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    <fireside:genDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 03:05:08 -0500</fireside:genDate>
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    <title>AwokenWord - Episodes Tagged with “Religion”</title>
    <link>https://www.awokenword.com/tags/religion</link>
    <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
    <description>&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MhZxX7xYSuE?si=axB0H9zjPsYij5LH" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;

AwokenWord is a long-form, conversation style podcast hosted by writer, poet, and music composer, Anuj Rastogi. Through nuanced and thoughtful dialogue with an incredible array of guests, Anuj explores the worlds of society, culture, art, music, science, current events and all things that comprise the human experience.
"I want to challenge and evolve ideas, intuitions and convictions. This world, is quite simply, nuts, and often terrifying. Yet, this same world is incredibly beautiful, inspiring and mesmerizing. I want to get to know people who are interesting, who hold varied opinions and have life experiences different than my own.
This podcast is my humble attempt to bring goodness, unique conversation and inspiration to the beach of human experience. This podcast is my love letter to the world, and to what it means to be human."
~ Anuj Rastogi
</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type>
    <itunes:subtitle>Enlightened conversations about the human experience.</itunes:subtitle>
    <itunes:author>Anuj Rastogi</itunes:author>
    <itunes:summary>&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MhZxX7xYSuE?si=axB0H9zjPsYij5LH" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;

AwokenWord is a long-form, conversation style podcast hosted by writer, poet, and music composer, Anuj Rastogi. Through nuanced and thoughtful dialogue with an incredible array of guests, Anuj explores the worlds of society, culture, art, music, science, current events and all things that comprise the human experience.
"I want to challenge and evolve ideas, intuitions and convictions. This world, is quite simply, nuts, and often terrifying. Yet, this same world is incredibly beautiful, inspiring and mesmerizing. I want to get to know people who are interesting, who hold varied opinions and have life experiences different than my own.
This podcast is my humble attempt to bring goodness, unique conversation and inspiration to the beach of human experience. This podcast is my love letter to the world, and to what it means to be human."
~ Anuj Rastogi
</itunes:summary>
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    <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
    <itunes:keywords>AwokenWord, Awoken, Word, Conversation, Nuance, World, Culture, Politics, Humanity, Science, Art</itunes:keywords>
    <itunes:owner>
      <itunes:name>Anuj Rastogi</itunes:name>
      <itunes:email>awokenwordpodcast@gmail.com</itunes:email>
    </itunes:owner>
<itunes:category text="Society &amp; Culture">
  <itunes:category text="Philosophy"/>
</itunes:category>
<itunes:category text="Arts"/>
<item>
  <title>#012: Ali A. Rizvi - "Of Myth &amp; Legends"</title>
  <link>https://www.awokenword.com/012-ali-rizvi</link>
  <guid isPermaLink="false">2bf1d492-b012-48fa-bd7e-23c309a804ee</guid>
  <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Anuj Rastogi</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/830abd44-bbc9-43c3-b398-6883da3dcdb2/2bf1d492-b012-48fa-bd7e-23c309a804ee.mp3" length="94991444" type="audio/mpeg"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
  <itunes:author>Anuj Rastogi</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Anuj sits down with Ali A. Rizvi back in the AwokenWord studio. Ali is an author, speaker, and musician who grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan before moving to the US and eventually Canada at the age of 24.  Anuj and Ali discuss his background, life experiences growing up, the insights Ali gleaned in working with the dead, science,  and religion. They dive deep into the challenges and questions unanswered by religion, the history and impact of religion on human cultural evolution, and the role that spirituality may or may not play in our lives, as well as the beauty of wonder and fatherhood and everyday life. The conversation turns to the current US Democratic primaries and the role of politics, identity, populism and social forces shaping the world today.</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>2:10:15</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>yes</itunes:explicit>
  <itunes:image href="https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-images-2024/podcasts/images/8/830abd44-bbc9-43c3-b398-6883da3dcdb2/episodes/2/2bf1d492-b012-48fa-bd7e-23c309a804ee/cover.jpg?v=2"/>
  <description>&lt;p&gt;Anuj sits down with Ali Rizvi back in the AwokenWord studio. Ali is an author, speaker, and musician who grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan before moving to the US, and eventually Canada at the age of 24. Rizvi has been writing extensively about secularism in the Muslim world for several years, contributing to The Huffington Post, Quillette and  major media outlets like CNN. Rizvi is also a medical communications professional and a trained physician and oncologic pathologist.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Ali's book &lt;em&gt;The Athiest Muslim&lt;/em&gt; has been widely read, translated and acclaimed as an important book in a world increasingly wrestling with religion and secularism, including high profile reviews such as that by Karim Abdul Jabbar. Ali is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast, &lt;em&gt;Secular Jihadists&lt;/em&gt;, which tackles issues, events and stories through conversation with people from all over the world.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Anuj and Ali discuss his background, life experiences growing up, the insights Ali gleaned in working with the dead, science,  and religion. They dive deep into the challenges and questions unanswered by religion, the history and impact of religion on human cultural evolution, and the role that spirituality may or may not play in our lives, as well as the beauty of wonder and fatherhood and everyday life. The conversation turns to the current US Democratic primaries and the role of politics, identity, populism and social forces shaping the world today.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Athiest Muslim&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250094445/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"&gt;https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250094445/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Secular Jihadists Podcast&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="https://secularjihadists.libsyn.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"&gt;https://secularjihadists.libsyn.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;hr&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lEtOmefqt94" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; Special Guest: Ali A. Rizvi.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>conversation, society, culture, world, history, science, politics, love, art, humanity, metoo, joe rogan, evolution, death, religion, democrats, fatherhood</itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Anuj sits down with Ali Rizvi back in the AwokenWord studio. Ali is an author, speaker, and musician who grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan before moving to the US, and eventually Canada at the age of 24. Rizvi has been writing extensively about secularism in the Muslim world for several years, contributing to The Huffington Post, Quillette and  major media outlets like CNN. Rizvi is also a medical communications professional and a trained physician and oncologic pathologist.</p>

<p>Ali&#39;s book <em>The Athiest Muslim</em> has been widely read, translated and acclaimed as an important book in a world increasingly wrestling with religion and secularism, including high profile reviews such as that by Karim Abdul Jabbar. Ali is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast, <em>Secular Jihadists</em>, which tackles issues, events and stories through conversation with people from all over the world.</p>

<p>Anuj and Ali discuss his background, life experiences growing up, the insights Ali gleaned in working with the dead, science,  and religion. They dive deep into the challenges and questions unanswered by religion, the history and impact of religion on human cultural evolution, and the role that spirituality may or may not play in our lives, as well as the beauty of wonder and fatherhood and everyday life. The conversation turns to the current US Democratic primaries and the role of politics, identity, populism and social forces shaping the world today.</p>

<p><strong>The Athiest Muslim</strong> <br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250094445/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250094445/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0</a></p>

<p><strong>Secular Jihadists Podcast</strong> <br>
<a href="https://secularjihadists.libsyn.com/" rel="nofollow">https://secularjihadists.libsyn.com/</a></p>

<hr>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lEtOmefqt94" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>Special Guest: Ali A. Rizvi.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Anuj sits down with Ali Rizvi back in the AwokenWord studio. Ali is an author, speaker, and musician who grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan before moving to the US, and eventually Canada at the age of 24. Rizvi has been writing extensively about secularism in the Muslim world for several years, contributing to The Huffington Post, Quillette and  major media outlets like CNN. Rizvi is also a medical communications professional and a trained physician and oncologic pathologist.</p>

<p>Ali&#39;s book <em>The Athiest Muslim</em> has been widely read, translated and acclaimed as an important book in a world increasingly wrestling with religion and secularism, including high profile reviews such as that by Karim Abdul Jabbar. Ali is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast, <em>Secular Jihadists</em>, which tackles issues, events and stories through conversation with people from all over the world.</p>

<p>Anuj and Ali discuss his background, life experiences growing up, the insights Ali gleaned in working with the dead, science,  and religion. They dive deep into the challenges and questions unanswered by religion, the history and impact of religion on human cultural evolution, and the role that spirituality may or may not play in our lives, as well as the beauty of wonder and fatherhood and everyday life. The conversation turns to the current US Democratic primaries and the role of politics, identity, populism and social forces shaping the world today.</p>

<p><strong>The Athiest Muslim</strong> <br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250094445/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250094445/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0</a></p>

<p><strong>Secular Jihadists Podcast</strong> <br>
<a href="https://secularjihadists.libsyn.com/" rel="nofollow">https://secularjihadists.libsyn.com/</a></p>

<hr>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lEtOmefqt94" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>Special Guest: Ali A. Rizvi.</p>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
</item>
<item>
  <title>#011: Lisa Fitzpatrick - "Open Your Door" </title>
  <link>https://www.awokenword.com/011-lisa-fitzpatrick</link>
  <guid isPermaLink="false">23bf99c5-51f6-49cf-b02d-1c0c2247bcc1</guid>
  <pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2019 00:30:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Anuj Rastogi</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/830abd44-bbc9-43c3-b398-6883da3dcdb2/23bf99c5-51f6-49cf-b02d-1c0c2247bcc1.mp3" length="80345049" type="audio/mp3"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
  <itunes:author>Anuj Rastogi</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Live from SXSW EDU, Anuj Rastogi sits down with Lisa Fitzpatrick, co-founder of the APEX Youth Center based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lisa shared the stage as the opening keynote in SXSW EDU 2019. Lisa's story is a rare glimpse into the mind of a true hero who overcomes incredible trauma and build a life of humanity and compassion. Lisa shares her personal journey from tragically falling victim in a random act of violence to devoting her life and efforts to welcoming the community quite literally into her home. Lisa shares the story behind founding a community organization that has changed the lives for over 1,200 youth to date, and how her experience as a pastor, a business executive, and mother has shaped her incredible contributions to the world. 
</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:23:41</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
  <itunes:image href="https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-images-2024/podcasts/images/8/830abd44-bbc9-43c3-b398-6883da3dcdb2/episodes/2/23bf99c5-51f6-49cf-b02d-1c0c2247bcc1/cover.jpg?v=1"/>
  <description>&lt;p&gt;Live from SXSW EDU, Anuj Rastogi sits down with Lisa Fitzpatrick, co-founder of the APEX Youth Center based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lisa shared the stage as the opening keynote in SXSW EDU 2019. Lisa is a past CNN Hero, and her story is a rare glimpse into the mind of someone who overcomes incredible trauma and builds a life of humanity and compassion. Lisa shares her personal journey from tragically falling victim in a random act of violence to devoting her life and efforts to welcoming the community quite literally into her home. Lisa shares the story behind founding a community organization that has changed the lives for over 1,200 youth to date, and how her experience as a pastor, a business executive, and mother has shaped her incredible contributions to the world. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Learn more about Lisa, and the incredible work of her team are doing at &lt;a href="https://www.apexyouthcenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"&gt;https://www.apexyouthcenter.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7kOJonNxXIc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt; Special Guest: Lisa Fitzpatrick.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>conversation, interview, human, society, culture, world, history, religion, politics, love, humanity, new orleans, america, SXSW, SXSW EDU, APEX Youth Center, David Brooks, Darius Baxter, gun violence, gangs, prison, system, CNN</itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Live from SXSW EDU, Anuj Rastogi sits down with Lisa Fitzpatrick, co-founder of the APEX Youth Center based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lisa shared the stage as the opening keynote in SXSW EDU 2019. Lisa is a past CNN Hero, and her story is a rare glimpse into the mind of someone who overcomes incredible trauma and builds a life of humanity and compassion. Lisa shares her personal journey from tragically falling victim in a random act of violence to devoting her life and efforts to welcoming the community quite literally into her home. Lisa shares the story behind founding a community organization that has changed the lives for over 1,200 youth to date, and how her experience as a pastor, a business executive, and mother has shaped her incredible contributions to the world. </p>

<p>Learn more about Lisa, and the incredible work of her team are doing at <a href="https://www.apexyouthcenter.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.apexyouthcenter.org/</a></p>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7kOJonNxXIc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>Special Guest: Lisa Fitzpatrick.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Live from SXSW EDU, Anuj Rastogi sits down with Lisa Fitzpatrick, co-founder of the APEX Youth Center based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lisa shared the stage as the opening keynote in SXSW EDU 2019. Lisa is a past CNN Hero, and her story is a rare glimpse into the mind of someone who overcomes incredible trauma and builds a life of humanity and compassion. Lisa shares her personal journey from tragically falling victim in a random act of violence to devoting her life and efforts to welcoming the community quite literally into her home. Lisa shares the story behind founding a community organization that has changed the lives for over 1,200 youth to date, and how her experience as a pastor, a business executive, and mother has shaped her incredible contributions to the world. </p>

<p>Learn more about Lisa, and the incredible work of her team are doing at <a href="https://www.apexyouthcenter.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.apexyouthcenter.org/</a></p>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7kOJonNxXIc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>Special Guest: Lisa Fitzpatrick.</p>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
</item>
<item>
  <title>#003: Raheel Raza - "Religion &amp; the Real World"</title>
  <link>https://www.awokenword.com/003-raheel-raza</link>
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  <pubDate>Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Anuj Rastogi</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/830abd44-bbc9-43c3-b398-6883da3dcdb2/7403928c-841e-47ca-907a-dd27733f43b7.mp3" length="86491419" type="audio/mp3"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
  <itunes:author>Anuj Rastogi</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>In this episode of the AwokenWord podcast, Anuj Rastogi speaks with Raheel Raza, author, speaker, and incredibly fierce activist and advocate for reform within the Muslim world. Raheel talks about her experience as a muslim, and a woman pushing for reformation within the community, and for open, honest dialogue. Raheel speaks about her work with youth, with the UN Human Rights Commission, and the crisis of an increasingly polarized world, and how difficult it can be to call a "spade a spade" in a climate where both sides of the political spectrum take issue with one's views without engaging in that dialogue.</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:28:35</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
  <itunes:image href="https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-images-2024/podcasts/images/8/830abd44-bbc9-43c3-b398-6883da3dcdb2/episodes/7/7403928c-841e-47ca-907a-dd27733f43b7/cover.jpg?v=2"/>
  <description>&lt;p&gt;In today's episode of the AwokenWord podcast, Anuj Rastogi speaks with Raheel Raza, author, speaker, and incredibly fierce activist and advocate for reform within the Muslim world. Raheel talks about her experience as a muslim, and a woman pushing for reformation within the community, and for open, honest dialogue. Raheel speaks about her work with youth, with the UN Human Rights Commission, and the crisis of an increasingly polarized world, and how difficult it can be to call a "spade a spade" in a climate where both sides of the political spectrum take issue with one's views without engaging in that dialogue. Special Guest: Raheel Raza.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>raheel, raza, pakistani, muslim, islam, politics, culture, religion, multiculturalism, feminism</itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>In today&#39;s episode of the AwokenWord podcast, Anuj Rastogi speaks with Raheel Raza, author, speaker, and incredibly fierce activist and advocate for reform within the Muslim world. Raheel talks about her experience as a muslim, and a woman pushing for reformation within the community, and for open, honest dialogue. Raheel speaks about her work with youth, with the UN Human Rights Commission, and the crisis of an increasingly polarized world, and how difficult it can be to call a &quot;spade a spade&quot; in a climate where both sides of the political spectrum take issue with one&#39;s views without engaging in that dialogue.</p><p>Special Guest: Raheel Raza.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>In today&#39;s episode of the AwokenWord podcast, Anuj Rastogi speaks with Raheel Raza, author, speaker, and incredibly fierce activist and advocate for reform within the Muslim world. Raheel talks about her experience as a muslim, and a woman pushing for reformation within the community, and for open, honest dialogue. Raheel speaks about her work with youth, with the UN Human Rights Commission, and the crisis of an increasingly polarized world, and how difficult it can be to call a &quot;spade a spade&quot; in a climate where both sides of the political spectrum take issue with one&#39;s views without engaging in that dialogue.</p><p>Special Guest: Raheel Raza.</p>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
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