Islam in America: Faith, Philosophy, and Politics with Dr. Syed A.H. Zaidi

Josh and Will sit down with Dr. Syed A.H. Zaidi, a scholar of Islamic philosophy, theology, and intellectual history, for a wide-ranging conversation about his personal journey from New York political operative to academic, and what that journey reveals about faith, identity, and politics in America today. Dr. Zaidi traces his path from a politically connected Pakistani-American family in New York, through years working for prominent (and often controversial) Democratic politicians, to a late-in-life pivot toward the study of Islamic philosophy and Sufism.

From there, the conversation opens into a broader discussion of what Islam actually teaches, how Sunni and Shia traditions differ, the history of Islamophobia in the U.S., the influence of Saudi-funded Wahhabism on global Islam, and how Muslim Americans navigate hot-button political issues like same-sex marriage ballot measures. The episode closes with a sober reflection on the state of American political life — and a shared hope that today's polarization is a passing phase rather than a permanent condition.

Guest Bio

Dr. Syed A.H. Zaidi is a core lecturer in Islamic Studies at Butler University, where his research focuses on Islamic Neoplatonism, Shia thought, Sufism, and the relationship between philosophy and religious revelation. He earned his PhD in Islamic Civilizations from Emory University and is currently working on books examining the Brethren of Purity and the development of Hermetic thought from late antiquity through the medieval Islamic world. He also directs the Muslim Studies Endowment at Butler University.