Parvez and Omar kick-off 2025 by finally dedicating an entire episode to a recurring and perennial conversation on the podcast: parenting challenges in today's climate. To help navigate this conversation, they are joined by Ali Bishop, an experienced mental health professional who works as a Mental Health Clinician at a local Bay Area public high school. Topics include the general challenges facing teens in high school today (e.g., mental health, academic and peer pressures, social media, etc.), how these challenges might uniquely affect Muslim youth, and what can parents do to better support their children in navigating these challenges. Ali Bishop also shares his personal faith journey resulting in his conversion to Islam in 1998.    About Ali (Mark) Bishop Ali Bishop is a dedicated mental health professional with over 17 years of experience in both clinical and educational settings. He earned his Master's degree in Social Work, with a focus on Community Mental Health. Following graduation, he became a licensed clinician in the state of California. He specializes in providing therapy to families impacted by physical abuse, grief and loss, drug addiction, and suicide prevention. For the past 10 years, Ali has served as the Mental Health Clinician at a public high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this role, he works directly with students, providing individual and group support to navigate social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. He resides in Fremont, California with his wife, an educator at an area Islamic School, and their cat, Iggy. In his free time, Ali is passionate about supporting vulnerable populations, including children. He is an active member of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), using his love of motorcycling as a way to make a positive impact for abused children.

To close out 2024 Parvez and Omar are joined by two Syrian-American guests to share their perspectives on the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the potential implications and challenges facing post-Assad Syria, and how the Syrian-American community is responding to these events. Along the way the show's guests candidly (and humorously!) discuss their experiences growing up as children of Syrian immigrants in the United States. To change things up a bit, the show begins dropping listeners in the midst of a "pre-podcast" conversation about the present challenges of professional life and grind culture in Silicon Valley. Interestingly a conversation that’s happening right now on social media after Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent comments.

Mere days aways from Election Day 2024, Parvez and Omar are rejoined by Civil Rights Attorney and Activist Zahra Billoo to discuss the Muslim vote and the 2024 Presidential Election. Are Muslims simply approaching who to vote for with the "lesser of two evils" calculus? Is there a long game and what are the short term consequences of playing the long game? All this and more for the show's special Election 2024 episode!     About Zahra Billoo Zahra Billoo serves as the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) office, the oldest CAIR chapter office. Since joining in 2009, Zahra has led the organization through a period of six-fold growth. Today, she manages one of the largest CAIR offices in the country with a team of civil rights and social justice advocates dedicated to the empowerment of American Muslims through legal services, legislative advocacy, and community organizing. Under Zahra’s leadership, CAIR-SFBA has filed lawsuits against the United States Department of Justice, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Southwest Airlines, representing American Muslims facing discriminatory treatment. CAIR-SFBA has also significantly expanded its capabilities to provide know-your-rights sessions on a nearly weekly basis to mosques and community members in the San Francisco Bay Area, while also providing direct legal representation to Bay Area residents facing numerous civil rights violations, including FBI interviews, employment discrimination, airport harassment, school bullying, and hate crimes. Zahra’s advocacy has included media appearances in local and national media, including MSNBC, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and even FOX News. Among her awards, she received the 2017 Human Rights Award from the Society of American Law Teachers and the 2018 Community Builder Award from People Acting in Community Together (PACT). She was also listed by the San Jose Mercury News as a “Woman to Watch” in March 2017 for Women’s History Month, as well as by the Chronicle of Philanthropy in their January 2018 cover story on millennials who lead. She is currently a fellow with Levi Strauss Foundation Pioneers in Justice, a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum’s Silicon Valley Chapter and an alumna of Rockwood’s Fellowship for a New California, LeaderSpring’s Executive Directors Fellowship, and USC’s American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute. Zahra earned her undergraduate degrees from the California State University, Long Beach, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings. She is licensed to practice law in California.    

After a bit of a hiatus due to busy schedules, Parvez and Omar are honored to be joined by Imam Jihad Mustafa, Founder of the Qawwamun Retreat. This was a wide-ranging conversation with Imam Jihad discussing how socially conscious Hip-hop brought him to Islam, how today's Zeitgest and pop culture has engendered a crisis of defining and exemplifying masculinity to young men, and how the Qawwamun Retreat for young men seeks to address these challenges.  About Imam Jihad Mustafa Jihad Mustafa was born JC Wren and converted to Islam shortly after returning home from serving in the US Army in Germany. He served as Imam at Masjid Tasbeeh in Oakland before it's closing and in his tenure there also opened one of the few Muslim transitional and temporary living facilities. He has a background in business, financial advisory, security and organization.Jihad is the founder of Al Qawamun, an organization formed to develop and maintain righteous manhood based on Quran; as well as some branches stemming from it; including The Young Lions Program, Muslim Incident Response Team and Muslim Town Hall.In addition to maintaining his responsibilities, he is currently developing The United Muslim Association, an effort to unite Muslim Americans in the areas that effect us all regardless of ethnicity, school of thought, leadership or  association.

Closing out the blessed month of Muharram, Parvez and Omar are back for a timely and important discussion about Muharram, the Day of Āshūrā, and the events of Karbala from a Shīʿī  perspective. This is a deep dive into Shīʿī  readings of early Muslim history and the centrality of the Ahl-al Bayt (The Household/Progeny of the Prophet Muhammedﷺ) and specifically how the events of Karbala and the venerative rites and traditions of Muharram inform Shīʿī  devotional life.     About Ahmad Rashid Salim  Ahmad Rashid Salim (احمد راشد سليم) is a doctoral candidate and instructor at the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley, in the fields of Islamic studies and Persian literature. His areas of scholarship include classical Persian literature - particularly mystical poetry, translation, Sufism, Qur’an interpretation, language and power, Persian literature in Afghanistan, the Kabuli dialect, Shīʿī  - Sunni polemics, and religious thought in Afghanistan. His dissertation is titled: The Harmony of Hayrat: Words, Wonder, and Worlds in Persian Mystical Poetry and Poetics. Salim is also the founder of Aleff Institute, a premier online instruction program for the Persian language, with a special emphasis on the Kabuli dialect. He is the author of Islam Explained, a best-selling book utilized in a number of university courses throughout the United States. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a focus on Islamic studies, and was awarded a master’s degree by the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley.

A special discussion for the Haj and Eid-ul Adha season, Parvez and Omar are joined by returning guest Dr. Ali Ataie. The show dives deep into the Prophet Abraham(as) in the monotheistic scriptures/traditions, including Abraham's service of sacrifice, the innumerable blessings bestowed to Abraham and his covenant with God. The conversation then examines how the Biblical and Tanakhic traditions has been co-opted and distorted by Jewish and Christian Zionists alike as it relates to the modern state of Israel.  The goal was to release the show a couple of days after Eid so we are sorry for the delay!   About Dr. Ali Ataie  Dr. Ali Ataie is a scholar of biblical hermeneutics with field specialties in Sacred Languages, Comparative Theology, and Comparative Literature.  He received his BS in accounting from Cal Poly State University in 2000. In 2011, he received his MA in Biblical Studies from Pacific School of Religion, and in 2016, his PhD in Cultural and Historical Studies in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union. Dr. Ataie is a native Persian speaker. He can read and write Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek. Dr. Ataie joined the Zaytuna College faculty in 2012.  At Zaytuna College, Dr. Ataie has taught Arabic, Creedal Theology, Comparative Theology, Sciences of the Quran, Introduction to the Qur’an, and Seminal Ancient Texts.  

For the show's 150th episode Parvez & Omar are joined by the second guest ever to appear on the podcast, Zahra Billoo , Civil rights Attorney and Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA). Zahra brings her years of tireless Civil Rights work and activism to bear as she discusses the recent protests and encampments taking place across college campuses placing them within the broader Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and discussing their overall goals and objectives. The conversation also tackles the criticisms that such protests and encampments have garnered from voices outside of and within the Muslim community, as well as certain initiatives and organizations that some argue seek to normalize relations with the State of Israel and Zionism. About Zahra Billoo Zahra Billoo serves as the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) office, the oldest CAIR chapter office. Since joining in 2009, Zahra has led the organization through a period of six-fold growth. Today, she manages one of the largest CAIR offices in the country with a team of civil rights and social justice advocates dedicated to the empowerment of American Muslims through legal services, legislative advocacy, and community organizing. Under Zahra’s leadership, CAIR-SFBA has filed lawsuits against the United States Department of Justice, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Southwest Airlines, representing American Muslims facing discriminatory treatment. CAIR-SFBA has also significantly expanded its capabilities to provide know-your-rights sessions on a nearly weekly basis to mosques and community members in the San Francisco Bay Area, while also providing direct legal representation to Bay Area residents facing numerous civil rights violations, including FBI interviews, employment discrimination, airport harassment, school bullying, and hate crimes. Zahra’s advocacy has included media appearances in local and national media, including MSNBC, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and even FOX News. Among her awards, she received the 2017 Human Rights Award from the Society of American Law Teachers and the 2018 Community Builder Award from People Acting in Community Together (PACT). She was also listed by the San Jose Mercury News as a “Woman to Watch” in March 2017 for Women’s History Month, as well as by the Chronicle of Philanthropy in their January 2018 cover story on millennials who lead. She is currently a fellow with Levi Strauss Foundation Pioneers in Justice, a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum’s Silicon Valley Chapter and an alumna of Rockwood’s Fellowship for a New California, LeaderSpring’s Executive Directors Fellowship, and USC’s American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute. Zahra earned her undergraduate degrees from the California State University, Long Beach, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings. She is licensed to practice law in California.    

Parvez and Omar are truly honored to host Dr. Mohammad Subeh who just returned from a five week medical mission to the Gaza Strip, specifically the Rafah Crossing to the south. Dr. Subeh shares his background born to a Palestinian refugee family living in Kuwait and then forced to flee overnight at the start of the First Persian Gulf War and invasion of Kuwait. Dr. Subeh shares in harrowing detail what he witnessed first-hand during his time in the Gaza Strip. It is a sobering listen as he recounts the unprecedented devastation and humanitarian crisis unfolding before our very eyes as Israel continues its brutal military incursion into Gaza. In the midst of the brutality and horror he also beautifully details the unyielding faith and resilience of the Palestinian people. It is an absolute must listen for anyone dismayed by what is occurring in Palestine. Please give it a listen, share widely, and above all pray for an end to the suffering and the ultimate liberation of Palestine.          About Dr. Muhammad Subeh Dr. Mohammad Subeh is an emergency physician and traumatologist with a deep passion for innovation and discovery, both inside and outside of medicine. After completing his undergraduate degree (BA Human Biology) and graduate work (MA Sociology, MS Epidemiology/Biostatistics) at Stanford University, Mohammad took his first major dive into entrepreneurship. He founded HireLabs, an outcomes analytics company aimed at deciphering organizational data to reshape and guide how people are managed within these organizations. Since then, he has founded and advised several companies in the health tech space. More recently, his love for science and coffee led him to launch Kenz Coffee Roasters, a bay area-based specialty coffee roastery that sources high quality coffee microlots worldwide and featuring these unique coffees to coffee lovers across the globe.Dr Subeh received his MD from Oregon Health and Science University, and completed Emergency Medicine residency training at the University of Chicago and Ultrasound Fellowship at UC Irvine. Currently, he serves as Partner of Vituity and Assistant Medical Director of the El Camino Hospital Emergency Department in Mountain View, CA. Additionally, he practices emergency medicine at UC Irvine, Catalina Island Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA. He enjoys spending time with his family of four, deep sea fishing, and traveling to different countries to provide free medical care to underserved communities.     

Here is an episode that's been a few years in the making! We finally had the privilege of sitting with Dr. Jihad Saafir of Islah LA to discuss his background, academic training, as well as the remarkable and pioneering work that Islah LA and Islah Academy are doing to serve the community in South Los Angeles. As you've come to expect from the podcast we cover a lot of ground including the socio-cultural realities of Islam in the Inner City and some of the interesting topics Dr. Saafir explores as an academic and Assistant Professor of Religion and Community Development at Bayan Islamic Graduate School.    Islah LA is one of the first of its kind in the United States – an inner-city community center founded by Muslim-Americans to serve South Los Angeles. Islah LA is poised to start a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim-American community. Bayan Islamic Graduate School is a seminary that seeks to “desegregate” theological education and provides higher education to men and women who serve as Muslim religious leaders, scholars, chaplains, activists and educators.     About Dr. Jihad Saafir Dr. Saafir earned a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Leadership from Bayan at Claremont School of Theology (CST) in 2014, and then completed his Ph.D. at CST in Practical Theology. He is the resident Imam and the Founding Executive Director for Islah Academy, a K-8 Islamic private school based in Los Angeles. He is a former chaplain of The California Institute for Women and the former Imam of Masjid At-Taqwa in Altadena, CA. In 2018, Imam Jihad was awarded with the prestigious KCET Local Hero’s Award. More recently, South Coast Interfaith Council recognized Dr. Saafir as its "2022 Faith Leader of the Year." Through Dr. Jihad Saafir’s leadership, Islah LA has spawned a new wave of civic engagement within the Muslim American community. At Bayan, he teaches courses in Muslim adolescent identity formation, leadership development, and Islamic education.

It's not too often that you come across a Silicon Valley raised and Dar-ul-Uloom trained Imam but that's exactly who joins Parvez and Omar to kick-off the blessed month of Ramadan. Imam Tahir Anwar, Imam of the South Bay Islamic Association and Lecturer at Zaytuna College returns to the show! This time around the discussion includes a deep dive into his background, his religious education and training, in addition to having him impart precious gems of wisdom and advice for Ramadan. As always it's a far ranging discussion that we hope you enjoy and benefit from! Ramadan Mubarak!          About Imam Tahir Anwar Imam Tahir Anwar is an American Muslim scholar and preacher. Born in London, England, he has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1983. Imam Tahir is a scholar of Hanafi Fiqh with an ijaza to teach Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, and Usul al-Fiqh. Imam Tahir is a native Gujurati and Urdu speaker. He is also proficient in Arabic and Hindi. After completing his religious studies, Imam Tahir has served the Bay Area Muslim community since 2000 as an Imam of one of the area’s oldest mosques, South Bay Islamic Association.   In addition, he is the founding board member of Averroes High School, the Bay Area’s first Muslim high school. He is currently the chairman of the board of NISA, North-American Islamic Shelter for the Abused, an organization that works towards alleviating issues related to domestic violence. In the past he served on the Human Rights Commission for the City of San Jose for over 5 years and on the Human Relations Commission for the County of Santa Clara for one year. He also leads groups for Hajj & Umrah each year. Imam Tahir joined the faculty of Zaytuna College in 2010 where he teaches Islamic Law with an emphasis on the Hanafi School.    

Parvez and Omar are honored to be joined by Shaykh Jamaal Diwan, co-founder and Resident Scholar at The Majlis. This was a wide-ranging conversation with Shaykh Jamaal discussing his personal journey connecting with his faith, his studies at Al-Azhar University, and the principles underlying The Majlis. Beyond his personal journey the conversation touches on parenting, the challenges of nurturing a sense of community in the United States, a "cultural topography" of Southern California, and much more. This is an excellent companion episode to Episode 131 with his wife Shaykha Muslema Purmul, co-founder and Religious Director at The Majlis.       About Shaykh Jamaal Diwan Shaykh Jamaal Diwan was born and raised in Southern California to parents from Newfoundland and Pakistan. He accepted Islam in 2003 while at UCSD. After getting married and graduating from UCSD in Third World Studies, he and his wife moved to Egypt to study Arabic and Islamic Studies. He stayed there for the better part of the next seven years finishing an undergraduate degree in Sharia from al-Azhar. During that time he also completed two years of graduate work in Islamic Studies from the American University in Cairo. In addition to his formal studies he has also obtained ijazat (traditional licenses to transmit and teach) in various branches of Islamic Studies such as aqidah, fiqh, tazkiyah, and hadith. Upon returning from Egypt in 2011 he has served as a religious teacher and instructor in Southern California in various capacities such as Resident Scholar, University Chaplain, and Islamic Studies teacher. He cofounded The Majlis with his wife, Shaykha Muslema Purmul. The Majlis seeks to nurture safe community spaces where people can learn and live Islam, based on the traditional sources of understanding the faith, while acknowledging the particular challenges of the American context. It focuses its efforts on religious education, spiritual refinement, love, and service. He is a father of two, residing in Southern California with his family.  

For our first episode of 2024 we present an interview conducted during our trip to Chicago with Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi, Founder and Executive Director of Khalil Center. Dr. Keshavarzi discusses his journey connecting with his faith, becoming a clinical psychologist, and how he integrated his studies in Islamic theology and spirituality towards creating an optimal, holistic model of mental health care and wellness. Dr. Keshavarzi's insight and in-depth of knowledge of Western and Islamic modalities of psychology made for a wide ranging conversation exploring physical, mental and metaphysical approaches to wellness and the variety of services and therapeutics that Khalil Center provides. We were fortunate to sit and record our conversation at Khalil Center's headquarters in Lombard, Illinois.   About Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi  Hooman Keshavarzi is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Illinois, he holds a Doctorate and Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelors of Science – specialist psychology track/minor in Islamic Studies. He currently serves as the program director for the Masters in Counseling Islamic Psychology Program in Doha, Qatar, is a visiting scholar for Ibn Haldun University (Istanbul, Turkey) and adjunct  faculty at the Hartford Seminary.  He is the founding director of Khalil Center – the first Islamically oriented professional community mental wellness center and largest provider of Muslim mental healthcare in North America. He is also a senior fellow at the International Association for Islamic Psychology (IAIP), conducting research on topics related to Islam, Muslims and Mental Health. Hooman Keshavarzi is an international public speaker and trainer providing education on the intersection of Islamic studies and behavioral health. Hooman Keshavarzi has also authored several published academic papers in recognized peer-reviewed journals on integrating Islamic spirituality into modern psychological practice.           

We are back to close out 2023 and continuing our discussions on Palestine, this time through the prism of the Civil Rights struggle in the United States. Professor Michael Fishbach joins us to discuss his 2019 book Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color. Professor Fishbach chronicles how Black Power activists and others in the Civil Rights struggle came to see Palestinians as a kindred people of color, waging the same struggle for freedom and justice as themselves. He brings his meticulous research to bear for a fascinating conversation about the Palestinian conflict's role in Black activism and the ways that the struggle shaped the domestic fight for racial equality, deeply affected U.S. black politics, and animated black visions of identity well into the late 1970s.   About Dr. Michael Fischbach  Michael R. Fischbach is professor of history at Randolph-Macon College. Dr. Fischbach holds a PhD in History from Georgetown, MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown, and a BA in History from Northwestern University.  He specializes in land issues relating to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians and is the author of State, Society, and Land in Jordan, Records of Dispossession: Palestinian Refugee Property and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Jewish Property Claims Against Arab Countries, The Peace Process and Palestinian Refugee Claims: Addressing Claims for Property Compensation and Restitution, and two related works The Movement and the Middle East: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left, and the book we discussed: Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color.  

We are deeply honored and privileged to be joined by the eminent historian and perhaps leading academic on Palestine in the United States, Professor Rashid Khalidi. Dr. Khalidi discussesed his new book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 which chronicles his personal and ancestral connection to the land of Palestine and what he characterizes as a war on the Palestinian people by colonial powers and Zionist settler colonialism for over one hundred years.  Dr. Khalidi joined from his office at Columbia University. About Dr. Rashid Khalidi  Rashid Khalidi is Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University. He received a B.A. from Yale University in 1970 and a D. Phil. from Oxford University in 1974. He has taught at the Lebanese University, the American University of Beirut, and the University of Chicago. He is co-editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies and has served as President of the Middle East Studies Association. He has written or co-edited ten books, including The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017  and Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (rev. ed. 2010).  

We are back to discuss the ongoing crisis in Palestine, this time focusing on the one-sided and ideological media coverage. To offer his analysis and perspective, and discuss the possible factors that may change that status quo, we are joined by The Intercept’s veteran journalist Murtaza Hussain.

We had the pleasure of sitting with Dr. Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History at the University of California Berkeley for a detailed, highly enlightening and impassioned discussion of the history of the Palestinian struggle. Dr. Makdisi masterfully contextualizes what is happening right now in Palestine within the broader history of the Western colonialist, Zionist project that has dehumanized, brutalized, and ethnically cleansed the Palestinian people for over 75 years.    About Dr. Ussama Makdisi Dr. Ussama Makdisi is Professor of History and Chancellor’s Chair at the University of California Berkeley. He was previously Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University in Houston.    

10/3/2013 - 10/3/2023 Parvez gets on mic to ruminate on 10 years of the podcast, its genesis, mission, accomplishments, pitfalls avoided, and future plans. We are immensely proud and grateful for these past 10 years but we could not have done it without you, our listeners! Thank you for your continued support, feedback, and for sharing the show. We pray that Allah blesses us with 10 more years and beyond by His Fadl and Tawfiq.

We continue making our way through our Chicago recordings with a very special conversation about Palliative Care, a topic that is hardly discussed in the Muslim communities but can impact the lives of young and old alike within the community. Palliative care specifically deals with relieving serious health-related suffering, be it physical, psychological, social, or spiritual for patients with serious illness like cardiovascular disease, cancer, major organ failure, end-stage chronic illness, acute trauma, or extreme frailty related to old age. It includes pastoral considerations, and more broadly can have profound implications on legal matters such as Living wills and other advance directives, the necessity of families having discussions about of quality of life and long terms care, among other issues.  About Our GuestsDr. Aziz Ansari, is a Professor of Medicine and is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Optimization and Revenue Integrity at Loyola University Medical Center. He is a practicing and board-certified hospitalist and palliative care physician. Omer Mozaffar serves as the Muslim Chaplain at Loyola University Chicago where he addresses theological, personal, social matters for students of all sectarian outlooks. He has received Islamic studies training both through traditional and academic sources.  Across the Muslim community, for nearly three decades, he has been giving sermons, officiating weddings, leading classes at Islamic centers.

Next stop in Chicagoland takes us to Skokie where Parvez and Omar had the honor of sitting with author, educator and school administrator, Habeeb Quadri. We had an in-depth conversation about his experiences growing up in Chicago, what inspired him to become an educator, and his journey from teaching inner city schools in Detroit and Chicago to serving as Principal and Superintendent of a renowned Islamic school. It was also a great opportunity for Parvez and Habeeb, who have known each other for over 30 years to reconnect, reminisce about cutting their teeth as youth activist in the 90s with Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) and the organization's resurgence in recent years.     About Habeeb QuadriHabeeb Quadri has served as principal of the Muslim Community Center Academy (MCCA) since 2002, where he has focused on changing school culture, financial turnaround, and transforming educational standards. He led MCCA to become one of the first Islamic parochial schools to receive national accreditation by implementing a comprehensive improvement plan that engaged stakeholders at all levels. Habeeb is on the principal advisory board and a part-time staffer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principal Center and the founder of High Quality Educational Consulting. He was one of five private school leaders to be selected for the 2019 class of nationally distinguished principals by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.He has lectured throughout the United States, Canada and abroad on Islam, society, and social problems confronting Muslim youth and the community at large, including workshops for the U.S Department of State, weekend and full-time Islamic schools, public schools and universities. Habeeb holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Wayne State University and a B.A. in the Teaching of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has pursued continued advanced studies with Harvard University’s Professional Development Program.

Next stop on Parvez & Omar's Chicago sojourn is the beautiful CAIR offices on historic State Street in downtown where they had the privilege of sitting with Ahmed Rehab. Ahmed's ability to articulate a clear and convincing analysis of contemporary social and political issues while maintaining a fidelity to Islam's normative teachings and practices made for a wide ranging and thought-provoking interview.         About Ahmed Rehab Ahmed is Executive Director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations as well as CAIR's National Strategic Communications Director. CAIR is the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. A prolific writer and lecturer on contemporary social issues including civil rights, media relations, and Islam-West relations, Ahmed lectures at various University campuses in Chicago and around the nation. Ahmed comments regularly as a guest on various local TV and cable news programs, as well as on radio stations. He has been interviewed by news publications such as the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Herald, the Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, the Economist, the Boston Globe, Crain's Business Magazine, Germany's Die Zeit, and many more. His Op-Ed's have been published in numerous newspapers around the country.