As I look closely at Qur’anic figures, I am struck by how they speak about their emotions.  They are open about their fears, upfront about their sadness and share their joy and grief.  This led me to the work of Paul Heck on “Emotions In Islam” where he details how Muslims have thought about emotions throughout their history.  I speak with Paul about his spiritual biography, how he became interested in the topic and how emotions are connected to the ultimate goal of becoming righteous. Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify Order my book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries” Visit the

In many Biblical and Qur'anic stories, the protagonist isolates themselves and, at times, even go to prison.  In this interview, I chat with Walaa' Qusaiy about her new book "When Only God Can See: The Faith of Muslim Political Prisoners".  Walaa' discusses how faith and spirituality of Muslim prisoners merge with that of prophetic ones, and how they find inspiration and hope in their stories.   The prison experience is pervasive in Muslim society and Islamic scholarship and we need to study that space to better understand the lives of the various Muslim scholars and activists.    Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify Order my book “The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries” Visit the

In this episode of On The Square, former Sapelo Square executive director Latasha Rouseau spoke with Brother Umar Hakim-Dey, Compton, California native and founder of the groundbreaking community organization INKERIJ, about his journey to Islam, how becoming Muslim impacted his life and work, offered practical advice on how to sustain organizational work and activism through personal and professional challenges, and discussed the importance of leaving a good legacy. Hakim-Dey passed away while this episode was in production. Hakim-Dey served over 10 years as director for a faith-based organization where he achieved grassroots accomplishments in community service. He later founded and led INKERIJ Foundation, where he shifted his focus to lead an organization focused on community building. Through INKERIJ, Umar combined both business and community service work into a social entrepreneurial model helping the community build its power to combat social ills post pandemic.

In this episode of On The Square, guest host Tahirah Nailah Dean speaks with Dr. Aminah McBryde on the impact of singlism on the mental health of unmarried Muslims. Dr. Aminah McBryde is a recent PhD graduate in Community Health Sciences from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and holds a Master's in Public Health from the University at Buffalo in Community Health and Health Behavior. Tahirah Nailah Dean is a writer and lawyer currently living in Oakland, California.

I have always wondered about the roots of modern day Islamophobia?  When did it start?  How did it develop?  How was it formed?  In this interview, Deanna Womack takes us into her new book "Re-inventing Islam: Gender and the Protestant Roots of American Islamophobia" where she examines the connection between the history of missions and contemporary Islamophobia.  Along the way, she provides a more nuanced understanding of missionaries, their lives, goals and aspirations.  Many of them would eventually became champions of interfaith dialogue and build bridges between the civilizations.     Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify Order my book “

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal is joined by Dr. Akif Tahieev to explore a topic that rarely appears in mainstream scholarship: Shia Muslim communities in post-Soviet Eastern Europe. Together, they discuss who these communities are, how they live and practice their faith, and why their stories have been overlooked in both Islamic studies and European studies. From questions of identity and conversion to the impact of recent conflicts, this conversation opens a window onto a world many listeners may not know exists.

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal sits down with Dr. Martin Nguyen, author of Modern Muslim Theology: Engaging God and the World with Faith and Imagination, to explore what it means to imagine a “Muslim Malcolm X.” Together, they discuss how Malcolm’s faith shaped his vision of justice, community, and how retelling his story from the vantage point of his religious imagination invites us to see him anew. This conversation reflects on Malcolm X not only as a civil rights icon, but as a transformative Muslim thinker whose legacy continues to nourish contemporary struggles for liberation.

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr. Santiago Slabodsky, who holds the Florence and Robert Kaufman Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies and directs the Jewish Studies program at Hofstra University. Drawing on his award-winning book Decolonial Judaism: Triumphal Failures of Barbaric Thinking, Dr. Slabodsky explores the erasure of the Judeo-Islamic tradition and the invention of the “Judeo-Christian” West. Together, they discuss how colonialism, epistemic dominance, and modernity have shaped the way we understand history, power, and religion. The conversation invites us to reconsider what was lost with the disappearance of the Judeo-Islamic world — and what might be recovered when we imagine history beyond Europe’s frame.

When I was writing The Islamic Mary, I became further interested in the field of Christian and Muslim dialogue and its relevance today and in the future.  This led me to various books published on the topic, such as Amir Hussain's new book One God and Two Religions: Christians and Muslims as Neighbors.  Amir's book is unique in that it speaks about Christians and Muslim worshipping the same God and living next to each other as neighbors.   I sit down with Amir to discuss his spiritual biography, his new book and its implications for today's world. Subscribe to

In this episode of History Speaks, Dr. Roshan Iqbal speaks with Dr. Sarra Tlili, author of Animals in the Qur’an, a groundbreaking work—translated into Arabic—that has reshaped scholarship on Islam, ethics, and the environment. Together, they explore her thesis that the Qur’an is theocentric and not an anthropocentric text and what this means for how we understand creation and ourselves. This episode is dedicated, with Dr. Tlili’s permission, to the life and legacy of Jane Goodall.