Episodes
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. -- 786 Boulevard is a podcast by Nouri Sardar, Hasnain Ali and Ali Alvi, who gather Muslims of all kinds to discuss culture, art, spirituality, and how the three intertwine.  We're on the Podcast platforms below - subscribe! Apple Podcasts:...
Published 01/31/21
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...
Published 01/24/21
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.   In episode 23, Sahar talks about her journey into the film industry and landing a writer’s...
Published 01/17/21
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. 3:14 - What are your favorite sneakers right now? 7:38 - What does our footwear say about us? 11:45 - Spending money 15:01 - Wear your fresh kicks to the mosque? 17:54 - Nouri's...
Published 01/10/21
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. 2:11 - Ms. Marvel and Muslim representation 5:36 - The progression in Muslim...
Published 01/03/21
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! 2:23 - Short reflections 4:59 - How did we change in 2020? 13:54 - The almost war with Iran 17:57 - Trump's final year 23:50 - The Bernie...
Published 12/27/20
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. 1:50 - Relationship with work and business  7:42 - Financial freedom 20:34 - What does a suit say about a man? 26:45 - Why suits? 29:35 - The process of designing a...
Published 12/20/20
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. --   786 Boulevard is a...
Published 12/13/20
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...
Published 12/06/20
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. 0.58 - What is your favourite kind of food? 4.00 - Ramadan in 2020 13.15 - Hira's food career  18.55 - What can food do for the narrative for people? 23.15 - Food and identity 31.55 - Food...
Published 11/29/20
Justin Mashouf is an emmy award winning Iranian-American filmmaker based out of Los Angeles. He parks up at 786 Boulevard to talk filmmaking, balancing faith and Hollywood, and more!
Published 11/22/20
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!
Published 11/15/20
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.
Published 11/08/20
Kevin Shakil founded America's Islamic Radio - the first Islamic radio station in the United States. He speaks to Nouri, Hasnain and Ali about why he decided to start a radio station during a digital revolution. They also discuss the upcoming US elections and what the fears of American-Muslims are, as  well as Sunni-Shia relations in light of Kevin's decision to include Shia Muslims on his platform.
Published 11/01/20
Hafsa Khan uses art to explore themes of spirituality, Pakistani identity, and American culture. The renowned artist talks to Nouri, Hasnain and Ali about her journey toward becoming an artist, discovering herself in her artistic expression, and how we can use art to explore the deepest strands of our confusing identities.
Published 10/25/20
Zahraa Berro, hijabi fashionista and founder of Zahraa the Label joins Nouri, Hasnain and Ali to discuss the controversial world of hijabi influencers, modest fashion and Insta fame.
Published 10/18/20
As Shia demographics have moved toward the West, commemorations of Ashura have begun to grow and evolve accordingly. Ali Fadhil joins Nouri, Hasnain and Ali to discuss his tracks 'Higher' and 'Cry Ya Hussain' - some of the first lamentations on Ashura to have distinct Western melodies, as well as his journey in seeking to help artistic expressions of Ashura evolve. 
Published 08/17/20
How does spirituality connect to what we wear and how we choose to express ourselves in clothing and style? Nouri, Hasnain and Ali are joined by Co-Founder of Profound Aesthetic Nabil Zaidi, as they discuss he helped grow a business that started by selling Islamic tees into a clothing brand now sold all over the world. They also discuss his venture into Nour - a faith-based brand for Shia Muslims that became a social media phenomenon.
Published 08/10/20
Ali Nuri, author of Rain and Embers (2019) use poetry to explore his relationship with his home country of Iraq after being forced to flee in 1990. Now residing in the US, he tells Nouri, Hasnain and Ali of his journey in rediscovering himself through poetry and his challenges as a writer.
Published 07/20/20
Qasim Arif, aka ILLM fuses Islamic calligraphy with Western culture. Nouri and Hasnain quiz him on his artistic process, how faith and spirituality inspires his art, and what advice he has for young Muslims who want to get involved in calligraphy-based artwork.
Published 07/13/20
With the billion dollar sneaker industry attracting Muslims from all over, what do sneakers mean to us? Do they represent excessiveness? Where does spirituality fit in to sneaker culture? And can Muslims wear sneakers made in unfair work environments? Nouri and Hasnain are joined by Streetwear Fashion Creative Zaahid MA to delve into the relationship between Islam and sneaker culture.
Published 07/10/20
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.
Published 07/01/20
What are some of the struggles of being a Black Muslim woman in the film industry? Award winning filmmaker Muhyi Ali joins Hasnain and Nouri to discuss her journey in storytelling, her award-winning film Undefined: A Muslim-American Musical (2017) and how she balances her passion for the arts with her spirituality.
Published 06/21/20
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. Subscribe to 786 Boulevard on the following...
Published 06/16/20