On this edition of The Halal Gap, we bring you a very special episode: the panel discussion from our 2nd annual ‘Opening Credits’ event on October 13th, 2023. For the 2nd year in a row, the Mosquers Film Festival was kicked off with ‘Opening Credits’, an event where 300 Muslim creatives and representatives from organizations that seek to platform t…

Imran J. Khan joins us from LA! Imran talks to Sikandar and Sofia about his new feature film “Mustache,” a story about a 13 year old Pakistani American boy who struggles to accept himself after transferring from Islamic school to public school in the late 1990’s. Imran talks about authentically representing Muslims and tells us why he thought “Must…

Hassan Phills joins us live in Edmonton! Hassan talks to Sikandar about quitting basketball before his senior year to go all-in on comedy, the moment he realized Drake was following him on Instagram, and how he finessed his way into opening for Hasan Minhaj. Plus, we talk his early comedy influences, doing extra work, his vlogging days, and much, m…

Amal Dalmar joins us from SoCal! Amal talks to Sofia about how she went from completing the thesis for her Masters in Law to working for BuzzFeed as a creative producer in a matter of a few days! We also get into “Dinner, Inshallah?”, the USHUB original docu-series she hosted which highlights Muslim American communities and their relationship with …

Mohamed Ahmed aka Just Moe joins us live and in person in Edmonton! Moe chats with Sikandar about trying to connect to the work of his grandfather, famous Sudani poet Ismail Hassan. Then, Moe sheds light on his experience at theatre school, including some questionable casting decisions. We get into his music career and how his approach differs from…

Photographer Simrah Farrukh joins us from the Bay Area! Simrah chats with Sikandar and Sofia about her exhibit ‘The Brown Gaze’, shooting Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan for Netflix, and how Pakistani poetry influences her photography. Simrah also discusses taking a step back from Instagram, and how social media can be toxic for an artist…

Kashif Pasta joins us from Seattle! Kashif chats with Sikandar and Sofia about his early beginnings in film and his STORYHIVE series “Welcome to Surrey”. We get into Desirée Dawson’s “Meet You At The Light” music video, produced by Kashif’s company Dunya Media, which picked up multiple awards at the 2022 South by Southwest Festival. Kashif tells us…

Content creator and host of the Salaam Nerds podcast WatchWithNeebz joins us from New Jersey! Neebz tells us about his first time at Comic Con and being suspected of murder. Neebz talks about The Bachelor & The Bachelorette and why it’s important for diverse voices to be part of the conversation on reality dating shows. Later, Neebz, Sikandar, and …

Yazmeen Kanji joins us from Toronto! Yazmeen talks to Sikandar and Sofia about her early interest in advocacy, starting in the 5th grade. Yazmeen talks about her influences in film and entertainment and growing up with Bollywood and Disney shows like Cheetah Girls and That’s So Raven. After winning a short film contest in high school, she recounts …

Alex Kronemer, co-founder of Unity Production Foundation, joins us on The Halal Gap from DC! Alex talks to Sofia and Sikandar about his early life in Pennsylvania as well as his 10 year career in government, which included a stint working for Al Gore’s Reinventing Government team. Alex talks about how his first time at Hajj inspired him to get into…

The Halal Gap is back for Season 4! To kick things off, your co-hosts Sikandar Atiq and Sofia Alani chat with Cadar Mohamud, the founder of The Digital Sisterhood podcast and storytelling platform. Cadar talks about growing up in Toronto, passing Joe Rogan on the charts, how she’s helping Muslims get married, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar…

The Halal Gap is back! Join Sikandar Atiq and Sofia Alani as they chat with Muslims making their mark in film, entertainment, and culture from all over the world.By Mosquers Film Festival

We conclude Season 3 of The Halal Gap with a very special episode: the recording of the panel discussion from Opening Credits, the kick-off to our festival weekend, on March 11, 2022. With over 250 artists and representatives from organizations and platforms in attendance, this event marked the largest gathering of Muslim creatives anywhere in the …

Best friends turned pop duo fajjr+ali join us today on The Halal Gap! They chat with Sofia and Sikandar about their backgrounds in theatre, the challenges that come with being Muslims making pop music, and people assuming they’re married. Fresh off the release of their new single, “I’m Fine”, Fajjr and Ali also give us a look inside their collabora…

Revolutionary calligrapher and artist Karim Jabbari joins us from Milwaukee! Karim talks to Sofia and Sikandar about his connection with calligraphy, living under surveillance in Tunisia while his father was a political prisoner, his career as a championship winning University basketball player, and his move to Canada! Karim also discusses his pion…

Serena Rasoul, actress, writer, and founder of Muslim Casting joins us from DC! Serena talks about how to tell your parents you want to be an actor, practical advice on pursuing your dreams, the creation of Muslim Casting, and the incredible work she’s doing to help Muslims break into the industry. We also discuss her interview with NBC News about …

Zainab Johnson, stand-up comedian, host of Netflix’s “100 Humans”, and Aleesha on Amazon Prime’s “Upload”, joins us from LA! Zainab chats with Sofia about growing up in Brooklyn as one of 13 siblings, her recent meeting and conversation with Dave Chapelle, why she was nervous before going on stage at I Heart Halal in 2019, and what’s different abou…

Arij Mikati, Managing Director of Culture Change at Pillars Fund, joins us from Chicago! Arij talks about the recent Pillars Fund study with USC titled “Missing and Maligned” which analyzes Muslim representation in Hollywood. She also talks about the Pillars Artist Fellowship, and how the organization is enabling Muslim filmmakers to tell more dive…

Aqsa Altaf, director of the Disney+ short “American Eid”, joins us from LA! She talks to Sikandar and Sofia about growing up in a migrant community in Kuwait and becoming the breadwinner of her family at the age of 18. Aqsa also discusses moving to the US, her short film “One Small Step”, working with child actors, and the barriers that those of lo…

Shahjehan Khan, co-founder of The Kominas and the host of the “King of the World” podcast, joins us from Boston! Shahj opens up about his early life and struggles with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. He also discusses the beginning of The Kominas and their early notoriety, meeting Riz Ahmed, and being featured in the documentary “The Birt…

Cannabis journalist and screenwriter Abdullah Saeed, of VICE’s Bong Appetit and HBO’s High Maintenance, joins the pod. Abdullah chats with Sofia and Sikandar about how he hooked up with Muslim punk group The Kominas, his column Weediquette, travelling to Nepal to film Mad Honey, the history of cannabis in South Asia, and much more.…

Latif Nasser, the host of WNYC’s Radiolab and Netflix’s “Connected”, joins The Halal Gap today! Latif talks about studying theatre at Dartmouth in hopes of becoming a playwright, getting his PhD at Harvard, what drew him into podcasting, as well as “The Other Latif” and Abdul Latif Nasser’s recent release. Latif, Sofia, and Sikandar also discuss th…

Professional gamer turned stand-up comedian Danish Maqbool drops in on The Halal Gap to chat with Sikandar about his unconventional journey. Tune in to hear DMaq talk about finally moving out of his moms basement, why he left gaming right before the boom, roasting people on Clubhouse, and the impact of Azhar Usman and Ramy Youssef on his career.…

Artist and painter Aadil Abedi joins The Halal Gap to chat with Sofia and Sikandar. Listen in to hear about his move to India to chase his Bollywood dreams, how he turned painting from a hobby to a career, creating Islamic art, and his favorite Madhuri Dixit movie(s). The Halal Gap is a Mosquers production. You can find us on Instagram, Twitter, an…

illMuslims co-founders Rummi Khan and Sadaf Javaid join hosts Sofia and Sikandar on this edition of The Halal Gap. Tune in to hear Rummi and Sadaf discuss the growth of illMuslims, their definition of community, the genesis behind “Wallah She’s Funny,” and much more!By Mosquers Film Festival

Pakistani-Canadian actor and model Daniel Malik joins Sofia and Sikandar on this edition of The Halal Gap. Daniel joins us to discuss his journey from modelling to acting, identity, surviving the year that was 2020, and where to find the best donut.By Mosquers Film Festival

Today on The Halal Gap: Filmmaker Shehroze Khan joins hosts Sofia and Sikandar to discuss how to make it in the film industry without going to film school, why he turned down an offer to work on a Netflix show, and navigating the film industry as a Muslim. Shehroze also discusses his new short film ‘Chocolate’ and sheds light on the meaning behind …

Today on a special episode of The Halal Gap, hosts Sofia and Sikandar are joined by Mousa Qasqas. Mousa is an Edmonton based human rights activist focused on the Palestinian community and has served in various positions with the Canada Palestine Cultural Association, most recently as their Vice President. He sits down with us to explain the history…

Filmmaker and professor Iman Zawahry chats with Sikandar and Sofia this week on The Halal Gap. We touch on everything from her side gig as a Zumba instructor, how she got into teaching film, and her debut feature film “American-ish” - the first romantic comedy by Muslim women, for Muslim women.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week on The Halal Gap, Sikandar and Sofia are joined by Libyan-American hip-hop artist and activist Kayem. Tune in as Kayem discusses being placed on the No Fly List, returning to his home country of Libya, and the weirdest topics he’s seen on Clubhouse so far.By Mosquers Film Festival

Join hosts Sikandar and Sofia as they chat with visual artist Emmen Ahmed, more commonly known as @emmenjaan. Emmen talks to us about everything from using art as therapy, having her work recognized by the likes of Hasan Minhaj, and Harry Potter.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week, Sofia and Sikandar are joined by Amir Sulaiman, where they talk poetry and short films.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week, Sofia and Sikandar get comfy with Ahamed Weinberg - and we mean really comfy. Catch the final episode of season 2 of the Halal Gap now.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week on the podcast Sofia and Sikandar had a chance to speak with Sue Obeidi - the director of Muslim Public Affairs Council, Hollywood Bureau, to discuss the nitty gritty of advocacy and the landscape of Muslim representation in media.By Mosquers Film Festival

Joining us all the way from London, this week's guest is none other than the host of the 2018 Mosquers Film Festival - Omar Regan! Sofia and Sikandar had the opportunity to catch up with the actor, comedian, and musician to dive into his journey and find out what he's been up to across the Pond.By Mosquers Film Festival

Podcasters, unite! This week Sofia and Sikandar chat with Podcasting Powerhouse Misha Euceph to discuss all of the incredible things she is doing, and all the sleep she is missing out on.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week, Sofia and Sikandar sat down with one of the co-founders and hosts of Edmonton's own 2nd Floor Podcast, Qashus to discuss hustling towards fulfilling a dream, getting into a mindset for success, and what it takes to be a self-starter.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week, catch comedian, writer, and actor Ismael Loutfi as he takes Sofia and Sikandar through the worst part of the apocalypse, the process behind Patriot Act, dissecting the comedy scene, and some talk about mustaches and russet potatoes.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week on the Halal Gap, join Sofia and Sikandar as they chat with Hamza Haq - star of the most-watched Canadian series this year, CTV's "Transplant"!By Mosquers Film Festival

We're back! This week, Sofia and Sikandar chat with comedian Feraz Shere to talk celebrity impersonations, grinding on (financial) models, and cracking the WhatsApp Aunty Circuit.By Mosquers Film Festival

As an organization, we have always been focused on sharing Muslim stories. A story that is not heard enough, but told too often, is the story of how our Black brothers and sisters are treated in our society. There are injustices taking place that need to be addressed. In this episode, hosts Sofia and Sikandar are joined by Omar Farah and Bashir Moh…

The latest episode of the Halal Gap is here, and this week featured guest Tasneem joins the show to break down her experiences in the music scene.By Mosquers Film Festival

On the latest episode of the Halal Gap, find Sofia and Sikandar as they catch up with Salma Hindy - a Toronto-based Comedian and the incredible host of the 2019 Mosquers Film Festival!By Mosquers Film Festival

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, joining Sofia and Sikandar this week: A WWE Superstar and the first openly Muslim character in WWE history as Mustafa Ali, the one, the only, Adeel Alam!By Mosquers Film Festival

This week, catch Shaikh's Hot Takes as Sofia and Sikandar talk acting, collaboration, and improv with Saagar Shaikh!By Mosquers Film Festival

On this episode of the Halal Gap, Sofia and Sikandar talk music production, family time, and juggling multiple personas with the one and only Waseem Stark!By Mosquers Film Festival

On this week's episode, Sofia and Sikandar are joined by Omar Farah, a Somali-Canadian poet and community builder from Edmonton, Canada.By Mosquers Film Festival

This week on the Halal Gap, Sofia and Sikandar hop on the phone with Maaz Ali, an Indian-Pakistani-American actor in LA who has trained at the renowned Beverly Hills Playhouse and the Upright Citizens Brigade.By Mosquers Film Festival

We're back! Kicking off season 2 of The Halal Gap, all the way from social isolation Sofia and Sikandar are joined by accomplished writer and director, Sahar Jahani! Sahar's incredibly impressive resume includes script development at YouTube Originals, being a writer on the Golden Globe winning show “Ramy”, a writer on the hit Netflix show "13 Reas…

The Halal Gap returns with hosts Sofia Alani and Sikandar Atiq for an exciting new season featuring creatives from around the world. Tune in weekly as Sofia and Sikandar have open and candid conversations with individuals from a variety of disciplines, discussing their journeys, goals, and insights. The first episode of Season 2 drops this Monday, …