King of the World

Bonus Episode: Tanzila Ahmed, an artist writer, political activist, and co-host of the good Muslim bad Muslim podcast, shares her reflections on 20 years since 9/11. Follow Taz on Twitter [https://twitter.com/TazzyStar], read her articles on Substack [https://tazzystar.substack.com/], and visit her website [https://www.tazzystar.me/]. Listeners of King of the World can share their own experiences post 9/11 and what the series means to them. Check out the Rifelion blog [https://www.rifelion.com/diversityversed]. Also visit podinbox.com/kingoftheworld [http://podinbox.com/kingoftheworld] to send us an audio message, some of which will play on future episodes. For more information on King of the World, visit our website [https://www.rifelion.com/shows/kingoftheworld]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Bonus Episode: Listeners of King of the World share their own experiences post 9/11 and what the series means to them. Check out the Rifelion blog [https://www.rifelion.com/diversityversed]. Also visit podinbox.com/kingoftheworld [http://podinbox.com/kingoftheworld] to send us an audio message, some of which will play on future episodes. For more information on King of the World, visit our website [https://www.rifelion.com/shows/kingoftheworld]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Shahjehan starts touring the East Coast as an actor in a troupe for people in long-term recovery, and meets an unanticipated fan. We wrap up the “anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, racial, racist, white supremacist kind of mindset” that took hold during Trump’s presidency and its trickle-down effects, while also examining its function as a catalyst for the uptick in activism, improved representation, more diverse pop culture, and the ever-growing Muslim voice. We speak with American Muslim elected officials, actresses, founders, and of course, Amma and Agha, as we come full-circle to just exactly what Shahjehan’s people have done. A psychiatrist weighs in on the trauma of 9/11 for her Muslim American patients, as the interview diverges into a bit of a therapy session for Shahjehan, and for us. We revisit The Kominas, the Khans, Acton-Boxborough, adult relationships, the state of Shahjehan’s mental health, and look ahead to the future of this community. Learn more about the people and topics in this episode on our listening guide. [https://www.sutori.com/en/story/king-of-the-world-episode-7-listening-guide--X1a9F5bSf5DEdjkaGxJapjEf] Check out the Rifelion blog [https://www.rifelion.com/diversityversed]. Also visit podinbox.com/kingoftheworld [http://podinbox.com/kingoftheworld] to send us an audio message, some of which will play on future episodes. To learn more about the Common Purpose PAC mentioned by Qasim Rashid visit:https://secure.actblue.com/donate/common-purpose-pac-1 [https://secure.actblue.com/donate/common-purpose-pac-1] For more information on King of the World, visit our website [https://www.rifelion.com/shows/kingoftheworld]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Shahjehan takes us along on The Kominas international tour, where a career pinnacle at the BBC coincides with a critical relapse into substance abuse. The consequences are dire but lead to a sincere shot at recovery with a lovable sponsor. After the Boston Marathon bombing and targeted expletives cast from a carful of dude bros, Shahjehan speaks out, this time without the cover of the band. Islamic law expert Sumbul Ali-Karamali walks us through the definition of sharia and the multimillion-dollar Islamophobia Network that appeared around that time. The band reunites at the same time Trump’s campaign to ban Muslims, build walls, and grab p*#@!^$ gains ground. In the ultimate juxtaposition, Trump comes to town and holds a rally in the exact arena where, just one year prior, Bill Nye the Science Guy was delivering Shahjehan’s commencement speech to hopeful do-gooders. In a move we still don’t understand, Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States, as lawyers, artists, friends, and covert disrupters join us to talk about how they fought back. Learn more about the people and topics in this episode on our listening guide [https://www.sutori.com/en/story/king-of-the-world-rebirth-episode-6-listening-guide--ZPXdwn69s2coS7uCS3e2Hdwy]. Check out the Rifelion blog [https://www.rifelion.com/diversityversed]. Also visit podinbox.com/kingoftheworld [http://podinbox.com/kingoftheworld] to send us an audio message, some of which will play on future episodes. For more information on King of the World, visit our website [https://www.rifelion.com/shows/kingoftheworld]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

It’s 2008 and Shahjehan has just booked a one-way ticket to Pakistan. He moves in with his best friend and Kominas bandmate in Lahore, where new musical and social highs are interwoven with drug relapses, encounters at gunpoint, and Al-Faida conspiracy theorists. News from his hometown mosque in Wayland reveals that a childhood friend has been convicted of terrorist activities, which brings to question government-orchestrated spying and just whom the First Amendment applies to. The Muslim Justice League’s Amira Al-Subaey and real-life victim Asad Dandia break down the Obama-era Countering Violent Extremism program, based on a since-debunked radicalization theory, which in reality counters little except faith in our leaders and one’s neighbors. This post-9/11 period of more anti-nationalist criticism, regular airport profiling, and legitimized discrimination only seems to be dividing communities and making Americans less safe. For more information on our guests in this episode, check out the Rifelion blog [https://www.rifelion.com/diversityversed]. Also visit podinbox.com/kingoftheworld [http://podinbox.com/kingoftheworld] to send us an audio message, some of which will play on future episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]