The Maydan Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Maydan Podcast
Maydan is an online publication of Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, offering expert analysis on a wide variety of issues in the field of Islamic Studies for academic and public audiences alike.
. 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. The prison experience is pervasive in Muslim society and Islamic scholarship and we need to study that space to better understand the lives of the various Muslim scholars and activists. Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and SpotifyOrder my book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries”Visit the Maydan website for more podcasts, blogs and videos.Visit my website to learn more about my bio, research, and blogs.Join my listserve to be updated about my research, speaking and publications, especially my book on the Islamic Mary.Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!
where she examines the connection between the history of missions and contemporary Islamophobia. Along the way, she provides a more nuanced understanding of missionaries, their lives, goals and aspirations. Many of them would eventually became champions of interfaith dialogue and build bridges between the civilizations.
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 professional challenges, and discussed the importance of leaving a good legacy. Hakim-Dey passed away while this episode was in production.Hakim-Dey served over 10 years as director for a faith-based organization where he achieved grassroots accomplishments in community service. He later founded and led INKERIJ Foundation, where he shifted his focus to lead an organization focused on community building. Through INKERIJ, Umar combined both business and community service work into a social entrepreneurial model helping the community build its power to combat social ills post pandemic.
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 identity and conversion to the impact of recent conflicts, this conversation opens a window onto a world many listeners may not know exists.
When I first started my graduate education, I was attracted to the framework of Abrahamic Religions or the idea that Jews, Christians and Muslims should return back to their founder, Abraham, to better understand their faiths and move beyond contemporary differences. In the last several years, I have been traveling to Southeast Asia as the director of the Barzinji Institute for Global Virtual Learning at Shenandoah University. Through my travels, I have seen the power and influence of Islam in the region and how it interacts with other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. I sit down with one of the foremost experts in Islam in Southeast Asia, Khairudin Aljunied, to better understand the region and Islam's relationship with other faiths. Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!
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 invites us to see him anew. This conversation reflects on Malcolm X not only as a civil rights icon, but as a transformative Muslim thinker whose legacy continues to nourish contemporary struggles for liberation.
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 invention of the “Judeo-Christian” West. Together, they discuss how colonialism, epistemic dominance, and modernity have shaped the way we understand history, power, and religion. The conversation invites us to reconsider what was lost with the disappearance of the Judeo-Islamic world — and what might be recovered when we imagine history beyond Europe’s frame.
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 God and living next to each other as neighbors. I sit down with Amir to discuss his spiritual biography, his new book and its implications for today's world. Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and SpotifyOrder my book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries”Visit the Maydan website for more podcasts, blogs and videos.Visit my website to learn more about my bio, research, and blogs.Join my listserve to be updated about my research, speaking and publications, especially my book on the Islamic Mary.Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!
In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr.Sarra Tlili, author of Animals in the Qur’an, a groundbreakingwork—translated into Arabic—that has reshaped scholarship on Islam,ethics, and the environment. Together, they explore her thesis thatthe Qur’an is theocentric and not an anthropocentric text and whatthis means for how we understand creation and ourselves. This episodeis dedicated, with Dr. Tlili’s permission, to the life and legacy ofJane Goodall.
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 Nailah Dean is a writer and lawyer currently living in Oakland, California.
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, with two other colleagues, to analyze these biases in media and animation. Our conversation is framed by a larger question: how does animation reflect and reinforce societal prejudices, often without viewers even noticing? We consider how creative choices, protest, and advocacy can challenge these narratives. Ultimately, we ask: what does it mean to see - and be seen - accurately in stories meant for everyone?
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/Mary is, how often her legacy is overlooked, and how much untapped potential it holds for Muslim spirituality and interfaith dialogue.
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-Tvrtkovic, especially her book "Christian, Muslims and Mary" and subsequent articles. I sit down with Rita to learn about her innovative scholarship, institutional roles and recent academic interests. Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and SpotifyOrder my book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries”Visit the Maydan website for more podcasts, blogs and videos.Visit my website to learn more about my bio, research, and blogs.Join my listserve to be updated about my research, speaking and publications, especially my forthcoming book on the Islamic Mary.Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!
In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr.Elliot Bazzano, Associate Professor at Le Moyne College, aboutIslamophobia, the election of Zohran Mamdani, and what his successmeans for U.S. Muslims. Together, they unpack the roots and impact ofIslamophobia, tracing how it shapes both public perception andeveryday Muslim life. Their conversation situates Mamdani’s risewithin a broader history, one shaped by the quiet labor of parents,elders, and countless famous and not-famous Muslim figures who havesustained their communities with resilience and care. They end byreflecting on why Mamdani’s achievement holds such symbolic andpersonal significance for Muslims across the United States.Elliott Bazzano is an Associate Professor in the Department ofReligious Studies at Le Moyne College, where he teaches courses onIslam and comparative religion. Professor Bazzano’s research focuseson the interplay of Qur’anic interpretation, polemics, and mysticismas well as identity and pedagogy in religious studies scholarship. Heco-edited Varieties of American Sufism (SUNY Press, 2020) with MarciaHermansen. His article “Normative Readings of the Qur’an: From thePremodern Middle East to the Modern West,” appears in The Journal ofthe American Academy of Religion (2016) and “Muslim in the Classroom:Pedagogical Reflections on Disclosing Religious Identity” in TeachingTheology in Religion (2016). Bazzano published two articles inReligion Compass (2015) on Syrian polymath Ibn Taymiyya, “Ibn TaymiyyaRadical Polymath, Part I: Scholarly Perceptions” and “Ibn Taymiyya,Radical Polymath, Part II: Intellectual Contributions.” He hasauthored a book chapter, “Research Methods and Problems,” in TheBloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies (2013, 2015), and hasforthcoming chapters on Qur’an interpretation, dating, and Islamicdietary guidelines Islam in Five Minutes (Bloomsbury, 2024). Bazzanoserves at co-chair on the Steering Committee for the Study of IslamSection in the American Academy of Religion. In addition to findinginspiration in the mystical percolations of the Sufis, includingcoffee (pun intended), he finds his deepest wonder and joy in themiracle of his two daughters who offer him limitless possibilities forcontemplating the mysteries of the universe.
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, richtraditions, and influential figures of Shi'a Islam in a conversationdesigned to be accessible and engaging. This episode offers a warm andinformative introduction for students and curious listeners alike,inviting deeper understanding and appreciation of one of Islam’s majortraditions.
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 come out with a new book entitled The Devotional Qur'an which translates key chapters and verses that are used in Muslim daily life. I sit down with Shawkat to discuss his spiritual biography, academic background and new book. Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and SpotifyOrder my book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries”Visit the Maydan website for more podcasts, blogs and videos.Visit my website to learn more about my bio, research, and blogs.Join my listserve to be updated about my research, speaking and publications, especially my forthcoming book on the Islamic Mary.Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!
In this episode of History Speaks, I talk with Dr. Shabana Mir,Associate Professor of Anthropology at American Islamic College andauthor of the award-winning book Muslim American Women on Campus.Drawing from rich ethnographic research, Dr. Mir explores how Muslimwomen navigate elite U.S. university spaces while negotiating thepressures of visibility, belonging, and religious identity. We discusseverything from drinking culture and modesty to dating, politics, andwhat it means to be unapologetically Muslim in a space that oftendemands compromise. Our conversation is framed by a larger question:what does it mean to belong when your presence is always marked? Andwhat can a win like Zohran Mamdani’s tell us about shifting narrativesin American public life?
Dr. Besheer Mohamed and family speak with Dr. Aminah Al Deen about their journey into Islam and across the globe for the BAMI Project.
Dr. Aminah Al-Deen speaks with the late Dr. Mukhtar Curtis, a pioneer if Islamic movements in Philadelphia, together with Dr. Sherman Jackson
What does it mean to act with nobility in the face of certain loss? Inthis episode of History Speaks, host Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr.Cyrus Ali Zargar, Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor of IslamicStudies at the University of Central Florida, about his powerful newbook The Ethics of Karbala. Whether you’re familiar with Karbala orlearning about it for the first time, this episode invites you toreflect on the enduring power of principled resistance.
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 issues related to silence, suffering and divine questioning.
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 these issues in her recent dissertation. I speak with Jordan about her spiritual biography, scholarship and activism.
Join me in this interview with Martin Nguyen on his edited book "An American Muslim Guide to the Art and Life of Preaching" by Sohaib Sultan. We discuss how the book was conceived, how he worked with Sohaib on the book before he passed away, and the work's major lessons and takeaways. Along the way, we discuss the ideas of friendship, community and legacy.
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 theological views.
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 provides valuable insights into a foundational topic.
A Common Word podcast focuses on Islam and Interreligious Studies. It is inspired by the Qur'anic verse 3:64 which calls the People of the Book to "a common word" and the A Common Word Initiative held in 2007 in Amman, Jordan. It interviews scholars, activists and practitioners in the realm of bridge building, peace studies and social justice.
In this episode of On The Square, Sapelo Square’s Executive Director Latasha Rouseau talks with Tiffany Green-Abdullah, author of The Bean Pie: A Remembering of Our Family’s Faith, Fortitude and Forgiveness.Tiffany starts by sharing how her great aunt, Daisy Kennon, crafted the original bean pie recipe for the Nation of Islam, which would later become a staple in the Black Muslim community. Tiffany grew up learning about the integral role her aunt played in the bean pie through family oral tradition. Spurred by a desire to dig deeper, she began a journey that would require much reflection on the lives of her aunt, grandmother and mother. Delving into her family’s history reopened old wounds and uncovered past traumas that were lying beneath the surface. The results of her efforts is a testament to the healing power of faith and forgiveness.Guest Bio:Tiffany Green-Abdullah is a visionary leader and speaker in learning innovations, community development, and life coaching. Hailing from Chicago, she was a first-generation college student and has obtained multiple degrees, including a Bachelors in economics and a Masters of Education, both from Vanderbilt University. When she isn’t writing, Tiffany is the Chief Executive Officer at her consulting firm, Tiffany Green Consultants as well as giving back to the community through committee and board involvement. She lives in Atlanta with her son. Tiffany dreams of turning her writings into movies and television shows.
In 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 Mathnawī-i Maʿnawī (“The Rhymed Couplets of Spiritual Signification”). Dr. Roshan Iqbal hails from a small hamlet of 20 million–Karachi, Pakistan. She received her PhD in Islamic Studies from Georgetown University. Prior to this she read for her MPhil at the University of Cambridge. She has studied in Pakistan, the US, Morocco, Egypt, Jordon, the UK, and Iran. Her research interests include gender and sexuality in the Qur’an, Islamic Law, Film and Media Studies, and modern Muslim intellectuals. Her recent book is titled, ‘Marital and Sexual Ethics in Islamic Law: Rethinking Temporary Marriage.’ As an associate professor at Agnes Scott College, she teaches classes in the Religious Studies department and also classes that are cross-listed with Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Film Studies. When she is not working, she loves talking to her family and friends on the phone (thank you, unlimited plans), tracking fashion (sartorial flourishes are such fun), watching films (love! love! love!), reading novels (never enough), painting watercolors (less and less poorly), and cooking new dishes (sometimes successfully).Cyrus Ali Zargar is Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies and Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Central Florida. Zargar’s research interests focus on the metaphysical, aesthetic, and ethical intersections between Sufism and Islamic philosophy. His first book, Sufi Aesthetics: Beauty, Love, and the Human Form in Ibn ʿArabi and ʿIraqi, was published in 2011 by the University of South Carolina Press. His most recent book, The Polished Mirror: Storytelling and the Pursuit of Virtue in Islamic Philosophy and Sufism, was published in 2017 by Oneworld Press. His forthcoming book concerns Sufi ethics and the theme of self-transformation in the corpus of the Persian poet ʿAṭṭār.
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 the imam for Masjid Mujahideen in Philadelphia until his passing in 2022. Her mother, Majeedah Rashid, has been a community organizer throughout her life. Both were influential in shaping the woman she has become today. A self described daughter of the Dar-ul-Islam movement, Salima draws from her roots steeped in love of faith, activism and community engagement as she moves in the world today. The conversation begins with the question “Who is Salima?” and proceeds to touch on topics pertaining to the history of Black Muslims in America, the importance of remaining civically engaged no matter the obstacles or political climate, voter suppression and the role that everyone must play to achieve the best outcome for all of society. This episode is a reminder that there is strength in community and power in our shared history.
In this episode of On The Square, Sapelo Square’s Senior Editor Ambata Kazi talks with Aaliyah Bilal, author of the new book, Temple Folk, a collection of short stories portraying the lived experiences of Black Muslims grappling with faith, family, and freedom in America.Aaliyah shares her literary influences and how her interests in American Muslim history, especially the history of the Nation of Islam and its role in shaping the nation, inspired her to write the stories that comprise her collection. Ambata and Aaliyah discuss the challenges of being a Muslim writer: writing about difficult or taboo subjects, without fear or a need for approval, and away from the traps of the outside gaze. Aaliyah also shares advice for new and interested writers on how to nurture their own unique voices and perspectives and write with confidence.___________________Aaliyah Bilal was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She has degrees from Oberlin College and the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies. Her stories and essays have been published with The Michigan Quarterly Review, The Rumpus and The Chicago Quarterly Review. Temple Folk is her first book. Her website is www.aaliyahbilal.com
Juvaria Khan is the founder and executive director of the Appellate Project, a non-profit that strives to empower law students of color to not only work, but thrive in the appellate field. Appellate courts, (also referred to as the court of appeals), review cases that have been appealed to ensure that the initial proceedings were fair and the proper law was applied correctly. These are the highest courts in our nation that make decisions on all aspects of our lives, including healthcare, religion and policing. As you can imagine, communities of color are often disproportionately impacted by many of the rulings that are made due to a lack of diversity within these spaces. In this episode, Latasha Rouseau, executive director of Sapelo Square, speaks with Juvaria about the flaws of the appellate court system but also the opportunities that exist to change its racial makeup, including the lane she has created to lead the way. As you listen, you will realize that Juvaria is no joke. She is knowledgeable and passionate about ensuring that the persons making decisions in our highest courts reflect the people they represent. As we commemorate Black August and honor the political prisoners, activists and freedom fighters, past and present, let us also remember and highlight the persons within our courts fighting to protect the freedoms of those putting their lives on the line so that justice is served to all.
On this episode of On The Square, Sapelo Square’s News Editor Dr. Nisa Muhammad, speaks with Yaya Fanusie, creator of The Jabbari Lincoln Files. The Jabbari Lincoln Files is an international spy thriller presented in a 10-episode podcast series. The protagonist is a Black Muslim CIA Financial Analyst who takes listeners on the ride of a lifetime through intriguing narratives and audio effects that will have you on the edge of your seat. Fanusie spent seven years as both an economic and counterterrorism analyst in the CIA. He brings his knowledge and background to life through Jabbari Lincoln, weaving the Black experience and Islam into the storyline. Without giving away any spoilers, this podcast will introduce you to your next favorite listen. It’s that good.
Welcome to episode 10 of Islam on the Edges channel of the Maydan Podcast, a project by the Abu Sulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University in Virginia. In this episode, we discuss Prof. Mattson’s recent visit to one of the emerging destinations in the Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina. With its rich Islamic history, dating back to the Ottoman era and extending to the present, Bosnia has become an important visit site for Muslims from all over the world, but primarily from the Arab Gulf countries, Turkey, and Western Muslims, including from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Halal tourism, a sub-category of religious tourism, caters to Muslims by providing Muslim-friendly destinations and content, such as prayer spaces, halal food, and Muslim historical sites. According to BBC, “the Muslim travel market is expected to reach $300 billion by 2026.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina is an interesting case. According to the 2013 census, Bosnia is barely a majority Muslim country, with just over 50% of population identifying as Muslim. Yet, they are heavily concentrated in the part of the country that hasn’t been ethnically cleansed by the Serb and (to a lesser extent) Croat paramilitary forces during the brutal aggression in the 1990s. Combining a rich Ottoman legacy with a more recent secular experience under the communist regime, Bosnia and Herzegovina provides an interesting mix of being situated in Europe and having a considerable Muslim presence and legacy.
Prof. Mattson reflects on the ethics of travel, pointing to the huge carbon footpring of air travel. She explains the need for ethical dealing with the environment and the populations one is visiting. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is even more sensitive due to the recent memory of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes. Respectful listening and empathy are some of the key elements of the ethics of travel.
While sharing her experiences, Prof. Mattson talks about the beauty of Bosnian mosques and their human proportions. She reflects on female prayer spaces in Bosnian mosques that could serve as a good example of inclusion and spirituality. We hope you will enjoy this episode.
In this episode Maydan Podcast's Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Tekelioglu hosts Philadelphia comedian and entrepreneur Moses the Comic and Haverford College professor Guangtian Sulaiman Ha for a conversation on their co-taught class on African American Islam and stand up comedy, "From Malcolm X to Dave Chappelle: Islam, Humor, and Comedy in America,” Philadelphia Islam, and the Muslim Kings of Comedy they produced as part of their course.
In this episode of Maydan Podcast, we host Nimet Ahsen Cebeci, a PhD Candidate at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University on her dissertation about the theory of the soul among the core figures among the early Ashʿarī theologians. Cebeci talks about her journey into this field of inquiry while providing tips for young scholars like herself who are interested in pursuing similar lines of inquiry.
In episode 9 of the “Islam on the Edges” podcast, Ermin Sinanović talks with Dr. Asim Qureshi about the racialization and securitization of Muslims after 9/11. Dr. Qureshi is the Research Director at the CAGE advocacy group in the United Kingdom. He talked about the struggle for justice for the oppressed and unjustly accused during the war on terror. He highlighted the abuses of power and the breakdown in the rule of law that emerged in Western liberal democracies post-9/11. A deep contemplation of the Qur’an has led Dr. Qureshi to emphasize justice, resist the neoliberal order, and praise the virtue of disobedience in the face of grave injustice and oppression.
Prof. Maria Dakake, Professor of Religion and Director of AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, hosts scholar Dr. Katrin Jomaa for a conversation on her recent title, Ummah: A New Paradigm for A Global World (SUNY Press, 2021).
In this guest episode of Maydan Podcast, our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu hosts Dr. Radwan Masmoudi and Dr. Dalia Fahmy from the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID)for a conversation on CSID's 21st Annual Conference, "Why the US Should Support Democracy in the Muslim World, and How?" taking place in Washington, DC on June 3, 2023.
In this episode of On The Square, it’s all about our Black boys! Sapelo Square’s Executive Director, Latasha Rouseau, speaks with Atiba Saleem Jones, the founder and Executive Director of SAVE Institute, which offers middle and high school programs to young Black boys as an alternative to a traditional school setting. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the mission of SAVE Institute is “to SAVE black boys from cycles of poverty, crime, incarceration and lack of purpose through engagement in Service, Agriculture, Vocational training and Entrepreneurship”. As you will learn, Atiba has dedicated his life to positively impacting the lives of young men. The conversation flows from Atiba’s roots in Philly, his epiphany while in Syria and his maturation on the campus of Morehouse College. Atiba and Latasha touch on issues that include the school to prison pipeline, mental health, practicing Islam and rites of passage for young Black males. In a society where we are constantly confronted with negative depictions of Black lives, this is a dialogue for anyone ready to be inspired by the work and commitment of a group of men dedicated to seeing Black boys not only succeed, but thrive.Make sure you stay until the end so you can hear briefly from a very special guest and student at SAVE Institute.
Dr. Aminah Al-Deen, PI of Black Islam Internationalism Project (BAMI) at GMU's AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies interviews Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, a faculty member at Zaytuna College and founder of Lamppost Productions on his journey in scholarship, time in Philadelphia, Morocco, and beyond. See more about BAMI at themaydan.com/category/bami/and learn more about Dr. Ali's scholarship at https://binhamidali.com/
Dr. Aminah Al-Deen, PI of Black Islam Internationalism Project (BAMI) at GMU's AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies interviews Okolo Rashid, Co-Founder, International Museum of Muslim Cultures on Black Islam in Mississippi and beyond. See more about BAMI at https://themaydan.com/category/bami/and about the Museum at https://muslimmuseum.org/
Aïdah Aliyah Rasheed, Special Projects Lead sits down with Bee Walker, photographer, filmmaker and one-half of Paper Monday. Within this episode, Aïdah and Bee talk about the beginning stages behind the collaborative project between Sapelo Square and Paper Monday, Preserving the Legacy Portraits and Stories Capturing Black Muslim Life.* Bee shares a specific experience that occurred when Aïdah invited her to attend Jumu’ah (Friday prayer service) at Masjid Khalifah in Brooklyn, New York. Additionally the two discuss specifics about the creative process and balancing paying bills while simultaneously honoring their main intentions as creatives in the world, striving to “make art that matters.”This conversation serves as an encouragement to Black creatives and storytellers who, like most people, have doubts about their abilities, whether they will secure adequate resources for their projects or cultivate an audience who will appreciate their gifts, to continue to push forward when obstacles may seem insurmountable. This episode also touches on the importance of telling our stories with intentionality, having faith and persevering through it all.
Jasmine Soliman is an archivist. She started her work on the Akkasah Photography Archive (now part of the al Mawrid Center for Arab Art at New York University (NYU)-Abu Dhabi) in 2016. Prior to that, she worked as an archivist at the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, beginning in 2013, and formerly was a business development professional working largely in the Middle East. Her work focuses on collection appraisal and management, cataloging and descriptive vocabularies, website UX/UI design, and social media outreach. She collaborates with the al Mawrid team to oversee the physical and digital collections, and works closely with the NYU Digital Library Technology Services Team and the website teams at NYU Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, as well as with the general public as they use the collections. She has presented her work at MELCOM, UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, Sharjah Art Foundation and The British Library. She endeavors to create archives that are inclusive and accessible to all in their design and function, and considerate of socioeconomic status and physical ability. She is the Founder of RepCinema.com which highlights repertory cinema screenings in the UAE and London and highlights of her work can be found at JasmineSoliman.com
In episode 8 of the “Islam on the Edges” podcast, Ermin Sinanovic talks with Dr. Aliyah Khan and Dr. Kenneth Chitwood about the Muslims of the Caribbean. They discussed the coming of Islam to the region, Muslim diversity, ethnolinguistic differences, material and cultural production, major historical developments, Muslim politics, and knowledge production. Muslims of the Caribbean is a growing community due to the continued conversion to Islam in the region. This wide-ranging episode briefly introduces this Muslim community’s rich history, legacy, and present.
In episode 7 of the “Islam on the Edges” podcast, Ermin Sinanovic talks to Imam Khalid Griggs about the Islamic Party in North America (IPNA). The episode traces the origins of the IPNA within the African-American Muslim community. It looks at the transnational links with the Muslims in Pakistan, Lybia, and other countries, that have contributed to the development of ideas within the IPNA. Imam Griggs talks about the relationship between the Nation of Islam and IPNA, the importance of Malcolm X, and the connection with the Muslims in the Caribbean. The IPNA was mostly active in the 1970s and the 1980s. It left a lasting influence on a generation of Muslim activists in the African-American community. This episode sheds light on the legacy of the IPNA.
In this episode of the Maydan Podcast, our editor-in-chief, Ahmet Tekelioglu speaks with a new GMU faculty member, Dr. Aminah McCloud Al-Deen who joined Mason to lead the Black American Muslim Internationalism Project, supported by the Henry Luce Foundation . They talk about Dr. Al-Deen’s academic journey from Philadelphia to Chicago and the goals of the BAMI Project at Mason’s AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies.
This episode of Knowledge and its Producers talks to Bharti Lalwani, who is a perfumer and art critic as well as the curator of the online exhibition Bagh-e Hind. Throughout the interview, Lalwani tells us about her journey to making perfume and what it is to work as an independent perfumer, not only demonstrating that practice and expertise are intertwined, but what it is to exist outside of institutional structures. Later in the show, we are joined by her collaborator on Bagh-e Hind, Nicolas Roth, to talk about digital exhibition curation and what it is to tell a multi-faceted history of scent.
In this episode of History Speaks, Tazeen M. Ali speaks with Edward E. Curtis IV about his recent book, Muslims of the Heartland: How Syrian Immigrants Made a Home in the American Midwest (NYU Press, 2022). They discuss the often-forgotten history of early Arab Muslim migration to the United States, the racialization of Islam, and mythmaking narratives that paint the American Midwest as homogenously white. They also discuss Curtis' wide-ranging scholarship on Islam in America, as well as his book and documentary, Arab Indianapolis.
In this solo episode, Rahina Muazu discusses Qur’an recitation and female reciters in Nigeria. She touches briefly on the history of Islam and Islamic knowledge in west Africa, particularly in Hausaland (what is today northern Nigeria and some parts of southern Niger), the presence of the female sound of recitation in the public space and the debates surrounding perception of women’s voices as part of their nakedness (ʿawra).
Rahina Muazu is a scholar of Islam and gender and a visiting lecturer and research associate at the Harvard Divinity School. She holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from Freie University, Berlin and MA in Muslim Cultures from the Aga Khan University London and BA in Islamic Studies from the university of Jos, Nigeria. She has authored several articles the recent of which is ‘Why invite her here? Her voice is ʿawra!’: vocal nudity debates and Muslim female preachers in northern Nigeria (Cambridge University Press, 2022).
In this episode of Maydan Podcast, Wikke Jansen speaks with Ken Chitwood about his latest book, The Muslims of Latin America and the Caribbean (Lynne Rienner, 2021). They discuss the role of Muslims in the history and present of the Americas and tracing their various legacies back to sixteenth-century Andalusian Spain, the coming of the colonizers and conquistadores to Americas. Reflecting on the book, the conversation shines a light on how Muslims have shaped not only Latin America and the Caribbean, but the story of “global Islam” in general - from enslaved Muslims and indentured servants from India and Indonesia, and migrants and asylum seekers from the Middle East and North Africa, to contemporary convert communities and the halal economy.
Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley are the authors of the cookbook Falastin. In this episode of Knowledge and its Producers, we think about how food is in itself a way to preserve heritage and document how it changes over time, a stark contrast to academia. Together, we think about how to write about labor, the place of cookbooks in modern society and what it is to document something like food.
In episode 6 of the “Islam on the Edges” podcast, Ermin Sinanovic talks to Dr. Farid Hafez (Williams College) about the securitization of Muslims in Europe. In a vibrant discussion, Dr. Hafez speaks about the neo-Nazis and their relationship with Islamophobia in Austria and other European countries. He traces the rise of the New Right and its role in anti-Muslim rhetoric. Dr. Hafez focuses explicitly on Austria, his country of origin, and its increasing anti-Muslim turn. He examines the long-standing presence of Muslims in Austria, dating back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and how the contemporary Austrian state racializes the Muslim presence. With the French presidential elections around the corner, this episode is a timely reminder of the precarious position of Muslims in Europe.
In this episode of History Speaks, Tazeen Ali speaks with Aria Nakissa about his recent book, The Anthropology of Islamic Law: Education, Ethics, and Legal Interpretation at Egypt’s al-Azhar (Oxford University Press, 2019). They discuss shifting pedagogical approaches to Islamic education, modes of reading religious texts, and the relationships between knowledge and ethics in Islamic law and more broadly in both religious and secular educational settings.
In this episode of On The Square, our host Dr. Su’ad is joined by the Sapelo Squad! As we round out the podcast series and 2021 we wanted to bring the Squad to you up close and personal so you get to know the people behind the work you’ve come to love. From the neverending pandemic, exonerations in the murder of Malcolm X and the coup in Sudan to the Lox VERZUZ Dipset and Black Muslim women creatives making moves Squad members, Dr. Nisa Muhammad (Internship Coordinator), Jermaine Foster (Web Developer), Aïdah Aliyah Rasheed (Special Projects), Latasha Rouseau (Administrative Coordinator) and Aisha Caruth (Managing Editor), share their thoughts on the year’s wins, losses, and controversies.
To the question, What’s your Black Muslim Theme Song?, the Squad’s list includes: Rock Dis Funky Joint by the Poor Righteous Teachers, Lost Ones by Lauryn Hill, John Legend’s cover of Redemption Song, A.P.I.D.T.A by Jay Electronica, A Long Walk by Jill Scott and Get By by Talib Kweli.
On The Square’s theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats. Artwork for On The Square was created by Scheme of Things Graphics.
In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr. Celene Ibrahim and Dr. Hadia Mubarak on Gender as a lens to study the Qur’an, Muslim feminism, its contributions and challenges, the limits and role of texts, and questions of power and authority in academia, among other topics.
In this episode of Maydan Podcast, CGIS Director Peter Mandaville speaks with H.A. Hellyer, a scholar and analyst unique in his experience in studying religious establishments worldwide and the halls of policy-making in the West. They discuss recent political changes in the Muslim-majority world and their impact on traditionalism, relationship between political and scholarly elites, state efforts to shape the ulama classes, and notions around normativity.
In this episode of On The Square, we talk with Gilary Massa-Machado a community activist from Canada, Tahir Fuzile Sitoto, a lecturer from South Africa, and Ismael Lea South, a community and youth consultant from United Kingdom on the differences and the shared experiences of being Black and Muslim in the 21st century.
Credits: On The Square’s theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats. Artwork for On The Square was created by Scheme of Things Graphics.
In this episode, Ermin Sinanovic talks to Dr. Dženita Karić (Humboldt University, Germany) and Đermana Kurić (a Ph.D. student at the University of Sarajevo) about female Muslim piety in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The episode examines a renewed interest in the study of piety in religion in general, then focuses on female piety in Bosnia and Herzegovina, tracing its evolution from the Ottoman times through different political periods in the country’s history to the present.
When you think of a researcher, most people think of professors in universities. When you think of academic books, you think of books with chapters. Our guest today, Mohamed ElShahed, disrupts these assumptions and does it with an urban history flair. Mohamed ElShahed is an independent historian and curator and is well known for his website Cairobserver. We’re going to be talking to him about his book today, "Cairo Since 1900: An Architectural Guide" out now from the American University in Cairo Press. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.
In this episode of On The Square, we talk with Dr. Aliyah Khan, author of Far from Mecca: Globalizing the Muslim Caribbean, about the deep Muslim history of the Caribbean and how the Muslim experience is shaped by the complex racial dynamics of the region.
Credits: On The Square’s theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats. Artwork for On The Square was created by Scheme of Things Graphics.
Today we will be talking to the founders and editors of Contingent Magazine, Marc Reyes and Erin Bartram. Contingent aims at making history accessible to all while supporting academics who don’t have job security. I hope you enjoy talking to them as much as I do; there’s a lot of laughter in this interview. Bill Black is also a co-founder of Contingent Magazine, but he wasn’t available for this interview.
In this episode On The Square, we talk about sex! Sapelo Square Senior Editor Su’ad Abdul Khabeer chats with The Village Auntie, Angelica Lindsey-Ali, a certfied sexual health educator and expert on all things sex, intimacy and womanhood from an African and Islamic perspecitve.
Credits: On The Square’s theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats. Artwork for On The Square was created by Scheme of Things Graphics.
As the 20th anniversary of September 11 reminds us of personal tragedy as well as structural violence of the state, The Maydan Podcast editor-in-chief Ahmet Tekelioglu hosts Sahar Aziz, a legal scholar, an expert on critical race theory, and the founding director of the Center for Security, Race, and Rights at Rutgers University Law School. She is the author of the Racial Muslim, forthcoming from University of California Press in November 2021.
In this episode On The Square commemorates Black August. Sapelo Square Senior Editor Su’ad Abdul Khabeer speaks with Jihad Abdulmumit, community activist, playwright, freedom fighter, and chairperson of the National Jericho Movement about freedom and self-determination.
Credits: This episode includes excerpts from archival clips of the Black Panther Party preserved in the National Archives. It also includes a clip from an interview with Nina Simone. On The Square’s theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats. Artwork for On The Square was created by Scheme of Things Graphics.
Our guest today is Jean Druel, a member of the Dominican Order (a part of the Catholic Church) who lives in Cairo. After a Master’s Degree in theology and Coptic patrology, he graduated in Teaching Arabic as Foreign Language at the American University of Cairo. In 2012, he completed a PhD thesis in the history of Arabic grammar at the University of Nijmegen, in the Netherlands titled “Numerals in Arabic grammatical theory.” He managed the 200 Project (2013‒2016), which aimed to historically contextualize the works of 200 authors of the Arab Islamic heritage. He served as director of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) in Cairo between 2014 and 2020. He currently studies a manuscript of Sībawayh’s (180/796?) Kitāb that has never been edited.
In this episode, Ermin Sinanovic talks to Dr. Mohammed Hashas (Luiss University, Rome, Italy) and Dr. Meriem El Haitami (L’Université Internationale de Rabat in Morocco) about Islamic thought in Morocco. By tracing the genealogies of modern and contemporary Islamic thought, Dr. Hashas and Dr. El Haitami reveal the rich legacy of Moroccan Islamic thought, especially in the fields of philosophy and Muslim feminism.
In this episode, Sapelo Square History Editor Zaheer Ali speaks with Tulani Salahu-Din, museum specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, about Muslim artifacts at the Museum and the importance of preserving Muslim material culture.
In this episode, Sapelo Square Arts and Culture Editor Ambata Kazi-Nance speaks with author and educator Amani-Nzinga Jabbar about her book, I Bear Witness, the craft of writing, writing about difficult subject matter, and her experiences as a Black Muslim woman writer.
Amani-Nzinga Jabbar is a professor of English, author, marathon runner, health coach, wife, and mother of three children. Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, she now makes her home in Decatur, Georgia.
In this episode, Ermin Sinanovic talks to Dr. Hatem Bazian of the UC Berkeley and the Zaytuna College about Islamic Palestine and its place in Muslim theology, culture, history, memory, and future.
Dr. Hatem Bazian is a co-founder and Professor of Islamic Law and Theology at Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States. In addition, Prof. Bazian is a lecturer in the Departments of Near Eastern and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2009, Prof. Bazian founded at Berkeley the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project at the Center for Race and Gender, a research unit dedicated to the systematic study of Othering Islam and Muslims. In 2012, he launched the Islamophobia Studies Journal, which is published bi-annually. Dr. Bazian holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Islamic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley.
In this episode of History Speaks, I speak with Oludamini Ogunnaike and Sara Abdel-Latif about the self and society in Sufi thought from it’s early formative period in Nishapur to the early modern and contemporary Sufi movements in West Africa. We discuss Sufi conceptions of the self as dynamic and fluid, the role of the paradox in Sufi thought, and the subversion and authorization of hierarchies in Sufi pedagogy.
Sara Abdel-Latif is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. She specializes in Sufism, Gender and Qur’anic Interpretation.
Oludamini Ogunnaike is an Assistant Professor of African Religious Thought and Democracy at the University of Virginia specializing in the intellectual and aesthetic dimensions of West African Sufism and Yoruba oriṣa traditions. He received his PhD in African and African American studies and Religion at Harvard University. He is the author of Poetry in Praise of Prophetic Perfection: A Study of West African Madīḥ Poetry and its Precedents (Islamic Texts Society, 2020) and Deep Knowledge: Ways of Knowing in Sufism and Ifa, Two West African Intellectual Traditions (PSU Press, 2020).
Our guest today is M. Lynx Qualey. We’re going to be talking about everything from translation to KDrama to work-life balance to the idea of guilty pleasures. Qualey is founding editor of the ‘ArabLit’ website (www.arablit.org), which won a 2017 London Book Fair “Literary Translation Initiative” prize. She also publishes the experimental ArabLit Quarterly magazine and is co-host of the Bulaq podcast. Her co-translation of the middle-grade novel Ghady and Rawan was published in August 2019 by University of Texas Press, and her translation Sonia Nimr’s Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands was published in 2020 by Interlink. She writes for a variety of popular publications. We’re going to start by talking about ArabLit Quarterly.
In this episode, Sapelo Square History Editor Zaheer Ali speaks with Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer about her latest work, Umi’s Archive, a multimedia research project that digs deep into the life of her mother, Amina Amatul Haqq (neé Audrey Weeks), to explore the meanings of being Black in the world.
In this episode, Ermin interviews four scholars and activists about Ramadan fasting in their countries and communities. The episode reveals many similarities across the four continents – North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia – as well as distinct local practices. Central to the observance of Ramadan are family, community, prayers, Qur’anic recitations, and acts of charity. The four guests are Nisa Muhammad (United States), Ahmet Alibašić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Ibtisaam Ahmed (South Africa), and Lien Iffah Naf’atu Fina (Indonesia).
In this episode of History Speaks, I speak with Matthew Steele and Mahmood Kooria about the Islamic legal traditions in Africa, South and Southeast Asia. We discussed the life of legal texts as they traveled across the Afro-Asian world, the construction of the center and peripheries in the study of Islamic law and the role of local languages in scholarly communities and the writing of legal texts.
Our guest today on Knowledge and its Producers is Vanessa Taylor. She is the founding editor of the Drinking Gourd magazine, and she edits a newsletter called Nazar, which tackles issues of surveillance and the Muslim community in the United States. She is a writer and journalist, tackling topics such as Black Muslim womanhood, Muslim American politics, Afrofuturism, surveillance, and more. Our interview is going to range from the more abstract to the more concrete, the more personal: what is writing like for Vanessa? How much do institutions matter? What can we do to challenge them?
Knowledge and its Producers is a limited podcast series from the Maydan hosted by N.A. Mansour. In each episode, we’ll be talking to people who are at the forefront of knowledge production, typically away from the traditional educational power structures. It’s been an exercise in thinking through how knowledge is constructed & barriers to entry. Most importantly, we highlight people demolishing those barriers. These interviews cover everything from labor to creativity to breakfast. We’re going beyond traditional educational systems to really break down how different elements of knowledge production fit together and create community. This show is generously funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
In this episode, Sapelo Square Arts and Culture Editor Ambata Kazi-Nance speaks with renowned midwife and doula educator Shafia Monroe about the historic Black midwife tradition in the United States and how contemporary birthworkers are implementing these traditions to improve birth outcomes for Black mothers and families.
Credits: On the Square theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats. Artwork was created by Scheme of Things Graphics.
In this episode our host, Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer talks with Siddeeqah Sharif Fichman an Afro-Native Muslim and community advocate and Hazel Gómez, a faith-based community organizer, about Being Muslim on Turtle Island. This deep discussion digs into questions such as What would make a Muslim a settler or indigenous to North America? How might settler thinking shape how we live as Muslims today? What are the responsibilities of Muslims, as a whole, to the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas?
During the conversation, Hazel reads the poem “Child of the Americas” by Aurora Levins Morales (shared below) and Siddeqah introduces us to the song “Bilalian Man” by Sister Khalifah Abdul Rahman.* To the question, if Black Islam had a theme song what would it be? Hazel chose “Allah” by Khalil Ismail and Siddeeqah chose “Bilalian Man” as her Black Muslim theme song. The song excerpt in the episode is sung by Siddeeqah’s mother, Sister Sabreen Sharif and full lyrics are below. Not sure what Bilalian means? Check out this article by Precious Rasheeda Muhammad. Also be sure to check out the music of Afro-Native Muslim performing artist Maimouna Youseff (Mumu Fresh).
*Siddeeqah misspoke in the episode and this particular song is by Sister Khalifah Abdul Rahman
On the Square theme music was created by Fanatik OnBeats
Episode Guests: Hazel Gómez graduated from Loyola University Chicago with double bachelor’s degrees in Forensic Science and Biology. Currently, she is a faith-based community organizer with Dream of Detroit, a nonprofit that combines community organizing with strategic housing and land development to build a healthy community and empower a marginalized neighborhood; a neighborhood in which she also resides with her husband and children. In addition to being an advocate for women seeking traditional Islamic education, Hazel is studying the Islamic sciences with Rabata.org's Ribaat Academic Program under the tutelage of Shaykha Tamara Gray and other female shaykhas. She also dedicates her time as an advisor and board member to various nonprofits ranging from convert care and anti-racism work to bail reform. She is an avid reader of all things about Muslims in America and is interested in the research and creation of an authentic Latino Muslim experience. You can follow her on Facebook: Hazel Gómez
Siddeeqah Sharif Fichman is the administrator for the Biophysics Research for Baltimore Teens program, an internship at Johns Hopkins University geared towards introducing scientific research to underserved youth in Baltimore City. She enjoys writing, traveling, and is an avid reader. Siddeeqah currently resides in Baltimore, MD, with her husband and three small children.
Sato Moughalian is one of those people who can do drastically different things well. She is, to my mind, everything a professional historian should be. Sensitive. Kind. Fearless. Detail-oriented. She’s also a professional flutist and is the artistic director of Perspectives Ensemble, which is a chamber group. She’s invested in documenting her people’s history, musical, material and more. We’ll be talking about, amongst other topics, her recent book, out 2019 from Stanford University Press’ imprint Redwood Press, about her grandfather, the artist, entrepreneur, and ceramicist David Ohannessian, Feast of Ashes: The Life and Art of David Ohannessian. It was nominated for a Pen/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography and was a finalist for the Prose Award in Biography and Autobiography. Feast of Ashes tells the story of David Ohannessian, the renowned ceramicist who in 1919 founded the art of Armenian pottery in Jerusalem, where his work and that of his followers is now celebrated as a local treasure. Ohannessian's life encompassed some of the most tumultuous upheavals of the modern Middle East. Born in an isolated Anatolian mountain village, he witnessed the rise of violent nationalism in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, endured arrest and deportation in the Armenian Genocide, founded a new ceramics tradition in Jerusalem under the British Mandate, and spent his final years, uprooted, in Cairo and Beirut. The book begins and ends with his granddaughrer, Sato Moughalian and her experiences as an artist and as a historian of this important narrative. Moughalian is now working on a second book.
Welcome to Knowledge and its Producers is a limited series from the Maydan produced by NA Mansour. In each episode, we’ll be talking to people who are at the forefront of knowledge production, typically away from the traditional educational power structures.
In this episode, I speak with Pernilla Myrne and Laury Silvers about the limits of historical sources, the methods historians employ to uncover the lives of the marginalized in society, and the role of the imaginative as a space for giving voice to the silenced.
Sources cited in the episode: - Abdel-Latif, Sara. “Narrativizing Early Mystic and Sufi Women: Mechanisms of gendering in Sufi hagiographies,” Routledge Handbook of Sufism. Abingdon: Routledge, 2021. - Jones-Rogers, Stephanie. They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave-Owners in the American South. Yale University Press, 2019. - Mahmood, Saba. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. - Nguyen, Martin. Sufi Master and Qur’an Scholar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Contributors: Pernilla Myrne is an Associate Professor of Arabic Literature and History at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has published on the representation of women and women as creative agents in pre-modern Arabic literature, including the monograph Female Sexuality in the Early Medieval Islamic World (IB Tauris, 2020), history of emotions and slavery. Her current research explores the manuscript traditions and reception of medieval Arabic sex advice manuals, aiming at looking into attitudes to sexuality in the medieval Islamic world.
Laury Silvers is a retired historian of early Sufism and the lives and practices of early pious and mystic women who writes historical mysteries set in the time and place of her research. Follow her on Twitter @waraqamusa and explore her website for the historical background of the novels and audio readings.
The first two of her historical mysteries The Lover and The Jealous in the Sufi Mysteries quartet are available for purchase, with additional information on her website www.llsilvers.com.
Ermin Sinanović hosts Dr. Syed Muhammad Khairudin Aljunied, an associate professor of history and Malay studies at the National University of Singapore on the theme of Muslim cosmopolitanism. What is Muslim cosmopolitanism and why is it important today? What are the features of Muslim cosmopolitanism in Southeast Asia? This riveting discussion, covering Islam in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian countries, highlights the global movement of people and ideas. It explores interactions among people of various ethnicities, races, and religions. It covers the role of Muslim women in cosmopolitanism, and how the secular state limits cosmopolitan understandings.
Dr. Khairudin Aljunied is a Senior Fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, as well as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS). Dr. Aljunied completed his doctorate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London in 2008. His most recent book is Islam in Malaysia: An Entwined History (Oxford University Press, 2019).
Alexander Hayes speaks with Prof. Martin Nguyen from Fairfield University on his scholarship and his recent book, Modern Muslim Theology: Engaging God and the World with Faith and Imagination (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018).
Peter Mandaville speaks with Sughra Ahmed, a leading British Muslim voice with significant experience in the US, about her observations on the Muslim Atlantic. Many thanks to The Muslim Atlantic (https://www.muslimatlantic.com/) for partnering with Maydan (https://themaydan.com/) at George Mason University for this podcast.
On January 17th and 18th 2020, The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) held a symposium on popular culture titled Produce, Consume, Conserve, which brought together academics, practitioners, and conservators to discuss popular culture in Egypt. This podcast series brings you the recorded conversations and roundtables that took place live during the symposium. This recorded roundtable is titled “Producing for the Public” and features, in order of speaking, N.A. Mansour (PhD Candidate Princeton University; co-editor Hazine blog, Podcast Producer ), M. Lynx Qualey (founding Editor ArabLit; Co-host Bulaq podcast, Editor ArabLit Quarterly), and Mohamed ElShahed (Independent Scholar, Curator, Architectural Historian). Academia has traditionally been fairly isolated from greater society, with even ‘public’ lectures happening in academic settings. However, recent trends in academic production indicate a move towards researchers and subject-experts producing material in popular, accessible venues, such as newspapers, blogs, podcasts, Twitter threads, non-academic books and novels. This roundtable aims at breaking down what the ethical and practical questions are involved in producing material for a public audience. What sort of audience is this and how is it limited by parameters like language and interest? How does the audience in turn shape what is produced? Who is producing this material to begin with? Who can have opinions about popular culture and decide what is ‘good’ popular culture? How are producers of such material held accountable for the political or cultural implications of their work? It will also question, either directly or indirectly whether or not traditional forms of academic output –namely books and monographs– are appropriate venues for research.
In this episode of Maydan Podcast, Peter Mandaville speaks with Sylvia Chan-Malik and Khadijah Elshayyal; two academics whose research intersect Islam and Gender on two sides of the Atlantic. For more information on the Muslim Atlantic project, visit www.muslimatlantic.com
We are excited to launch The Maydan Podcast with a discussion between Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University Senior Fellow Peter Mandaville and Shahed Amanullah, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Affinis Labs—one of the most influential Muslim figures in the worlds of technology and social entrepreneurship. Their wide-ranging conversation about Muslims and technology covers a broad set of timely issues, including the impact of the Internet on traditional structures of religious authority in the Muslim world; the little known story of the pioneering role played by Muslims in the Silicon Valley venture capital scene; and how technology, social media, and new apps are changing the way Muslims think about their religious identity and practice.
Shahed Amanullah is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Affinis Labs, a social innovation firm that focuses on fostering positive change through entrepreneurship. Shahed is also the co-founder of Zakatify, an app developed in collaboration with PayPal Giving Fund that empowers charitable giving. Shahed served as Senior Advisor for Technology at the US Department of State in the bureaus of Secretaries of State John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Recognized three times as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world and also as one of the 50 most influential entrepreneurs in the global Islamic economy, Shahed founded Altmuslim, an online magazine with 2.5 million annual unique users, and served as its editor-in-chief for 10 years before its 2011 acquisition by Patheos/Beliefnet. In 1998, he created Zabihah, the world's first and largest Halal restaurant guide, with 10 million annual users and 500,000 app downloads. THe has served on the boards of nearly a dozen non-profit organizations focused on Muslim identities, served on Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Council on Youth Entrepreneurship, and is a 2016 Truman National Security Fellow.
*The Maydan is grateful to Ibrahim Souadda of Souadda Media for our podcast theme music and the technical help he extended in the post-production phase of this interview.
Dr. Muhammad Isa Waley worked for 45 years as Curator for Persian and Turkish, initially at the British Museum and then at the British Library, London. His main research specializations are (i) the classical verse and prose literature of Islamic spirituality in Persian, Arabic, and Turkish; and (ii) the palaeography, codicology, illumination and cataloguing of Islamic manuscripts. He has written, contributed to, or translated a number of publications in these fields. The subject of his Ph.D. thesis was the poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi.
Among the many works edited by Dr. Waley are Islamic Codicology: an Introduction to the Study of Manuscripts in Arabic Script; the English translation of Tafsīr al-Jalālayn; the Kitāb al-Adhkār of Imam al-Nawawī; and numerous articles for Encyclopaedia Islamica and the Integrated Encyclopedia of Qur'an. His published translations include the Chihil Kalima (Forty Hadiths) of 'Abd al-Raḥmān Jāmī and the Mawlid of Imam al-Barzanjī.
Moderated by Bassam Haddad, this discussion brings together several GMU faculty members - Peter Mandaville, Noura Erakat, Sumaiya Hamdani, and Maydan Editor Ahmet Tekelioglu - to unpack the many issues raised by the recent executive order.
Recorded on Feb. 9, 2017 in Fenwick Library, GMU Fairfax