Here at islamwich, we discuss all things Muslim, all things ‘merican, and everything in between. Some things, though, need a little more than a few hundred words (ok, a lot more).

Twice a month (give or take), Theresa Corbin and Kaighla Um Dayo exchange witty banter and (somewhat) intelligent conversation right here, on the islamwich Podcast, all while helping bridge the gap between Islam and ‘merica.

Episode 4: Interview with a SheFighter

In this episode, we interview Sarah, a head trainer at SheFighter, a women’s-only gym in Amman, Jordan. We talk about how she got into martial arts, self-defense as opposed to violence, and how physical training empowers women and gives them self-confidence.

• About half-way through, we mention some threats that had been made against Laila Alawa, the Founder of  The Tempest (formerly Coming of Faith).
• Toward the end, we talk about Dana Falsetti, an expert yoga instructor and self-proclaimed Plus-Size lady. Check her out!!
• If this video doesn’t rock your world and motivate you to just try, nothing will! The amazing true story of Arthur Boorman, a wheel-chair ridden veteran paratrooper who was told for 15 years he would never walk unassisted again.

Episode 3: Interview with Yvonne Maffei, founder of My Halal Kitchen

In this episode of the islamwich Podcast, Kaighla interviews the founder of My Halal Kitchen, sister Yvonne Maffei.

We discuss her journey to Islam, how MHK was conceived, the state of halal food marketing among American consumers, how MHK is a dawah effort, and some tips she has for healthy, delicious eating in Ramadan.

• We talk about a few popular halal restaurants, the huge one among them being The Halal Guys, a food cart in NYC that’s insanely popular among all New Yorkers, regardless of religion.
• Yvonne’s two cookbooks are My Halal Kitchen and Summer Ramadan Cooking. Her cleaning book is called Clean Your Kitchen Green.
• Check out Yvonne’s favorite halal food companies,  Saffron Road and Crescent Foods.
• Yvonne mentions some “halal food myths” she works to debunk.
• Yvonne uses some Arabic words, like halal, tayyib, & zabiha. Check out our extensive glossary.
• It happens that Yvonne was one of the people who helped guide me (Kaighla) to Islam back in 2009!

Episode 2: Patience in an Abusive Marriage

• At minute 1:45, we discuss a terrific book but Kaighla forgot the name of the author. Turns out it was Ibn Al-Qayyim.
• At minute 7:35 we delve into the topic of qawwamun and Kaighla vaguely references “The Qu’ran” which she is wont to do. Here is the specific ayah.

“Men are (meant to be righteous and kind) guardians of women because God has favored some more than others and because they (i.e. men) spend out of their wealth. (In their turn) righteous women are (meant to be) devoted and to guard what God has (willed to be) guarded even though out of sight (of the husband)…”(Surah 4:34)

• At minute 14:00 we discuss the oft-quoted argument that it’s haraam to advise someone to divorce their spouse, and why that doesn’t apply in the context of an abusive marriage.
• At minute 17:00 we discuss how Allah is always on the side of the oppressed, never the side of the oppressor, and some of the consequences of oppressing people.
• During Theresa’s Tip, at minute 22:00, we cite a 2010 Time Magazine study that said 62% of Americans have never met a Muslim and have an unfavorable view of Islam and Muslims.
• At minute 30:00, we discuss the topic of fardh ayn vs. fardh kifayeh.

Episode 1: The ‘Us & Them’ Illusion & Double Standards

• Theresa mentions an article on the extreme christian/extreme jihadist double standard, which you can read here.
• Here’s a video of Republican Presidential Candidate Hopeful Ted Cruz making an ass of himself, something Kaighla mentions toward the middle of the podcast. (we’d share videos of Trump doing the same, but there are too many. A quick Google search should suffice.)(seriously, click that link. You will thank us.)
• Theresa talks more about her experience with American convert-turned-extremist Omar Hammami here.
• If you wanna hear about our personal journeys to Islam, feel free to check out our About Us page, as well as reading about Theresa’s journey and Kaighla’s.