Muslims Doing Things

Lena Khan went to UCLA with an interest in film — but no intention to pursue it as a career. Fast forward to today and her IMDB profile credits her for a Disney+ film, Flora and Ulysses, and her own full-length film, The Tiger Hunter. Lena has become a pillar within the intimate Muslim-American circle in Hollywood, and most recently co-signed Riz Ahmed’s campaign to get more Muslims in film. 
Listen to Lena’s journey on today’s epi, and how she has navigated her successful career as a director.
Keep up with Lena:

Follow Lena on IG
Follow Lena on Twitter



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Rana Abdelhamid is a community organizer and non-profit leader born and raised in Queens, New York. Rana attended New York City public schools and grew up in a working-class community. She is the Founder and Executive Director of a gender justice nonprofit and formerly one of the youngest elected board members of Amnesty International USA. After living in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis in NYC, Rana decided to put a campaign together and was endorsed by Justice Democrats. Listen to Rana’s journey as she builds a campaign with the goal of becoming the Congresswoman of New York’s 12th district.

Donate to Rana's campaign 

Check out Rana's 

• Website


• Instagram


• TikTok


• Facebook

Follow me, the host, on Instagram @laylool

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Aadil Abedi never thought that he would end up as a fine artist after acting school (or after a stint in the corporate world, no less) — but a year in Bollywood turned his dreams upside down. After a serendipitous series of events, Aadil has built a career as an artist and calligrapher whose work is seen across celebrity garb, magazines, and architecture. Listen to Aadil’s career story, which started in the UK and took him across the globe where he built a team to support the operation behind his work. 

Check out Aadil’s work on his Instagram, and follow him there. Or find him on TikTok 

And as always, find me on IG @laylool and subscribe to the pod to hear about more cool folks. 

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com/subscribe

Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s memoir was recently turned into a movie that has since received 6 nominations between the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. Jodie Foster received a Golden Globe for playing Mohamedou’s lawyer in The Mauritanian. Tahar Rahim played Mohamedou, and other A-listers like Benedict Cumberbatch carry major roles. Mohamedou is a Mauritanian who was detained at Guantánamo Bay detention camp without a single charge for 14 years before being released. Slahi wrote the memoir that inspired the movie, Guantanamo Diaries, while imprisoned. Listen to my chat with Mohamedou and stream The Mauritanian today.

• Follow Mohamedou on Twitter


• Follow Mohamedou on Instagram


• Follow Mohamedou on Facebook


• Watch the Mauritanian trailer


• Buy his new book Adam and Zarga

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Aqsa Altaf is a writer and director whose recent film, American Eid, can be streamed on Disney +. Aqsa is the daughter of Pakistani and Sri Lankan migrants. She was raised within a migrant community in Kuwait before finding her way to a community college in Los Angeles. From there, Aqsa worked her way to USC's film school and dedicated her career to storytelling. Aqsa is and was one of six filmmakers selected by Disney for their Launchpad program, which allowed Aqsa to create the short film American Eid. If you are one of the 100m+ subscribers to Disney +, watch American Eid today.

• Follow Aqsa on Instagram  


• Follow Aqsa on Twitter


• Check out Aqsa's website

Follow me, the host @laylool, on IG 

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Johana Bhuiyan knew that she wanted to be a reporter -- but didn't know that she'd end up as an investigative reporter. Currently at the Los Angeles Times, Johana covers tech with a focus on accountability. Johana is especially interested in interrogating how tech impacts real people and their civil liberties. Johana is a veteran reporter who is currently is focusing on how tech is used to enhance and enable the surveillance of marginalized groups. Johana's resume includes Recode, BuzzFeed News, and Politico NY. Listen to Johana's journey. 

Where to find Johana:

• Twitter  


• Instagram  


• Email her at [email protected]

Follow the host @laylool

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Husain Abdullah was born in Los Angeles and raised in Pomona, California as one of 16 in a blended family. Husain and his siblings loved sports. As a child, Husain's eldest brother would give him advice that would inspire him to reach great heights. Husain had a 7-year career on the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring from the NFL to pursue his own ventures. Listen to Husain (who, as you will find out in the episode, was also my 4th/5th-grade classmate at the City of Knowledge School) talk about his career journey. 

• Follow Husain on Instagram


• Follow Husain on Twitter


• Follow Husain on FB

Follow me, @laylool, on IG -- or follow the pod on IG. And don't forget to rate and review the pod! 

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Rowaida Abdelaziz is an award-winning national reporter at the Huffington Post based in NYC, where she spearheads the coverage of Islamophobia and reports on the intersection of Muslim life within politics, culture, and gender. Listen to Rowaida’s journey to becoming a national reporter — how her identity played a role and her hot takes on the tokenization of Muslim women.

Also, read the Burkini article discussed in the epi here — When Swimming Becomes a Political Act 

Find Rowaida on Twitter 

Follow me, @laylool, on IG or follow the pod

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com/subscribe

If you are part of Schitt’s Creek’s cult following, you already know that Rizwan Manji — who plays Ray Butani — is a phenomenal actor. Rizwan has been acting since the late 90s and has credits in over 115 shows and movies. From the Wolf of Wall Street, Glee, Hannah Montana, to the New Girl, to the Tiger Hunger, to Arranged, NCIS…and most recently, as Mr. Khan in Mira, Royal Detective’s Eid-centric episode: The Eid Mystery.

Listen to Rizwan’s journey as a career actor — and, especially, as a brown actor whose career blossomed around the time of 911 and grew over the decades that would follow. Also, make sure to check out Mira, Royal Detective on Disney Junior on May 3rd, or stream the Eid Mubarak Song from Mira, Royal Detective now 

• Find Rizwan on Twitter  


• Rizwan's Instagram 


• Rizwan's TikTok 

Follow me, the host, @laylool on IG

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com/subscribe

When Misha Euceph went to college, she envisioned a career in radio journalism. Her career blossomed as podcasts became mainstream and a series of twists and turns got her to KPCC, where she produced her own blockbuster podcast: The Big One: Your Survival Guide. Fast-forward a few years, and Misha has founded and leads her own audio production company, Dustlight, where she has produced work for giants like the Obamas and Bruce Springsteen, Baratunde Thurston — and also, herself. Misha is the host and creator of Tell Them, I Am, a podcast about the small moments that define who we are and who we are not with all Muslim voices. Listen to my chat with Misha to learn about her career journey and the world of real professional podcasting.

• Find Misha on Instagram


• Find Misha on Twitter


• Listen to Tell Them, I am on Apple Podcasts


• Listen to Tell Them, I am on Spotify 

And keep up with me, the host @laylool, on IG

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com/subscribe