ImanWire Podcast

Ustadha Iesha Prime, executive director of Barakah, Inc., joins the podcast to discuss a wide array of topics. We talk about her perspectives on the polarizing debate over feminism engulfing the community, speaking at the Women's March a year ago, and the role of female teachers in her own path to scholarship. In the second half of the podcast we examine spiritual issues facing Muslim teenagers, from introducing concepts of spiritual purification into their upbringing to addressing the increasing waves of atheism or indifference to religion. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

Racism still is neglected among Muslims, and even when it is addressed, it often fails to discuss the roots of anti-blackness or provide solutions grounded in a spiritual approach. Imam Dawud Walid joins the podcast as we talk about racism from a spiritual perspective, from the story of Adam and Iblis, to the incident between Bilal and Abu Dharr to the modern day, outlining the need to incorporate anti-racism work into the purification of the heart (tazkiyah) and our spiritual curriculum. We discuss the anti-blackness that pervades many cultures and the measures that may help in flipping the script in how we perceive blackness, including Dawud Walid's own book, "Centering Black Narrative: Black Muslim Nobles Among the Early Pious Muslims" and his upcoming work on the Black luminaries from the Ahl-ul-Bayt, the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

As recent events have shown, Islamic edutainment has failed in many respects to engender an Islamic ethos within the average Muslim. Are celebrity speakers, the culture of Muslim fandom, and sound bytes of curated content just a hollow shell of education, with more style than substance? Mohamed Ghilan, founder of Andalus Online, joins the podcast for a far-reaching conversation on the phenomenon of Islamic edutainment, the impact of a media-centric culture on both education and the soul, and several other topics. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

Shaykh Yasir Fahmy joins the podcast to discuss his journey from a Catholic prep school, to a career in venture capital, to studying sacred knowledge at Al-Azhar. In this episode, he draws from his experiences as the senior imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center and speaks about reinvigorating our mosques and making them central to our community again. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

How can we reconcile centuries-old texts and rulings of classical scholars with our current context? In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Brown, author of "Misquoting Muhammad", shares his insights on being faithful to tradition and mindful of the cultural and social realities of the present day. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

What role does our religious identity play in how we conduct ourselves and how we are perceived in modern academia? In part 2 of our series on believers in academic spaces, Dr. Elliott Bazzano, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Le Moyne College, discusses being an insider/outsider in the classroom, the tension between descriptive and prescriptive scholarship, and epistemology in academic Islamic studies. We also talk about teaching religious studies post-Trump, the debate over the role of academics engaging broader audiences to combat racism and Islamophobia after the events of Charlottesville, whether academia itself has played a role in contributing to the current toxic socio-political climate, and the importance of building our own narratives. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

Despite facing the challenges of being marginalized at the crossroads of their race, gender and faith, Black women have been pioneers in the Muslim community in America. In this episode, Dr. Jamillah Karim, author of "Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam", details the rich history of Black Muslim women in their journey from the Nation of Islam to the Warith Deen Mohammed community. In focusing on their narratives, Dr. Karim discusses the importance of amplifying their voices and their relevance in helping guide the community at a time when racial and gender equity still remain elusive. Please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

Pursuing higher education in academia can be a rewarding experience, but it can be challenging for some Muslims. Does being a believer in a faith tradition necessarily conflict with the culture in modern academic circles? Is there a hostility to faith in academia that restricts Muslim students from feeling free to be themselves? Ebadur Rahman and Rashid Dar join the ImanWire podcast for an impromptu conversation to discuss their experiences in academia and the changing landscape of Islamic studies in Western institutions in the first episode of our series about being Muslim in academic spaces. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

In this wide-ranging conversation, acclaimed photographer, filmmaker and media consultant Mustafa Davis joins the podcast to discuss the arts, the marketing of Muslim organizations, his own cautionary tale in social media and the third space movement. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.

What exactly is Islamic finance and what are its goals? Umar Moghul, a corporate and finance lawyer and author of the book "A Socially Responsible Islamic Finance: Character and the Common Good" joins us to discuss how reimagining Islamic finance through a spiritual lens can elevate it to be an instrument for the betterment of society. Translating core concepts from the path of spiritual purification of the heart into finance, Moghul outlines a financial vision Muslims can have that is aligned with the highest ethical principles of their religion. Please subscribe to the podcast and visit www.imanwire.com for the latest articles and podcast episodes. Send any questions or comments to @imanwired on Twitter or imanwire@almadinainstitute.org.