Parvez and Omar are joined by Mona Haydar and Sebastian Robins to discuss their upcoming PBS Documentary, "The Great Muslim American Road Trip". About "The Great Muslim American Road Trip" Follow a millennial Muslim American couple on a cross-country journey along historic Route 66. As they meet new friends and explore more than a dozen stops, Mona and Sebastian weave a colorful story about what it means to be Muslim in America today. About Mona Haydar and Sebastian Robins Mona Haydar is a Syrian American Muslim born in Flint, Michigan. Her husband Sebastian Robins is an educator and convert to Islam. Both are passionate advocates for civil rights and inclusivity. In 2015, in the wake of extremist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, the couple gained international attention for their "Talk to a Muslim" project — an impromptu stand they set up in Cambridge, Massachusetts to "replace trauma with love" by offering coffee, free donuts and flowers in exchange for questions and dialogue. An English major and a poet, Mona Haydar holds an M.A. in Christian Ethics from the Union Theological Seminary in New York. In 2016 she turned her talents to rap music. When her debut song "Wrap my Hijab" went viral, Billboard Magazine placed it among "The 20 Best Protest Songs of 2017" and named it one of the "Top 25 Feminist Anthems." Sebastian Robins has served as both coordinator and CEO of the Lama Foundation. He has also worked as an elementary school teacher, vice principal, and assistant professor. As an advocate for sustainable agriculture, he has helped establish and maintain farms across the country. Sebastian is Mona Haydar’s music manager. Together, the couple have been featured on NPR, CNN, CBS, BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, People Magazine, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Mic, Marie Claire, Glamour, Refinery 29 and other publications. Their work was showcased in a 2017 episode of the Peabody and Emmy-nominated short documentary series "The Secret Life of Muslims".
Parvez and Omar are joined by Dr. Sofia Ghani to discuss health and wellness in this holy month of Ramadan. Dr. Sofia Ghani started her career as a clinical pharmacist managing patients' drug therapy at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Being around very sick people on a laundry list of medications was an everyday norm for her. It never failed to surprise her how many medications one human can be on at the same time. In 2010 something shifted. It started with an idea of her doing a weight loss challenge with a couple of friends. By the time her friends asked some of their friends, word spread and 35 women joined this challenge! 12 weeks later, 35 lives were changed for the better and this was the start of Sofia’s journey in health and wellness. Her passion was and still is helping women get healthier, stronger and more confident in their body. Since then Sofia has worked with 100s of women individually and in group settings. She now practices as a Health & Wellness Coach, is a NASM (Nat’l Assoc. of Sports Med personal trainer and is on her way to becoming a certified Jay Shetty Life Coach. She is passionate about helping women get healthy and strong at any age. “The best part of my job is seeing women start believing in themself, radiating confidence, loving themself and knowing that they CAN get healthy and lead a well-balanced life”.
Parvez and Omar are joined again by Aaron Sellers and dive deep into his path as a Muslim convert, his move from the east coast to the west, to work at Zaytuna Institute, and Zaytuna's transitioninto a college. This is the second episode of a 2 part conversation. This is a continuation from episode 119, where we talked to Aaron about his early years, his conversion and his early experiences as a Muslim. About Aaron “Haroon” Sellers Aaron “Haroon” Sellars was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he majored in graphic arts and developed a special interest in film, photography and music. After converting to Islam in 1994, he sought out ways to serve the Muslim community with his multi-media knowledge and interests. This drive inspired his move with his wife and daughters to the California Bay Area in the Summer of 2001 to serve the audiovisual needs of Zaytuna Institute and other Islamic organizations and institutions in the local Muslim community. Currently, Aaron is the Audiovisual Manager and longest serving employee at Zaytuna College -America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college where he has taken thousands of photographs and recorded hundreds of hours of lectures, classes, and other events using a variety of digital media to document and share the college’s historic contributions to Islam in America and the world, alhamdulillah.
Parvez and Omar are joined by Aaron "Haroon" Sellers and dive deep into his early years, his conversion and his early experiences as a Muslim, in part 1 of a 2 part conversation. About Aaron “Haroon” Sellers Aaron “Haroon” Sellars was born in Washington, D.C. and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he majored in graphic arts and developed a special interest in film, photography and music. After converting to Islam in 1994, he sought out ways to serve the Muslim community with his multi-media knowledge and interests. This drive inspired his move with his wife and daughters to the California Bay Area in the Summer of 2001 to serve the audiovisual needs of Zaytuna Institute and other Islamic organizations and institutions in the local Muslim community. Currently, Aaron is the Audiovisual Manager and longest serving employee at Zaytuna College -America’s first accredited Muslim liberal arts college where he has taken thousands of photographs and recorded hundreds of ho...
Zaki Returns to Discuss The Matrix Resurrections and More in the Film Industry
Parvez and Omar check one off the bucket list, with NBA superstar Hakeem Olajuwon joining them for an in-depth conversation covering his entire career and more. Hakeem Olajuwon,nicknamed "the Dream", is aNigerian-Americanformer professionalbasketballplayer. From 1984 to 2002, he played thecenterposition in theNational Basketball Association(NBA) for theHouston Rocketsand eventually theToronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was inducted into theFIBA Hall of Fame. He is widely considered to be one of the greatestcenters and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He became the first non-American to be an All-Star and start in an All-Star Game, the first non-American to win NBA MVP, the first non-American to win NBADefensive Player of the Year, and in the 1993–94 season, he became the only player in NBA history to win the NBAMVP,Defensive Player of the Year, andFinals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. Olajuwon was a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning United States national team, and he was selected as one of the50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He ended his career asthe league's all-time leaderinblocks(3,830) and is one of four NBA players to record aquadruple-double.
Like countless others today we are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, teacher, and supporter Usama Canon . He will always hold a very special and dear place in our hearts as the guest on our very first show. He agreed without any hesitation and as was his nature was extremely generous with his candor, hospitality, and time. We pray that God envelope him in His mercy and Grace, overlook his human frailties and shortcomings, and provide patience and solace to his wife, children, family, and friends. إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ To God we belong and to Him we are returning
Parvez and Omar are joined by Hamid Khan to discuss the end of the Afghan war and the crisis that followed. Mr. Hamid Khan is an accomplished legal professional with 20 years’ experience advancing the rule of law through public policy, global program development, and legal education. Mr. Khan is also an expert in Islamic constitutionalism, issues of Islamic law in armed conflict and post-conflict justice, gender issues under Islamic law, and trends in modern Islamic political thought share his insights on the current crisis in Afghanistan, evacuation and resettlement efforts, and potential ways forward. Mr. Khan has worked in justice sector and legal development issues with a wide variety of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and U.S. Government agencies including the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Federal Judiciary, the United Nations, NATO, ISAF (Afghanistan), and the U.S.-Islamic World Forum at the Brookings Institution. He is a Judicial Education Attorney with the Federal Judicial Center and has served as Postdoctoral Fellow for Stanford Law School’s Afghanistan Legal Education Project.
Co-host Omar A. Ansari's brother-in-law, Aasim Syed, was just diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which impacts the bone marrow. He has already received an initial round of intense chemotherapy and the doctors have now said a blood (stem cell) transplant is required ASAP. We also learned that there is NOT A SINGLE MATCH in the entire registry for him right now. Unfortunately South Asians (which have the highest chance of matching with him) are overwhelmingly underrepresented in the registry. If you can register to see if you're a match, you could save a life. Register at: USA: my.bethematch.org/aasim, OR atwww.aadp.org INDIA: www.datri.org OUTSIDE of THE USA please go towww.swabtheworld.com If you’re above 44, register here:https://www.dkms.org/. This also works for India, Germany Poland, Chile and the UK. Registration takes
Zeshawn and Aman Ali join us to discuss their new documentary, Two Gods. ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY An intimate documentary about faith, renewal, and healing,Two Godsfollows a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer in New Jersey, as he takes two young teenagers under his wing to teach them how to live better lives. Shot in a striking black-and-white,Two Godsexplores the juxtaposition of grief and the rituals of death with the vibrancy and potential of adolescence. The documentary turns an empathetic lens on Muslim American stories, ultimately crafting a moving portrait of both the intimate moments and the complexities of the everyday Muslim American experience. The Filmmakers Zeshawn Aliwas born and raised in Ohio. He moved to New York to study film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he concentrated on directing and cinematography. He directed the short filmShallowsand short documentaries for the30 Mosques series which were featured in festivals and publications across the country. He's currently based in New York. Aman Aliis an award-winning storyteller in New York City. He’s made appearances on dozens of media outlets including the NY Times, CNN, Buzzfeed, NBC News, and HBO to tell stories about the Muslim American community. He is also one of the brains behind the social media phenomenon30 Mosques in 30 Days, a 25,000 mile road trip he took to all 50 States in the U.S. with the mission of telling profound stories about Muslims in America.