Sultans and Sneakers

Asadullah Ali Al-Andalusi is a research fellow for Yaqeen Institute, member of the Muslim Debate Initiative, and founder of the Andalusian Project; an independent research platform for Islamic studies. He holds degrees in both Western and Islamic Philosophy and a Masters in Library and Information Science. He specializes in topics related to the philosophy of science, atheism, terrorism, Islamic ethics, and other issues facing the global Muslim community. This episode was an off the cuff casual conversation into his backstory, his rough upbringing and the circumstances that led him to eventually accepting Islam. We talked about other random tidbits as well like healthy eating and Cobra Kai.

On this show, I welcome one of Birmingham's (UK) finest, Bro Hajji. Bro Hajji has made a name for himself exposing deviance within the Muslim community. One of the groups he has focused in on is the Madkhali cult AKA "The Super Salafis". As I spent time in the mid 2000s with this group, I wanted to share some of my experiences first hand and have him comment. Check out Bro Hajji on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxsG... You can support my channel at https://www.patreon.com/notifications

Matt Sapaula AKA “The Money Smart Guy” is the Chief Distribution Officer for PHP Agency, a financial services firm based out of the Dallas Texas area. Many of you may have heard of PHP because of it’s founder, Patrick Bet-David who hosts the popular Valuetainment Podcast. Matt is a US Marine Corps combat veteran who transitioned into the insurance industry where he has been able to become a first generation millionaire. Our conversation in this episode is about Matt’s belief system in capitalism and how that has evolved as he went from a US Marine making less than $2,000 a month to his current status as a high level insurance executive. Despite his current status, Matt is as down to earth as it gets…of Filipino background and coming from modest beginnings in the Chicagoland area. This is one of my shorter episodes but it’s packed with content. If you want to know more about him, you can follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/moneysmartguy/ and his YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/matthewsapaulainc If you'd like to support the channel you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/sultansandsneakers

Dr. Ali Ataie is by many accounts, the most knowledgeable Muslim alive today on the subject of Christianity. He is grounded in both the Islamic sciences and has also earned a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California where he did his thesis on an esoteric interpretation of the Gospel of John in the New Testament; an interpretation that seeks to reconcile the Islamic understanding of monotheism with the Gospel that has the highest Christology. His knowledge of Arabic, Greek and Hebrew allows him to have a rare insight when it comes to Comparative Religions. I had a chance to discuss his ideas on the Gospel of John along with other subjects related to Christianity with Dr. Ataie on this episode. We covered the Apostle Paul, differences in the Early Church, and the concept of the Messiah. Dr. Ali Ataie also clarifies his personal position on the Gospels and tells us about a future project he's got in the works. His bio can be viewed at: https://zaytuna.edu/academics/faculty/ali-ataie If you would like to support the channel, you can do so by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/sultansandsneakers

Call this show the "Kitchen Sink" episode.  Gareth Bryant AKA "The Muslim Model" chopped it up about his conversion story to Islam, his experience with Salafism, getting hit on by male prostitutes in Mecca, fashion, jinns, and LGTBQ+.  Goes without saying I'll probably bring him on again.   Follow Gareth on IG and Twitter @themuslimmodel Support the podcast financially at www.patreon.com/SultansandSneakers

In April 2014, Phil Holland was a 20 year old college student in Philadelphia working 2 jobs.  On Tuesday April 22, 2014 after he delivered a cheeseburger his life would change forever as he had an incident with what he later realized to be the Philadelphia Police Department.  6 years before George Floyd, Phil's story is an eye opening account from someone who survived police brutality.   You can read more about Phil's story at the following links: https://6abc.com/police-shooting-southwest-philadelphia/32172/ https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/philadelphia/Officers-cleared-of-shooting-philippe-holland.html http://www.westphillylocal.com/tag/philippe-holland/page/2/ You can follow Phil on IG at https://www.instagram.com/philholland__/ Support the podcast financially at www.patreon.com/SultansandSneakers  

Parvez Ahmed is the co-founder and co-host of "DIffused Congruence: The American Muslim Experience" which is to my knowledge the longest running active Muslim podcast.  On this show, we discussed ideas around podcasting like the methodology employed to platform guests.  This topic was relevant and timely due to the other podcast that I co-host, "The Mad Mamluks" hosting Nouman Ali Khan who was accused of some illicit behavior a few years ago.  I also asked Parvez his thoughts on the group that exists in the Muslim community known as the "Akh Right".   If you are enjoying the content, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/SultansandSneakers. Every dollar helps! In addition to Patreon, please continue to support Sultans and Sneakers by following me on my various social media channels, leaving a 5 star review and letting your friends know about the show.  I have a website now as well and you can access that at:  https://sultansandsneakers.com/ You can also follow the show on our respective social media: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter: https://twitter.com/SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nN9RSnLs08M87yEZppwaA My personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MahinDaPodcastr

Dr. Will Caldwell is a recent Ph.D graduate from Northwestern University’s Department of Religious Studies where he specialized in the history of Islam in America.  Will is also the Convert Care Coordinator at Ta’leef Chicago. He is originally from Georgia and was raised in the Episcopalian denomination of Christianity.  Will walks us through his spiritual journey and offers some candid thoughts on the 2020 election. This show was recorded a few days before the election and off the record, Will’s prediction for a Donald Trump re-election doesn’t seem to have panned out. If you are enjoying the content, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/SultansandSneakers. Every dollar helps! In addition to Patreon, please continue to support Sultans and Sneakers by following me on my various social media channels, leaving a 5 star review and letting your friends know about the show.  I have a website now as well and you can access that at:  https://sultansandsneakers.com/ You can also follow the show on our respective social media: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter: https://twitter.com/SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nN9RSnLs08M87yEZppwaA My personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MahinDaPodcastr

Dropping an off the cuff bonus show with St. Louis activist, author, and media personality Umar Lee.  Umar is a life long Democrat who supported Joe Biden since his entry into the race.  We discuss the aftermath of the election, Umar's approach to politics and the Democratic Party.  We also discuss some of the various factions within the Muslim community as it pertains to US politics and some ideas of what is to come. Umar has recently published a book called "In Malcolm's Path" which is available on Amazon.  You can follow him on Twitter @UmarLeeIII If you are enjoying the content, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/SultansandSneakers. Every dollar helps! In addition to Patreon, please continue to support Sultans and Sneakers by following me on my various social media channels, leaving a 5 star review and letting your friends know about the show.  I have a website now as well and you can access that at:  https://sultansandsneakers.com/ You can also follow the show on our respective social media: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter: https://twitter.com/SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nN9RSnLs08M87yEZppwaA My personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MahinDaPodcastr

Dr. Hugo Mendez is Assistant Professor in Ancient Mediterranean Religions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in the New Testament and its early reception.  Religion and spirituality always played a pivotal role in his life and he takes us through his trajectory in both academia and personal faith. We also had some fun banter about New York sports teams as Hugo is a native of the Big Apple.   If you are enjoying the content, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/SultansandSneakers. Every dollar helps! In addition to Patreon, please continue to support Sultans and Sneakers by following me on my various social media channels, leaving a 5 star review and letting your friends know about the show.  I have a website now as well and you can access that at:  https://sultansandsneakers.com/ You can also follow the show on our respective social media: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter: https://twitter.com/SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nN9RSnLs08M87yEZppwaA My personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MahinDaPodcastr