Sultans and Sneakers

Releasing a special Bonus episode today.  I met Mike Tobin a little under a year ago.  He has been living in a nursing home in Chicago for over 12 years.  This is a short story on how he came to embrace Islam.  If you would like to get in touch with Mike, please send me an e-mail at info@sultansandsneakers.com  He is always looking to connect with more people as it does get lonely in the nursing home.   Sultans and Sneakers social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter:  @SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nN9RSnLs08M87yEZppwaA Mahin's personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  @MahinDaPodcastr

Back on the show for a third time is Umair Haseeb as we discuss the concept of saints and what it means to be a saintly figure.  We focus specifically on the Islamic concept of sainthood or "wilayah" which translates to "friendship with God".   Umair is a graduate of the Qarawayyin in Fez, Morocco where he studied theology, Islamic law and spirituality.  He continues to study Islam formally in Chicago while also managing a home furnishing business, Atiq Woodworks.   You can follow him on IG at: www.instagram.com/umair_haseeb You can learn more about Atiq Woodworks at www.atiqwoodworks.com Sultans and Sneakers social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter:  @SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nN9RSnLs08M87yEZppwaA Mahin's personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  @MahinDaPodcastr

Episode 15 of the podcast is by far the longest show we have done so far.  I pulled in Hooman Keshavarzi from the Khalil Center to double up as a co-host and as a guest as we hosted Dr. Taha Burak, a visiting psychologist from Istanbul, Turkey.  In this show, we discussed the Turkic roots of both Hooman and Dr. Taha and then discussed how classical Islamic scholars were pioneers in the field of psychotherapy.  This episode was recorded at the Khalil Center office in Lombard, Illinois.   Links for following: Khalil Center:  https://khalilcenter.com Sultans and Sneakers social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter:  @SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers YouTube Channel: Sultans and Sneakers Mahin's personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  @MahinDaPodcastr

Capping off our short Bangladesh series, Mahin sits down with fellow Ohio State alum and current Bangladesh resident Mohaimin Mostafa.  Mohaimin is a young entrepreneuer who is part of the team responsible for taking the Columbus, Ohio based coffee chain Crimson Cup and franchising it into the top coffee chain in Bangladesh.  He is officially the CoManaging Director of Crimson Cup Bangladesh and is the co-founder of a more recent startup, Jhalmuri Bangladesh which is a fashion based E-commerce site.  In this show I speak to Mohaimin about leaving the comforts of a cozy 9 to 5 at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio and his desire to return to his homeland to start his entrepreneurial journey.   This episode was recorded on location at the Crimson Cup Dhanmondi branch.   Links for following: Crimson Cup Bangladesh on IG: https://www.instagram.com/crimsoncupbangladesh/ Jhalmuri:  https://www.instagram.com/jhalmuribd/ Sultans and Sneakers social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/SultansandSneakers Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SultansandSneakers Twitter:  @SultansNSnkrs TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers Mahin's personal social media links: IG:  www.instagram.com/mahinthepodcaster Twitter:  @MahinDaPodcastr  

Mahin made a trip to Bangladesh in December 2019 and recorded a couple of episodes.  In the first episode of the series titled "Dhaka Streets" he meets up with his childhood buddy Zia Imran who is doing big things in the education and entrepreneurial space in Bangladesh.   Zia is the founder and Managing Director of the American Standard International School.  Prior to this, he worked as a consultant for several Fortune 500 companies in the United States such as Nationwide Insurance, Worthington Industries and Bank of America.  He continues to build on his portfolio with several new business ventures established in Bangladesh.  Zia is a graduate of The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and has an MBA from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.   He's not very active on social media except for his personal pages and so this is a good reminder to follow Sultans and Sneakers on our various platforms. Facebook:  www.facebook.com/sultansandsneakers Twitter:  @SultansNSnkrs Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sultansandsneakers/ TikTok:  @sultans_and_sneakers

Glasgow visits Chicago for Episode 12 of the podcast.  Amir Latif joins us to tell his story of being a second generation Pakistani/Indian kid born into a large working class family in Glasgow, Scotland.  Amir's interests are focused on lack of representation within popular culture, particularly in the clothing industry.  He makes up 1/3 of the team behind the creative clothing brand chak16, which connects elements of the creators' Southeast Asian cultural backgrounds with a modern streetwear vibe.   Shop chak16 at www.chak16.com/store Follow on IG at https://instagram.com/chak16_ Follow Amir at https://instagram.com/amiiirlatiiif Follow Sultans and Sneakers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (@SultansNSnkrs), and TikTok (@sultans_and_sneakers)

Super excited to drop this episode of Sultans and Sneakers with Dubai's finest, Nabeel Azeez.  Nabeel is a copywriter and marketing consultant who co-owns and runs dropkickcopy.com, a boutique B2B copywriting agency.  He is also the owner of becomingthealphamuslim.com, a self improvement blog for Muslim men.   In this episode we cover topics such as how he got into the copywriting industry, the manosphere and his experience with being cancelled by other platforms.  You can follow Nabeel on Twitter and Instagram at @NabeelAzeezDXB.   Follow Sultans and Sneakers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Twitter handle is @SultansNSnkrs) Email us with any comments or questions at info@sultansandsneakers.com and leave us a 5 star review on iTunes.  

For Episode 10 Mahin catches up with AbdulRahman Chao, an individual well versed in both the Islamic and Christian traditions.  AbdulRahman is a Bay Area native who memorized the Qu'ran before going on to earn his Bachelors Degree from the Islamic University of Madinah and his Masters in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University.  AbdulRahman's focus of study was on early church history and we centered this discussion around that topic.  We close the discussion off with a rant about Islamic schools.   Follow Sultans and Sneakers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Twitter handle is @SultansNSnkrs) Email us with any comments or questions at info@sultansandsneakers.com and leave a 5 star review on iTunes.  

Dropping a bonus episode this week as the world lost an icon in NBA legend Kobe Bryant.  I bring back my pilot episode guests Mike Swies and Umair Haseeb to share some thoughts on Kobe, his legacy and also discussing various perceptions of death within the Islamic worldview while also thinking about how other faiths perceive the passing of people in this world.   Mike Swies is a Speech Language Pathologist but has made his name in Chicago for caring for people who convert to Islam.  He has had active roles in organizations like Project Downtown and Ta'leef Chicago in the past. Umair Haseeb is a graduate of the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco where he studied Arabic and various other Islamic sciences.  He has served as a prison chaplain and has apprenticed under senior Islamic scholars in the Chicagoland area.   Follow Sultans and Sneakers on: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sultansandsneakers Twitter:  https://twitter.com/sultansnsnkrs Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sultansandsneakers E-mail:  info@sultansandsneakers.com  

Back from a long hiatus for Episode 9!  Mahin catches up the audience on his whereabouts and what's coming up for the show before delving into a conversation with Ghulam Kehar, an individual who has cut his teeth in the field of refugee services.  Ghulam currently serves as the Associate Director of US Programs at Islamic Relief USA, leading grant-making initiatives and national capacity building programs for Islamic Relief's partners.  Ghulam got his start in the field as the co-founder of Amaanah Refugee Services.  He has presented at several TEDx conferences and served on the advisory board for the Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs in Houston.  Ghulam holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Houston and a Nonprofit Leadership Certification from Rice University.   Links to Ghulam's talks and the organizations he has worked with: Islamic Relief:  www.irusa.org Amaanah Refugee Services:  https://amaanahservices.org/ TEDx Talk on Refugee Resettlement:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6hDHsPNPs TEDxRiceU Talk:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIe0PwaxRVc RADTalks (Rethinking Social Work):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50gIbkenNJU Email Sultans and Sneakers:  Info@sultansandsneakers.com Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sultansandsneakers/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/sultansnsnkrs Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sultansandsneakers/