Path & Present w/Baraka Blue

Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of numerous books; a public speaker and workshop leader; a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and ordained Interfaith Minister. He lives in Los Angeles, cohosts the Spirit Matters podcast, leads American Veda Tours and blogs regularly on Huffington Post and Spirituality & Health.

http://philipgoldberg.com

For more about the book: http://americanveda.com

Tyson Amir is a rapper, poet, musician, author and activist. He has also taught within the prison system for many years. He recently published his first book, 'Black Boy Poems'.

www.tysonamir.com

Between Huey & Malcolm poem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDU-WtYcHfI&feature=share

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*We had some technical difficulties with this episode. Please forgive the audio distortion at certain points in the conversation.

Jamil Suleman is an artist, activist, and teacher. http://www.jamilsuleman.com

He is also Seattle Jesus:

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/meet-jamil-suleman-a-k-a-jesus-the-muslim-man-bringing-a-message-of-peace-to-seattle/

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/09/19/24568537/spotted-muslim-jesus-takes-the-link-train

Kabir Helminski is a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis, which traces its inspiration to Mevlana Rumi. He began his Mevlevi training as a student of the late Shaikh Suleyman Loras. In 1990 he was subsequently appointed a Shaikh. Under Kabir’s direction, the Mevlevi Order is working to apply traditional Sufi principles to the conditions of contemporary life. Kabir and his wife, Camille, founded and now direct The Threshold Society, a nonprofit educational foundation that has developed programs for practice and study within Sufism and spiritual psychology. He leads workshops and retreats for Sufis and the broader multifaith community.

The Threshold Society, rooted within the traditions of Sufism and inspired by the life and work of Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi, is a non-profit educational foundation with the purpose of facilitating the experience of Divine Unity, Love, and Truth in the world. Sufism is a living tradition of human transformation through love and higher consciousness. Our fundamental framework is classical Sufism and the Qur’an as it has been understood over the centuries by the great Sufis. The Society is affiliated with the Mevlevi Order, and offers training programs, seminars and retreats around the world.

Threshold Society Website: www.sufism.org

Virginia Aisha Gray Henry is the director of Fons Vitae, a publishing house devoted to world spirituality. She is a writer and film producer under contract with the Book Foundation, and co-founder and trustee of the Islamic Texts Society of Cambridge, England. She has served as a contributing editor for Parabola magazine for over a decade. She has taught filmmaking at Dalton and Fordham University and world religions and art history at the Cairo American College, Cambridge University, Centre College and the Abbey of Gethsemane.

In 1994 she arranged for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to speak in Louisville, and has in April 2006 organized the Dalai Lama interfaith congress in San Francisco in which the his main focus was to meet with Muslim dignitaries from the world over.

Fons Vitae is currently engaged in the monumental task of bringing out Ghazali’s Ihya in readable english for parents and teachers as well as adapting it for children with workbooks, school curricula and an instructional DVD.

fonsvitae.com

ghazalichildren.org

Michael Sugich is a native of Santa Barbara, California and studied at UCLA and the California Institute of the Arts. He was initiated into a traditional Sufi order in 1972. Since that time he has studied Sufi doctrine and practice with spiritual masters across the Arab and Islamic world. He lived for 23 years in the precincts of the sacred city of Makkah Al Mukaramah where he kept company with many men of knowledge and illumination. He has written Palaces of India (Pavilion Books), a travel book, and Living in Makkah (Macdonald Publishers), a children's book, and, most recently a feature documentary film on the life of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Faisal: Legacy of a King.

Michael Sugich is author of 'Signs on the Horizons: Meetings with Men of Knowledge and Illumination', a memoir of 40 years with Sufi saints of the 20th and 21st centuries. https://www.amazon.com/Signs-Horizons-Meetings-Knowledge-Illumination/dp/0989364011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481132772&sr=8-1&keywords=signs+on+the+horizons

Peter Sanders is the world’s pre-eminent photographer of the Muslim world. For more than 45 years, he has captured over half a million images reflecting a rich traditional civilization filled with warmth, humanity and compassion.

He began his career in the 1960s as one of London’s leading rock and roll photographers, and his images of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, among others, are today considered classics of the period.

Peter Sanders is presently finalising work on ‘Meetings with Mountains’, a unique photographic record of Muslim saints from around the world. http://petersanders.com

W. Rory Dickson is Assistant Professor of Islamic religion and culture at the University of Winnipeg. His interests are in Sufism, Contemporary Islam, and philosophy.

He is the author of the new book Living Sufism in North America: Between Tradition and Transformation. In this book, William Rory Dickson explores Sufism as a developing tradition in North America, one that exists in diverse and beguiling forms. Sufism’s broad-minded traditions of philosophy, poetry, and spiritual practice infused Islamic civilization for centuries and drew the attention of interested Westerners. By the early twentieth century, Sufism was being practiced in North America. Today’s North American Sufism can appear either explicitly Islamic or seemingly devoid of Islamic religiosity. Dickson provides indispensable background on Sufism’s relation to Islamic orthodoxy and to Western esoteric traditions, and its historical development in North America. The book goes on to chart the directions that North American Sufism is currently taking, directions largely chosen by Sufi leaders. The views of ten North American Sufi leaders are explored in depth and their perspectives on Islam, authority, gender, and tradition are put in conversation with one another. A more detailed picture of North American Sufism emerges, challenging previous scholarly classifications of Sufi groups, and highlighting Sufism’s fluidity, diversity, and dynamism.

The book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Sufism-North-America-Transformation/dp/1438457561/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8&dpID=51VPmRghYKL&dpPl=1&keywords=living%20sufism&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1471928412&ref=plSrch&ref_=mp_s_a_1_1&sr=8-1

This podcast was recorded at America's Islamic History Museum, in Washington, D.C. with the founder and curator of the museum, Amir Muhammad a.k.a. "The People's Historian." http://www.aihmuseum.org/home.html

**Path & Present** Is a community endeavor produced for the sake of sharing the stories of our communities and amplifying the forces of positivity and goodness in the universe. It is made possible through community support. You can give a donation of any amount via paypal to [email protected]. Thank you for the support**

Special thanks to the Yaro Collective for organizing this event.

Amir Muhammad is a researcher, historian, author, and poet whose works have gained him international recognition. He is the president, co-founder and curator of America’s Islamic Heritage Museum, a division of Collections & Stories of American Muslims, Inc. (Traveling Exhibit, Archives, & Museum), established in 1996. He is among the foremost historians and researchers of the Islamic experience in the United States as well as one of the leading activists in creating public awareness of America’s rich Islamic history.

America's Islamic Heritage Museum is the principal project of Collections & Stories of American Muslims, Inc. CSAM was established in 1996, it is dedicated to preserving and fostering educational community engagement programs and opportunities that provide access to, and understanding of, the history of Muslim Americans.

Greetings of Peace loved ones! Apologies for the time between podcasts. I have been on the road for the last 3 months and haven't been able to sit down for another episode. I just finished up a tour in Malaysia and, while there, had the opportunity to do an interview for Malaysia's BFM Radio Station. Unlike a lot of interviewers who simply ask stock questions, the host really did his research asked excellent questions and we had a good conversation. After it aired I asked him if we could share the interview on the Path and Present Podcast and he said, "of course." So this episode is a little bit different: Instead of me asking the questions, this time I was getting asked the questions. Enjoy!

Love and Light!

Baraka Blue

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From BFM's page:

"The poet-musician is in the country promoting his kind of contemporary music--hip-hop, rap, urban music but shaped by his spiritual and contemplative nature. He tells about the obstacle that blocks people from embracing and accepting The Other--ignorance. This conversation links language, spirituality, connectedness and ‘truths’; touching on the Beatles, Rumi, George Orwell, baseball and Janda Baik."

Here is a link to the original post from BFM: http://www.bfm.my/baraka-blue-rappin-with-rumi

Usama Canon is the Founding Director of Taleef Collective, a community based non-profit focused on creating healthy social and sacred spaces. He is also a spiritual advisor to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN). http://taleefcollective.org

Ali Sharrief is is a Bay Area hip hop artist, film director/editor, community activist and founder of The Hijabi Chronicles. http://aliasharrief.com

One Be Lo is a hip hop artist from Pontiac, Michigan. He is well respected for being one half of the rap duo Binary Star, and has released a number of well-received solo albums. He is also a member of the World Champion B-boy crew, Massive Monkees. http://onebelo.com

Brother Ali is a hip hop artist, speaker and activist. His resume includes six albums, mentorships with Iconic Hip Hop legends Chuck D and Rakim and performances on late night talk shows with Conan O Brien and Jimmy Fallon. He is a member of the Rhymesayers hip hop collective. http://brotherali.com

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This podcast is a live recording of a panel discussion moderated by Baraka Blue at Seattle Central College on 4/14/16 entitled, "Intersectionality: Malcolm X, Islam & Hip Hop." Thank you to Seattle Central College for giving permission to use the audio for the podcast and to Samuel Chesneau for organizing the event. The video of this event can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNQrQpkitRM