329: Belonging Without Imitation: A Year-End Reflection

As the year comes to a close, Immigrantly host Saadia Khan reflects on belonging, faith, and identity without assimilation. In this solo year-end episode, Saadia shares why she doesn’t celebrate Christmas, having grown up in Pakistan surrounded by nearly three million Christians who do, and how witnessing joy across difference has shaped her understanding of respect, pluralism, and belonging. She reflects on holding on to her Muslim identity on her own terms, without turning it into an assimilation exercise. Saadia also looks back on an unexpected but transformative 2025 for Immigrantly Media: launching the Love-ly relationships podcast with Mehak, producing over 200 episodes across the network, and building an app that emerged organically from her own immigrant experience of self-censorship and identity editing. Looking ahead to 2026 with cautious optimism, she previews what’s next, including Bitefully, a new food podcast with MasterChef winner Claudia Sandoval, and Borderly, a ...