In the words of bell hooks: We cannot dismantle a system as long as we engage in the collective denial about its impact on our lives.

Protecting the vulnerable and the oppressed is a duty of ours in Islam, yet we have failed to stand firmly in the face of injustice, specifically abuse and the many forms that it comes in.

In today's episode, special guest Eman Bare is choosing to courageously share her story by speaking up about the various accounts of abuse, harm and hyper sexualized rumors that have been spread about her.

As a community I believe it's time that we go beyond the unfollow and block button when it comes to taking action against abusers. Why do we place the burden on the victim to share their story so publicly without the support of community leaders at times?

Given the lack of accountability, we are creating loopholes for abusers to get away with what they have done which means that we are also inherently protecting these same abusers and instead dissecting and placing blame on the victim - sending a clear message that they are not safeguarded or to be believed by their community.

In this conversation, we discuss how shame is used as a tool by the oppressor against victims and survivors of abuse, why it's important to publicly name abusers, the lack of accountability amongst our communities and the dangers of victim blaming.

To anyone  who has ever endured such harm, may Allah protect you in the same manner that you are choosing to publicly share your story in order for others to not fall victim to these abusers. May you always be believed and supported in every capacity.

Please pass on the following resources to your family and friends:

1. Peaceful Families Project: focuses on preventing all types of abuse in Muslim families, specifically domestic violence.

2.  HEART: provides Muslims with the resources, language and choice to nurture sexual health and confront sexual violence.

3. FACE: stands for Facing Abuse in Community Environments, and they promote safer Muslim communities by holding religious and community leaders accountable for abuse.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Eman Bare on Instagram:
@emanidil

What exactly is a spiritual awakening and why is it so painful?

Have you ever found yourself wanting to take a break and crawl into a hole all by yourself but not knowing the reason why? Could it be that almost everything feels forced lately? Forced interactions, forced relationships and even forced conversations?

I tend to believe that our mental breakdowns are truly spiritual breakthroughs. Someone once told me that if you're not speaking it, you're storing it and that can get pretty heavy.

In today's episode, I sit down with Hanan Abdel-Khalek, the founder of Young Nevertiti, and somehow even though we live thousands of miles apart, we are always on the same wavelength.

In our discussion we both exhibited the same painful experiences, the same desire for solitude and the unfortunate feeling like we are being consumed by things that are distancing us away from our Creator. We came to the conclusion that we were each going through a spiritual awakening.

Hanan discusses what triggered her to embark on this journey and how social media at times can be used as an escape route from real life and how it's a tool that allows us to peer into the lives of our family, friends and even strangers. We converse about the internal struggles we have faced and how one can never be truly ready for the lessons written for us, but these hardships are required in order for us to grow into a new version of ourselves.

It may be a terrifying feeling for you to finally give yourself permission to be yourself, but in this conversation you'll see that you are not alone on this journey and as painful as spiritual awakenings can be, they are such a gift to experience in this world.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Hanan Abdel-Khalek on Instagram:
@hananithink

Check out Young Nevertiti:
www.youngnevertiti.com

I'm not sure what's worse : a rejection letter from the company I had just applied for or no reply at all.

Did you know that job search depression is actually a thing? I was reading an article that mentioned how looking for a new job but having zero luck can truly be a bit demoralizing.

I wonder if I can highlight my ability to stay standing after receiving 'x' amount of rejection letters as one of my skill sets on my resume - kidding of course.

But on a serious note, we fail to realize that our emotional and mental health can be greatly impacted because our career is also an indication of who we are, it's a part of our personal identity.

Personally, I didn't want to just find a job that pays my bills. Recently, I had released an episode with Alex Fox to discuss how to better align our purpose in life with our passions. Our conversation gave me so much more clarity on what I was seeking and it was the motivation that I needed to continue pursuing my job search.

So, in today's episode I sit down with Wardah Khalid, a political analyst, activist and career coach, just to name a few of her notable positions, to discuss the topic of career coaching. I realized that I needed all of the help that I can get and I wanted to lend these same resources to anyone else out there searching for a new career, too!

In this conversation, Wardah discusses resume do's and dont's, why cover letters are so important, how to not close the door in our own face and how to better advocate for ourselves in the interview process.

So while you guys are tuning in, I'll be fixing up my resume...

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Wardah Khalid on Instagram:
@wardahkhalid_

Check out Wardah's website:
www.wardahkhalid.com

Why is it that we stay put in positions that our minds and even our hearts want a way out of?

It's no secret or miraculous discovery to know that we all have a purpose, but the most difficult part is finding out what our purpose is and how to better align it with our passions.

Recently, I have found myself at a crossroads - one that many others have discovered along their own life's journey. The intersection of fulfilling our life's purpose and choosing the path that best fits with our intentions.

This topic brings me back to the question of who am I? Who am I stripped of all of my labels? The label of being someone's sister, friend, daughter and etc?  I found myself dissecting this question and the reason why I hesitate in answering it for myself is simply out of fear.

What I mean by this is that to understand who I am, I have to pave my own path. A path that no one else has ventured onto before.

And so, in today's episode I sit down with Alex Fox, the founder of Origin of Mind, to discuss what it means to align our purpose in life with our passions. Alex is someone who I had the pleasure of crossing paths with on the Clubhouse app, where she has created two of the largest Muslim clubs, which gave us all a platform to foster discussions surrounding faith, relationships, women empowerment and so much more.

Alex and I may not be experts on this topic, but we each come with our fair share of personal life experiences and hardship that we have overcome. A laundry list of obstacles that we have faced in our own career paths and so we believed it was necessary to have more dialogue surrounding the idea of setting our intentions, understanding the role that our hardships play in figuring out our purpose and so much more.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Alex Fox  on Instagram:
@alalafox

Follow Origin of Mind on Instagram:
@originofmind

Raise your hand if you grew up believing that you wanted to be Jasmine from Aladdin only to realize that this movie was perpetuating orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia.
Keep your hand raised if you are exhausted with the idea that being Muslim and being accepted by society are mutually exclusive.

Don't you think it's time that we deserve more accurate portrayals of Muslims in media?

If you've caught yourself holding your breath when you've seen a Muslim cross your television screens, you're not alone. You're silently hoping this Muslim character won't be portrayed as the villain, the terrorist or someone who is oppressed and needs to detach from their faith if they want to be accepted by others.

Frankly, we are tired of these dangerous tropes and stereotypes that have been overdone for decades now.

"Let Muslims tell you who we are, rather than telling you what we're not by constantly playing defense."

These are the words of Arij Mikati, today's special guest and someone whom I have been vocal about when it comes to how much I admire her and how many doors she has opened for herself and the rest of us as she continues to challenge these roadblocks and stereotypes.

Recently, Riz Ahmed, with the help from Pillars Fund, USC Annenberg and the Ford Foundation have unveiled the Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion in Media and the Arts.

Over 90% of films from 2017-2019 were missing Muslim characters, that's 181 out of 200 films that had no Muslim representation at all.

In today's episode, Arij explains how the erasure of Muslim filmmakers behind and in front of the camera means that countless of stories go untold. She dives into what representation actually means and why it's so important. We discuss how the lack of positive and accurate portrayals of Muslims is directly linked to horrific and Islamophobic attacks on our Muslim communities and so much more.

Arij and her peers are excited to announce what can be done to change the narrative and it all starts with the Muslim Visibility Challenge and the Pillars Artist Fellowship, just to name a few of the initiatives that are currently unfolding.

Thank you once again to Arij, Pillars Fund, Riz Ahmed and the many others who are working tirelessly on this initiative. I am so incredibly honored to have Arij join us today to discuss the building blocks of a brighter future for Muslim creatives.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Arij Mikati  on Instagram:
@arijmikati

Follow Pillars Fund on Instagram:
@pillarsfund

Check out the Variety article here:
Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion

Growing up, I can't tell you how many times I used to hear the words 3aib, haram or the most triggering of all: "What will people say." But in today's episode you're going to hear what Alya Mooro, my special guest, has to say about navigating the many facets of her identity as an Arab woman.

It was just last year when I had picked up Alya's book, 'The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes', and I found myself devouring every word of hers. In her book, I had seen myself, my struggles, my identity crisis and the many obstacles I had faced trying to figure out who I truly am.

As a first born and the daughter of immigrant parents, I've come to realize that my life path was already written for me by my parents, extended family and members of the community before I ever had a say in it.

Navigating life as an Arab woman meant that I was responsible for carrying the burden of my family's honor on my shoulders. I was always paralyzed by the fear of making any wrong decisions that could jeopardize the reputation of my family name. 

I never understood why this huge responsibility was placed on us women and never on our male counterparts until Alya Mooro directly said this in her book:

"Women hold the burden of their family's honor and that honor lies between their legs."

It's this obsession and constant policing of women that dictates our every move. As an Egyptian born and London raised Arab woman, Alya shares the struggles she had faced and is still facing as she is trying to figure out who her authentic self truly is.

In this episode we discuss how our identities can dictate how we behave, the East vs West mentality (haram vs halal), juggling different versions of ourselves, halal dating and how to deal with rejection in life.

It's important to note that all of us still have our own unique experiences growing up as Arab, Muslim or as women in general, and the obstacles we faced as women isn't limited to only our Middle Eastern culture, these issues are also very prominent in Western societies.

I hope that we can continue to have these conversations and for us to continue providing spaces to do so. We all have a voice and we all have the right to be heard.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Alya Mooro  on Instagram:
@alyamooro

Tune into Alya's 'Talk of Shame' podcast here:
Talk of Shame

Purchase Alya's book here:
The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes

The unconditional support that the U.S. has for 'Israel' is unmatched but will we ever witness a breakup when it comes to this toxic relationship?

Recently, the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Commission has reported that since 1967, there have been approximately one million arrests of Palestinians by the IOF. 

More than 50,000 of these arrests are children. I would like to also add that a generous amount of these Palestinian prisoners died as a result of torture, medical negligence, and there are those who have been murdered by the IOF after they have been released from prison.

In today's episode,  I sit down with Lara who is a Palestinian-American International lawyer and the cohost of the Palestine Pod which is a weekly podcast that breaks down the latest Palestine related news with the aim of supporting Palestinian liberation, justice and equality on the ground and in exile.

In this discussion, Lara mentions how her friend Iyad Burnat was unable to record a podcast episode with her because the IOF raided his home and kidnapped his two sons. And when I say raided, I mean that the IOF destroyed everything in sight. While Lara and I were recording this episode, Iyad was unaware of the location of his children. But as of today there has been an update and unfortunately the discovery of his sons whereabouts should have brought him relief, but instead it brought on more heartache.

This is because both of his sons are being held in one of the worst military prisons in the world and it's located in Jerusalem. This prison is infamous for its torture methods and it's purpose is to extract false confessions and place ludicrous charges against Palestinians.

I hope that you can keep the Burnat family and every other Palestinian family in your prayers and most importantly try your best to amplify their stories and their voices.

Just recently I had come across this following statement:

'It is a miraculous feat of propaganda that an occupying army convinced so many that it is the victim of the people it is occupying.'

Not only are the IOF terrorizing Palestinian families but they are also brutally attacking our journalists in order to further suppress the truth, while the world continues to turn a blind eye.

In this discussion, Lara also covers the myth of coexistence, 'Israel's' blatant intentions to separate Palestinians from one another, the importance of using the correct terminology when it comes to what is unfolding in Palestine and 'Israel's' racist and discriminatory laws.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Lara  on Instagram:
@gazangirl

Tune into the Palestine Pod here:
Palestine Pod

How does one lose their job for reporting the truth, yet their job description is to report the truth? Now that's a riddle that I can't seem to solve.

By now, you may have heard of the open letter that was drafted by journalists urging Canadian newsrooms and editors to provide more nuanced coverage on Palestine and to also include Palestinian voices in regards to the recent attacks that have happened on Gaza, as well as the forced expulsion of the residents of Sheikh Jarrah and the ongoing ethnic cleansing.

Growing up Muslim, I have always felt unsettled when I would watch the news on tv. It was always the same paintbrush followed by the same brush strokes, painting Muslims as the aggressors and terrorists.

This same paintbrush is also used when it comes to what is happening in Palestine and to no surprise, Palestinians are continuously painted as the provokers and 'Israel' as the victim.

How does the media get away with writing news articles that are not always factual and why is it that they can't say the word Palestine on air?

In today's episode, I sit down with a friend of mine, Sumayya Tobah, who is a political producer in Washington D.C. She has also done work for AlJazeera English, ABC News, TRT World and is currently working for CBC.

Sumayya's name was also one of the signatures on this open letter that I had just discussed. She shares with me the behind the scenes of newsrooms and the current response to this letter.

I had so many questions for Sumayya in regards to why it's so difficult for media to accurately cover what is happening in Palestine. I wanted to know why Palestine couldn't be said on air by reporters and journalists alike, and her response was a bit heartbreaking.

She also discusses the roadblocks her and her peers face when challenging editors to amplify Palestinian voices and their stories.

But is it possible that we are also witnessing a slight shift in the narrative and if so, what can we do on our end to continue to pressure the media?

Resistance comes in many different forms and covering the truth is one of them.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Sumayya Tobah on Instagram:
@thisissumayya

Read the Open Letter here:
Check this out

In today’s episode, I sit down with Alana Hadid, one of the many gems of our Palestinian community and her family is just as admirable as her. 

Recently, we have seen Alana and her sisters, including Bella come out full force and show their love for their people and their identity, from raising awareness to attending protests.

In today’s discussion, Alana and I had sat down to discuss our Palestinian identity and what role it has played in who we have become today. We also discussed her business, La Detresse and how one can bring their dreams into reality. 

We also spoke of the people in our lives who influence us the most and how critical it is to surround ourselves with the right people. This episode was recorded before the recent events that have taken place, but I hope that you enjoy hearing Alana speak so passionately about Palestine and her roots.

Once again, thank you to the Hadid family, for their resilience, their support and their endless love for their people.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered

Follow Alana Hadid on Instagram:
@lanzybear