Identity Politics

It's been months but we still wanted to end things properly. Here's the final episode. Hibba gets intimate with Ikhlas and Makkah on the end of a journey. https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/67_Episode_67_The_Final_Episode.mp3

On this episode, Makkah and Ikhlas share why they decided to end the show and what’s next. Later, they talk to Angelica Lindsey-Ali a.k.a The Village Auntie about Allah centered self love.

Ikhlas and Makkah continue the conversation from last episode and talk to Muneera Fontaine about restoring the womb and what a graceful birth can look like. Dr. Muneera Fontaine, Ed.d is the owner of Peaceful Earth, Graceful Birth. She currently practices as an Early Interventionist, Birth and Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Womb Healer. Her […]

Ikhlas and Makkah go into detail on how they transitioned through pregnancy loss. What helped, what didn’t, what support looks like and what it feels like to be on the other side of it. https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/64_Episode_64_Process_and_Healing_Through_Pregnancy_Loss.mp3

Change is tough, it’s uncomfortable, sometimes exciting and something we all have to go through several times in our lives. Change is inevitable. So how do you move through it? Makkah and Ikhlas talk about how they’ve dealt with and meet change. https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/63_Episode_63_How_to_Move_Through_Change.mp3 Music by Ketsa, “Good Vibe”, CC-licensed.

With Covid resurfacing so much trauma, therapists have taken to instagram to help folks cope. But what does the journey to healing actually look like? Ikhlas and Makkah talk to Dr. Kameelah Rashad about myths and misconceptions around healing and navigating trauma. https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/62_Episode_62_Healing_as_a_Journey.mp3

Ikhlas and Makkah come back from an extended break and explore what joy and rest means to them in this space, time and age. https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/61_Episode_61_Joy_and_Rest_2.mp3

We go LIVE with Black Iftar to chat about creating a community of people you love, trust, and keep you inspired in your journey towards Allah.

To wrap up Season 7, Ikhlas, Hibba and Makkah sit down to check in, make sense of a post-COVID world and prep for a Ramadan unlike any other.

We chat with real life stand-up comedian and social media satirist, Nadirah Pierre about navigating the comedy scene while staying true to herself and her community as a Black Muslim woman.

We need your help to keep producing the show you come to know and love. Here’s two quick, easy ways you can support the show. Purchase our #CenterBlackMuslimVoices tee: identitypoliticspod.com/shop AND/OR Sign up to become a monthly contributor to the show: identitypoliticspod.com/donate

We chat with Toronto-based #Blackistani couple Henna Khawja and Ryan Hilliard about race, family, and what it takes to bring together two cultures in one household. Henna Khawja is a registered social worker at University of Toronto and Ryan Hilliard is a youth director and youth counselor and advocate for a number of organizations and […]

Ikhlas, Makkah and Hibba chat about hijab and modesty. 

We chat with Hoda Katebi, of Blue Tin Production Co-op, about how our clothes and our spirituality are connected, and steps we can take towards becoming more responsible consumers. We also share our first modest fit and whether or not we’d wear Nike’s new swimsuit. Guest Hoda Katebi is a Chicago-based Iranian-American creative and community […]

We talk about food and community with Reem Assil of Reem’s bakery in Oakland.

On this episode, Aymann Ismail, host of Slate’s Man Up podcast joins the show to discuss what it means to be a man in today’s world, what positive masculinity can look like, and how men can achieve it. Plus Makkah brings on a special guest, Rizwaan Akhtar, to learn about the spaces some men are […]

To kick off season 7 we invited our producer Hibba Meraay on the show to talk our birth stories and how we got our names. Plus Ikhlas shares details about becoming a mom! https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/53_Episode_53_A_Birth_Story.mp3

Ikhlas had a baby! So yah this episode is a little late. Hibba turns the tables as we celebrate some podcast milestones. https://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/52_Episode_52_Hibba_Takes_the_Mic.mp3

The Village Auntie herself, Angelica Lindsey-Ali, joins us to discuss the importance of owning your sexual health and finding spaces to explore issues around intimacy, pleasure and womanhood. GUEST: Angelica Lindsey-Ali, @villageauntie, is a community scholar whose research interests include the West African roots of African American Islamic identity and the role of sacred sexuality […]

This week, we talk about what it feels like to be recognized in public and the special brand of online vitriol that is reserved just for women. Plus Dalia Mogahed chats with us about whether the costs of being a Muslim woman with a public profile outweigh the benefits and shares what motivates her to […]

When you’re looking to get deeper in your faith there a lot of options out there from meditation to yoga to spiritual retreats, how do you navigate it all? Reoccurring guest Joshua Abdul Haqq (aka Ikhlas’ husband) comes on the show to talk about his forthcoming podcast, “Three Stations of the Deen,” and why he […]

To mark the halfway point of Ramadan we check in on how we’re doing on those #RamadanGoals and chat with actor, comedian, and writer Ramy Youssef about how his Ramadan has been going in the wake of the release of his new Hulu show Ramy, what his hopes are for show, and the challenges and […]

Ramadan Mubarak! To kick off this year’s series, we reflect on the last decade of summertime fasts and our girl Samira Abderahman joins us to talk about Black Iftar, why she created it and the importance of leaving room for Black joy in Ramadan.   Guest: Samira Abderahman, @SamiraImam_, founder of Black Iftar.

Ikhlas and Makkah chat about how Muslims talk about Muslims, how Hollywood talks about Muslims and have Besheer Mohamed, Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center, to tell us what the data says about Muslims. What we’re looking to find out: what’s really good for the ummah?   Guest: Besheer Mohamed is a Senior Researcher at […]

What should you expect if you are a Black Muslim woman who is expecting? And how might a doula be able to help? On this episode, we discuss these questions and more with The DC Doula herself, Malika Hook Muhammad. Tune in to learn more about how the medical system fails women of color, how […]

We kick off  season 6 with some life updates–Ikhlas has some big news!  We also talk about the highlights and challenges of podcasting–especially in the changing media landscape–and the importance of taking time for retreat. Tune in to find out what we’ve been up to. What we’ve been up to during the break. Ikhlas has […]

We list our favorite films from 2018 and filmmaker Nijla Mu’min comes back on the show to chat about her debut feature film “Jinn” and we play a game of movie trivia. Guest: Nijla Baseema Mu’min is an award-winning writer and filmmaker from the East Bay Area. Her work is informed by poetry, photography, fiction, […]

We come up short on Friendsgiving invites so we play a game of friends trivia instead. Action item: call a friend you love today.  http://media.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/content.blubrry.com/identitypolitics/42_Episode_42_Friendsgiving.mp3

Is there any reason to still believe in our political system? Mohamed Gula and Aysha Ahmed of Emgage USA join the show to answer this question and more. We discuss our favorite civic engagement commercials, why representation matters, and what fictional characters would have our votes. Guests: Aysha Ahmed is the Programs and Operations Specialist […]

Writer and poet Tariq Touré sits down with us to talk vulnerability, fatherhood and what we owe Black women. Plus we share what’s on our bookshelves, shoutout some of our favorite poets and discuss the role poetry can play in imagining a better world. Guest: Tariq Touré, @TariqToure, is a Muslim writer, husband, father and […]

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. Guest: Leah V, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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!). […]

Turn on the lights, I’m lookin’ for her too. That’s right, it’s cuffin’ season and time to start scouting for bae. If you’re really about that life, you’re always looking for a permanent bae all year long. Ikhlas and Makkah bring on relationship consultant YasGuru to deliver all the goods on how to find bae, […]

Ikhlas and Makkah bring on their first shaykh! And literally ask him a million questions. In this episode, we sit down with Shaykh Muhammad Mendes and talk everything from student-teacher relationships to Islamic scholarship in Africa to what he does when he’s not serving as a spiritual guide. Guest: Adeyinka Muhammad Mendes is the imam […]

With more allegations of abuse, harassment and sexual misconduct emerging every day, Ikhlas and Makkah are fed up. This week, we open up about our personal experiences with sexual harassment, how we’ve coped and what gives us hope for the future. Episode Details (00:00:55) Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual harassment, sexual assault […]

Here’s a bonus segment for Episode 21: Coming to America. Dr. Ifrah Magan shares a poem she wrote about the refugee experience. We hope you enjoy!

What does home look like, feel like? This week, we’re thinking about the temporary and the permanent, the spiritual and the physical. We delve into what it’s like to come to America as a Muslim immigrant or refugee. Guests Maryam Adamu, @maroadamu, is a law student and former podcast guest (Episode 5 and Episode 9). […]

It’s back-to-school season so we’re reflecting on our college days — the good, the bad and the formative experiences that helped shape who we are and how we understand the world today. Guests Nina Daoud, @shebatherapy, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy program at the University of […]