I'm A Muslim (And That's Okay!)

In this Gift of the Gab, I discuss collective liberation with my guest, Tai, a Sudanese-Canadian activist, writer and the founder of, The Red Ma'at Collective.

She opens up about how her past as an asylum seeker really shaped her journey to heal her trauma through the practice of yoga. And how that led her to create circles of healing and collective liberation for other people.

We talk about the importance of...

When life presents to you your favorite Muslim children's story-book author, you gotta interview him!

In this episode I interview the renowned creator of the "Ilyas and Duck" children's story books, Omar Khawaja and it was an absolute pleasure being able to find out how this dynamic boy and duck duo came into being, and why it has such great appeal amongst kids!

We go into the reason behind the...

The very first Gift of the Gab  of the season and I could not be more honored than to have my first guest on, singer-songwriter, Leila Hegazy!

Her protest cover-versions of popular songs are a hit, and a ray of light in a social-media scape that still seems to be denying what is happening in Palestine.

We deep dive into how she got into creating these thought-provoking covers, the process and the reaction to them...

Opening this season with a bang with a guest I've been wanting have on for FOREVER!
In the very first episode of 'The Whole Muslim' for this season, I feature, Sarah Albassri or "Instructor Sarah" as she is known on social media.

Sarah is a 3rd year Ph.D student, but her claim to fame online is for being a Tae Kwando instructor, who got famous showing off all her amazing moves while being VERY ...

Your favorite podcaster is BACK! And I am 4 years and 9 seasons in (please, don't ask me the math, I'm just making this up as I go :D)

But I have been in a bit of an emotional rut, I had really looked forward to celebrating my 4 years and upcoming 100 episode. But with how the situation is in Palestine, I cannot bring myself to do so...

So, for now I will just be bringing you more episodes, more intervie...

***TRIGGER WARNING*** This episode discusses sexual assault

In this episode, I talk to content creator and a recent convert to Islam, Clarke Jones.

We trace her tumultuous Faith journey, and how she came to Islam, a few short weeks after October 7th, and the beginning of the relentless Israeli aggression against Palestinians. How that inspired her to be a content creators, and raise awareness
about the atrocit...

In this episode, I talk to fellow podcaster from the 'Mommying While Muslim' podcast,
Dr. Uzma Jafri.

Not only is she a Physician and co-hosts an award-winning podcast, but she is
actually trained in civil protest protocols!

And at this time when protesting for the rights of the people of Palestine
is so important, she gives important pointers on how to do it safely!

The Mommying Whi...

Having social media presence under any capacity does create its share of issues. But I never expected blatant censorship and shadow-banning would be one of them. Social media is not exactly the friendliest place for socially aware Muslims and those POC who refuse to stay silent on social justice issues.

In this episode I highlight some of the hurdles I have personally faced when trying to raise awareness about the plight o...

In this episode I talk to, Dr. Rose Aslan, a certified Transformational Life Coach, and we talk about her time in the academic and public sphere, when she and other public Muslims became the "face" of an entire community. Especially after 9/11 and the Trump administration.

How that crippling pressure of representing and collectively defending Muslims can take a toll, especially when media rhetoric is less than favorable to...

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, this year will have no Halloween episode. Because we can all see that the horrors that humanity wreaks on itself are far more horrendous than any spooky story I could possibly find.

This episode is my monologue on the genocide that is going on on the Palestinian people. The oppression and killings are happening with blatant cruelty and our taxpayer dollars are funding it!

A ceasefire h...

*Trigger Warning* Episode discusses suicide and suicidal ideation

It's another heavy one folks! But I am hoping that this one helps shed some light on how difficult it can be to get suicide research data, especially in underrepresented communities.

In this episode I talk to, Amelia Noor Oshiro, the Muslim suicide researcher, who has dedicated her PhD study to researching the potential causes of suicide within...

What does a podcast host do when they hit a creative block? They ask their audience of course!

Y'all I'm fast approaching 100 episodes and 4 years and I'm not sure how to carry on bringing y'all the best that I can! So, please help me out! If you have ideas or subjects you want me to cover, people you'd love me to interview, PLEASE tell me! Send me an email at : shehla.faizi01@gmail.com . Or just s...

*TRIGGER WARNING* - Discussion of Substance Abuse and Suicide.

This is a difficult discussion to have but an important one. No one wants to believe that themself or their children could be in a position where their vulnerability gets the best of them and they could end up in the depths of substance abuse and suicidal ideation.

But that is exactly what happened to my guest, motivational speaker, Belal Elkadri, and ...

How do you get people to become more sex-positive? You pivot your medical career and train to become an intimacy coach and at the same time start a podcast to get more people aware about their sexual wellness! And that is exactly what Dr. Sadaf Lodhi did!

In this episode we have a wonderful conversation about how she discovered the lack of knowledge even within medical professionals about sexual fulfillment led her to bec...

Information and access to reproductive health is essential for all women but there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all . That is where HEART to Grow comes in, which provides reproductive health information and workshops specifically catered to Muslims of all different backgrounds.

I had the good fortune of interviewing Kiran Waqar, the Social Media and Youth Engagement Coordinator at HEART, and we talked about the need...

Season 8 is here!! And because I have been in an extra mood all Summer, I decided to start it with a bang with not one, but TWO guests!

This episode of "The Whole Muslim" segment features returning guest, Professor Rudolph "B-Ware" and his partner in rhyme, Chime "Chizabam" Umesi and we dive in on how they came together to form the rap/hip-hop duo, Slum Prophecy. We explore its beginnings and ...

It is the last episode of the season and what better way to end a season than with a bang!

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Historian and Academic, Professor Rudolph Ware and I got to do what I love to do the most: tackle difficult subjects!

And for this episode we discussed colonization and its impacts on BIPOC communities in the U.S. and globally, specifically how colonization affects how we see ourselve...

War is Hell, but we often only see it as a conflict of grown ups and overlook how it impacts the children caught in the middle of it.

For this segment of "Gift of the Gab" I interview Dr. Nour Akhras, a pediatrician and who has been on a number of medical missions in war-torn areas. Her experiences there and how 9/11 impacted her being Muslim in America, inspired her to write her book, "Just One: A Journey o...

May is 'Mental Health Awareness' and there could be no better time for me to have a discussion with, Allissa Torres, the Director of Mental Health Equity at the non-profit organization, Mental Health America (MHA)!

We talk about the stigma around mental health in BIPOC communities and the need to overcome taboos through education and resources. MHA provides a number of educational resources and tools, including f...