Identity Politics

We’re back with Season 5 and Makkah is in a new city! We talk moving—the good apartments, the bad apartments, what comes, what goes and how to create a home and community. http://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/39_Episode_39_When_It_s_Time_to_Pack_Your_Bags.mp3

For the last episode of the season, Ikhlas and Makkah lament the last year of their 20s. They look back at what went right, what went allll the way left and what’s to come. How do you prepare for the big 3-0? http://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/38_Episode_38_Late_Late_Twenty-Somethings.mp3

While Makkah is on vacation, Ikhlas is joined by guest co-host, Joshua Wilkerson. In honor of their two-year wedding anniversary, Ikhlas and Joshua play a game of 21 questions. http://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/Episode9_21Questions.mp3

Naeem Muhammad of Native Deen joins us to chat about the connection between music and faith. In this episode, we shoutout our favorite songs of summer, try to figure out what gospel music is doing right, and get real about what Black artists have to consider when performing for Muslim audiences.  Guest: Naeem Muhammad, @naeemusic, is […]

In the final episode of our 5 Pillars Series, “Hajj Pro” Shahidah Sharif joins us to discuss what this ritual means to her and how to prepare for the experience of a life time. Guest: Shahidah Sharif is the Program Director of the Faith Institute of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, and is the co-founder […]

So you’ve just converted to Islam. Now what? On this episode, Palmer Shepherd joins us to discuss how becoming Muslim means trying to be the best you can be, what unique challenges converts face and the importance of community in navigating it all. Guest: Palmer Shepherd, @shadedpalms, is the former Co-Chair of the Muslim Alliance for Sexual […]

How can women get the most out of Ramadan when we are unable to fast? We sit down with Hazel Gomez about female bodies, spiritual development and what it might take to change how we think about our periods. Guest: Hazel Gomez, @Palunquita, is a student of the Islamic sciences with Rabata.org under the tutelage […]

In Part 2 of our “5 Pillars Series” this Ramadan, we discuss praying for candy, struggling to keep up in taraweeh and the potential benefits of being elbowed in the ribs. Plus we chat with Yusufi Vali, Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, about inclusive mosques and how to find a […]

In Part 1 of our “5 Pillars Series” this Ramadan, we discuss what zakat means to us, how children’s songs are useful teaching tools and what Islam might be trying to tell us about capitalism. Plus we chat with Amany Killawi, COO and co-founder of LaunchGood, about how her organization helps Muslims put our money […]

Ikhlas and Makkah discuss what it means to be a “Ramadan Muslim” and share how they are prepping for the month spiritually and socially. Plus Makkah’s five year-old nephew Tariq has some great advice for all you first-time fasters out there. We’re doing a series for Ramadan and want to know what’s been your Ramadan […]

How do you balance the fine line of representing yourself with representing others? Ikhlas and Makkah bring on writer, model and body-positive activist Leah V to discuss the representation of Muslim women in the beauty industry, the benefits and the risks of social media and how to deal with the haram police. We were featured in NPR: https://www.npr.org/2018/04/12/599215203/americas-next-generation-of-muslims-insists-on-crafting-its-own-story

We’re back and kicking off Season 4 with a little Spring Cleaning! We all want to get our lives in order, but where do we start? Tune in to hear the lessons we learned about growth in our 20s, the steps we took to take control of our spiritual and professional selves and how to bridge the gap between who we are and who we want to be. Episode Extras: Check out our remarks at Columbia University’s 2018 Muslim Protagonist Symposium with Good Muslim Bad Muslim’s Zahra Noorbakhsh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYmAOQgNgh0 Music by Ibraheem Azam

It's the last episode of the season! This Christmas we get real about interfaith cooperation with anti-racism and interfaith educator, Hind Makki. Our big question: Is it possible to do interfaith collaboration without centering and appealing to whiteness? We also share our best and worst of 2017. Guest: Hind Makki, @HindMakki, is an internationally recognized speaker and educator. She develops and delivers trainings on interfaith action, anti-racism education and youth empowerment. She is the founder of "Side Entrance," an award-winning website that documents women’s prayer experiences in mosques around the world. Episode Details: (00:00:56) We reflect on the season and THANK YOU for showing us so much love! (00:07:30) We talk about some of our experiences with and questions about interfaith work. (00:13:28) Hind Makki joins us and explains how she got engaged with interfaith and anti-racism work. (00:20:07) What does real interfaith engagement look like beyond the “photo-op”? (00:30:54) We discuss the need for a diversity of Muslim representation in interfaith circles. (00:38:08) Is it possible to do interfaith work in this country that de-centers white people? Music: Intro and Outro Music: RSPN by Blank and Kytt, CC-licensed

Halal, Zabihah, Kosher, Vegetarian, Grassfed, Organic - there is a diet for everything and everyone, but what’s the point of it all? Farmer and interfaith activist Amira AbuLughod joins us to discuss how to build a stronger relationship with nature and how food and farming are connected to our spiritual practice. Guest: Amirah AbuLughod is a Wisconsin native, farmer and activist currently based at Stony Point Center in upstate New York. She uses farming as a tool for interfaith collaboration and spiritual practice. She recently returned from a trip to Palestine and Israel with Interfaith Peace-Builders where she partook in the annual olive harvest. You can find her on Instagram @Ameermah and you can learn more about her work at stonypointcenter.org. (00:00:55) Ikhlas and Makkah catch up on their respective Thanksgivings and explain to listeners why this episode is being released so late... (00:10:25) #FlashbackFriday to when we sat down to talk about how much we were looking forward to Thanksgiving and reflecting on our relationship to our food. (00:27:19) Amirah AbuLughod joins us to talk about her relationship with nature and her journey to growing food. (00:45:45) Okay...what does "halal food" really mean? (01:01:13) Amirah drops some wisdom about how some of us city folk can better connect to our planet. Music: Intro and Outro Music: RSPN by Blank and Kytt, CC-licensed Also, here is the song Ikhlas passionately sang in the intro of this episode. You can thank us for it later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9yznF92EZI

We’ve talked about searching for bae, but what happens once you find them? On this special bonus episode, Ikhlas and Makkah ask their husbands, Joshua Wilkerson and Rizwaan Akhtar, what life has been like since exchanging vows, how marriage has helped them be better men and what lessons they’ve learned from their partners (that's us!). Guests: Our husbands, Joshua Wilkerson and Rizwaan Akhtar. Music: Intro and Outro Music: RSPN by Blank and Kytt, CC-licensed