Podcasts about shias

While Western media portrays the Sunni Muslims who control Damascus as “moderate,” reports from regional media that armed Sunni groups are attacking Shias and Christians across central and western Syria.5) Western media overlooks Sunni violence in Syria; 4) Walls closing in on Ukraine's Zelensky; 3) Court strikes down Biden admin's radical gender rewrite of rules governing women's sports in schools; 2) Prescribing weight-loss jabs to everyone in UK who qualifies would bankrupt National Health Service; 1) Pope Francis given Presidential Medal of Freedom, apparently for being the climate-change pope.FOLLOW US!X: @WatchSkyWatchTV | @Five_In_TenYouTube: @SkyWatchTelevision | @SimplyHIS | @FiveInTenRumble: @SkyWatchTVFacebook: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHIS | @EdensEssentialsInstagram: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsUSATikTok: @SkyWatchTV | @SimplyHisShow | @EdensEssentialsSkyWatchTV.com | SkyWatchTVStore.com | EdensEssentials.com | WhisperingPoniesRanch.com

After battling insurgency for 13 years, the Bashar al Assad regime has collapsed in Syria. Assad and his family have fled to Russia where they have been given asylum. An Al Qaida affiliate that today goes by the name of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has taken control of the Syrian capital Damascus. The immediate future of Syria now depends on the leader of the HTS, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, a man who was handpicked by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to establish a branch in Syria. What were factors behind the sudden overthrow of the Assad regime, which not many had foreseen? What are the implications of this for Russia and Iran, Assad's biggest backers? What are the implications for the various minorities such as Shias, Christians and the Syrian Kurds? And what does this mean for Palestinians in Gaza and for Lebanon?   Guest: Iftikhar Gilani, a senior journalist who has reported for three decades from South Asia and the Middle East and is currently based in Ankara. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu. Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian.

In this episode of the After Maghrib Podcast, hosts Ahmed and Sayed Ali dive into the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Beirut, exploring how external forces are attempting to exploit sectarian divisions between Sunnis and Shias. They discuss the dangerous "divide and conquer" tactics being used to fracture the Muslim community, but emphasize how unity amongst Muslims has been a source of strength throughout history. By standing together, despite efforts to sow discord, the Muslim ummah remains resilient and powerful in the face of adversity. Tune in for a critical conversation on solidarity and resistance.

As the regional war wages on, we've seen assassinations and retaliations from state and non-state actors. This week, we're joined by Br. Hassan al-Qadri to further understand a number of key points. This includes, the role of the Muslims in the west, Gaza one year on, maintaining conviction in Dua to Allah (swt), the arrival of Imam Mahdi, the Sunni-Shia dialogue, Arab state involvement, and how Muslim influencers have reacted to the war in Palestine and Lebanon. This episode is filled with emotion and vigour and is not to be missed.

- Arba'in of Imam Husayn was commemorated on Sunday with 21.48 million visitors in Karbala, compared to 2 million in 2003. - Imam Husayn's uprising against Yazid remains an inspiring example of resisting tyranny. - Some scholars under tyrant rulers teach obedience to unjust rulers, condemning Imam Husayn's rebellion. - Independent scholars see Imam Husayn as a source of inspiration, including Shaykh Muhammad 'Abduh, who emphasized the duty to resist rulers who abandon Islamic principles. - Imam Husayn is described as the "lamp of guidance and the ark of salvation." - Oppressed individuals and those with clear consciences support the oppressed, as seen in global protests against oppression, including in Gaza. - University students are demanding divestment from companies involved in Israel's occupation of Palestine, with San Francisco State University beginning to divest from weapons manufacturers. - The women of Banu Hashim, particularly Zaynab, played a crucial role in spreading Imam Husayn's message after his martyrdom. - Imam Husayn's movement is divided into two phases: his leadership until Ashura and Zaynab's leadership afterward. - Zaynab's sermon in Yazid's palace challenged his tyranny, asserting that their memory and revelation could not be erased. - Yazid's grave is abandoned, while shrines of Zaynab in Damascus and Cairo are visited by both Sunnis and Shias, with devotees believing their prayers are answered through her intercession. - Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian novelist, highlighted the deep devotion of Cairo's people to Zaynab's shrine in his writings. Friday Juma Khutba August 30th, 2024 Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/ Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)

The History and Future of Shia Genocide in Pakistan through Parachinar, Quetta and Peshawar. This discussion takes us through the past, present and future of the horrors that Shias face across the world for their beliefs.

Syed Muhammad Kumail comes back on The Pakistan Experience to discuss Funny Rumours about the Shia Community in Pakistan, Misnomers about Muharram, Matam and the Story of Karbala. Follow Kumail on  @BhinPhysic  https://youtube.com/@BhinPhysic?si=pf6WW83TbiyzhumS Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC44l9XMwecN5nSgIF2Dvivg/join The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Funny rumours about the Shia Community 3:14 Rumours about Shaam-e-Ghareeban 6:17 Jokes about Kumail and SGS 12:30 Propaganda against Shias and Sunnis 19:15 Rumours about spitting in Niaz and Haleem 30:55 How people believe in random propaganda 33:00 There were no Shias at the time of Karbala 38:00 Matam, Karbala, Iran and Palestine 45:00 ZulJanah 49:44 Hazrat Abbas (AS)'s story and Alam 57:30 Protest and Non Violent Movements 1:04:58 Yazeed vs Hazrat Zainab (RA) 1:13:00 Misnomers about Shias 1:21:00 More funny rumours about Shias 1:28:30 Importance of Conversations and Comedy 1:45:00 DHA and Kumail's Coconut Story 1:55:00 Bin Physics

- The 26th chapter of the Qur'ān, ash-Shu‘arā' (The Poets), discusses the role of poets in society, and their commentary on current events of their time, including injustice and evil rulers - Since 1948, Palestinians have faced displacement and denial of their identity. - The 1917 Balfour Declaration by the British favored a Jewish homeland in Palestine, marginalizing the Arab majority as "existing non-Jewish communities." - This had far reaching implications that we are seeing even today, with the conflict in the Middle East - Despite this, around 140 countries now recognize a Palestinian state, with recent recognitions from Spain, Norway, and Ireland. - There is optimism for broader international support, including potential shifts in U.S. policy regarding Palestinian UN membership. - The Shi‘i community has survived various historical challenges as well, including persecution by different regimes. - Notable recognition: Shaykh Maḥmūd Shaltūt of Al-Azhar University issued a 1959 fatwa accepting the Shi‘a Ja‘fari madhahb as a legitimate Islamic school of thought. - Current mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Dr. Aḥmad aṭ-Ṭayyib, supports the legitimacy of the Shi‘a school and dismisses myths about differences in the Qur'an. - They are also displaying acceptance of marriages into Shi'a families, and reject fatwas from other countries declaring Shias as heretics. - The struggle for recognition and rights, both for Palestinians and the Shi‘i community, reflects a broader themes of justice and resilience in the face of oppression. Friday Juma Khutba May 31st, 2024 Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/ Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)

THOSE IMMORTAL WORDS were spoken by Michael Kabuni, a political science lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea, responding to a false claim by President Biden that his uncle had been eaten by cannibals after being shot down in WWII. Biden told the story twice Wednesday, in Scranton and then again in Pittsburgh. As it happens, his uncle, Ambrose J. Finnegan, was not a pilot and hadn't been shot down; the plane on which he was flying lost power in both engines and ditched in the ocean with only the flight engineer surviving the crash. Needless to say, the people of Papua New Guinea are not thrilled about being characterized as cannibals. We also discuss the tense situation in the Middle East. Since last week's program, Iran hit Israel with a wave of drones and cruise missiles, nearly all of which were intercepted. There was only one reported casualty, a 7-year-old Bedouin girl. In response, Israel on Friday reportedly destroyed the radar unit that protects Iran's Natanz nuclear plant. Then, Friday night, reports from Iraq indicate that somebody struck a base south of Baghdad used by Iran-backed Shia militias. Israel and the US have denied responsibility, but the Shias in Iraq blame Israel nonetheless. We discuss who may have attacked the Shias there and why. Also: Bluetooth LE has created a mesh network independent of the Internet, ready for AI to transform into the real-world equivalent of Skynet, and car wash turns Tesla Cybertruck into a Cyberbrick. Here's the link to the video for “Watchers,” the new song by the Caspar McCloud Band, featuring the Gilberts, Pastor Paul Begley, and Col. David Giammona. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square foot pole barn has a new HVAC system, epoxy floor, 100-amp electric service, new windows, insulation, lights, and ceiling fans! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here: gilberthouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to this podcast, our weekly Bible studies, and our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at pidradio.com/app. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site: gilberthouse.org/video! Check out our online store! GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials!——————SOLIDARITY MISSION TO ISRAEL! We're planning a one-week trip to Israel May 6–13, 2024 to bear witness to what's happened there since the war with Hamas began. We plan to visit Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Sderot, the site of the Nova Music Festival, and more. For details, go to www.gilberthouse.org/travel. NEW DATES FOR OUR NEXT TOUR OF ISRAEL! Our 2025 tour features special guests Dr. Judd Burton and Doug Van Dorn! We will tour the Holy Land March 25–April 3, 2025, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com.——————Gilbert House runs on coffee! We are proud to partner with Kevlar Joe's Coffee (KevlarJoe.com) to bring you three blends: Snarling Dachshund, a Sumatran medium roast; Amazing Grace, a cookies and cream flavored coffee; and Derek's Bunker Buster, a dark roasted Colombian that's sure to get you moving. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store/.——————Subscribe to our YouTube channels:• Unraveling Revelation: www.YouTube.com/UnravelingRevelation• These weekly studies and Derek's podcast: www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse

With barely weeks to go for the Lok Sabha polls, BJP's Muslim outreach is focused more on welfare politics and catering to the Pasmandas, who RSS believes are converted Hindus. In Episode 1408 of Cut The Clutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta in conversation with Sanya Dhingra, discusses the reasons behind BJP's Muslim outreach, its focus on the Pasmanda Muslims, how both BJP and Congress made use of the Shia-Sunni divide and what it means for the Muslims in India.----more----Read Sanya Dhingra's article here: https://theprint.in/politics/origins-evolution-of-bjps-dalliance-with-shia-muslims-the-minority-within-minority/1979683/

The Middle East is in turmoil, but trying to understand the conflict in terms of simple geopolitics doesn't provide good answers. Iran is using proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen to attack Israel and pressure the West. But Iran is a Shia nation while its most violent proxy, Hamas, is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni group that wants to restore the caliphate—which was based in Turkey. Dr. Timothy Furnish, a scholar of Islamic eschatology, joins us to help untangle the web that binds together Shias and Sunnis, and Persians and Arabs, in their opposition to Israel and the West.We highly recommend Tim's books Holiest Wars, Ten Years' Captivation with the Mahdi's Camps, Sects, Lies and the Caliphate, and The COIN of the Islamic Realm.Tim's books are available in hard copy and Kindle format at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Timothy-R.-Furnish/author/B001KDHY64

The Middle East is in turmoil, but trying to understand the conflict in terms of simple geopolitics doesn't provide a good explanation. Iran is using proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen to attack Israel and pressure the West. But Iran is a Shia nation while its most violent proxy, Hamas, is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni group that wants to restore the caliphate—which was based in Turkey. Dr. Timothy Furnish, a scholar of Islamic eschatology, joins us to help untangle the web that binds together Shias and Sunnis, and Persians and Arabs, in their opposition to Israel and the West. We highly recommend Tim's books Holiest Wars, Ten Years' Captivation with the Mahdi's Camps, Sects, Lies and the Caliphate, and The COIN of the Islamic Realm. Tim's books are available in hard copy and Kindle format at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Timothy-R.-Furnish/author/B001KDHY64 Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! The building has HVAC, a new floor, windows, insulation, ceiling fans, and an upgraded electrical system! We're in the process of moving our studios and book/DVD warehouse and shipping office out of our home and across the yard into the Barn. If you are so led, you can help out at www.GilbertHouse.org/donate.——Download our free app! This brings all of our content directly to your smartphone or tablet. Best of all, we'll never get canceled from our own app! Links to the app stores for iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle Fire devices are at www.GilbertHouse.org/app. Please join us each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details. Check out our weekly video program Unraveling Revelation (www.unravelingrevelation.tv), and subscribe to the YouTube channel: YouTube.com/UnravelingRevelation.——Special offers on our books and DVDs: www.gilberthouse.org/store.——NOTE NEW DATES FOR OUR 2024 ISRAEL TOUR! Our 2024 tour of Israel features special guest Timothy Alberino! We will tour the Holy Land November 3–12, 2024, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com. Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page (facebook.com/viewfromthebunker) and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network (Spreaker.com/show/fringe-radio-network)!

The Middle East is in turmoil, but trying to understand the conflict in terms of simple geopolitics doesn't provide good answers.Iran is using proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen to attack Israel and pressure the West. But Iran is a Shia nation while its most violent proxy, Hamas, is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni group that wants to restore the caliphate—which was based in Turkey.Dr. Timothy Furnish, a scholar of Islamic eschatology, joins us to help untangle the web that binds together Shias and Sunnis, and Persians and Arabs, in their opposition to Israel and the West.We highly recommend Tim's books Holiest Wars, Ten Years' Captivation with the Mahdi's Camps, Sects, Lies and the Caliphate, and The COIN of the Islamic Realm. Tim's books are available in hard copy and Kindle format at Amazon.

Today, The Two Mikes spoke with great investigative reporter Jack Maxey. (Mr. Maxey's presentation was riveting and we ended up with an episode that lasted a little over an hour, so we will divide it into two episodes.) Our listeners will recall that Mr. Maxey was one of the first people to acquire a copy of the hard-drive from Hunter Biden's computer. Thereafter, he gave copies of the hard-drive to many leading Republican leaders, law-enforcement organizations, and other prominent individuals. Almost none of the recipients have responded to the hard-drive in any way meaningful way, which, at a minimum, means that even leading Republicans and senior law-enforcement officials have little interest in nailing the Biden crime family for their financial crimes and their treason. Mr. Maxey said that the material on the hard-drive also showed that the Biden administration – and its CIA in the lead – was running the company called Metabiota and placing its laboratories in many locations in Ukraine to manufacture bio- and bio-chemical weapons, including lethal vaccines designed by Dr. Fauci. Interestingly, Mr. Maxey said, the Metabiota company is still listed as a portfolio company by the CIA's technology investment company IN-Q-TEL. Needless to say, the placing of numbers of Metabiota laboratories across Ukraine was another important component of the plan of the Biden Administration, Soros, and the WEF, the UN, and the Globalists to bring about a U.S.-Russia war. Mr. Maxy also that he believes three other things are becoming increasingly clear: (a) General Michael Flynn is “dirty, a bad actor, and a traitor”, (b) Israel might be done because it has screwed up in so many areas, because it behaves always with an alienating, almost delusional arrogance, and, most lethally, has united Sunnis and Shias, and (c) all of Washington is run by blackmail. Opening music credit: Noah Kahan, Hozier - Northern Attitude Sponsors Triangle Fragrance: https://trianglefragrance.com/?sca_ref=4171318.dUndUHDKz3 Cambridge Credit: https://www.cambridge-credit.org/twomikes/ EMP Shield: https://www.empshield.com/?coupon=twomikes Our Gold Guy: https://www.ourgoldguy.com www.TwoMikes.us

Today, The Two Mikes spoke with great investigative reporter Jack Maxey. (Mr. Maxey's presentation was riveting and we ended up with an episode that lasted a little over an hour, so we will divide it into two episodes.) Our listeners will recall that Mr. Maxey was one of the first people to acquire a copy of the hard-drive from Hunter Biden's computer. Thereafter, he gave copies of the hard-drive to many leading Republican leaders, law-enforcement organizations, and other prominent individuals. Almost none of the recipients have responded to the hard-drive in any way meaningful way, which, at a minimum, means that even leading Republicans and senior law-enforcement officials have little interest in nailing the Biden crime family for their financial crimes and their treason. Mr. Maxey said that the material on the hard-drive also showed that the Biden administration – and its CIA in the lead – was running the company called Metabiota and placing its laboratories in many locations in Ukraine to manufacture bio- and bio-chemical weapons, including lethal vaccines designed by Dr. Fauci. Interestingly, Mr. Maxey said, the Metabiota company is still listed as a portfolio company by the CIA's technology investment company IN-Q-TEL. Needless to say, the placing of numbers of Metabiota laboratories across Ukraine was another important component of the plan of the Biden Administration, Soros, and the WEF, the UN, and the Globalists to bring about a U.S.-Russia war. Mr. Maxy also that he believes three other things are becoming increasingly clear: (a) General Michael Flynn is “dirty, a bad actor, and a traitor”, (b) Israel might be done because it has screwed up in so many areas, because it behaves always with an alienating, almost delusional arrogance, and, most lethally, has united Sunnis and Shias, and (c) all of Washington is run by blackmail. Sponsors Triangle Fragrance: https://trianglefragrance.com/?sca_ref=4171318.dUndUHDKz3 Cambridge Credit: https://www.cambridge-credit.org/twomikes/ EMP Shield: https://www.empshield.com/?coupon=twomikes Our Gold Guy: https://www.ourgoldguy.com www.TwoMikes.us

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW  0:00 SEG 1 Why was Xi given a big corporate welcome? Because Biden is weak and doesn't project strength | College kids think the world can be divided into two camps; either the oppressed or the oppressor | Israel and Hamas are not the same 18:36 SEG 2 Jim Talent, Former US Senator and Chairman of the Reagan Institute's National Leadership Council, talks about James Carville's insane claim that Christian Nationalism and Mike Johnson are more of a threat than Al-Qaeda | Mullahs, Shias, and Sunnis | It Matters Who the President Is When It Comes to How the World's Tyrannical Powers Will Act | Trump's Maximum Pressure Against Iran VS Biden Unfreezing $Billions | Deal With Bullies With Common Sense | The Chinese Have Already Weaponized Space | George Santos is not the only one that should be expelled | Expulsion Is Overturning the Will of the People | Legislators don't get to choose their colleagues https://twitter.com/JimTalent  35:03 SEG 3 Chris' Corner is about how the Sunday shows didn't mention that Hamas is the one that broke the ceasefire   https://newstalkstl.com/    FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones    FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps    24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/newstalkstlstream    RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 12.04.2023 THIS JIM TALENT SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY ROYAL BANKS OF MISSOURI https://www.royalbanksofmo.com/  Jim Talent, Former US Senator and Chairman of the Reagan Institute's National Leadership Council, talks about James Carville's insane claim that Christian Nationalism and Mike Johnson are more of a threat than Al-Qaeda | Mullahs, Shias, and Sunnis | It Matters Who the President Is When It Comes to How the World's Tyrannical Powers Will Act | Trump's Maximum Pressure Against Iran VS Biden Unfreezing $Billions | Deal With Bullies With Common Sense | The Chinese Have Already Weaponized Space | George Santos is not the only one that should be expelled | Expulsion Is Overturning the Will of the People | Legislators don't get to choose their colleagues https://twitter.com/JimTalent      https://newstalkstl.com/    FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones    FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps    24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/newstalkstlstream    RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick shares facts and statistics about Israel from the Jewish Virtual Library: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-status-of-arabs-in-israel Jack - I have an extended family member who was killed while traveling through Israel, last Sunday. Please pray. Teresa - I have gone through what Heidi is going through with my mother. The Church really helped me through this. Ryan - Is the death penalty an infallible teaching? How do things become infallible in the Church? Donna - Regarding Islam, I heard the Shias believe in someone who will come into the world for the end times. Do you know anything about this? John (email) – Have you ever been mistreated by Jews while on a pilgrimage? Fr. Ray - Today is the feast of Saint John XXIII. What do you think about what Saint John did regarding Vatican II?

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3Ln-QHUF8U September 23, 2023 - 8th Rabi al Awwal 1445 AH Shahadat Of 11th Imam (a.s.) Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/ Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)

**پوڈ کاسٹ کی تفصیل:**

Brother Talib, who was raised amongst the urban culture of London and discovered Islam in a unique way. His journey into Islam revealed a startling truth: many lack exposure to different Islamic perspectives. Talib, however, embraced Shia Islam, but was initially discouraged from exploring it further and was told to stay clear from pivotal events like Ghadeer and Karbala, and was told that Shias had a separate religion. With his unique urban background, Talib offers us a fresh perspective that sheds light on the complexities of faith in the modern world.

A gripping conclusion of our Tabarrah in Shiism series!

From the time of before Aurangzeb and EIC to the Dogras and now. Shias have been sidelined and systematically targeted. This procession is a step towards coexistence.

On Ashura, a day of profound historical significance, conflicting narratives are weaved, painting a complex portrait of sacrifice and striving. Sunnis rely on authentic traditions that the Day of Ashura is about delivering the Hebrews from Pharaoh's tyranny. Shias only see the significance of the day through the lens of the heinous assassination of Imam Hussein. How do these diverse perspectives shape our understanding of the past and chart our path towards the future of the Ummah? As we navigate this intricate web of perspectives, we attempt to find a way out. Is it possible for conflicting narratives to coexist?

This episode of Attack the Backlog is all about Transformers: War for Cybertron, a third-person shooter set in the Transformers universe before they made their way to earth, meaning there's sadly no Shias or Marky Marks in sight. Also not in sight is ammo thanks to a baffling ammo system that's guaranteed to annoy everyone who dares play this game. If that's not enough, also missing is color, something that would have gone a long way in making War for Cybertron at least pleasant to look at--it still looks good, but it could have looked a lot better. In the end, War for Cybertron is nothing more than a bland and forgettable shooter that's greatest strength is its mildly interesting story, but that can only take it so far, lest you're a sucker for anything involving robots that transform into cars.

Welcome to our podcast, dear listeners. In this episode, we discuss a very important question: which is more important, the life of the Imam or the life of the Shia of the Imam? We analyze examples from the lives of Sayyeda Fatima Zahra, Imam Al-Hasan, and Imam Al-Hussain to provide insight into this question. We explore the significance of the Imam in Shia Islam and how protecting their life is the ultimate goal. Join us as we delve deeper into this topic and gain a better understanding of the importance of the Imam in our faith. Don't forget to follow us on our social media platforms and listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Thank you for tuning in, and may Allah bless you all. Haqq Muhammad wa ala Muhammad wa salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ByfUTjswIssZ6WfxCpKtA Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reflectin_light Listen to the Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/reflectinglight Apple Podcast: The Light of Reflection

The Middle East is drowning in anti-Iran propaganda emanating from Western, Gulf and oligarch-funded outlets that seek to turn the populations in the region against Iran and other institutions deemed to be “backed by Iran.” In Lebanon this plays out in a sectarian narrative that portrays Hezbollah as an Iranian proxy and depicts Shias as agents of an Iranian occupation of the country. This pattern has also been replicated in neighboring countries in an attempt to turn people against the regional forces that challenge U.S. imperialism. To understand the phenomenon, Rania Khalek was joined by Denijal Jegic, a professor of communication at Lebanese American University and author of a forthcoming research paper titled, “An Iranian Occupation of Lebanon: The imperialist media discourse on Western Asia.”You can listen to all episodes of Rania Khalek Dispatches anywhere you get podcasts.Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3za9DRK Apple: https://apple.co/3zeYpeW 

This episode of A365 will discuss religious acceptance in the workplace and how we can all recognize various faiths in a respectful and inclusive way.     Isabel Wong (Hong Kong) will lead the conversation with Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith America to address understanding and embracing different religious identities in the workplace, and how people and organizations can be more inclusive and supportive of diverse religions around the globe.     Authentic 365 – Faith at Work Isabel Wong [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Isabel Wong with Edelman, currently based in Hong Kong. Now for this episode we are going to have a deep dive into the topics of religious acceptance, best practices in the workplace for interfaith dialog, and how religious identities are very much part of the broader diversity and inclusion conversation. And joining me for this conversation is Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America. Eboo is also a former faith advisor to President Barack Obama. So, Eboo, thank you so much for joining us from Chicago. It's great to have you with us on the show.     Eboo Patel [00:00:40] Isabel, it's great to be with you. Thank you for having me.     Isabel Wong [00:00:43] Thanks for joining us. Now, before we kick start the deep dive conversation, in order to set the scene right, I would like to have you help us understand and give us a brief introduction to our international audience about the work that you do at Interfaith America.     Eboo Patel [00:01:01] Sure. So about 25 years ago, I founded an organization called Interfaith Youth Core. Actually founded it when I was a graduate student at Oxford University. And we ran programs all over the world. And the big idea was that, we should, it was going to strengthen the global fabric to bring young people from different religious identities together, to discuss the shared values between their faiths and to act on those positive values like compassion and hospitality and service. As the organization developed, we rooted it in the country in which I'm a citizen of the United States, even though I was born in India and educated in part at Oxford. I'm an American citizen. I've grown up here. I feel most comfortable in this culture and the organization as we would have here in the big idea of the organization whose name is now Interfaith America, but which started as Interfaith Youth Core, is that religious diversity can be a great strength of a nation in a world if faith is a bridge of cooperation and not a barrier of division or a bludgeon of domination. That's the case at city level, at the national level, and certainly also at the company level. And I'm excited to talk to you, Isabelle, about how positively and proactively engaging religious diversity can strengthen the fabric at both Edelman and for Edelman's clients.     Isabel Wong [00:02:27] Mm hmm. Yeah, I do very much look forward to our discussion as well. And I know that for this conversation, we are going to touch on the concept of religious diversity and also religious acceptance. So I just want to get your help to help our audience understand the concept of religious acceptance as well. And why is this so important?     Eboo Patel [00:02:48] Sure. So so religious diversity is just a fact of our world and a fact of most nations in the world. Meaning that there are people from different religious identities who are living in close quarters together, whether that's in the United States or in India or Brazil or Australia or the United Kingdom or Morocco or South Africa. Anywhere in the world you have people from different religions living together, working together, studying together, playing on sports leagues together, etc.. We don't talk about religious acceptance at Interfaith America because we don't ask people from one religion to accept the doctrine of another religion. It's not about acceptance. It's about cooperation. The idea is not that that Muslims who believe that Jesus is a prophet of God, but not the son of God, should accept the Christian doctrine about Jesus. The idea is that Muslims and Christians should cooperate positively. So we speak of religious diversity, should give rise to interfaith cooperation where faith is a bridge and not a barrier.     Isabel Wong [00:03:58] Yeah, I do very much agree with that as well. And the very foundation of it is also fostering a sense of, you know, ability to appreciate spiritual values, beliefs and faith based practices. You know, there are different from opposed by removing prejudices and stereotypes, which is very much the kind of work that you do also. And it requires mutual respect. Now, I would like to take a deeper dive into embracing religious diversity at work, because obviously when it comes to this topic, a lot of people would just be thinking, how can we really do that? And for authentic 365 this podcast, the kind of conversations that we create, are all about how can one really bring oneself authentically to work. And in our view, one must also feel comfortable to show all sides of himself or herself that includes one's religious identity, because religion is very much an essential part of personal and community identity. So. Eboo, from your perspective, should we speak about our religion, our faith at work? And if so, what is an authentic way to approach it?     Eboo Patel [00:05:10] Sure. So, Isabel, I'm in a slightly adapt the question, and I'm going to say that I think it's important for any company, for for employees to feel like they can bring their best professional self to work and that that company is able to serve its clients and its customers and the community in which it is and in the best possible way. So the question for me is not can you bring your authentic self to work? I appreciate that. That's the question of this podcast. That's not my principle question. The principle question is, can you do your best work at work? And if you are Jewish and keep kosher and there is always a mixing of meat and cheese and there's never any kosher food available, you might not be able to do your best work if you are Hindu and are vegetarian, and there is meat in every dish at the cafeteria at work. You might not be able to do your best work if you are Muslim and you don't drink alcohol on account of your faith. In every social event at work involves copious quantities of alcohol, you might not be able to do your best work. And this is why it's important for a company to positively and proactively engage religious identity when it comes to their employees. To ask the question, can employees from different faiths do their best work here? Are there are we do we have an environment that is respectful of people's diverse religious identities? The framework we use that at my organization, Interfaith America is respect, relate, cooperate. Do you have an environment that respects the identities of diverse people, that encourages positive relationships between them, and that facilitates cooperation on common projects? The beautiful thing about companies is that the common projects are obvious, right? The client work that you're doing, the creative work that you're doing, the initiatives and campaigns that you're working on at Edelman, those are obvious. And so you have a shared project to encourage cooperation. And I think this is one of the reasons that companies can really be leaders in interfaith cooperation efforts, because you naturally have employees from diverse religions present. You naturally facilitate positive relationships through a close environment, and you have shared projects in which to encourage cooperation. There are many parts of who we are which are totally legitimate but but are probably not the best fit for the workplace. And what comes to religious diversity? A good example of this is conversion. It's perfectly legitimate for Christians or Muslims or somebody from a different religious identity or in fact a philosophical worldview like atheist who seeks to bring other people to their faith or worldview. It's a perfectly legitimate activity, but that's not what you want happening at a workplace. The question is how do you engage religious diversity in a way that encourages people to bring their best professional self to work again? People should be able to wear clothes that are appropriate for their religious identities. People should be able to eat the food that is required by their religious identity. People should have a place to pray. If they need to pray, they should have the appropriate days off if they need to take days off for religious holidays, etc. That's a positive and proactive engagement of religious diversity at work that encourages people to bring their best professional self without inviting dimensions of their identity, which are perfectly legitimate in other spaces and churches or mosques or temples, but not appropriate at work. So I would I would offer a framework that is different from authentic self or wholesale. I would offer best professional self.     Isabel Wong [00:08:51] Mm hmm. Yeah. I really like how you mentioned that. And essentially, religious beliefs inform a person's identity, way of life and everyday activities and behaviors. And religious diversity can essentially make a workplace really inclusive in the sense of allowing opportunities for everyone to, you know, work through biases. And then essentially it will come into this positive impact that would result in diversity of thoughts, freedom of choice of beliefs and expressions. Now, obviously, when it comes to introducing and creating a safe space for religious diversity, it it has its challenges. So through the years that you work in this space, what are some of the common challenges that you've seen when there are multiple and diverse faiths represented in the workplace?     Eboo Patel [00:09:41] I think the first thing to say is that in virtually every workplace, when we're talking about the corporate environment, particularly in multinationals like Edelman and the kind of companies that that our clients development, you're going to have religious diversity naturally. You're going to have Muslims and Jews and Christians and Hindus and six and behind and Buddhists and atheists. You are naturally going to have religious diversity. And those people from different religions have important disagreements. They have disagreements a doctrine like the nature of Jesus and the disagreements and ritual practice, like what is permissible to eat. Many Hindus don't eat meat at all. At all. And of course, many especially don't eat beef because of that, the role that cows play in the Hindu faith. Muslims, on the other hand, not only eat meat quite regularly, but actually do it as an important part of several of our rituals, including Eve. That is a simple that is a simple fact that that's a disagreement, pure and simple. The important thing about religious diversity and other dimensions of diversity is to not pretend that differences and disagreements don't exist. Of course they exist. It's to say that those disagreements and differences are not going to prevent us from working on other important projects. I think a company has this opportunity, the ability for people to disagree on some fundamental things like doctrine and ritual practice, and yet work together on other fundamental things like campaigns, initiatives and projects that are essential to the mission and success of the company.     Isabel Wong [00:11:20] Mm hmm. Yeah. And I like how you just mentioned there that disagreements could be expected in different forms, and they don't have to be viewed negatively. Now, obviously, in light of the recent events that put anti-Semitism in the spotlight, the Wilders remind you that religious intolerance and ignorance can cause great harm. So I want to get your perspectives on, you know, how should businesses act around these conversations, right? Should they be taking a stand? And if so, how can they do this more strategically?     Eboo Patel [00:11:56] So you want your you want your employees to feel safe and welcome. Right. And when there is a very public and ugly rise in anti-black racism, as in the case of the murder of George Floyd or anti-Semitism, as has recently happened in the United States with comments by Kanye West and others, it very naturally makes some people, people of that particular identity feel hurt and marginalized and upset. And so that is not good for a company. I also think that companies. Should, generally speaking, not be taking stances on everything. You just can't do that because the world is a place of 8 billion people and there are always going to be conflicts and there's always going to be injustices. And you can't be in a position of of fielding a thousand different petitions a day and deciding which ones you're going to send a tweet out about or send a statement out about. I think that a company ought to decide which items impact its employees, its customers and its mission. So if an anti-Semite is one of your clients, unless you are a law firm defending their First Amendment right, you should think very hard about what you want to do about that. If that person is proactively spreading an ugliness and a bigotry that hurts lots of people, including your employees and your other customers. Again, if you're if you are in the free expression business, I think that the I think that that question might be fielded a bit differently. But broadly speaking, bigotry is a bad thing for business. It's a bad thing for society. It's a bad thing for your employees. It's a bad thing for your customers. Companies should steer clear of that and do it in a way that doesn't that doesn't sign you up for making a statement about every issue on the planet.     Isabel Wong [00:14:20] Hmm. Now I want to get your perspectives and insights into some of the best practices, because you previously served as a former faith advisor for US President Obama. Can you talk about some inclusive faith practices that you shared with Mr. President or other global leaders that you've worked with? You must navigate leading complex social structures and human landscapes that could include religious beliefs.     Eboo Patel [00:14:48] Sure. So I'd like to talk with President Obama and everybody from people who lead local churches to two people who lead global multinationals. I like to tell them that that we should think about diversity, work through the metaphor of a potluck supper. A potluck supper is is an event in which the food is not provided by the host. The host instead provides a space where people bring their own dish. And the thing that I love about a potluck is that a potluck only exists if people make a contribution, if people bring their dish. Right. And so you want this at work. You want your employees to come to work as if it's a potluck. You want them to make a contribution, their gifts and their talents and their efforts of their energy and their labor. That's what makes a workplace work, is when people bring their talents, bring their dish. You don't want everybody to bring the same dish. You don't want to you don't want a potluck of only biryani or only months off or only tacos or only casseroles. You want a diversity of dishes? That's what makes a potluck delicious and interesting and flavorful. And actually, it's not just the array of dishes that help a potluck be wonderful. It's the combinations between them. It's when somebody is crusty. Bread recipe from Eastern Europe goes just perfectly with somebody else's spicy dip from the Middle East. And so a company works well when it is inviting the contributions of diverse people and creating a space where creative combinations can exist. A company ought to be aware of the barriers to some people's contributions. Sexism, racism. Homophobia, Islamophobia. Anti-Semitism. These are bad because they are not only violations of individual dignity, but they are also barriers to people's contributions. There's anti-Semitism in your workplace. Jews are unlikely to be able to bring their best dish if there's Islamophobia in your workplace. Muslims are unlikely to be able to bring their best dish. So reducing barriers to people's contributions is a good thing. And the other thing is you want people to take responsibility for the whole space. The host can't do all the work and a potluck can't do the setup and the clean up and be responsible for getting the conversation going. The community has to do some of that work. Some people have to show up early to do the setup. Some people have to stay late to do the cleanup. Everybody's got to take responsibility for making sure that that the safest space, the space is safe and that the conversation is healthy. So I like to use the metaphor of a potluck supper when talking about diversity work, including religious diversity.     Isabel Wong [00:17:35] Right. And a follow up question for that is, you know, when it comes to this interfaith. I look right. People with different religious backgrounds, like you mentioned just now. I expected to bring their dishes to the table. Do you think atheists and agnostics should join these conversations? Should they be bringing the dishes to the table as well?     Eboo Patel [00:17:54] Oh, of course. Of course. I mean, that's not even that that's not even, you know, a controversy or a moment of pause. People of all faiths and philosophical worldviews are welcome. You absolutely want people who are atheist or agnostic or spiritual seekers or in between religions or whatever it might be to feel like they can do their best work for you at work. You want to be able to have clients from Zoroastrians to atheists, so to speak. And so, you know, we, we tend to call issues about religious diversity. We tend to use the language diverse orientations around religion, which means everything from the different kinds of Muslims in the world, Sunnis and Shias and Sufis, for example, to to people who who don't have religious belief at all and orient around religion as nonbelievers. So that's our kind of formulation that that we believe is more inclusive of atheists as diverse orientations around religion.     Isabel Wong [00:18:57] Yeah. Indeed. The conversation is all about, you know, trying to understand each other, not really to challenge or dispute. So that's a very important mind set that we should all remember. Now, I would like to take a slightly reflective lens on, you know, the work that you've done over the years and ask about your experience, you know, working in spaces inclusive of all faiths, you know, how has that that work really impacted your faith and your connection with others and vice versa? For example, how did those connections inform the work that you do over the years? Has it evolved?     Eboo Patel [00:19:33] Yeah, that's a great question, Isabel. So I've been doing interfaith work for 25 years, 20 of them professionally. In fact, my organization had just celebrated its 20th anniversary. And and I do interfaith work in part out of my own commitment as a smiling Muslim. The Koran says that God made us diverse nations and tribes, that we may come to know one another. There are many examples in the life of the Prophet Muhammad made the peace and blessings of God be upon Him, where he had positive partnerships with people of diverse faiths. In fact, he invited Christians to pray in his mosque, for example. And so there is a muslim inspiration for me to do interfaith work. And absolutely, the people that I engage with from different religions, I learn from their faith. I'm inspired by by their by their faith and their commitment to their faith, even when I don't fully agree with their doctrine. And so the word interfaith actually encapsulates much of the meaning of our effort here. Inter means the interaction between people from different traditions. Faith means one's own relationship with one's religious tradition. And so interfaith is about how our faith guides us to have better interactions with people from other religions and how those interactions with people from other religions actually strengthen our faith, our our relationship with our own religion.     Isabel Wong [00:21:01] And I know that you run your own podcast and on your show you like to answer the question, how does our religious understanding of the world inform how we live and work together? Would you please answer that question for us today?     Eboo Patel [00:21:15] Sure. So I think that the center of Islam is about mercy and monotheism. It's about believing in one God and that that God creates all of us. And our common ancestor is is Adam prophet. Adam, who who is the the the father of us all. And so there is kind of a human family feeling in that. And so that's a really important part of my of of my faith is the idea that that I am inspired by my faith to positively engage with diversity and do interfaith work.     Isabel Wong [00:21:50] And I know that you are an author of multiple books, and this year you also launched a new book. Congratulations, by the way. And it's titled It's We Need to Build Phenix for Diverse Democracy. Can you speak to what the book is about and what readers can take away from it, obviously, without giving away too much?     Eboo Patel [00:22:08] Sure. Well, I do hope that I appreciate you asking about my book, We Need to Build, and I hope that your audience here is interested in it. So a lot of my book is about a positive and constructive engagement with diversity. It's about how our societies can feel like potluck suppers that welcome the distinctive contributions of diverse people and in in facilitate creative combinations and enriching conversations. I don't like the melting pot. Hot metaphor for diversity. And I don't like the battlefield metaphor for diversity. I much prefer a potluck supper. I write about that a lot in my book, and I write about constructive approaches to social change. Social change is not about a more ferocious revolution. Social change is about building a more beautiful social order. And we need to defeat the things we do not love by building the things that we do. And one of the things that I admire about the private sector is, is the manner in which you you do and have the opportunity to build strong institutions which elevate people, both your employees and your customers, and hopefully the communities and societies that you live within. And so there there are lots of examples in my book about how nonprofit institutions do this because I'm part of the nonprofit world. And I also believe that companies have the opportunity to do this as well.     Isabel Wong [00:23:34] And finally, to wrap up this conversation, we normally ask every single guest of ours on authentic 365 this one question, Eboo, how do you define authenticity?     Eboo Patel [00:23:48] Well, for me, it's it is being honest with myself about what inspires me and trying to live that inspiration out in the world. And I'm inspired by diversity work and I'm inspired by constructive approaches to social change. I'm inspired by religion, and I'm inspired by my own faith. And I'm inspired by improving people's lives. And so and so that for me is is my authenticity. And I'm proud to I feel very blessed that I'm able to live out much of that in my life and inspired by my kids and my wife and my family and and having a balanced life between work and family and faith and community and recreation, that's that's also part of an authentic life for me.     Isabel Wong [00:24:31] Yeah, definitely. If we want to be inclusive, diverse and comprehend how we relate to each other, we need to continue to expand our understanding of different cultures values, and that includes various religions, beliefs and practices. That was a fascinating conversation. Thank you so much for sharing your time and insights with us. Eboo, It was a pleasure.     Eboo Patel [00:24:53] Thank you so much, Isabel.    

For 1400 years Shias, Muslims who claimed that they were following the Sunnah of the Prophet, butchered the Shias of Imam Ali AS whether in India, Abbasid, Pakistan, Salauddin, or Afghanistan and other times. After 1400 years the truth is coming out about Syeda Fatima Zehra is because of those who carried and transferred this message. At this time, it is the responsibility of every Shia who is living in a society where they are free from fear of life, family, and sustenance. We should highlight all atrocities across the Ahl-e-Bait AS to ensure that this message sustains through the ages and becomes apparent to all. So that whoever dies after this, dies on baseerah.

The sequence of events from the Quran that led to Prophet Musa taking Bani Israel out of the oppression of Pharoah is very similar to the sequence of events foretold about Imam Mehdi AS e.g. the dua, the small group, army follows them, swallowed by Earth. Furthermore, the selection of the Shias of Ahl-e-Bait AS is very similar to the selection of Banu Israel i.e. selection based on knowledge and serious tests

The atrocities that befell Syeda Fatima Zehra AS are a universal truth. However, many people in the world don't know about them, ignore them, deny them, or are ambivalent about them, as if nothing happened. This is true for both Shias of Ahl-e-Bait AS and non-Shias. So, the first thing is to understand who is the target audience that we want to enlighten about what happened to Syeda Fatima Zehra. This is not the entire world population or those Muslims that are adamant about denying what happened because their affairs are with Allah. The audience of this message is the Shias of Ahl-e-Bait AS. There are four groups of Shias: The True Shias (smallest group): For them, this will be a reminder and will increase their maarfah Shias that have doubts (larger size than 1): This series will hopefully reduce their doubts about the history and manifest the reality for them Secular Shias (larger than #2): These are people who don't care about religion Confused Shias: These are people who are misguided, misguided, misunderstand the affairs of Ahl-e-Bait AS Bringing the Shias of Ahl-e-Bait towards the right path is one of the Best Deeds a person can ever do in their life. This is the goal of the discussions.

All Muslims put the Quran as the centre of their faith. Some claim the Shia don't read the Quran even though Hadith Al-Thaqalayn demonstrates otherwise. Many have never opened the holy scripture in years and millions of believers across the world find reciting a few verses a real struggle. Do we give the holy book the respect it deserves? In this week's episode, our co-hosts Ahmed Abbas & Sayed Ali Radhawi are joined by special guest Mulla Rashid Haider discussing all things Quran.

Due to various geo-political factors, as well as a misunderstanding of classical texts, many believe that Shia Muslims have a different Quran, which undermines the promise of God, where He maintains that He is the protector of His book. In this discussion, Dr. Sheikh Faiyaz responds to these misconceptions in three dimensions: 1- The Shia Belief in the Quran 2- Defining the Mushaf of Fatima 3- Defining the Sahifa of Ali

Is celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (saw), considered innovation? Do Shia's place Imam Ali (as) before the Holy Prophet (saw)? Every year millions of Muslims around the world both Sunni and Shia look forward to marking the auspicious birth of Rasool Allah Muhammad (saw) by praising him and remembering the life of Allah (swt) mercy to mankind. In this Milad Al-Nabi special podcast, Sayed Ali Radhawi and Ahmed Abbas share love for the beloved prophet (saw), as well as some recitations in honor of the greatest man to ever walk this earth!

What's the worst way to die? Do you know where Shias come from? Well we know these answer and soon you will also know. Come SitDown with us as we talk about murder, protests, religion, and politics all.   The Murder of Junko Furuta Origin of Shi'as The Death of Mahsa Amini The Latest from Iran   Questions? Comments? Send an email to: askthesitdowns@gmail.com   BONUS (RIP COOLIO)

Featured speakers: Dr. Massaab Al-Aloosy, Rasha Al-Aqeedi, Dr. Shahla Al-Kli, and Zeidon Al-Kinani. Since October 2021, the government of Iraq has been embroiled in a seeming intractable political crisis. Following the victory of the “Sadrist Movement” in Iraq's general election, the party sought for eight months to build a national majority coalition between Shias, Sunnis, and Kurds opposed to Iran's growing influence in Iraq. However, the Sadrists' leader, influential cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, and his allies have consistently failed to break the majority required to appoint another president and prime minister. Al-Sadr's actions have been strongly opposed by Iraq's Shia pro-Iran “Coordination Framework,” which has pushed instead for a consensual government guaranteeing them decision-making authority. The Sadrists' efforts toward government formation abruptly ended in June when the bloc's members of parliament simultaneously resigned from parliament at Al-Sadr's request. The move was followed by several waves of protests, leading to repeated occupations of the heavily fortified Green Zone and even the Iraqi parliament building; in the most recent round of protest, rival Shia armed groups backed by Iran and Al-Sadr clashed for the first time in the Green Zone, threatening to engulf the country in a Shia-Shia civil war. Order was restored after Al-Sadr ordered his supporters to leave the Green Zone and the Iraqi armed forces imposed a curfew, but the incident, shocking though it was, does not appear to have resolved the larger crisis. Iraq's enduring social and sectarian divisions, exacerbated by foriegn influence, have led to an extremely unstable political situation in which no faction appears able to gain a secure majority and govern effectively and no authority seems willing or able to dissolve the current parliament and call for a new election. What are the constitutional dilemmas currently facing Iraq, particularly with regard to efforts to dissolve parliament? How have political alliances in Iraq changed since October 2021? What is the role of foreign intervention in exacerbating the crisis? How have militias growing power affected the political process? How can Iraqi leaders restore trust with each other? In the long run, what improvements, whether legislative or constitutional reforms or broader societal changes, could help to prevent a future crisis?

From worshipping rocks to beating ourselves, co-hosts Sayed Ali Radhawi and Ahmed Abbas discuss some of the most absurd misconceptions facing the Shia community. Listen in as they go over some of their own experiences being Shia Muslims.

Continuing the identification of who is meant by the holy Ahl al-Bayt, Sheikh Azhar Nasser uses hadiths from Sunni sources that are accepted by both Shias and Sunnis to compare Shia and Sunni viewpoints.Hadith include:- (Jame-ut-Tirmidi) Hadith al Kisa - the hadith of the cloak - (Sahih Muslim) Zahid ibn Akram's explanation of why the wives are not part of the Ahlul Bayt- (Al Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn) The prophet going to Fatima's door every day for months after it was revealed, repeating the Verse of Purity saying "Oh Ahl al-Bayt..."- (Sahih Muslim) Hadith of Mubahila, where the Christians of Najran rejected the Prophet's message and were challenged to a mubahalah. Here the term "Ahl al-Bayt" was used for the holy five exclusively- (Sahih al-Tirmidhi) Hadith Al-Thaqalayn, where the prophet said "I'm leaving for you that which if you hold onto you shall never devate., one is greater than the other: The Book of God-an extended rope between the Heavens and the Earth; and my progeny, my Ahl al-Bayt"- The fact that the wives never used the Verse of Purification to show their superiority (despite sometimes using other claims to show their superiority)Lecture notes available at http://www.why-quran.org/?p=556.Subscribe at http://www.why-quran.org/subscribe to watch the lectures live and participate in the Q&A at the end of each class.Video recording of this lecture + Q&A available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3cSoTy0ZlU&list=PLpkB0iwLgfTat-Pgh4W3WFmupPamiC9UT.

Continuing the comparison of Shia and Sunni views on Aisha bint Abu Bakr, Sheikh Azhar compares Shia and Sunni perspectives on hadiths that cause each sect to have their varying opinions on Aisha.Hadiths covered include:- (Bukhari/Sahih Muslim) Prophet Muhammad apparently pointing to Aisha's house and saying "fitna is from here"- (Bukhari) Prophet Muhammad saying Aisha is like "the female companion of Yusuf", i.e. Zulayqha- (Bukhari/Muslim) Various hadith given by Aisha that include implications of the prophet listening to women singing and being bewitched and halucinating, thus damaging the prophet's dignity with their alleged stories. (Shias reject the validity of these hadith)Key message: The above and the discussions from the last lecture give Shia scholars enough reservations about Aisha's narrations that they prefer to get their teachings from more reliable sources like Imam Ali and Lady FatimaLecture notes available at http://www.why-quran.org/?p=542.Subscribe at http://www.why-quran.org/subscribe to watch the lectures live and participate in the Q&A at the end of each class.Video recording of this lecture + Q&A available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQLj16n0-p4&list=PLpkB0iwLgfTat-Pgh4W3WFmupPamiC9UT.

Comparing the Shia and Sunni views on Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr and third wife of Prophet Muhammad. Sheikh Azhar also explains why the two sects may have such divergent views of her.The lecture dives into:- Why Shia's believe Aisha was in her late teens when she married Prophet Muhammad (vs the Sunni narrative of being 9 years old)- How Aisha gained an prominence above other wives of Propeht Muhammad- Quranic verses establishing that the wives of Prophet Muhammad could choose to do either good or evil (Quran 33:30-31)- Comparing views on whether the Verse of Purification applies to all wives of the prophet or only Imam Ali, Lady Fatima, and their children- Quranic verses (Surah 66, verses 3-5) that accuse two wives of their deviation and threatens retribution. Sunnis and Shias both agree they refer to Aisha and Hafsa (another wife)- Comparing Sunni/Shia views on whether there's enough evidence of Aisha's repentance after the above Quranic condemnation to depend on her as a reliable narrator of hadith- Why Shias don't believe the Quranic title "The Mothers of the Believers" was intended to honor Prophet Muhammad's wivesLecture notes available at http://www.why-quran.org/?p=536.Subscribe at http://www.why-quran.org/subscribe to watch the lectures live and participate in the Q&A at the end of each class.Video recording of this lecture + Q&A available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtYqU661YSs&list=PLpkB0iwLgfTat-Pgh4W3WFmupPamiC9UT.

Things you'll learn in this episode of Our Prophet:- Who was the first person to accept Islam?- Sunni Hadiths mentioning first Muslims- Can we discount Imam Ali's Islam due to his young age?- First Muslim family, according to Shias and SunnisTo watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vmF9cbcPltEHelp us create the most comprehensive biography of the Prophet of Islam. Dedicate episodes in the memory of your loved ones by visiting https://thaqlain.org/ourprophet.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/our-prophet/donations

- Criteria and examples of the true Shias of Imam Ali AS - Maarfat of Imam Ali AS with examples of the Prophets - Imam Ali's life: Full of Action and he was upset by the inaction of the people of Kufa - Current situation: Total inaction and deep sleep - The Will of Imam Ali AS

Things you'll learn in this episode of Our Prophet:Who wrote the first biography of the Prophet?Introduction to Ibn Ishaq & his workIntroduction to Ibn Hisham & his workOther important works on the life of the ProphetWhy some early biographers are labelled to be Shias?To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1nFnrF1oe-wHelp us create the most comprehensive biography of the Prophet of Islam. Dedicate episodes in the memory of your loved ones by visiting https://thaqlain.org/ourprophet.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/our-prophet/donations

1- Real-life status of those who dies in the cause of Imam Hussain AS like the children of Muslim bin Aqeel, Hur RA, and the martyrs who defended the holy shrines (0-7min) 2- We live in a complicated world with different groups of Shias having different responsibilities. We will be asked for our responsibility (7-10min) 3- A Museebah of Imam Hussain AS that I felt in the Haram of Imam Hussain AS but is not discussed anywhere (10-15 min)

Arabia,, in the earlier days, was a part of Mesopotamia /Sumeria and these were ruled by Sumerians. One can find , among the Kings of Sumeria, in the Kings List of Sumeria, the names of Lord Rama, his father Dasaratha and Bharatha. And there is the Tamil connection of Arabia with the unique practice patronizing Poets in Tamil style by offering Gifts to them in return for their praising the Kings. Sapthapathi was practiced in Arabia and Navagraha Idols were found in Mecca. Not to forget that Mecca was /is a Shiva temple. Chandra Gupta Maurya ruled over Arabia and his inscription is found in Mecca. Prophet's Uncle composed a Poem on Lord Shiva and the hereditary rights of maintaining the Shiva temple was entrusted to Brahmin Families who settled there. There are reports that Seramaan Perumaal Nayanaar, a Shiva Bhaktha and King of present Kerala having met prophet and became a follower of Islam. The evidence about Seramaan Perumaal becoming a follower of Islam is not strong. Now to the Brahmins and Brahmin Kings of Arabia.According to “vide Bandobast Report of Gujarat” by Mirza Azam Beg page 422 and widely famous folk songs, “Later on, when umvies and abbasies let loose an orgy of vendetta on Ahl e Bayet (A.S), Shias and Datts, then Datts returned to their motherland around 700 AD and settled at Dina Nagar, District Sialkot and some drifted to as far as the holy Pushkar in Rajasthan. Starting from Harya Bandar (modern Basra on the bank of river Tigris) with swords in hand and beating durms, they forced their way through Syria and Asia Minor and marching onwards captured Ghazni, Balkh and Bukhara. After annexing Kandhar, they converged on Sindh and crossing the Sindh at Attock they entered the Punjab”. An ancestor of Rahab named Sidh Viyog Datt assumed the title of Sultan and made Arabia (old Iraq) his home. He was a tough and tenacious fighter. He was also known as Mir Sidhani. He was a worshipper of Brahma. He was the son of the stalwart Sidh Jhoja (Vaj) who was a savant and saint and lived in Arabia (Iraq) around 600 AD. The supporters of imam Hassan (A.S) and imam Hussain (A.S) honored the Datts with the title of “Hussaini Brahmin” and treated them with great reverence in grateful recognition of the supreme sacrifices made by them in the war of Karbala. According to Jang Nama, written by Ahmed Punjabi, pages 175-176, “At the time to the Karbala, fourteen hundred Hussaini Brahmins lived in Baghdad alone” According to the “encyclopedia of Indian casts” page 579 “Hussaini Brahmins are a group bringing harmony and brotherhood between Muslim and Hindu religions. They are greatly influenced by martydom of Imam Hussain (A.S), grandson of ProphetMuhammad(peace be upon him and on his children), at Karbala in 680 AD. It is also claimed that their ancestors were fought with imam hussain and martyred during the war of karbala. When the holy month of Muharram starts these Brahmins starts lamenting the death of Imam Hussain (A.S) in Lucknow with the muslims. Brahmins are the highest caste in Hindu hierarchy”The Hussaini Brahmin sect, located mostly in Indian Punjab, also known as Dutts or Mohyals. Unlike other Brahmin clans, the Hussaini Brahmins have had a long martial tradition, which they trace back to the event of Karbala. More at https://ramanisblog.in/2016/07/23/brahmin-king-of-arabia-descendants-of-aswathama/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ramanispodcast/message

In this episode, we talk to about how Shias and Sunnis can better learn to interact with each other. Nihal sat down with Asad Dandia, Naqi Haider, and Faiyaz Jaffer in Boston before the pandemic. They spoke about how Shias and Sunnis can navigate difficult conversations about their beliefs, how they can work together to push back against Islamophobia, and how we can elevate the quality of discussions between each other. Follow Asad Dandia @DandiaAsad Follow Naqi Haider @naqih Follow Faiyaz Jaffer @faiyazjaffer — Faith in Fine Print is brought to you by The Mantle, a sacred safe space dedicated to facilitating and demonstrating Islamic Spirituality.  Comments or Questions? E-mail us at faithinfineprint@gmail.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithinfineprint Twitter: https://twitter.com/faithfineprint Instagram: https://instagram.com/faithinfineprint SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES AT http://www.faithinfineprint.com/

In this episode, Main Bhi Muslim's producer and host, Mariyam Haider, spoke to Nazni Rizvi, Senior Reporter at Khabar Lahariya, India's only, all-women, feminist, hyper-local, video first news channel, reporting from within the country's hinterland. In this conversation, Nazni shares her story of belonging to the Muslim community in rural India where she fought social and religious prescriptions to leave an incompatible marriage, join Khabar Lahariya, train as a journalist, and over the years, cover some of the most pertinent issues including women's rights and equality, social justice, and organised crime, in Bundelkhand region. Nazni's reportage and her personal story deeply showcase the prejudices that women often face for making alternative life choices, not just from outside their social communities, but also from within, and how she has tackled them over the years. Her story also speaks for countless other Indian Muslim women who often live with community-prescribed gender and patriarchal expectations, failing to meet which can often lead them to become pariahs.This interview was conducted in Hindi and has been edited for clarity, but you can find the English transcript below. TranscriptMariyam Haider, Host - Thank you Nazni for joining us today at Main Bhi Muslim's podcast episode. I've been really excited to reach out to you and share your story through Main Bhi Muslim ever since I learnt about you. I want to deeply thank you for the kind of reporting that you've been doing through the years, especially on agendas that people do not wish to hear about and about topics that they are not open to understanding. It really motivates me, the kind of work you do, it's all a lesson for us. It teaches us about the kind of reporting that is essential and important today, and how we can express ourselves through our writing. Nazni Rizvi - “Mariyam, thanks to you as well because being a journalist our job is to bring out stories of other people, but sometimes even we wish to be heard, and that people get to know our story too. I've gotten my chance to be heard through this podcast at MBM, and I'm going to use this opportunity to open up and talk about the things that I go through, that often happen with me so that people realise that as journalists, we also go through a lot and have a story to tell.”Mariyam - First of all Nazni, let's start with your introduction. How did you start working with Khabar Lahariya, and what prior incidents of your life led you to Khabar Lahariya, which eventually turned tables for you & gave your life a new beginning?Nazni Rizvi “My name is Nazni. I am currently working as a senior reporter. My journey with Khabar Lahariya began in 2007. At that time, I was in a bad financial state. I had 5 little children. The notion of  belonging to a muslim family, and having to remain under the veil, kept me restricted. And to top it, I was also a woman. A muslim woman. There were a lot of difficulties. My condition was really bad and working outside was tough. My family was going through a tough phase. I was in desperate need of work. Because I have had formal education only till Grade VIII, I had never pictured myself as a journalist. I was ready for all odd jobs, and cleaning chores, daily wage-labour, or a petty job at any shop; anything but never a journalist.So, therewas this teacher who'd come to teach my landlord's kids Arabic. She informed me about an office at (Babu Lal Chauraha in Banda district ) that provided work to women, and was hopeful I too could get some work there. The lack of a basic educational background and no previous experience made me skeptical, but I gathered courage and went there from where I was directed to the Vanagna office. Because Khabar Lahariya had just recently launched, it wasn't very well known. When I reached the Vanagna office, Anita didi there informed me that because I was neither a graduate nor did I have any kind of prior work experience, there wasn't any work for me. She suggested I go to the nearby Khabar Lahariya office which had just begun functioning. She told me that Khabar Lahariya was training girls and women to be journalists. Even though I doubted I could do journalism, I mustered strength and went forward. Upon reaching the location after asking various people on the way, I saw two women - Kavita didi and Meera didi - my now Editor, walking in the scorching heat under an umbrella. I asked them if there was an office named Khabar Lahariya around there. One of them answered by asking me what work I had at the office, with a smile. I told them that I was looking for work. Hesitantly, they guided me upstairs. I thought they were leading me towards the office, turned out they were the office heads and unlocked the office welcoming me inside. They sat me down, asked about me, and told me about Khabar Lahariya. Then she asked me to write an application, and informed me that they weren't recruiting yet, but would get back to me once they started hiring. However, I told them that I was in desperate need of work because I had little kids to look after and was jobless. Two of my little girls had gone with me, one was still in my lap. When they understood that I really really needed a job, after learning about my financial condition, about my maiden family and my in-laws being unsupportive, Kavita didi asked if I could sell newspapers. She offered me to sell newspapers, keep its commission and deposit the sale proceeds at the office. She also assured me that they'd consider me for future recruitments. I did not think less of myself as a newspaper seller, it did not bother me. I just picked up the newspapers and that day onwards, I started selling newspapers. 2-3 months from then, recruitment started, and I applied. We had to undergo a 15 days' training programme. Out of the 35-36 females there, only 3 finally got selected, and I was one of them. From there on in 2007, I have been associated with Khabar Lahariya.Mariyam - Nazni, you've said a lot in your introduction itself. You've not only told us about your motive behind joining Khabar Lahariya, but also about your circumstances that guided you towards joining Khabar Lahariya.When we read your stories, we see that they cover many aspects other than just on-ground reporting. They also consider the domestic side of the women's story, that within their homes what are the women expected to do and how they fulfill their duty in society. But your story has been different. Like you said, you were in Moradabad after marriage and you were looking after your house and family, while you received no support from anybody. So when you are reporting now and you ask women about their perspective on life within their houses, do you see any changes where women see a possibility in having a life even outside their homes; do they get motivated watching you/ listening to your story?Nazni Rizvi - “Yes, there has been change, but a lot is yet to change. Some women go out to work, their husbands and in-laws support them, but there are still a lot of women who may have the freedom to go out to work but still have to come back to look after their households and families. Men are dominantly present in the journalists' circle. So when I meet people sometimes, they tell me that some fellow journalist brother told them about me and that I also travel to far off places, and some women take inspiration from these talks. It feels nice. Sometimes women do not want to move far from their places for training, but when they are told about me, these women agree to go for training programmes.”Mariyam - So how do you explain to people the concept of feminism? How do you tell women about their rights and their status of equality in society?Nazni Rizvi - “People talk about Islam and sharia each time we mention equality of women and men, but sharia also holds them equal. People don't believe in it. The law, the Constitution, both hold men and women as equal. It is on paper, and people merely talk about it; there's hardly any acceptance of equality. Each time I talk about feminism, people think that I am against men, I am talking ill about the masculine gender, and that I only favor females / women. Then I have to explain to them in detail that I have nothing against them, and that feminism only demands overall equality of men and women in all aspects, that women too should be allowed to wear and eat and do as it pleases them. Sometimes they understand, other times they argue.”Mariyam - From the videos that I have seen of you, you run two amazing programs with  Khabar Lahariya, and in one of them I heard your slogan ‘bolenge, bulwayenge, hans kar sab keh jayenge'. I love this slogan because it leaves no scope for argument. In that program, you question people, they answer, based on which you question again. There's a video in which you are talking about patriarchy and there's a young boy who said that ours has always been a patriarchal country considering all children are named after their fathers. While talking about paternal and maternal names, you mentioned that Kareena Kapoor has changed her name and talked about other renowned people that most of us know. Mariyam - During that talk, at some point the same boy said that now things are changing as they must, and there's no issue with women naming their children after themselves, they should if it pleases them. In that conversation of about 3-4 minutes, I felt as though the light talk changed at least one person's perspective. So, do you think that we can change people's mindset on such topics by bringing serious questions through these light talks?Nazni Rizvi - “The motive of the show was to allow people to talk out their hearts through funny talks. We wanted them to talk about what's in their hearts themselves. Usually our reports are on serious topics, which is why we kept this talk show funny.”Mariyam -  I'll now move towards the more serious topics. Some of your reports are based on such topics that people usually do not associate with women journalists. Women are usually thought to report on casual topics such as food and fashion. So can you tell us about some such topics which you reported on and what kind of an experience it was for you?Nazni Rizvi - “One of my reports is on Sadhna Patel who is a ‘daaku' (dacoit)'. Chitrakoot region is surrounded by a lot of dacoits and these areas are terrorised by their deeds. Such incidents are often mentioned in many well known newspapers and news channels. I have reported on them and their stories, about how dacoits often torment villagers and the police are troubled a lot by them too. So when I heard about this female dacoit in Chitrakoot, I had a weird feeling. I felt bad. I kept thinking about what could've possibly turned the woman into a dacoit. I accepted that she was a dacoit, doing wrong, but I wanted to know the story of her life, about what made her do so. I wanted to know how she became a dacoit. So when I learnt about the village that she belonged to, first I went alone. After searching here and there, I reached her house and talked to people around her place. Her house was far from the village, in the jungle under a mountain. She lived only with her mother and her uncle. After researching well, I put her story as part of our monthly plan. The story interested Kavita didi also, and she too decided to come along. We fixed a date, booked an auto (because it was a jungle area). When we got off the auto, the auto driver was so scared. He kept the auto's engine on all throughout the 2-3 hours that we were inside her house, so we could escape quickly once our work was done. When we entered her house, we met her ‘Mausi' (mother's sister) and ‘Mama' (mother's brother) who narrated her story to us. We then requested to meet her mother, who herself looked very young, we even thought it could be Sadhna herself, pretending to be her mother in a ‘saree'. We were even wondering what if this is Sadhna, and she pulls out a gun and lodges a few bullets in us? (laughs)Initially her mother expressed anger, she wouldn't tell us anything, or show us Sadhna's photo. But we eventually explained to her that we were there as women, other than just being journalists and we wanted to write a report on Sadhna's story from a woman's perspective, to understand why she joined the dacoits in the first place. Her mother then narrated to us that Sadhna had fallen in love with somebody who she later married, but was sold by her husband to dacoits for INR 50000. Somehow she came back and would loiter in the jungle. People and relatives saw her but outlawed her. Due to the lack of support from her family, she ended up being among dacoits again. She came back and this time her mother sent her to live with their relatives. There as well, she was sold to a group of dacoits. She was repeatedly being sold to dacoits, and she couldn't find a way out. By now, the police too had started troubling her. She then resorted to living in the mountains with the dacoits. We don't know who did what to her, but there were some who she had beaten up during nights near the village. She wouldn't beat up everyone. It's possible she did it because they had harmed her or because they didn't support her when she rescued herself from the dacoits. There must've been a story behind who she chose to beat up, her stories resonated with that of Phoolan Devi. We got her real photo, all other media reports gave file photos of her. When we wrote her story and published it, it created a stir amongst the media. They came to us asking for her photo and story. Nobody had talked to anybody from her family, they wrote only what the police told them. Even journalists from Madhya Pradesh called us for her details, but we had a fixed date for publishing our article and we decided to share the details with them after our report had been published.”Mariyam - So when people called you, they were only asking for Sadhna's details. It probably tells that nobody really had the courage to go to Sadhna's place.Nazni Rizvi -“Nobody went. We even gave them location details, but they all thought that her family wouldn't talk to them, or tell them anything about her. They didn't try. Getting to know about Sadhna made me feel like people just put women down, instead of trying to know what she was put through and why she turned out to be the way she did.Nobody was interested in really knowing Sadhna's story and why she became a dacoit. Mariyam - Within the Muslim community, how do poeple react when they hear about you going to various places and covering the less-talked-about topics in your reports? How do they see it? What have you heard, or what do you think they feel about your decisions?Nazni Rizvi - “I belong to a Muslim family. I am a “bad” woman among my relatives and those around me because I roam around without a ‘purdah'/veil, I wear a ‘bindi', I go places, and do not have a man by my side. There is a notion among Muslims that women must move around with a man, even if it is a small boy. I talk to anybody and I don't hesitate in asking any questions, hence a bad woman. Once I was at my Khala's (mother's sister) place, and we were talking about something and I mentioned that there had been a rape somewhere. My Khala got upset that I used a word as rape in the presence of so many men. During my early days, I wouldn't go out to my relatives, nor would they talk to me. But things are changing slowly. People do meet me now. However, they still expect me to wear a ‘chador' (large scarf) if not a ‘naqaab' (veil) during family events.”Mariyam - Like you said, people in your family, initially did not understand your work and wouldn't talk to you. But now that you've been reporting as a journalist for so many years and have submitted multiple amazing reports, in a manner that a lot of us have so much to learn from you, do you think you've now been able to change people's perspective about you in the Muslim community? On the outside, it often seems very easy, what you do. People think that all you have to do is listen and see and report, but that's not quite true. How do you gather the courage to report such issues with utmost honesty alongside maintaining a humanitarian approach? Nazni Rizvi - “Muslims who are not my relatives have been very supportive of me and are happy to see me grow as a journalist. Sitting beside them, I've often heard them proudly introduce me as Nazni Ji, saying I'm a journalist, who goes to various places for reporting and has done various amazing coverage. But sometimes I also hear people say that I should either wear a bindi or change my name. But this is completely my choice, I like to wear bindi and so I do. Earlier, when I used to post on Facebook, I'd receive messages and comments from people asking me why I wear a ‘saree' or ‘bindi'. But isn't saree too just another piece of clothing? Even if you believe that Allah or Sharia doesn't allow some things, back in those days, almost nothing existed, not even clothes. Should we all refuse to wear clothes then? These comments call for a lot of debates.”Mariyam - I can absolutely understand your arguments, because the reason behind me starting Main Bhi Muslim was to primarily present the meaning of Indian Muslimness through mine and other people's stories. I want to tell people that we, the Muslims of India, live and spend our lives in many different ways. Like you mentioned, you are expected to either wear a bindi or change your name, or how we aren't supposed to wear a ‘saree', people even outside the muslim community have a very generalised perception of us as Muslim women. They have a predetermined picture of how we are, and how we are not. So what you said actually represents the foundation of Main Bhi Muslim.Mariyam - As you said in our previous conversation, there are places where you'd go wearing a ‘bindi' and may not immediately give your name because that could be in a Hindu colony which may create some problems for you initially, but eventually they learn your name and accept it easily. Nazni Ji, please tell us a little about how you feel about your identity when you go to such places. Have you ever felt like you being a Muslim could be problematic?Nazni Rizvi - “I usually visit rural areas, backward areas, people are still of a conservative mindset. When I go to a Muslim or Dalit dominated area, introducing myslef to them is easy. But when I go to cover big news or to places where most people belong to the upper castes, like Thakurs, Pandits, and Patels, they immediately ask what caste I belong to. In Bundeli, they will say, “Kaun behni hoo?” Meaning which caste do you belong to? Seeing me wear a ‘bindi' and ‘bichiyas' (ornamental jewellery traditionally worn by married women) sometimes they suggest I should also wear ‘chudis' and apply ‘sindoor', assuming I'm a Hindu. But even if I'm wearing a ‘bindi' and ‘bichiyas', I still do not introduce myself and disclose my caste immediately. I first talk about random things, ask for some water even if I'm not thirsty and create an atmosphere. But because they are so habitual to knowing castes, they do not talk openly unless they know about one's caste. I then tell them that I'm a Muslim and explain to them that despite our differences, our blood is the same right. There are only two differences, men and women; you're a woman and I'm a woman, that's the community we both belong to. They then talk to me comfortably. Sometimes wearing bindi makes it easier for me, but because I like wearing it, I always do so.”Mariyam - I must say that your way of winning people's hearts and creating the atmosphere to talk is so interesting, I really think I should learn it from you. Sometime back you'd told me about a school whose story you'd covered, for which you also received a prize. Could you tell me more about that story?Nazni Rizvi - “I received a call from a group of trustees / local guardians of the Kendriya Vidyalaya (public school) saying that the dilapidated school building was risky for the students, especially after a cylinder burst in it. It could fall anytime. They had invited many journalists saying they were going to submit a memorandum to the DM. When I went to the school to report the issue, the teachers weren't ready to talk to me in the absence of the Principal. I asked for the Principal's number and upon receiving that I spoke to the principal who accepted that even though the building is severely damaged, they are unable to locate another building space for the school and that the guardians are deliberately troubling them. The guardians wanted them to at least try but looked like the Principal wasn't willing to shift the school building. We then went to submit the memorandum to the DM and we talked to him. The DM then came with us to survey the school building. A trustee then informed me about another school that had shifted to a new building, and was vacant. We, along with the DM, visited the vacant building and approved it for use for the school. I published news for the same, and interviewed the DM, principal, students, and the trustees/guardians. The building was then cleaned for use and was ready for a new beginning. The trustees organised a program where they honored me with an idol of Lord Ganesha. There was disappointment among other journalists as they weren't honored. However, the trustees awarded me for working on their story and getting it published. I hadn't noticed the idol too much and hung it as a showpiece in my house. When people from the Muslim community would come to my place and see the idol, they'd ask me if I had re-married a Hindu or changed my religion and often said that it's a sin to keep a Hindu God's idol in one's home. If a Hindu visited my place, he/she would say that the idol was of no use to me while some would be happy seeing that I also have a Hindu God's idol hung up. Seeing an idol which is usually seen within Hindu homes, makes some people including Hindus and Muslims link me with a Hindu person, that I might be having a relationship with someone in the Chitrakoot region. For me the Ganesh ji idol is a gift, and I respect the gift whatever it is.” Mariyam - What you just said is a matter of huge concern for me because this sense of discrimination is what drives me to raise questions as to why we cannot adopt other cultures that are practiced in our country. Muslims have been in India for centuries now and our cultures have a lot of similarities. Yes, we do have our own set of practices as Muslims, but that should not barr us from adopting practices from other cultures. Since you bring here an amazing amalgamation of Hinduism, Muslimness and womanhood, I'd like to ask you if you think that people's mindset pertaining to these Hindu-Muslim prejudices can be changed through any means?Nazni Rizvi - “I live in a Hindu dominated region. Here as well, there's a common practice of Hindus not touching Muslims and if they do, they'd have to bathe again. Not only Hindus but Muslims do such things. Recently, I was invited to my relative's daughter's wedding. It was a Muslim dominated place. I told my aunt that I don't wear a veil, how can I come? She asked me to wear a ‘chaadar', meaning I should have myself covered with something. We cannot do  everything completely as per our wishes. So when I went there, I saw that they wouldn't buy milk from a Hindu's store, they'd drink black tea instead. They'll search the entire market in they are hungry, but wouldn't eat if they can't find a Muslim-owned eatery or shop. There are a lot of biases, Hindu-Muslim biases and discussions along those lines that keep on occurring. I was with a cousin once who was travelling from Azamgarh to Raebareli. She (being an ultra-narrow minded person) wouldn't even drink tea, but only pre-packed cold drinks throughout the journey. Upon asking why, she said it was because it would be difficult to determine whether the tea was made by a Hindu or a Muslim. It amazed me how she believed that Sharia proclaimed pre-packed food as clean, which could have also been packed by a Hindu or a Muslim. It confounds me that people can believe in such actions as (wrongly) being part of Sharia, because all of these Hindu-Muslim shops didn't exist back in the times when Sharia was being written. What is all the cultural pretense for? Don't eat anything in that case then. I held myself back for a long time, but eventually ended up having an argument with the cousin over her discriminatory attitude.”Mariyam - I believe you've said this at a very right time, especially when Muslims in India are being targeted repeatedly. And these are happening at a level where we can clearly see that a campaign is being run to create resentment against Muslims among the Hindus. How do you try to clear such resentments in the larger community? Nazni Rizvi - “We try to convince people that we are all living in the same country and are Indians before being Muslims. We have a very old slogan saying Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, we are all brothers. So if we are all really brothers, all this bigotry is not right. Even Hindus don't eat from Muslim-owned eateries here. If we're going to bring religion into everything, who packed what food, whether Hindu or Muslim, it is going to be very difficult to bring about change anytime soon.” Mariyam - But change can happen?Nazni Rizvi - “Yes, it can. If every family gets one fighter like you and I, we can together bring about change.”Mariyam - Absolutely, if there's a Nazni Rizvi in every family, we can definitely change things. My second last question to you would be, how do you deal with the identity confusion where whilst you live within the Muslim community, they don't identify with you, and while you work outside this community they're still not able to understand and resonate with you. How do you feel about this? Sometimes I also face this confusion and it is part of the reason as to why I started Main Bhi Muslim, because alongside being women, Muslimness is part of our identity too, irrespective of our lifestyle. So, how do you deal with this confusion among people?Nazni Rizvi - “I want to add something to this. My identity has more layers to it. Even within Muslims, there are two communities. I am a Shia Muslim. I was married into a Sunni family. When I'm sitting among Sunnis, they think I'm a Shia and they make nasty comments about Shias. But when I'm sitting among Shias, they think I'm a Sunni and they pass comments on Sunnis. They slander Sunnis and tell my children that they do not belong to the Syyed family. This is also a kind of violence that I am fighting where I've been divided into 3 different communities. Because I come from a Shia family, I don't like those things where there is flagellation (during Muharram processions) and unnecessary bleeding.And when I call out such things, I'm considered an atheist among my family, I'm a bad woman. Saying so about Maula makes them think of me as deserving hell. The Sunnis ask if I offer Namaaz as many times as Shias do and vice-versa, whereas for me, I do not offer Namaaz (smiles). Neither the Shias kind nor the Sunnis kind. When I'm among Muslims, my ‘bindi' and ‘bichiyas' don't make me a Muslim and if I'm among Hindus, my name makes me Muslim. I'm not doing anything Muslim enough to be a Muslim, but that's what I am. I'm dealing with all these things. A lot of Muslim girls these days have started wearing a ‘bindi' for they do not think doing so is wrong.”Mariyam - We are learning from you. I think it's very important for us to have many examples like you within our community so that more girls, who want to pursue journalism, who want to make their own life decisions, have such inspiring figures that give them courage. It is essential they understand that they are not alone. So, what changes are required in the Muslim community which are necessary to bring about independence and maintain individuality in the identity of women, especially in rural areas where changing mindset is most difficult and time taking?Nazni Rizvi - “Within Muslims, the Purdah system and dressing restrictions need to first change, which are more common in rural areas. They have reduced in urban areas, but even today, Muslim women in Mumbai do not move out without a veil, irrespective of what they're wearing inside. For example, I allow my girls to wear all that they like. They wear shorts, skirts, jeans, and everything they like. They do not like wearing suits, but considering our society, I ask them to wear one sometimes so that they are habitual to it, that too because of what people in the community will say. But I never stop them from wearing what they like. We have a lot of dressing constraints, we are always asked to wear dupattas, even at home, even with our family. These things, the purdah system needs to change. It's not fair that if we are not under a veil, we are looked upon wrongly. In rural regions, even during big family functions, meals are also served in different places for both the genders, unlike in urban areas where everyone is just enjoying themselves together. During the ‘bidaai' of my cousin, not a single man or boy could come to meet her at the end, to bid her goodbye, not even her father, because the purdah system is so prevalent. It's very important for people to change their regressive attitudes towards others' religions. You're drinking black tea with lemon because the milk available is from a Hindu-owned dairy only. What if the lemon also comes from a tree owned by a Hindu?Mariyam - You are absolutely right, it's very important. And I see these things in your way of reporting too where you're able to talk to anyone because you ask the same questions to everyone. When you're making your videos, you ask everyone the questions pertaining to feminism, misogyny, biases within communities against others, and untouchability, irrespective of gender, and it is very important we all ask these right questions to ourselves and to everyone around us in order to arrive at the right answers. We cannot expect to change mindsets towards creating oneness and unity among all, unless we are asking the right questions.I ask all my guests: ‘Main bhi Muslim', what value do these 3 words hold for you? Nazni Rizvi - “It doesn't occur to me that I am a Muslim. What matters most to me is that I am a woman, an Indian. Whenever there's a match or a competition, it doesn't bother people much which country is on the opponent team. But if it is an India vs Pakistan match, Indian Hindus and Muslims have the same enthusiasm to support our country. Pakistan was indeed a piece of our once India, but India is where we are now, India feeds us, India is my nation. As Muslims residing in India, India should matter most to us. Yes, we could all have favorite players from any team around the world, but I don't feel any extra excitement each time that there's an India-Pakistan match, unlike most people. Hindus have this thing where they do not care about other matches or countries, all they want is that Pakistan shouldn't win. Neither Muslims, nor Hindus should think and act that way.”Mariyam -  I think, as a woman myself, this entire episode has helped me understand what topics need to be really talked about and must be resolved first, in order to bring about a change in the bigger picture, to change other things that are often talked about. We must get to the roots of all the issues that exist in our society, and here, the root is patriarchy. All issues must be talked about with a feministic perspective. Thank you, Nazni Ji. I'm really excited to release this episode. I'm really thankful to you from the bottom of my heart. Nazni Rizvi - “Sometimes, people do feel these things (patriarchy) but aren't able to say it out loud. When we ask people these questions, it forces them to think about it, and that could maybe trigger change. Deep down, they do understand that what they're doing is wrong and unfair, but aren't able to act on it. Therefore, it's very important to ask the right questions.”Mariyam - Thank you Nazni, for your questions, and I hope you'll continue raising the same issues and asking the right questions. I am confident that very soon, we'll have a Nazni Rizvi in every family in our society. With that hope and confidence we keep moving forward. Looking forward to seeing you sometime, somewhere. Nazni Rizvi - Thank you. :) ... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mainbhimuslim.com

The Society Show with Christian Patterson is back from our summer hiatus. We are all moved into the new studio, broadcasting from the beautiful West Coast! New coast, new vibes, and it's all good vibes here! The Society Show bringss you international news you may have missed, mixed with a barrage of soundboard clips, and propaganda. On today's episode: - COVEXODUS: Many people are fleeing cities, across many countries, due to Covid, as well as other facctors. - The Bolivian coup: how much did lithium play a role? - Why did the US get stuck with a two-party system, and what can we do about it? - Trump / China consulate fight - Mystery seeds from China in the mail - Trump acknowledges QAnon - Explosion in Beirut - The UN rejects the US's attempt to sanction Iran - Saudi Arabia looks to privatize sectors to alleviate blowback from oil war - The UAE goes nuclear - Jordan affirms the Muslim Brotherhood "no longer exists" - The largest Palestinian hospital faces closure - Sunni radicals attacked Shias at Indonesian wedding - Editor of independent Hungarian news source fired with political motivation - Riots broke out at Belgian beach - Protesters in Berlin fight police over closing of left-wing bar and hang-out - German far-right held an anti-mask rally - Venezuelan court sentenced Green Berets who attempted coup to 20 years - 13 killed at a police raid in nightclub in Lima Peru - Bolivia protests delayed election - Palantir moving to Denver - ICE is using Clearview facial recognition software All of that, and much much more, this is the Society Show!