Union Organizing, Islamic Faith, and the Collective Vision of Socialism

Rev Left Radio

Breht O'Shea

Communism, Politics, Liberalism, Society & Culture, Philosophy, News, History, Leftwing, Socialism, Marxism

4.8 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 October 2025

⏱️ 81 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Breht speaks with Aminah Sheikh -- Vice President of the Canadian Freelance Union, member of the Twin Cities DSA Steering Committee, and longtime labor organizer -- about the intersection of Islamic faith, union organizing, and the collective vision of socialism.

Aminah shares her journey from growing up in a devout religious household to discovering belonging and political consciousness through the labor movement. She reflects on how organizing gave her safety and solidarity as a Muslim born in the West, and how faith, class struggle, and proletarian internationalism can coexist and reinforce one another.

Together, they discuss her work organizing in rural and Indigenous communities, her experiences with the Che Guevara Brigade in Cuba, and her ongoing solidarity with Palestine. The conversation explores how spiritual and socialist traditions both point toward a shared horizon: a world rooted in justice, dignity, and collective liberation.

Follow Aminah on X @AminahSheikh

Here are some articles written by Aminah as well:

On Rosa Luxemburg HERE

On The Canadian Right HERE

On Militant Trade Unions and Anti-Communist Reaction HERE

On Palestine HERE

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everybody and welcome back to Rev Left Radio.
0:08.8	On today's episode, I have on Amina Sheikh, who is the vice president of the Canadian
0:13.9	freelance union, longtime union organizer, has organized across the continent, has visited
0:20.4	Cuba and multiple occasions, has organized in and continent, has visited Cuba and multiple occasions,
0:22.1	has organized in and around rural areas and reservations, and has just a wonderful way of
0:28.6	speaking about the importance of organized labor and brings to bear all the talents of a really
0:34.4	high-quality union organizer, the experience, the knowledge, the wisdom,
0:40.2	the hope.
0:41.0	We have a fascinating, wide-ranging conversation that I really, really enjoyed.
0:46.3	So I'm really excited to share that with all of you today.
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1:24.7	community and talk through big political issues when they erupt.
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1:34.9	It's a really great way to interact in real time with community around issues and make sense of it together as a community.
	...

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