Gift of the Gab: Discussing the Importance of Minorities Being Bone Marrow Donors

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 from her audience.

You can also watch this episode on my YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/AXalw0X7jfM

To follow Leila Hegazy on social media you can use the following handles:

Instagram: @leilahegazy
TikTok: @leila.hegazy

She is also in a band with her twin sister and you can find them on social media with handle @hegazyband

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 pregnant!

But life hasn't always been smooth sailing for Sarah and we delve deep into how she was forced to immigrate to the U.S. in 2013 because of war breaking out in Syria. It was a tough adjustment for Sarah but lucky for her (and us!) that she found community within a Tae Kwando dojo and the rest is history!

You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/O7rZID3dNA8

You can find Sarah on Instagram and TikTok with the handle  @InstructorSarah  

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 interviews and more perspectives as usual. And maybe if the situation changes, I might do a giveaway.
But until then, if you are an ardent listener of mine and understand how dire the situation is in Palestine, please pressure your representatives for a ceasefire and the allowance of aid to the people of Palestine.

You can also donate to the following organizations that are working tirelessly to help the people in Palestine and the Gaza Strip:

UNRWA
Bait-ul-Maal

This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/P4g3laILbaU

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

***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 atrocities in Palestine.
And how her novel "makeup tutorials" are a clever workaround to the slew of
social media bans around the subject.

You can also view this episode on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/g0ZSmmWCn2k

Find Clarke's blog and social media handles below:

Blog: https://bestierebellion.com/
TikTok and Instagram: @clarkeunleashed 

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 While Muslim podcast is also dedicating their December series to highlight the situation in Palestine, so don't forget to follow them on all major platforms!

You can also watch this episode on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/kpSVpixhj8I

Follow this link to find Mommying While Muslim podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mommyingwhilemuslimpodcast/

You can also get in touch with them via email at: salam@mommyingwhilemuslim.com

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 of the Palestinian people, and I'm just a small time creator! I can only imagine how hard it must be for larger influencers who are putting everything on the line to be on the right side of history!

Below are some of the links for some of the things I have discussed in the episode:

Man sets himself on fire to bring attention to the genocide in Congo: https://themessenger.com/news/man-sets-himself-on-fire-while-holding-sign-stop-the-genocide-in-congo

My protest song (cover of "Zombie" by the Cranberries): https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy9Qnc-NO20/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

My metrics comparison video, and how suppression and shadow-banning affects content creators: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzB9zVvtl-7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

You can also watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/kRgF72oOMwM

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 towards Muslims.

You can watch this episode on my YouTube Channel here: https://youtu.be/jO1eqxj6MVU

You can also follow Dr. Rose Aslan through these links:

https://compassionflow.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.rose.aslan/

https://www.facebook.com/rsaslan

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 has to happen and it has to happen now! 

Call your Representative and call President Biden to demand a ceasefire and additional aid passage for the people of Gaza.

Below are links to contact your Representative and demand action, petitions you can sign to make your voice heard and accounts you can follow that will help you give a more balanced perspective about what is happening in Palestine:

• https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/take-action/#act-now
• https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/resource/email-congress-to-stop-fueling-violence/
• https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1UPPbp0d9QlRn1wvQ91YJQHLfd22WSp1d9b6dO4i0RmI/mobilebasic
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/119OD9wiAUtPPBpetZN_P7jjcHMHiR6ZJcWqOahS71Lo/mobilebasic?pli=1

You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/Zw25fyWbDqU

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

*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 Muslim communities.

We discuss the various factors that are known to impact suicide rates
in immigrant and marginalized communities and how her research could help provide help to those that are under-represented in suicide research.

You can also watch this episode on my YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/SZ01E2bin1g

If you are Muslim and wish to help Amelia's research you can fill out her survey here:  www.tinyurl.com/muslimcommunitystudy

And you can also follow Amelia on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/muslim.suicide.researcher/

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast

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 send me a DM on my socials (links below!).

But, I need y'all's help BAD, because I am stuck!

You can watch this episode on my YouTube channel too: https://youtu.be/WPSQJ6P3hac

Please don't forget to follow me here and on social media! Click the links to keep up with my shenanigans on social media and listen to all my episodes in one place:
https://www.imamuslimpodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imamuslimpodcast/
https://www.youtube.com/c/ImAMuslimAndThatsOkayPodcast