Dr. Jihad Saafir on Diffused Congruence Podcast: The American Muslim Experience

Dr. Jihad Saafir of Islah LA discusses 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.
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This podcast, which explores and celebrates the many facets of the American Muslim experience, has been hosted by Parvez Ahmed and Omar Ansari since October 2013. Zaki Hasan was co-host from 2013 to 2019. This is Episode 148. It aired on March 26, 2024.
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From the Diffused Congruence’s page:
With new episodes slated to drop the first Friday of every month, the goal of our show is to highlight and focus on unique and interesting personalities from both within and without the American Muslim community, and engage them in what will hopefully be a worthwhile and invigorating conversation not only for the guests, but also for listeners.
Since its inception in 2013, Diffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience has been dedicated to highlighting unique and interesting personalities from within the American Muslim community, and engage them in what will hopefully be a worthwhile and invigorating conversation not only for the guests, but also for listeners. We like to think of the podcast as part oral history/personal narrative and part a discussion of critical issues, with listeners feeling as though they are sitting in on a casual (and non-scripted) conversation. Our guests include scholars, thought leaders, academics, artists, actors, journalists, and activists.
Learn more about this podcast at diffusedcongruence or www.diffusedcongruence.podbean.com
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