Welcome to Current Affairs. My name is Nathan Robinson. I am the editor in Chief of Current Affairs Magazine. I am joined today by the distinguished Islamic scholar and civil rights activist Dr. Omar Suleiman.

He is the founding president of the Yakin Institute for Islamic Research.

He is also an adjunct professor of Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University.

He has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims around

the world. He is also a native of Kurd Affairs's town of New Orleans, Louisiana, where he has

been recognized by the city formerly for his outstanding achievements in community service and promoting interfaith dialogue.

It is a great honor and pleasure today to be joined by Dr. Omar Suleiman.

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be with you as well. And, you know, I can't thank you enough

for offering the opportunity just to have a conversation. And of course, it's in the

New Orleans spirit that we talk and we solution over really good food.

Yes. Well, we're at a distance right now, but next time you're in New Orleans, you're

welcome to drop by the current affairs office where we have a pile of king cakes right now.

I'm getting them delivered to Dallas, trust me.

Tis the season. Tis the season for kingcakes.

But look, I wanted to start with you by talking about the fact that, you know, we are in a political moment that is ugly and that is bleak.

I don't think there's really any way of disguising that or sugar-coding it.

I mean, Donald Trump, who is a rancid bigot, has sort of returned to the White House.

And I think a lot of people are feeling, a lot of progressive people are feeling very despondent and don't

know what to do, feel crushed. I want to ask first how you're feeling about this particular

political moment. I think everything that you described in terms of the bleakness of the moment.

I mean, look, so from my perspective, every single part of me is disturbed by the reign of

Donald Trump, Donald Trump 2.0.

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