Season 5: Ep. 3 From Slave Ships to 9/11: Islam and the Long Struggle to Belong in America

Season 5: Ep. 3 From Slave Ships to 9/11: Islam and the Long Struggle to Belong in America

Author: InterReligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary May 19, 2026 Duration: 42:13
Under the backdrop of our nation’s 250th anniversary, Our Seven Neighbors, season 5, explores the long, contested history of religious diversity in the United States—not as a feel-good celebration of pluralism, but as a hard-won achievement forged through conflict, exclusion, resistance, and moral struggle.  Episode 3 features host Reza Aslan in conversation with Dr. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri.

Our 7 Neighbors: Religion and Resistance in America is a production of the InterReligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this season asks how the nation's complex religious landscape truly came to be. Guided by host Reza Aslan, the podcast moves beyond simple narratives of tolerance to examine the gritty, often painful history of belief in America. Each episode delves into stories of conflict, legal battles, community exclusion, and the persistent resistance that shaped the freedoms and fractures we see today. This isn't a congratulatory look at pluralism, but a deep, critical exploration of the moral struggles and hard compromises that define religious life in a diverse democracy. You'll hear about the communities and individuals who fought for their place, the ideologies that sought to marginalize them, and the ongoing tensions between faith, identity, and power. The conversation in this podcast is built on the understanding that America's religious diversity was never a given-it was, and remains, a project contested by every generation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 37

Our 7 Neighbors: Religion and Resistance in America
Podcast Episodes
Season 5: Ep. 1 The Myth of a Religious Freedom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:17
Under the backdrop of our nation’s 250th anniversary, Our Seven Neighbors, season 5, explores the long, contested history of religious diversity in the United States. Episode 1 features host Reza Aslan in conversation wi…
Our 7 Neighbors Season 5 Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59
O7N Season 5 Religion and Resistance in America Under the backdrop of our nation’s 250th anniversary, Our Seven Neighbors, season 5, explores the long, contested history of religious diversity in the United States—not as…
Season 4: Ep.7 Queering Orishas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:34
Our 7 Neighbors, Season 4: Diversifying the Narrative: Immigration and Religion in America, Hosted by Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres. Through an intersectional lens of Latinx voices, this season explores themes of imm…
Season 4: Ep.6 The Religion of Hip Hop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:40
Our 7 Neighbors, Season 4: Diversifying the Narrative: Immigration and Religion in America, Hosted by Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres. Through an intersectional lens of Latinx voices, this season explores themes of imm…
Season 4: Ep.5 Community as Resistance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:53
Our 7 Neighbors, Season 4: Diversifying the Narrative: Immigration and Religion in America, Hosted by Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres. Through an intersectional lens of Latinx voices, this season explores themes of imm…
Season 4: Ep. 4 Organic Orbits [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:08
Our 7 Neighbors, Season 4: Diversifying the Narrative: Immigration and Religion in America, Hosted by Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres. Through an intersectional lens of Latinx voices, this season explores themes of imm…
Season 4: Ep. 3 Where Do We Belong? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:18
Our 7 Neighbors, Season 4: Diversifying the Narrative: Immigration and Religion in America, Hosted by Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres Through an intersectional lens of Latinx voices, this season explores themes of immi…