Muslims In Your Backyard is a podcast focused on understanding and analyzing 21st Century issues, problems and history from a Muslim perspective. Join me as I examine an Islamic perspective on many 21st Century issues but also seek to reconnect with Islamic history and its impact on our lives in the 21st Century.

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Asalam Waliakum! Please to announce the release of a new episode and an amazing interview with my guest Belal Elkadri (@yourbrotherbelal) who is a motivational speaker, youth outreach specialist and Islamic preacher who focuses on issues within the Muslim community. The focus of our discussion will cover a variety of topics within the Muslim community. We’ll begin by discussing Belal’s outreach to younger children, it’s importance as well as how he makes an effective presentation for children to deliver the Islamic message to them. Following this, we will delve into the importance of role models for the youth and their importance in guiding us to become who we want to be.  Lastly, we will delve into the rise of social media dawah and its ability to both help and hurt the Muslim community. Social media’s ability to spread Islamic knowledge comes at the cost of replacing or diminishing traditional and more effective methods of Islamic knowledge.  ALSO don’t forget to share this episode and to follow my Instagram and Twitter (X) account: @MIYBPodcast Belal&#39;s Website: https://belalelkadri.com/ Instagram: @yourbrotherbelal

Youth Outreach and Social Media ft. Belal Elkadri

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Asalam Waliakum! Please to announce the release of a new episode! This episode took longer than I had hoped but I’m glad to be posting episodes again. As always I’m thinking of ways to make a better podcast! The theme of this episode will be the Modern Workplace. Specifically, I’ll be discussing the ideas behind “Hustle Culture” and “Quiet Quitting”, primarily their origin and why they become prevalent within the modern work culture. I’ll then focus on their implications for Muslims as well as what it says about a person’s worldview. You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Stitcher. Don’t forget to share this episode and to follow my Instagram account @MIYBPodcast

The Modern Workplace

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Asalamwaliakum! Today&#39;s episode is somewhat later than I expected (my apologies) and will focus on the holiday season within the Western world and specifically in Canada. I wanted to focus on this because there are some rather interesting observations of society and some possibly valuable lessons fro the Muslims community within them. I also am not going to nor do I intend to criticize people who do celebrate Christmas or any other holiday, I am more making observations about the holiday season in general. As always don&#39;t forget to follow me on Instagram and on Twitter, it&#39;s @MIYBPodcast! Don&#39;t forget to share this podcast with other as well you can listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Overconsumption and Being Grateful

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Asalam Walaikum! Today&#39;s episode will analyze the life of Malik El-Shabazz or better known as Malcolm X. The episode will provide an introduction to his early life and then focus on his alignment with the Nation of Islam, before diving into his conversion to Islam. As always I did not cover every detail of his life but I highlighted many of the turning points and essential details that impacted his politics and views. In addition, the episode will also partially cover the Nation of Islam to provide context to Malcolm&#39;s early beliefs in comparison to his later conversion to Islam. As always I intend these episodes to be a learning journey for myself and for you, the listener. Since I don&#39;t cover everything in this episode don&#39;t forget to do your own research and to learn more about Malcolm X! ALSO, don&#39;t forget to follow me on Instagram and on Twitter @MIYBPodcast. I post episode and podcast updates as well as general posts on both platforms. Finally, if you did enjoy today&#39;s episode don&#39;t forget to like and subscribe to the podcast as well as to share it with other as well!

Past and Present Muslims: X

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Asalamwalaikum! Today&#39;s episode will be Part 2 of my Babri Masjid episode and will focus on understanding the aftershocks that the destruction of Babri Masjid had on the Indian Muslim population. In examining this, I hope to show how many layers of the Indian justice system failed but also the wide degree of impacts that the destruction of the Masjid had on many average and normal Indian Muslims. At the same time, I also bring the story of one man who brought good from the destruction of the Masjid. Also don&#39;t forget to follow me on Instagram or Twitter it&#39;s @MIYBPodcast. Remember to also follow the podcast and to leave a like or a five star review at the podcast page that you are listening from!

Forgotten History: Babri Masjid Pt.2

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Asalamwaliakum! This episode will focus on the destruction of Babri Masjid and the reasons for its destruction. I give some background history towards the destruction of the Mosque, but I focus on the actions of the Hindu radicals who destroyed the Mosque. In doing so, my goal is to examine their thought process as well as expose the rampant islamophobia behind their actions. This is Part 1 of my Babri Masjid episode and Part 2 will focus on understanding the aftermath and direct impact of the destruction of the masjid. Also don&#39;t forget to follow me on Instagram or Twitter it&#39;s @MIYBPodcast. Remember to also follow the podcast and to leave a like or a five star review at the podcast page that you are listening from!

Forgotten History: Babri Masjid Pt. 1

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For today&#39;s episode I&#39;ll be elaborating on the real life impacts of Bill 21 and the reactions that it has caused throughout much of Canada. The impact of this bill has the possibility of being enormous especially in relation to the application of religious freedoms within Canada. I will discuss that as well as reactions from within Quebec towards Bill 21 as not everyone within the province supports the bill.I also wanted to add that I will be going on a hiatus for about a month as i wanted to take a break to better plan for future episode as well as take a break from producing episodes on a bi-weekly basis. I want to ensure that I can deliver the best quality of episodes to this podcast and I feel that a break will allow me to refocus and recharge. I&#39;ll of course go back to making episodes on a bi-weekly episodes so see you all in a month!

The Real Life Impacts of Bill 21

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In today&#39;s episode I discuss the &#34;secular&#34; law passed by the Quebec government which bans the public display of religious symbols and headgear within the Quebec government. I dive into the impacts, ramifications and issues with this law. Next week&#39;s episode will also focus on Bill 21 and will look into the real life implications of this law.

Bill 21: The "Secular" Law

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Asalam Walaikum! Today&#39;s episode will focus on the issue of Masjid Safety and Security within Canada as well as the importance of increased awareness of public safety within Mosques. We&#39;ve discussed Islamophobia, racism, hate crimes and discrimination within this podcast which is why I felt that it was very important to finally get a chance to interview an expert in the topic. Younus Imam of the Salaam Project is an expert in the field of Masjid Security and currently volunteers with the Salaam Project to improve Masjid Security across Canada. I&#39;m also extremely excited to have done my first Podcast interview and hope that I&#39;m able to continue to produce more interviews in the future! Don&#39;t forget to follow me @MIYBPodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Also you can find Younus and the Salaam Project on Instagram @younus.imam.

Masjid Safety and Security ft. Younus Imam

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In today&#39;s episode I wanted to focus on some reflections and thoughts towards the end of Ramadan. Primarily the benefits and strengths that we learn from Ramadan and fasting during the holy month. Many of these reflections are my own, so I highly suggest you to do your own reflections and your benefits from the month of Ramadan!

Reviewing Ramadan

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Today&#39;s episode will focus on specific goals that I created for the last 15 days of Ramadan so that we can maximize the most out of this blessed month. These are goals that I feel are attainable but also worthwhile because they are impactful things to do in Ramadan. I will go over them and provide some details but for the most part the goals that I discuss in this episode are flexible and definitely something that you can change as you wish!

Last 15 Days of Ramadan

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Imam Al-Bukhari is one of the most influential and well known scholars in Muslim history. His accomplishments include numerous books and hadith collections, the most famous being Sahih Al-Bukhari. Although many Muslims are familiar with his name and know who he is, very few really know the story of his background or where he came from. In today&#39;s Past and Present Heroes episode, I will go into depth about the life and times of Imam-Al-Bukhari and some pivotal moments in his life. Understanding his significance to the ummah will only give us a greater amount of respect for his accomplishments.My main source for this episode was a lecture by Omar Suleiman which is linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vmBXCsr80

Past and Present Heroes: Imam Al-Bukhari

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For today&#39;s episode I will be looking into some parts of the rich history of Islam in China and how it represents both Chinese Muslims and Muslims that are in China (I&#39;ll explain the difference in the episode). In doing so I hope to bring a greater understanding of how Islam has been influential in China as well as its interactions with previous Chinese governments.

Forgotten History: Islam in China

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It has been two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and a lot has changed in the world. There have been many negative and positive things that have happened throughout the world. In today&#39;s episode I will take a second to reflect on my own experiences and events that happened during these two years. In many ways COVID-19 has exposed many ugly truths about our current world and in many ways continues to do so. At the same time there are many things as Muslims that I feel we should reflect on that I will also cover.

Reflections on COVID-19

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Today&#39;s episode will discuss and breakdown the proposed Online Harms Bill by the Federal Liberal government that seeks to regulate the use of social media and the internet to prevent the spread online hate and dangerous content. This is a controversial piece of legislation that has many ramifications for Canadians in their day to day lives. There are some benefits and drawbacks to the law which are important for us to know and understand. Ultimately, this conversation rests on the balance of our individual freedoms while using the internet and the prevention of harm to others through the use of the internet.

The Online Harms Bill

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Welcome back to the Muslims in Your Backyard podcast! For today&#39;s episode I examined what the Hate Crime laws within Canada actually say and where our perception of what the Criminal Code of Canada covers may actually be incorrect. Reforms or changes to hate crime laws have been a hot topic in Canada (and for food reason!) and deserve our attention. To truly change these laws, however, we really do need to understand them first.

Canadian Hate Crime Law

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Ep#2 of the Past and Present Heroes will focus on the Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali and his life as a Muslim and his activism throughout his life. Today&#39;s episode will go into detail on some aspects that truly demonstrate why Muhammad Ali is not only a respected but honoured man in so many parts of the world. In understanding who he was we can really begin to understand his beliefs and more importantly, how Islam shaped his activism. Muhammad Ali truly was one of the Greatest for many reasons and this episode will outline a few.**Also as mentioned in today&#39;s episode, I will be taking a break from making episodes till the first week of February, so there will be no episode in two weeks**

Past and Present Heroes: The Greatest

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What do we perceive as success and what do we see as a &#34;failure&#34;? For todays episode I dive into discussing how the 21st Century (more specifically the Capitalist Society) has impacted what we perceive as &#34;success&#34; or &#34;failure&#34;. In trying to understand these two notions, I think its important for us to take a step back and really reflect on how we perceive the world and our place in it. On top of this, how do we understand this role within our beliefs as Muslims and the impact that these 21st Century values have had on our faith.

Perceptions of Success and Failure

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Canadian students study at some of the finest, well established and distinguished universities in the world and yet the greatest danger to many students may have very little to do with the opportunities that they are given but rather the systematic problems within the Canadian post-secondary system. For today&#39;s episode I will focus on the issues of Mental Health within Canadian universities. This episode will focus on examining the concerning statistics involving student mental health, anxiety, stress and depression. These issues will be covered by also looking at the issues within the institutions behind our educational system and my own experiences as a student in Canada. I hope to provide some insight and analysis that can shed some more light and bring awareness to the problems that have severely impacted many Canadian students. If you seek Mental Health support or need support here are a few sources, but I urge you to seek the support that you need: Center for Addiction and Mental Health: https://www.camh.ca/ Canadian Mental Health Association: https://cmha.ca/ Naseeha Health (toll free Mental Health line focused on Muslims): 1-866-627-3342 OR https://naseeha.org/ Khalil Center: https://khalilcenter.com/ (based on Islamic Practices) Useful article by The Walrus: https://thewalrus.ca/inside-the-mental-health-crisis-facing-college-and-university-students/

The Student Mental Health Crisis in Canada

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For today&#39;s episode I&#39;ll continue the discussion from the last episode and will shift the focus to the historical conceptions and formulations of the ummah. This includes looking at the empires/rulers/sultanates that were influential in both the political and religious spheres as well as the differences between what the &#34;ummah&#34; was historically and what it is now. This will include looking at some of the political formations within the ummah in the past and how they differ to what exists today.

What is the Ummah? (pt. 2)

Muslims In Your Backyard is a podcast focused on understanding and analyzing 21st Century issues, problems and history from a Muslim perspective. Join me as I examine an Islamic perspective on many 21st Century issues but also seek to reconnect with Islamic history and its impact on our lives in the 21st Century.