786 boulevard by Nouri Sardar & Hasnain Ali

Taher Adel is a British poet of Bahraini descent. His phenomenal poetry can be found all over Instagram and in a variety of publications, which tackle life, love, faith and the Arabic language. He published his first poetry collection Lost&Foundin April 2018. The collection is chronicling selections of his work from his first dabblings in poetry to the present day, much of the work in this book focuses on the relationship between the Almighty and his creations.

Ahmad Asaad is an incredibly talented cinematographer and editor. Hailing from Texas and currently residing in DC, he works behind the scenes at AJ+, currently shooting and editing the ‘Backspace’ series, presented by Sana Saeed and produced by Sana and Nick Garbaty. He also uses his talents to elevate various short films and music videos, both for clients and as passion projects.

Young n Muslim is one of America’s favourite Muslim podcasts. Jibraeel and Mohammed endeavour to explore the real issues that young Muslim Americans experience, giving their own takes and personal experiences in a hilarious fashion that is rarely seen on the topic of Islam.  

Omar Esa is an award-winning and chart topping nasheed artist who uses vocals only in his nasheeds. In his old life, he was a promising RnB/Pop singer who decided to leave music to focus on nasheeds after reconnecting with his faith. Omar has since topped the iTunes world chart multiple times and his nasheeds are watched and heard all across the globe.  

Dune is the 2021 American epic sci-fi film we've all heard of, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Set in the distant future amidst a feudal intersteller society, various noble houses battle over resources on a desert planet.   

Huda Fahmy is an author and cartoonist whose webcomics you have certainly seen all over the internet. Her hilarious comics poke fun at the real life situations that Muslims find themselves in every day. She has published numerous best-selling comic books including Yes, I’m Hot in This, That Can Be Arranged and the upcoming Huda F Are You.  

This week's guest are our sponsors - USHUB! USHUB is an exciting new streaming service featuring Muslim made films, shows, documentaries and more. The platform is opening opportunities for Muslims from every corner of the globe; providing them with a home for their work to be seen.   

Zuhair Hussaini is a New York City-based architectural designer, who completed his thesis at the New York Institute of Technology, on the rebuilding of the Jannat Al-Baqi cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Zuhair is an incredible Islamic art designer and Arabic calligraphist, and experiments with contemporary and traditional styles through paintings, digital art and more.  

Arij Mikati is the managing director of storytelling and culture change work at Pillars Fund. Her work with her team at Pillars Fund helps to support Muslims who want to tell authentic and provocative stories full of mess, nuance and beauty, looking for infuse the existing landscape of media with fresh ideas and voices. Alongside actor Riz Ahmed, USC Annenberg and Ford Foundation, Pillars Fund recently unveiled their blueprint for Muslim inclusion, which found Muslims  missing or misrepresented in aa study of top grossing films from 2017-2019.  

Helwa is the author of the international bestseller, Secrets of Divine Love. Secrets of Divine Love teaches you how to unlock your spiritual potential and unveil your divine purpose. In the book Helwa uses a rational yet heart-based approach toward the Quran, weaving together inspiring mystical stories, Quranic verses, poetry, psychology and science, breaking down Islam in a way that is digestible and inspiring for millennial Muslims.  

Azhar Usman is a standup comedian, actor, writer and producer based in Chicago. He has worked on a variety of shows including Ramy as a staff writer and co-executive producer, and the upcoming Disney-Marvel series Ms. Marvel on screen in a  recurring role. He is the co-creator of Allah Made Me Funny-The Official Muslim Comedy Tour, the groundbreaking stand up comedy tour that found mainstream success in 2008.  In this episode we’ll be travelling on an introspective and spiritual journey, picking apart the idea of Hollywood and mainstream media, how the art we create fits into our spiritual metaphysical journeys, exploring Sufiism and so much more.

Kayem is a Libyan-American hip-hop artist. The son of a Libyan political prisoner who helped form a pro-democracy movement for Libya after escaping prison, he was filmed in the docuseries “Sing Freedom” when returning to Libya for the first time after living in exile. Kayem relaunched his career after a three-year hiatus due to US government restrictions. He has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Complex Mag, the New York Times, and today on 786 Boulevard.  We’ll be discussing his connection to Libya after a lifetime living in exile, the concept of home, building his art form, using art in general to voice resistance and giving a voice to the voiceless, and how his art intertwines with his spirituality.

Ruby Jaffrey is a Calligraphy Artist specializing in Arabic script and modern Islamic Art. Born and raised in London, England, Ruby moved to Dallas, Texas in 2002. Her love for the arts was nurtured at home by her mother who is an an Urdu lecturer and poet. Ruby became increasingly interested with the aesthetics of written script. Encouraged by her husband, Ruby began her artistic journey in 2007.  Her works are a celebration of color, spirituality and faith that are in keeping with the stylistic zeitgeist - expressed with a modernism that she hopes will resonate with the artistic sensibilities of today’s youth. Her work has been exhibited al  over the world in London, Washington DC, Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, and Karachi.  We’ll be chatting to Ruby about her art, cultivating her talent, becoming another Brit lost in the US and how her artistic craft impacts her spirituality and vice versa.

Ahmed Twaij zealously tells stories as a means to promote equality, as well as holding those in power to account. An independent freelance journalist, his work has been published in numerous outlets including The Independent, The Guardian, New York Times, Vice, BBC and many more. His work focuses on US politics, social justice issues and the Middle East.

With the recent images and videos coming out of Palestine, a resurgence in pro-Palestinian voices has taken over social media, with many artists from various fields highlighting the atrocities being committed against the Palestinians.

Serena Rasoul started her acting career in 2013 by appearing on the award-winning House of Cards. She founded Muslim American Casting to highlight incredible Muslim talent and to consult industry professionals on how to best include Muslims in the creative process. We’ll be discussing her journey as an actress, what sparked her inspiration into founding Muslim American Casting, changing the tide of Muslim representation in the industry, and more.

In this clip from Episode 27, Nouri quizzes Sheikh Faiyaz Jaffer on the lines between progression and perception, as part of a greater conversation on artistic expression in Islamic thought. Listen to the full episode!

In this short clip from Episode 29, the team chat to Sukaina Rajabali about the impact of travelling and how it changes our perspectives. Listen to the full episode! 

Sukaina Rajabali is a Dubai-based food photographer, entrepreneur and world traveller. Her photography has been featured in a long list of best-selling books and popular magazines.

Aadil Abedi is an acclaimed artist and designer, whose original contemporary artwork gives ancient traditions a modern twist, using Arabic calligraphy, Sufism, poetry and religious history. He has toured the world with his work and gifted his work to celebrities. His work has also been featured on American serials and he has even collaborated with motivational speaker Jay Shetty. We’re going to be discussing Adil’s journey into a full time artist, becoming another Brit lost in the US, the relationship between his spirituality and his work and much much more.

In episode 25, Nouri & Hasnain come to the (red?) table to work out their issues. Nouri, Hasnain and Ali also talk the NFL's first Muslim head coach, what they're watching, plans for the podcast and America's new President.

Ali The Soulful Poet is an Arab-Canadian independent poet, creative an artist from Ottawa, Ontario. He has performed across Canada and has gained awards, accolades and recognition from Muslims and Faces Magazine. In Episode 24 we talk about our own personal perspectives on music and on understanding and appreciating different perspectives that we may disagree with. We’ll also be talking with Ali about his transition from spoken word to hip hop and his own drive toward chasing his passions.

Sahar Jahani is an Iranian-American writer/director raised and residing in Los Angeles. After receiving an MFA in Film and Television Screenwriting, Sahar worked in development at YouTube Originals before transitioning to the writers room on Hulu’s award winning Ramy. She also wrote and directed Just One Night, an award winning short film, and was a writer on Season 4 of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.  

Hanan Abdel- Khalek, featured in British GQ, is a fashion creative who collaborated with Nike on her very own sneaker. She stops by 786 Boulevard to talk about sneakers, ethical fashion, starting her own business selling jewellery at Young Never Titi, Muslim entrepreneurship, spirituality and mental health.

Iman Zawahry is a female Muslim filmmaker who is attempting to break down stereotypes using comedy, and is currently working on her film, American-ish, which follows three Pakistani Muslim women pursuing their dreams in Queens, New York. We speak to her about her journey into filmmaking, the place of Muslim women in Hollywood, what her tips are for up and coming filmmakers and some tips for screenwriting.

Nouri, Hasnain and Ali review and reflect on the crazy year that was 2020. They discuss how they personally evolved this year, how COVID changed the world, reflecting on lost loved ones, the Black Lives Matter movement, Bernie Sanders, Trump, the US on the brink of war, Aya Hachem and sectarianism, the start of the 786 Boulevard podcast and more!

Aarish Mustafa built The Tailored Foundation from the ground up, which offers bespoke measure-to-measure suits for gentlemen. He joins Nouri, Ali & Hasnain to have a talk about entrepreneurship and building a successful business. The quartet also discuss freelancing vs. employment and our relationship to money.

The Riz Test, inspired by Riz Ahmed's viral speech on minority representation, is a litmus test that holds Hollywood films to account for Muslim representation. Shaf Choudry of The Riz Test joins Nouri, Hasnain and Ali to talk Hollywood's horrible track record of Islamophobic tropes, why and how he co-founded The Riz Test, and whether or not the tides are changing with the emergence of Muslim Hollywood A-listers such as Riz, Hasan Minhaj, Ramy Youssef and others.

Netflix's Mosul, produced by Anthony and Joe Russo (Directors, Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame) and directed by Matthew Michael Carnahan (Screenwriter, World War Z, The Kingdom) tells the story of an elite Iraqi SWAT team battling ISIS in the last period of their occupation of Mosul. The gripping high octane action thriller cast real Iraqis to make the film as authentic as possible. Actors Thaer Al Shayei and Mohimen Mahbuba join Nouri and Hasnain to talk Iraqi, Arab and Muslim representation in film, why the story was important for them, and some of the films more controversial scenes. 

Hira Qureshi, food reporter for USA today, focuses her writings and conversations around the Muslim-American food experiences. She parks up at 786 Boulevard to discuss celebrating Ramadan in lockdown, how food can be used to fight Islamophobia, and Muslim representation in the food reporting industry.

Farhan Momin, Masterchef Season 9 contestant and owner of Farmo Cooks, joins Nouri, Hasnain, and Ali for a discussion on how what we eat represents our identity, what halal says about Muslims in the West and how much we should really be spending on food!

Jeremy McLellan is using comedy to build bridges - the devout Christian also devotes his time to stand up and making Muslims laugh. He chats to Nouri, Hasnain and Ali about his journey into comedy, real interfaith engagement, and the spirituality that goes into his craft.

Does Islam belong in Hollywood? Given the film industry's indulgence in sex, nudity and violence, is there a clash of interest? And how do our affections for film and storytelling affect our spirituality? Nouri, Hasnain and Ali discuss this and how Muslim actors can get involved in the film industry.

Nouri, Hasnain and Ali discuss positive Muslim representation in film - looking at examples of Hollywood's horrible track record of Islamophobic Muslim representation, and how that lack of representation affected them growing up. They also look at examples of modern day Muslim representation in film and TV that are generally praised as being positive, and discuss if that's the kind of Muslim representation Muslims actually need.