The Death of the Essay

A vision for Muslims

The group comes together to debate Omar's article, The Muhammadan Presence: an American Vision. It is a vision for Muslims in the United States and what to do. It starts off slow, but then suddenly spikes in a passionate talk about how to go about integrating with the world. What are Islamic values? How do we cultivate them? What is the plan to see it through? Let us know what you think!Article: https://www.omarb.com/p/the-muhammadan-presence-an-american [https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/2Ty8pa0oGvwtvK0pq63bqh/episode/5rdQ7i4bKqVBcuMggBcDbH/The%20group%20comes%20together%20to%20debate%20Omar's%20article,%20The%20Muhammadan%20Presence:%20an%20American%20Vision.%20It%20is%20a%20vision%20for%20Muslims%20in%20the%20United%20States%20and%20what%20to%20do.%20It%20starts%20off%20slow,%20but%20then%20suddenly%20spikes%20in%20a%20passionate%20talk%20about%20how%20to%20go%20about%20integrating%20with%20the%20world.%20%20%20What%20are%20Islamic%20values?%20How%20do%20we%20cultivate%20them?%20What%20is%20the%20plan%20to%20see%20it%20through?%20Let%20us%20know%20what%20you%20think!%20%20Article:%20https://www.omarb.com/p/the-muhammadan-presence-an-american]

Iran. Now what?

Haroon and Omar go at it on Iran. What's happening? Why? Religious? What? Iran strikes coincided with Purim. Intentional? Who knows? The point is innocent people die regardless of what "old flesh bags" decide. This is a passionate one for Omar, who wants to do right and struggles in the rubble to do so. Check this stop in his journey for a Free Palestine. The interview with Dr. Ali Ataie: https://youtu.be/rsUeh0bKAes [https://youtu.be/rsUeh0bKAes]

Ramadan Pod

The "Plateau" Experience Haroon and Nadir get vulnerable about their personal struggles this Ramadan. Haroon discusses the "flatline" he experienced after a strong start and the difficulty of maintaining a "spiritual mode" while managing the daily grind of work and a lack of weekday community. How was your Ramadan?

The Death of the Essay

Sam Altman wants to create a ‘Digital God,’ but we’re just trying to get students to think for themselves. Is generative AI the end of critical thinking? This week on Rising in the West, Haroon reports from the “English trenches,” where the “Death of the Essay” looms as students trade deep analysis for polished AI outputs. Omar explains the technical reality—why AI doesn’t “think,” but instead makes connections of human knowledge with an authoritative and lots of times “hallucinatory,” tone. Nadir raises a vital concern for the Ummah: the danger of youth seeking fatwas and spiritual guidance from biased algorithms. We explore a provocative “power play”—applying the rigorous standards of Hadith science to verify the reliability of AI information. From strategic chip wars in Taiwan to “Dead Internet Theory,” we discuss how these machines are re-wiring our world. In an era where liars are viewed as truth-tellers, how do we protect our spiritual foundations? Readings and more... Yaqeen Institute on AI [https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/post/how-yaqeen-institute-approaches-ai-integrating-technology-with-islamic-ethics] Muslims and AI [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7opfbjHoB1E] CFR - Ai and 2026 [https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-2026-could-decide-future-artificial-intelligence] CNBC - MIT Job Study [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/26/mit-study-finds-ai-can-already-replace-11point7percent-of-us-workforce.html] TIME - Jobs and AI [https://time.com/7357476/economics-of-ai-and-jobs/] The Guardian - Novelists’ Concern with AI [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/20/more-than-half-of-uk-novelists-believe-ai-will-replace-their-work] NPR - AI in Schools [https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5674741/ai-schools-education] Business Insider - Professors Assigns ChatGPT [https://www.businessinsider.com/wharton-mba-professor-requires-students-to-use-chatgpt-ai-cheating-2023-1] Decoder - AI and the Education Crisis [https://www.theverge.com/podcast/815434/ai-education-schools-research-cheating-chatgpt-jobs-grades]

Cruelty is the Point

“If you can get someone to believe in absurdities, they will commit atrocities.” Is the chaos we are witnessing a bug in the system, or is it a feature? This week on Rising in the West, Haroon and Omar are joined by Nadir, unpacking a heavy news cycle, starting with the escalation of immigration enforcement. Haroon argues that the “lethality and harshness” aren’t accidental byproducts—they are the mandate. Nadir calls out the “hired goon” mentality of officers hiding behind masks and sunglasses , while Omar poses the ultimate philosophical dilemma: Do the ends ever justify the means when the entire “forest is on fire”? We then zoom out to the global stage to analyze Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum and what it signals about the rupture of the US-led global order. Are we watching America isolate itself in real-time through tariffs and protectionism while the rest of the world moves on? Finally, we explore “intrusive thoughts”—is history repeating itself, or is it scripted? And in a world of Machiavellian power plays and elite maneuvering , we remember that while they plan, Allah is the best of planners. Notes: * Fareed Zakaria's article. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/15/us-global-order-shift-allies/] * Omar's Bluesky conversation [https://bsky.app/profile/jkxz.bsky.social/post/3mddzsous622v]