Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience

Episode 104: The 2020 Election, a Discussion with Democratic Strategist Mustafa Tameez

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 Texas he shifted to advising successful campaigns for state legislators, mayors, members of Congress and public institutions. Mustafa is a national opinion leader with over 600 appearances on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and CBSN. The Atlantic names him as a top Democratic consultant in Texas and Texas Monthly refers to him as one of the top Democrats to watch. Mustafa is the Chairman of the Transportation Advocacy Group board, a Director of the Texas Lyceum, and a member of the Unity National Bank board, among other civic and business affiliations. He has also provided extensive consulting services for the Department of Homeland Security.  

Episode 103: The Exorcist, a Conversation with Kamran Pasha

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, part of a recurring series of recordings focused on movies and film.

About Kamran Pasha

Kamran Pasha was one of the first Muslim filmmakers to succeed in Hollywood.  He recently worked as writer-producer on Showtime Network’s drama series set in the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, directed by Oliver Stone.  Previously, Kamran served as a writer and co-producer of Showtime’s Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated series “Sleeper Cell,” about a Muslim FBI agent who infiltrates a terrorist group.  Kamran has also served as a writer and producer on television shows such as “Reign,” “Nikita” and “Roswell, New Mexico” on the CW, and “Kings” and “Bionic Woman” on NBC. He also served as head writer for the “Tron: Uprising” animated series on Disney XD.

Kamran’s movie career launched when he sold his first feature script to Warner Brothers Pictures, an historical epic on the love story behind the building of the Taj Mahal.  He is currently developing a movie on the famed Sufi poet Rumi, as well as a feature film about Ibn Battuta, which follows the adventures of an Arab traveler who journeyed from Morocco to China in the 14^th century.

Kamran is a published novelist as well.  In 2009, Simon & Schuster published “Mother of the Believers,” a novel showing the rise of Islam from the eyes of Prophet Muhammad’s wife Aisha.  His second novel, “Shadow of the Swords,” follows the conflict between Richard the Lionheart and the Muslim leader Saladin for control of Jerusalem during the Crusades.

Kamran holds a BA and an MBA from Dartmouth College, a JD from Cornell Law School, and is an alumnus of the MFA Producers Program at UCLA Film School.

Episode 102: Celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the Podcast, with co-founder and former co-host, Zaki Hasan

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 twenty years. His film reviews and analyses have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, HuffPost, and The Philadelphia Weekly, and in 2015 he was inducted into the prestigious San Francisco Film Critics Circle. He also co-wrote Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture, contributed to books on the Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and Blade Runner franchises, and has appeared as an expert panelist on HuffPost Live and Al Jazeera America's The Stream.

 

 

Episode 101: Understanding Early Muslim History and Sectarianism, with Dr. Ali Ataie

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, history and practices.

About Dr. Ali Ataie

Dr. Ali Ataie is a perennial student and researcher who has been involved in interfaith activities for over two decades. He holds a Masters in biblical studies with a focus on New Testament and biblical languages. He also holds a PhD in cultural and historical studies in religion from the Graduate Theological Union. His doctoral work focused on Muslim hermeneutics of biblical texts, especially the Gospel of John. He lives in San Ramon, CA with his wife Roya and three daughters.

Episode 100: Shi’ism, a Deep Dive (Part 2), with Imam Hadi Qazwini

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 2^nd 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 Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

About Imam Hadi Qazwini

Imam Syed Hadi Qazwini is an educator, public speaker, and lecturer in Islamic studies. He is a graduate of the Shiʿi Islamic Seminary of Qum and also has a Master’s from Bayan Claremont.  Imam Hadi and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion and Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His areas of academic interest and research include: Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on theology, law, and Imami-Shiʿism.

 

Episode 99: Shi’ism, a Deep Dive (Part 1), with Imam Hadi Qazwini

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 2^nd 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 Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

Imam Syed Hadi Qazwini is an educator, public speaker, and lecturer in Islamic studies. He is a graduate of the Shiʿi Islamic Seminary of Qum and also has a Master’s from Bayan Claremont.  Imam Hadi and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion and Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His areas of academic interest and research include: Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on theology, law, and Imami-Shiʿism.

Episode 98: A Journey Within Islam, with R. David Coolidge

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 the Islamic calendar, is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

About David Coolidge

David Coolidge was born in Chicago, and raised in Kenilworth, IL. He has a BA from Brown University and an MA from Princeton University. He converted to Islam in 1998.  From 2008-2013 he worked as a Muslim chaplain, first at Dartmouth College and then again at Brown. From 2014-2017 he taught an undergraduate course on Islamic law and ethics at New York University. He is currently a PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

 

 

Episode 97: Addiction in the Age of Covid, with Dr. Amer Raheemullah, M.D.

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. 

About Dr. Amer Raheemullah

Dr. Amer Raheemullah is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and Director of the Addiction Medicine Consult Service at Stanford Hospital. He is board-certified in Addiction Medicine and Internal Medicine. He completed his addiction medicine training at Stanford University School of Medicine and his Internal Medicine training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.  He is also a consultant at the Silicon Valley based startup Lucid Lane, which empowers people with medication dependence and substance use disorder to live better and healthier lives, leveraging data driven interventions and personalized behavioral health support.

Episode 96: Professor Mohammad Fadel Returns to Discuss the Current Political Climate, SCOTUS, the Election, and more!

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.

Episode 95: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Joins Us to Talk Basketball, the National Anthem, BLM and more

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!