What does it take to bring new life to a city without erasing what made it special in the first place?

In Esna, a historic city along the Nile, architect Kareem Ibrahim and his team have spent years finding out. Their approach starts not with buildings, but with the people already there: local craftspeople, business owners, traditions and knowledge that can easily be overlooked when cities are redeveloped.

In this episode of This Being Human, Mai Habib speaks with Kareem about the long, sometimes messy work of earning a community’s trust, and how that process helped transform Esna into an award-winning model for heritage and tourism in Egypt. They also trace the unlikely story of Okra, a cooking competition that grew into a women-run restaurant attracting visitors from around the world. It’s a conversation about what can happen when preservation means more than protecting old buildings—and when the future of a place is built from what is already there.

*The Museum wishes to thank Nadir and Shabin Mohamed for their founding support of This Being Human.*

Guest Bio

Kareem Ibrahim is an Egyptian architect, urban development expert, and co-founder and CEO of Takween Integrated Community Development. His work spans heritage conservation, inclusive urban revitalization, community development and urban policy. In 2025, Takween’s Revitalization of Historic Esna project received an Aga Khan Award for Architecture for its approach to preserving the city’s heritage while supporting local economic and community development.

Links & Resources

• This was just one example of Muslim art and culture that sparked curiosity and a great conversation. There is so much more to see at the Aga Khan Museum. Support the Museum's vision to impact lives and contribute to more inclusive and peaceful societies. Go to agakhanmuseum.org to plan your visit or make a donation.
• You can find more about Takween Integrated Community Development and its projects online and on Instagram.
• For a taste of Esna, be sure to look into Okra, the restaurant in Esna entirely operated by local women.
• Check out more episodes in full video.

Key Moments

00:21 Intro to This Being Human and Egyptian architect Kareem Ibrahim

01:40 The city of Esna’s historical significance

04:16 Peeling back layers: what it takes to support an award-winning revitalization project

08:23 The importance of inclusion and community in consensus building

13:31 MasterChef Esna: enabling and empowering local women through gastronomy

20:41 Esna as a model for the future of Egyptian tourism

23:32 Developing and supporting areas in need

28:47 Kareem Ibrahim’s closing remarks on creating human impact

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What ties an 8th-century mosaic in the Dome of the Rock to a contemporary abstract carpet? For Islamic art historian Christiane Gruber, that question has driven three decades of research—pushing her away from the idea of a single "Islamic art" and toward a field defined by plurality and contradiction.

In this episode of This Being Human, Gruber joins host Mai Habib to read political meaning into sacred ornament, and to dismantle a persistent myth: that the Prophet Muhammad has never been depicted in Islamic art history. She traces how these depictions evolved from detailed faces to veiled figures wrapped in flame, and closes on her newest research interest—eco-Islamic art —and why stewardship and sacred water feel more urgent now than ever.

*The Museum wishes to thank Nadir and Shabin Mohamed for their founding support of This Being Human.*

Guest Bio

Christiane Gruber is the Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu Collegiate Professor of Islamic Art History in the History of Art Department at the University of Michigan, and founding director of Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online, a free digital platform for teaching Islamic art and visual culture. Her research spans medieval to contemporary Islamic art, with a focus on figural representation, depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, and book arts. She is the author of several books, including The Praiseworthy One: The Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Texts and Images (Indiana University Press, 2019).

Links & Resources

• This was just one example of Muslim art and culture that sparked curiosity and a great conversation. There is so much more to see at the Aga Khan Museum. Support the Museum's vision to impact lives and contribute to more inclusive and peaceful societies. Go to agakhanmuseum.org to plan your visit or make a donation.
• Explore Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online, Christiane Gruber's free digital platform for teaching Islamic art.
• Learn more about Christiane Gruber and her research at the University of Michigan.
• Read more in Anna Gade's Muslim Environmentalisms: Religious and Social Foundations, referenced in the episode's discussion of eco-Islamic art.

Key Moments

0:21 Introduction to This Being Human and Christiane Gruber

1:16 What comes to mind when we think of Islamic art

6:13 Moving beyond the idea of one "true" Islam

8:16 Reading political and religious meaning into the Dome of the Rock

10:50 The surprising history of depicting the Prophet Muhammad

13:52 The poetry behind the facial veil and the halo

18:57 Picture vs. picturation: representing the more-than-human

20:42 The Rose of the Prophet and the Sunnah of representation

22:19 Founding Khamseen, a "COVID baby"

25:07 Eco-Islamic art, from the Kaaba to climate change

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amreen Kadwa didn't set out to build a nonprofit. She set out to find people like her: Muslim women who played sports and understood what it felt like to walk into a locker room and wonder if you belonged.

In this episode of This Being Human, host Mai Habib talks with Amreen about the winding road from rugby pitches in Toronto to founding Hijabi Ballers, an organization that's grown from a single Facebook post into a multi-sport community reaching thousands of women across the GTA and beyond.

They dig into what changes when an athlete finally sees someone who looks like her on the field, how a bad injury became an unexpected turning point, and why partnerships with brands like Nike and the Toronto Raptors matter—not for the validation, but for what they make possible. Amreen also shares the simple piece of advice she gives every coach and ally who wants to do right by Muslim women athletes: stop guessing what they need, and ask.

The Museum wishes to thank Nadir and Shabin Mohamed for their founding support of This Being Human.

Guest Bio

Hijabi Ballers was founded in 2017 by Amreen Kadwa, a young Muslim rugby player who felt isolated by the lack of hijab-wearing role models in sport. After connecting with other Muslim women athletes and realizing many shared similar experiences of exclusion, she created a space for community. A single Facebook post quickly connected her with dozens of women, leading to the first Hijabi Ballers Sports Festival, which drew over 200 participants. The success of that event showed the need for inclusive, dedicated spaces for Muslim women in sports.

Today, Hijabi Ballers is a non-profit organization that empowers Muslim girls and women through safe, inclusive sports programs that support both athletic and leadership development.

Links & Resources:

• This was just one example of Muslim art and culture that sparked curiosity and a great conversation. There is so much more to see at the Aga Khan Museum. Support the Museum's vision to impact lives and contribute to more inclusive and peaceful societies. Go to agakhanmuseum.org to plan your visit or make a donation.
• Visit Hijabi Ballers online and follow them on Instagram.
• Explore the Hijabi Ballers Coaches Toolkit, designed to help coaches, parents, and allies support Muslim female athletes.

Key Moments

0:20 Intro to This Being Human and Hijabi Ballers

1:21 Finding herself through rugby in high school

5:48 An injury, a recovery, and the founding of Hijabi Ballers

10:00 Creating a space where every Muslim woman belongs

13:13 Going international: Nike, hate comments, and the app's rise and end

17:10 The ten programs running today, from hockey to rugby

19:42 Welcoming non-Muslim friends into the space

21:43 Inside the Coaches Toolkit: "ask your athlete"

24:59 Nike, the Raptors, and the rise of modest activewear

27:08 A decade of cultural change and Amreen's message to allies

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.