Listen Now

Legal scholar and historian Anver Emon talks about how power influences the law, including the reaction to the attack on Muslims in London, Ontario, terrorism financing laws, the Azarova hiring scandal at the U of T, systemic barriers to scholarship on Palestine and more. Anver M. Emon is Professor of Law and History; Canada Research Chair in Islamic Law and History; Director, Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He studies pre-modern and modern Islamic legal history, the role of Shari'a both inside and outside the Muslim majority world.

Dr. Nida Ahmad discusses barriers faced by Muslim women in sport, increasing corporate interest, policy changes required, American Ninja Warrior and more. Nida Ahmad received her PhD from the University of Waikato in Aotearoa. She has a BA in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and MA in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University. Dr Ahmad’s research focus on gender, ethnicity, sport and digital media. She has published across various journals on topics ranging from youth sports, gender, and media. She has also written about emerging and current trends of sports initiatives and more can be found on nida-ahmad.com. Dr Ahmad is an executive board member for Muslim Women and Sports Network which amplifies the voices of Muslim women in sport.

CEO Aazar Zafar talks about creating MAX, a multi-pillared organization that recognizes, motivates and fosters high achievement by Muslims. MAX seeks to elevate the brand of Muslims in Canada by recognizing and motivating high achievement. Its programming includes awards and gala, scholarships, a mentorship program, a business lab and a women in leadership program.

Archivist Moska Rokay explains how archives help Western Muslim communities represent themselves, addressing the wide diversity of the Muslim diaspora and how the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) compares to archives in the US and UK. Moska Rokay is the Digital Humanities Research Fellow tasked with coordinating the Muslims in Canada Archives (MiCA) at the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of Toronto. She completed her Master of Information (UofT) in 2019. Moska’s research interests lie in the interdisciplinary crossroads of archives, critical race & ethnicity, media studies, and identity formation in diaspora communities of war and trauma.

The storming of the Capitol Building in January 2021 raised the specter of white supremacist violence to an international level. But in the post 9/11 era many Muslims groups have been warning of the threat for years. After recent incidents of violence against Muslims, will governments now start to heed their warnings? Momin Saeed was the Executive Director of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council (NCCM Alberta). He holds a Chartered Islamic Finance Professional Designation (CIFP) from INCEIF University, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, an MBA from Queen’s University and a Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.

Author S.K. Ali talks about writing for young adults, telling authentic Western Muslims stories, reception to her work from various audiences and tackling difficult issues facing the Muslim community. S. K. Ali is the critically acclaimed author of Saints and Misfits (2017), Love from A to Z (2019) and Misfit in Love (2021). She holds a degree in Creative Writing from York University and has written about Muslim life for various outlets, including the Toronto Star and NBC News. Her website is at skalibooks.com

Robert McCaw discusses reactions to the 2020 US Election, how Muslim candidates fared, the demographics of the Muslim vote, prospects for Muslims under the Biden administration and more. Robert McCaw is Government Affairs Department Director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. Mr. McCaw oversees CAIR’s Muslim civic engagement and empowerment programs that bring American Muslim community concerns to Congress, the White House, and federal and state agencies. He also coordinates CAIR’s national and state election activities, including get out the vote campaigns and election surveys. Since 2015, he has served as the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations Steering Committee Chairman for the National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Mr. McCaw holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and a Certificate in Public Affairs from the University of Florida, Gainesville.

National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) CEO Mustafa Farooq discusses civil liberties and Western Muslim pluralism, Black Lives Matter, fighting the Quebec secularism law and coordinating efforts to combat Islamophobia in the West. A lawyer by profession, Mustafa is a published writer and commentator in various news media and publications on issues related to Canadian Muslims, human rights & civil liberties, and public policy issues including Islamophobia and national security.

SingleMuslim.com founder Adeem Younis talks about starting the platform twenty years ago, how attitudes to online match matching have changed and how digital marriage platforms may change in the future. Adeem Younis is the award-winning Chairman of SingleMuslim.com, the UK’s largest digital matrimony platform for Muslims, and the founder of Penny Appeal, a multi-national Muslim Islamic charity providing aid to people in over 30 crisis-hit countries worldwide.

Muslim TV pioneer Zarqa Nawaz is back to talk about her new show "Zarqa" (link to trailer), taking on the “brown man/white trophy wife” trope, comparing Kumail Nanjiani, Aziz Ansari, Hasan Minhaj and Ramy Youssef, the pandemic and more. Zarqa Nawaz created the world’s first sitcom about a Muslim community living in the west. Little Mosque on the Prairie was an international hit, airing in over 80 countries.

Scholar Zahra Ayubi discusses the problem of spiritual and sexual abuse including Muslim celebrity cases, countering the culture of silence and the importance of women in mosque governance. Zahra Ayubi is an assistant professor of religion at Dartmouth College and the author of Gendered Morality: Classical Islamic Ethics of the Self, Family, and Society (Columbia University Press, 2019). She specializes in feminist philosophy of Islam and has published on gendered concepts of ethics, justice, and religious authority, and on Muslim feminist thought and American Muslim women’s experiences. She completed her PhD in Religious Studies from UNC Chapel Hill.

Australian aged care advocate Mahjabeen Ahmad discusses transnational care giving, tailoring aged care services for Muslims in the West, overcoming stigma and the prospects for Muslim nursing homes. Mahjabeen Ahmad is an independent researcher and award winning aged care advocate based in Adelaide, Australia. She has authored a guidebook and delivers cultural training to provider organizations on Muslim aged care needs. She previously managed a federally funded aged care project for South Australian Muslims.

Social scientist Dr. Azim Shariff is back to discuss how religion helped to foster cooperation in societies, the effect of culture on religious practice and where religion is headed in the face of rapid technological change. Azim Shariff is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on where morality intersects with religion, cultural attitudes and economics.

Anthropology Professor Shabana Mir shares insights and stories from her book Muslim American Women: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity. It sheds light on the struggle facing Muslim students to find tolerance and inclusion in the West. Dr. Shabana Mir is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the American Islamic College in Chicago. Her book Muslim American Women on Campus: Undergraduate Social Life and Identity received the Outstanding Book Award from the National Association for Ethnic Studies and the Critics’ Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association (2014). She holds a PhD in Education Policy Studies from Indiana University.

Mental health awareness is on the rise, however, significant stigma still exists, particularly in Western Muslim communities. Psychologist Saunia Ahmad discusses mental health issues, cultural barriers to seeking treatment, changing attitudes across generations, as well as clinical challenges with respect to Western Muslims. Dr. Saunia Ahmad is a Clinical and Counseling Psychologist based in Toronto with expertise in individual and couple therapy. Her approach integrates evidence-based models including Cognitive-Behavioural (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural (DBT), Emotion-Focused (EFT), Psychodynamic, Social Constructivist and Family Systems. Dr. Ahmad holds a Phd from York University.

Zarqa Nawaz created the world’s first sitcom about a Muslim community living in the west. Little Mosque on the Prairie premiered to record ratings on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 2007. It was also an international hit, airing 91 episodes over 6 seasons and is broadcast in over 80 countries. Journalist, filmmaker and creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Zarqa Nawaz talks about the origins of show, the challenge of being the first of its kind, comparisons with Citizen Khan and the show’s enduring legacy. Zarqa holds a B.Sc from the University of Toronto and B.A.A in journalism from Ryerson University. In addition to Little Mosque, she made the ground-breaking documentary Me and the Mosque, about Muslim women’s battle with patriarchy in the mosque and released a comedic memoir Laughing All the Way to the Mosque in 2014.

Muslim students have reported receiving surprise visits and calls from Canada's spy agency and law enforcement officials. Although the authorities claim they are looking to establish a relationship with the Muslim community, the efforts have frightened students and raised claims of racial profiling. Criminal lawyer Nader Hasan discusses the legality of the Canadian spy agency contacting Muslim students, rights abuses in connection with anti-terrorism law and the state of civil liberties in the years after 9/11. Nader Hasan is a partner at Stockwoods law firm in Toronto, Canada. He practises criminal, regulatory and constitutional law at the trial and appellate levels. Nader has been recognized by Best Lawyers magazine as one of Canada’s leading appellate lawyers.

Science, secularism and new atheism have gained prominence in the marketplace of ideas. But outside of the academics, it seems like the supporters of these ideas on social media are not actually spreading rationalism. Have people become more rational or is there an element of tribalism against Islam and Muslims? Social scientist Dr. Azim Shariff discusses the “Intellectual Dark Web”, pluralism as a way to counter reactionary discourse and the effect of social media on religion and civil discourse. Azim Shariff is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on where morality intersects with religion, cultural attitudes and economics.

Canadian legal expert Ranjan Agarwal discusses the legal test for religious belief, whether “burka bans” can be legally justified, strategies for defending religious freedoms and whether freedom of religion is in danger of becoming a subordinate right. Ranjan Agarwal is a partner at Bennett Jones law firm in Toronto. His practice is focused on complex disputes, including class action, commercial, arbitration, constitutional, and employment matters. Ranjan has appeared as lead or co-counsel in over 15 cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. Ranjan has been recognized by Lexpert, Benchmark, Precedent and Canadian Lawyer for his advocacy and commitment to pro bono and public interest litigation. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto.

Muslims in North America have been impacted by Islamophobia and the erosion of their civil liberties in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Despite feeling a sense of injustice, western Muslims have not engaged in significant political action in response. But Muslims have acted collectively on other issues, such as the Syrian refugee crisis. This episode explores the complex identity politics of minority Muslim groups, challenges in forming a religious identity and the landscape after the Christchurch attacks. Quinn Mecham is Associate Professor of Political Science and the Coordinator for Middle East Studies at Brigham Young University. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University. Dr. Mecham is the author of Institutional Origins of Islamist Political Mobilization, which provides a theory of the institutional origins of Islamist politics, focusing on the development of religious common knowledge, religious entrepreneurship and coordinating focal points as critical to the success of Islamist activism.