Leqaa Kordia spent 368 days in ICE detention. She joins The Thinking Youth Podcast to share what she endured inside a Texas immigration detention centre and why she believes she was targeted for speaking up for Palestine.Leqaa describes sleeping on the floor for three months and being shackled to a hospital bed. She shares the stories of pregnant women and elderly detainees she met inside, revealing the conditions they faced and how they supported one another.Having lost 200 family members in Gaza, Leqaa speaks about her commitment to Palestinian freedom, the guilt that followed her release and the lasting effects of detention on her health. She explains how the Qur’an and prayer helped her find peace through 368 days of uncertainty.The conversation explores ICE detention, Palestinian activism and freedom of speech under the Trump administration. Leqaa also discusses the responsibility of Muslim communities to support people facing deportation and continue organising for Palestine.

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What stayed with you from Leqaa’s story? How can our communities better support those facing detention for speaking up for Palestine? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised. #islam #muslim #usa #america #uk #london #gender #muslimwomen #women #gender #dawah #islamicvideo #quran #islamic #muslimcontent #muslimstatus #muslimreminder #islamicreminder #youngmuslim #youth #freemixing

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This might be one of the most entertaining episodes of The Thinking Youth you watch. If you’ve been following the online drama about Muslim women, free mixing, and what really goes on in MSAs and ISOCs, parts of this conversation will feel very familiar.

Imam Suhaib Webb joins us in Istanbul for a lighthearted but deeply sincere conversation about gender interactions, politics, university life, and our responsibilities to the ummah.

In the UK, debates about free mixing can erupt over everything from a university event to a female scholar giving a talk. In North America, the conversation often turns to whether Muslim Students’ Associations are helping young Muslims connect to their faith or becoming social spaces that have lost their purpose.

There are genuine concerns about boundaries and behaviour. There are also moments when those concerns become suspicion, exclusion, or an argument about whether women should be in the room at all. Pushing back against that shouldn’t mean pretending Islamic boundaries don’t matter.

So how do young Muslims actually navigate this?

We ask the questions behind the comment-section arguments. What does “free mixing” actually mean? Can Muslim men and women organise events and attend protests together? What is the difference between a public gathering and khalwah, or private seclusion? How do we support women’s leadership while observing Islamic etiquette?

From “Brother, there’s a woman here!” to a man complaining about women simply praying in the masjid, Imam Suhaib brings stories, scholarship, and humour to a discussion that too often gets reduced to accusations.

But we also ask a bigger question: while we argue about who can stand in the same room, what are we doing with our education, our communities, and our responsibility to the ummah?

Drawing on his experience as a convert and the friendships that shaped his faith, Imam Suhaib reflects on belonging, sectarian division, mentorship, and the purpose of Muslim student organisations. He also shares the advice he would give his younger self on education, financial independence, emotional intelligence, and travelling to learn from others.

Whether you’re on an MSA committee, involved in your ISOC, organising for Palestine, at University, in Highschool, trying to de-brainrot your mind, or trying to find your place as a young Muslim, this conversation is for you.

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What do Muslim student spaces get right, and where do they need to change? Are we giving questions about gender interactions the attention they deserve, or allowing them to dominate everything else?

Share your experiences in the comments. Engage with the arguments, respect one another, and help make this a useful conversation.

Subscribe and share this episode with your MSA, ISOC, or someone who would benefit from the discussion.

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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised.

#islam #muslim #usa #america #uk #london #gender #muslimwomen #women #gender #dawah #islamicvideo #quran #islamic #muslimcontent #muslimstatus #muslimreminder #islamicreminder #youngmuslim #youth #freemixing

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What is the future of Islam in America? Are Muslim Americans really in crisis or is the future of Muslims in America more hopeful than social media makes it seem?

Muslims in America are often discussed online as a community struggling with faith, identity, Islamophobia, politics and the pressures of growing up Muslim in the United States. Young American Muslims, in particular, are frequently portrayed as losing their Islamic identity or becoming disconnected from their communities.

But how much of that picture is actually true?

Are Muslim Americans really “cooked”? Has the Muslim project in America failed? And what does the next generation tell us about the future of Islam in America?

On this episode of The Thinking Youth Podcast, we sit down with Aqil Farooqui and Shaheer Iqbal, the current leaders of Young Muslims (YM), one of America’s largest Muslim youth organisations, to hear directly from those working with Muslim youth across the United States.

We discuss the reality facing young Muslims in America, the state of Muslim American identity, and how young Muslims are navigating Islam, American culture and an increasingly polarized political environment.

We also explore what this generation actually thinks about being Muslim and American, whether Muslim communities are successfully passing Islam to the next generation, the challenges facing Muslim organizations, and whether there are reasons to be more hopeful about the future than social media suggests.

At a time when American Muslims, Islamophobia, Muslim political participation and the place of Islam in America are increasingly part of the national conversation, what does the future actually look like for Muslims growing up in the United States?

A conversation about Muslims in America, American Muslims, Islam in America, Muslim youth, Muslim identity, Islamophobia, faith, community, Muslim Americans and the next generation of Islam in the United States.

#MuslimsInAmerica #AmericanMuslims #IslamInAmerica #MuslimYouth #MuslimIdentity #Islam #YoungMuslims #ThinkingYouth

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Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised.

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