31: Talking <i>Star Wars</i> With Omer Mozaffar

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 this latest visit to the galaxy far, far away. Listen to it 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 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!