Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise across the United States. That inspired me to reach out to leaders of the Islamic Center of Asheville and two of Asheville’s synagogues. I’m devoting this week’s episodes to those conversations.

Today, I speak with Nasser Ostah, who moved from Jordan a little over a year ago, to become the imam of the Islamic Center of Asheville. Joining us is longtime center member and community leader Khalid Bashir.

From both the Islamic and Judaic angles, I wanted to understand their local histories and ask how their congregations are processing the war. I also wanted to learn about any incidents of vocal or violent blowback in their directions and ask about any roles their congregations can play to make differences in Asheville and beyond.

Note: Royalty-free music for this episode "Warm Solitude, Cold Loneliness" by Arthur Vyncke.

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