Biography:

Wajahat Ali is the author of the memoir Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American and author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim-Americans in a post-9/11 world. He was the lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s seminal report “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” and served as co-host for Al Jazeera America's The Stream. He currently edits The Left Hook substack and is co-host of the Democracy-Ish Podcast on Mary Trump Media. He was a contributor for CNN and a contributing op-ed writer for the New York Times. He also worked with the US State Department to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs in eight countries. He has given keynote speeches around the world such as TED, The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival. He’s a Senior Fellow at The Western States Center and President of the Before Columbus Foundation.