For our latest episode we're excited to be recording from Hub925 in Pleasanton, CA, with special guest Zachary Markwith a doctoral student at the Graduate Theological Union specializing in early Islamic spirituality and comparative religious studies. Listen in for a fun and far-ranging conversation spanning the gamut of topics, including his journey to Islam and his continued interfaith work and even a brief digression on what prophetic stories have in common with superhero myths. You can listen via the embed below (or via iTunes or Stitcher), and as always, please hit "like" on our Facebook page, and send any comments or questions to DiffusedCongruence@gmail.com.

Episode 73: Zachary Markwith

A podcast seeking to celebrate the many facets of the American Muslim experience. The goal of the show is to highlight and focus on unique and interesting personalities from both within and without the American Muslim community, and engage them in what will hopefully be a worthwhile and invigorating conversation not only for the guests, but also for listeners. Essentially, a long form interview format that’s meant to flow organically.

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For the show's 150th episode Parvez & Omar are joined by the second guest ever to appear on the podcast, Zahra Billoo , Civil rights Attorney and Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA). Zahra brings her years of tireless Civil Rights work and activism to bear as she discusses the recent protests and encampments taking place across college campuses placing them within the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and discussing their overall goals and objectives. The conversation also tackles the criticisms that such protests and encampments have garnered from voices outside of and within the Muslim community, as well as certain initiatives and organizations that some argue seek to normalize relations with the State of Israel and Zionism.
About Zahra Billoo
Zahra Billoo serves as the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) office, the oldest CAIR chapter office. Since joining in 2009, Zahra has led the organization through a period of six-fold growth. Today, she manages one of the largest CAIR offices in the country with a team of civil rights and social justice advocates dedicated to the empowerment of American Muslims through legal services, legislative advocacy, and community organizing.
Under Zahra’s leadership, CAIR-SFBA has filed lawsuits against the United States Department of Justice, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Southwest Airlines, representing American Muslims facing discriminatory treatment. CAIR-SFBA has also significantly expanded its capabilities to provide know-your-rights sessions on a nearly weekly basis to mosques and community members in the San Francisco Bay Area, while also providing direct legal representation to Bay Area residents facing numerous civil rights violations, including FBI interviews, employment discrimination, airport harassment, school bullying, and hate crimes.
Zahra’s advocacy has included media appearances in local and national media, including MSNBC, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and even FOX News. Among her awards, she received the 2017 Human Rights Award from the Society of American Law Teachers and the 2018 Community Builder Award from People Acting in Community Together (PACT). She was also listed by the San Jose Mercury News as a “Woman to Watch” in March 2017 for Women’s History Month, as well as by the Chronicle of Philanthropy in their January 2018 cover story on millennials who lead.
She is currently a fellow with Levi Strauss Foundation Pioneers in Justice, a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum’s Silicon Valley Chapter and an alumna of Rockwood’s Fellowship for a New California, LeaderSpring’s Executive Directors Fellowship, and USC’s American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute. Zahra earned her undergraduate degrees from the California State University, Long Beach, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings. She is licensed to practice law in California.

Episode 150: Protests, Encampments, and the BDS Movement with Zahra Billoo

Parvez and Omar are truly honored to host Dr. Mohammad Subeh who just returned from a five week medical mission to the Gaza Strip, specifically the Rafah Crossing to the south. Dr. Subeh shares his background born to a Palestinian refugee family living in Kuwait and then forced to flee overnight at the start of the First Persian Gulf War and invasion of Kuwait. Dr. Subeh shares in harrowing detail what he witnessed first-hand during his time in the Gaza Strip. It is a sobering listen as he recounts the unprecedented devastation and humanitarian crisis unfolding before our very eyes as Israel continues its brutal military incursion into Gaza. In the midst of the brutality and horror he also beautifully details the unyielding faith and resilience of the Palestinian people. It is an absolute must listen for anyone dismayed by what is occurring in Palestine. Please give it a listen, share widely, and above all pray for an end to the suffering and the ultimate liberation of Palestine.       
 
About Dr. Muhammad Subeh
Dr. Mohammad Subeh is an emergency physician and traumatologist with a deep passion for innovation and discovery, both inside and outside of medicine. After completing his undergraduate degree (BA Human Biology) and graduate work (MA Sociology, MS Epidemiology/Biostatistics) at Stanford University, Mohammad took his first major dive into entrepreneurship. He founded HireLabs, an outcomes analytics company aimed at deciphering organizational data to reshape and guide how people are managed within these organizations. Since then, he has founded and advised several companies in the health tech space. More recently, his love for science and coffee led him to launch Kenz Coffee Roasters, a bay area-based specialty coffee roastery that sources high quality coffee microlots worldwide and featuring these unique coffees to coffee lovers across the globe.Dr Subeh received his MD from Oregon Health and Science University, and completed Emergency Medicine residency training at the University of Chicago and Ultrasound Fellowship at UC Irvine. Currently, he serves as Partner of Vituity and Assistant Medical Director of the El Camino Hospital Emergency Department in Mountain View, CA. Additionally, he practices emergency medicine at UC Irvine, Catalina Island Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA. He enjoys spending time with his family of four, deep sea fishing, and traveling to different countries to provide free medical care to underserved communities.

Episode 149: A Physician's Medical Mission to the Gaza Strip with Dr. Mohammad Subeh

Here is an episode that's been a few years in the making! We finally had the privilege of sitting with Dr. Jihad Saafir of Islah LA to discuss his background, academic training, as well as the remarkable and pioneering work that Islah LA and Islah Academy are doing to serve the community in South Los Angeles. As you've come to expect from the podcast we cover a lot of ground including the socio-cultural realities of Islam in the Inner City and some of the interesting topics Dr. Saafir explores as an academic and Assistant Professor of Religion and Community Development at Bayan Islamic Graduate School. 
 
Islah LA is one of the first of its kind in the United States – an inner-city community center founded by Muslim-Americans to serve South Los Angeles. Islah LA is poised to start a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim-American community.
Bayan Islamic Graduate School is a seminary that seeks to “desegregate” theological education and provides higher education to men and women who serve as Muslim religious leaders, scholars, chaplains, activists and educators.  
 
About Dr. Jihad Saafir
Dr. Saafir earned a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Leadership from Bayan at Claremont School of Theology (CST) in 2014, and then completed his Ph.D. at CST in Practical Theology. He is the resident Imam and the Founding Executive Director for Islah Academy, a K-8 Islamic private school based in Los Angeles. He is a former chaplain of The California Institute for Women and the former Imam of Masjid At-Taqwa in Altadena, CA. In 2018, Imam Jihad was awarded with the prestigious KCET Local Hero’s Award. More recently, South Coast Interfaith Council recognized Dr. Saafir as its "2022 Faith Leader of the Year." Through Dr. Jihad Saafir’s leadership, Islah LA has spawned a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim American community. At Bayan, he teaches courses in Muslim adolescent identity formation, leadership development, and Islamic education.

Episode 148: Islam in the Inner City and the Work of Islah LA with Dr. Jihad Saafir

It's not too often that you come across a Silicon Valley raised and Dar-ul-Uloom trained Imam but that's exactly who joins Parvez and Omar to kick-off the blessed month of Ramadan. Imam Tahir Anwar, Imam of the South Bay Islamic Association and Lecturer at Zaytuna College returns to the show! This time around the discussion includes a deep dive into his background, his religious education and training, in addition to having him impart precious gems of wisdom and advice for Ramadan. As always it's a far ranging discussion that we hope you enjoy and benefit from! Ramadan Mubarak!       
 
About Imam Tahir Anwar
Imam Tahir Anwar is an American Muslim scholar and preacher. Born in London, England, he has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1983. Imam Tahir is a scholar of Hanafi Fiqh with an ijaza to teach Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, and Usul al-Fiqh. Imam Tahir is a native Gujurati and Urdu speaker. He is also proficient in Arabic and Hindi.
After completing his religious studies, Imam Tahir has served the Bay Area Muslim community since 2000 as an Imam of one of the area’s oldest mosques, South Bay Islamic Association.  
In addition, he is the founding board member of Averroes High School, the Bay Area’s first Muslim high school. He is currently the chairman of the board of NISA, North-American Islamic Shelter for the Abused, an organization that works towards alleviating issues related to domestic violence.
In the past he served on the Human Rights Commission for the City of San Jose for over 5 years and on the Human Relations Commission for the County of Santa Clara for one year. He also leads groups for Hajj & Umrah each year.
Imam Tahir joined the faculty of Zaytuna College in 2010 where he teaches Islamic Law with an emphasis on the Hanafi School.

Episode 147:  Imam Tahir Anwar, His Silicon Valley Roots, Religious Education, and Advice for Ramadan

Parvez and Omar are honored to be joined by Shaykh Jamaal Diwan, co-founder and Resident Scholar at The Majlis. This was a wide-ranging conversation with Shaykh Jamaal discussing his personal journey connecting with his faith, his studies at Al-Azhar University, and the principles underlying The Majlis. Beyond his personal journey the conversation touches on parenting, the challenges of nurturing a sense of community in the United States, a "cultural topography" of Southern California, and much more.
This is an excellent companion episode to Episode 131 with his wife Shaykha Muslema Purmul, co-founder and Religious Director at The Majlis.      





About Shaykh Jamaal Diwan
Shaykh Jamaal Diwan was born and raised in Southern California to parents from Newfoundland and Pakistan. He accepted Islam in 2003 while at UCSD. After getting married and graduating from UCSD in Third World Studies, he and his wife moved to Egypt to study Arabic and Islamic Studies. He stayed there for the better part of the next seven years finishing an undergraduate degree in Sharia from al-Azhar. During that time he also completed two years of graduate work in Islamic Studies from the American University in Cairo. In addition to his formal studies he has also obtained ijazat (traditional licenses to transmit and teach) in various branches of Islamic Studies such as aqidah, fiqh, tazkiyah, and hadith. 
Upon returning from Egypt in 2011 he has served as a religious teacher and instructor in Southern California in various capacities such as Resident Scholar, University Chaplain, and Islamic Studies teacher.
He cofounded The Majlis with his wife, Shaykha Muslema Purmul. The Majlis seeks to nurture safe community spaces where people can learn and live Islam, based on the traditional sources of understanding the faith, while acknowledging the particular challenges of the American context. It focuses its efforts on religious education, spiritual refinement, love, and service. He is a father of two, residing in Southern California with his family.

Episode 73: Zachary Markwith

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