The Thinking Muslim

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu... and help us expand this podcast. You can email Clive on clivestaffordsmith2020@gmail.com Please send your letters to Clive. Make them more than a couple of lines. Clive also needs a team of lawyers to help him in Texas. If you want to help fund Dr Aafia’s legal costs, below is Clive's paypal campaign https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaig... The case of Aafia Siddiqui remains an open wound for us all. It symbolises the inhumanity and barbarism of US foreign policy. The incarceration of this brilliant academic and mother of three, has become a marker of its excesses, of which there were many. She languishes in prison, serving an 86-year sentence for an offence that looks barely credible, the attempted murder of two US officials in Afghanistan in 2008. Her whereabouts before that date has been hotly contested, but her lawyers and activists have patched together the conspiracy surrounding Dr Aafias ordeal. Sadly the welfare of her youngest son Suleman – who has not been seen since her detention in 2003 remains unknown. Presumed dead. The last time I spoke with Dr Aafias lawyer Clive Stafford Smith he had returned from her prison in Forth Worth Texas – where she had been reunited with her sister Fozia for the first time in 20 years. If you haven’t watched that programme, I would highly recommend you do to give you the backstory to this horrific case. Clive has just returned from a factfinsding mission to Afghanistan, and he has some considerable updates on Aafias case. Clive has helped secure the release of 86 prisoners from Guantánamo Bay and still acts for the remaining numbers. Since the early days of the War on Terror, he has worked tirelessly to force the Americans and other Western powers to adhere to the rule of law. He has sought to uncover the secret prisons and ghost prisoners that stain the reputation of powerful states – who presented their wars in benevolent terms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 17th Ramadan marks the most decisive battle in the history of early Islam. Dr Wajid Akhtar, founder of Charity Week for Orphans and Children in Need and Council member of the British Islamic Medical Association discusses the great battle of Badr, the most consequential battle in Islamic history. Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com #thethinkingmuslimpodcast episode 145 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: / thethinkingmuslim Every year, the list of beleaguered Muslim countries and people increases, and with it, the demand for charity. We are used to giving in sadaqa – and our kindness as a community is rarely matched. The Muslim community in the UK alone gives upwards of £1bn in charity – much of which goes abroad. The situation in Gaza has once again led to a determined effort by many to contribute to charitable causes. As Ramadan comes, inevitably, our minds and hearts will turn to those in our umma who live this month with nothing but the clothes on their back; such is the parlous state of Muslims. But does charity work? What is charity? Is building a water well, however satisfying, the way to reconstruct our Muslim world? Are there better ways by which we can use our money without compromising on our commitment to our people? To help us understand this subject, we have invited a charity insider, probably someone who is most qualified to help us untangle this topic, onto The Thinking Muslim. Kashif Shabir has over 15 years’ experience in the social impact and charity sector. He was until recently the CEO of Muslim Aid, one of the oldest faith-based NGOs in the UK. He has worked for, and help found several Muslim charities, including The National Zakat Foundation & Charity Right and held leadership positions at some of the largest mainstream charities including as Head of Knowledge and Learning at Oxfam and the British Red Cross, as part of their strategic change management team. Kashif sits on several advisory boards, including BOND, the largest network of organisations working in international development and Muslim Aid USA. He currently leads the Social Impact Advisory at Qadr Financial and is the founder of Ethical Consulting Group where he works with Charities, Family Offices and Government agencies to improve their effectiveness and maximise their social impact. Kashif is available for executive coaching and consulting opportunities through the Ethical Consulting website www.ethicalltd.com You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: / thethinkingmuslim We are in the month of Ramadan where Muslims worldwide share in the simple yet profound act of fasting from dawn to dusk. Our collective commitment to this activity is often met with surprise by others who do not share our faith; how can someone be so devoted to a creator, and why is sacrifice so important to submission? We in the West are often confronted with questions about fasting and Islamic practice in general, and some have found the standard answers insufficient to appease the questioner. In a so-called rational West, where everything has to be justified, many Muslims want to know why. Why do we fast, why do we pray, why is there a Shariah? To help us navigate the topic of rationality in Islam and how this interacts with Shariah, I am honoured to have on the show Shaykh Hamza Karamali; Shaykh Hamza has studied and mastered the Islamic sciences and Arabic grammar and rhetoric. His institute, Basira Education, aims to address some of the thoughts that undermine confidence in Islam and help the younger generation observe their religion with rational certainty. He has a course currently running on why Islam is true. You can get Hamza Karamali's FREE Quranic Case for God Video Series. Discover the Quranic rational Argument that will silence any atheist at https://quraniccaseforgod.com/ In 4 short videos you will learn how the argument works, see it being used in the Quran, learn how to apply it to the most common atheist objection and then watch a real world christian-atheist debate, and see how it should have been applied. Go to https://ramadanforever.com/ to learn more. You can also join him on his Ramadan Forever Challenge to make this Ramadan last forever, with a change that stays with you when Ramadan leaves. A short lesson each day with a simple to implement 3-point action plan that takes only a minute to do, and a success tracker sheet to keep yourself accountable and measure your progress. Find out more at www.RamadanForever.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are all angry. We live in an unjust world. The so-called rules-based system, the rhetoric surrounding human rights, the endless speeches on democracy and freedom – all of it turned out to be hollow. The death and destruction in gaza is juxtaposed with the triviality with which the political elites in the west talk of human life. We are angry. How does a Muslim deal with this visceral anger. How do we deal with the inhumanity of these western elites yet stay true to ourselves and who we are? Should we learn to stop being angry and live our lives in a comatose state or utilise this anger in a just direction? Today we have Dr Kamal Abu Zahra to help us understand anger from an Islamic perspective. My guest today is Dr Kamal Abu Zahra is a lecturer in Islamic studies and in Islamic law who has an expertise in the contemporary fiqh. Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu... The current slaughter meted out on innocents in Gaza, fully supported Western Governments, is founded upon a bed of lies. It is said that the truth is the first casualty of war, yet in this war the truth is not hidden –the decapitated bodies, crushed skulls, emaciated children, the callous shelling of hungry souls as they clamour for flour – all of this is known to the world and there remains little doubt that what we are witnessing is truly horrific. Yet the Israeli counter-narrative looks to subvert this truth; these images they claim, however regrettable, are the result of such a heinous crime that they are necessary for rooting out the evil. The Gazan women and children are no more than collateral damage. I have argued that what the hypocritical West fails to see is that for every soul whose death they manufacture, the very edifice upon which they claim a moral high ground is crumbling. My guest today, Ahmed Paul Keeler argues in a provocative and beautifully written piece that narratives matter. This is why millions are spent on spinning a story about the state of Israel and the traducing the claims of Palestinians. Today we take a forensic look at these narratives. His powerful article is available on Jalal's newsletter jalalayn.substack.com You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim At the time where our attention is fixed on Gaza, rightly, another conflict is taking place with horrendous cost to human life. Sadly As always, our ummah has become subject to the political ambitions of egotistical actors and their outside backers. Sudan is burning. There are 8 million people on the move, escaping the indiscriminate murder, rape and pillage of what can only be described as two warlords that thwarted a people’s revolution – aided by external powers. Today we explore these two conflicts. In a way, they are one. They are recent episodes of a Muslim world in crisis. Our ummah today lives in a perpetual state of conflict, can we escape this dire situation. We are now 100 years since the formal demise of the Ottoman state, what does the next 100 years look like. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: / thethinkingmuslim Sami Hamdi for the past five months has helped us untangle and understand the motives and actions of the actors that wage genocide in Gaza. The conflict, if that is even a proper term to use, seems to be continuing despite discussions of an end game. At the time of recording this interview, we have heard from Joe Biden casually licking an ice cream and talking of ceasefires when tens of thousands starve in Northern Gaza. The callousness with which the west now talk of mopping up a crime scene is staggering. How can a liberal west, fixated on preaching rights have maintained this collective pretence? Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjV... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had a problem with our guest’s audio this week. Apologies for this, we wanted to however get this episode out. Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu... This past few weeks in Pakistan have been a rollercoaster ride. We have seen the continued, brazen army interference in elections that for so long has earned the country the dubious title of possessing a ‘sham democracy’. The country’s elected leader, Imran Khan, is languishing in prison on what are trumped-up charges and hundreds of his party members have been chased, arrested and incarcerated by what can only be described as the deep state apparatus. Election day was a sham. And it seems the army’s designated successors are about to take their positions. But, often, what is on the surface may conceal deeper facts. Today we have political analyst Kashif Gilani from Islamabad to discuss the situation. You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week, Dr Sohail Hanif, argues that we need to reconnect with not just our relationship with our umma but also have to reorient our lives to live like the murabitun of the past, those who saw themselves as within a wider objective of thinking about deen and the umma and their part within this rubric. In this endeavour, to change our mentality, we have to reconfigure how we view some of the fundamental Islamic ideas of zakat, ummah and jihad. Are we in the west manning an outpost of this umma. And has Gaza taught us a wider lesson about reorienting our mentalities. Dr Sohail is the National Zakat Foundation’s Chief Executive. Prior to this, he held the position of Lecturer at Cambridge Muslim College. He also was the Head of Sciences at Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman. He has expertise in Islamic law, having studied extensively with traditional scholars, and holds a PhD from Oxford University. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu... You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we learn from the wisdom of others in a world intent on ruthless autonomy? Today, with the Gaza war as our backdrop, we ask Dr Yakoob Ahmed what pieces of advice he would give to his 18-year-old self. Dr Yakoob Ahmed is an academic specialising in late Ottoman history. He is a PhD graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies and currently teaches Islamic history at Istanbul University. He is in the process of completing his first book on the late Ottoman ulema, to be published next year. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent ICJ interim order has been interpreted in many ways by its proponents, who hail it a victory and its opponents, who denounce it as an Israeli conspiracy. However, many have questioned the efficacy of the interim order, pointing to the ICJ’s lack of enforcement and the absence of an explicit mention of a ceasefire. To help us understand the complexities surrounding the judgement, we have invited, at short notice, Tayab Ali in once again. Tayab Ali, is a lawyer specialising in international law. He is a partner at the legal firm Bindmans. He has represented clients in the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights and at international political and legal institutions, including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we consider the ongoing slaughter that is Gaza and the West's complicity, it's not the world leaders, East or West, who have captured our collective imagination – it's the ordinary people who have made the difference. It's the journalists, poets – the doctors and nurses that have helped the world see the atrocities of settler colonialism and its abject violence. Certainly, a defused media has given the world, possibly for the very first time, the ability to witness the horrors of Israel – but it is people like my guest today who have been able to articulate a narrative that rises above the deliberate propaganda that passes as commentary. Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a multi-award-winning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He has worked in multiple war zones, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza. He was, until recently, working to save lives in Gaza’s war ravaged and ill-equipped hospitals. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we consider the ongoing slaughter that is Gaza and the West's complicity, it's not the world leaders, East or West, who have captured our collective imagination – it's the ordinary people who have made the difference. It's the journalists, poets – the doctors and nurses that have helped the world see the atrocities of settler colonialism and its abject violence. Certainly, a defused media has given the world, possibly for the very first time, the ability to witness the horrors of Israel – but it is people like my guest today who have been able to articulate a narrative that rises above the deliberate propaganda that passes as commentary. Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a multi-award-winning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He has worked in multiple war zones, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza. He was, until recently, working to save lives in Gaza’s war ravaged and ill-equipped hospitals. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we consider the ongoing slaughter that is Gaza and the West's complicity, it's not the world leaders, East or West, who have captured our collective imagination – it's the ordinary people who have made the difference. It's the journalists, poets – the doctors and nurses that have helped the world see the atrocities of settler colonialism and its abject violence. Certainly, a defused media has given the world, possibly for the very first time, the ability to witness the horrors of Israel – but it is people like my guest today who have been able to articulate a narrative that rises above the deliberate propaganda that passes as commentary. Professor Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a multi-award-winning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He has worked in multiple war zones, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Gaza. He was, until recently, working to save lives in Gaza’s war ravaged and ill-equipped hospitals. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zionism is the ideology that underpins the barbarism that has been meted out on Palestinians, its latest chapter being the slaughter that is currently happening in Gaza. Yet its ideals remain respectable in establishment circles. In the United States, political leaders fall over one another to declare their un denying loyalty to the creed and in Britain, there has been a long tradition of Christian Zionism that spans back to the early twentieth century and the Balfour Declaration. Ahmed Paul Keeler. He argues that Zionism has become embedded into the Western mindset through education and culture. It relies upon a Darwinian hierarchy that places Europeans at the top and Arabs and others as savages and less human, terms that have been uttered in recent events with greater frequency. Ahmed was born in 1942 and was brought up in a conservative upper-middle class Anglo Catholic family. He belonged to a generation that was brought up to serve the British empire. Ahmed Keeler is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge, and was a Distinguished Fellow at The Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia in 2016. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com #thethinkingmuslimpodcast episode133 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we are confronting nothing short of a campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians of Gaza, not seen since the Nakba or Catastrophe of 1948. Yet many in the Western world are silent to the suffering. Much of what justifies Israel and its actions in the West is premised on history, and many European and American historians have been ready to present a compelling argument for Zionism and the case for Israel in the heart of the Middle East. This historical justification, based on persecution and antisemitism, gives the story of Israel a potency that has for many years served to find acceptance in the West – of impunity to act without restraint - that is not offered to any other state. At the same time, the Palestinian story has been undermined by these same historians. They were a Bedouin community, readily able to vacate their land – it is said. Palestinians, according to leading Israeli politicians, is a mythical people. Today, we are honoured to have Professor Avi Shlaim with us to untangle historical facts from fiction. Avi Shlaim is an eminent historian. He is an Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Oxford University and the author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (2014) and Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations (2009). Professor Shlaim is a dual Israeli British citizen who lived in the country as a child. His family originated from Iraq and migrated to the newly founded state in 1950. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have now passed three months of the Gaza slaughter, and according to the UN, Gaza has become uninhabitable. During these past few days, we have seen another frenetic series of diplomatic meetings by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in the region as the US looks to consolidate the status quo. The genocidal intent of the Israeli state. If it was unclear at the start of the conflict, it is clear now that the United States has given the green light to the Israelis to mete out their punishment. The Arab and Muslim states have, it seems, mostly acquiesced with the US. In public, they condemn, whereas in private, they look the other way or, in the case of Egypt, conspire with the US and Israel to make sure Gaza’s resistance is erased. We have, however, seen signs, that can be interpreted as further escalation. The Houthis in Yemen have now accosted over 20 ships in the Red Sea, and on Lebanon's southern border, there remains an active engagement with Israeli soldiers. To help us understand the complexities of the current crisis, I have invited Sami Hamdi back into the studio. Sami is the director of the International Interest, a risk advisory. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslim You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com #thethinkingmuslimpodcast episode130 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the long durée of Islamic history, we often lose sight that every generation, even the best generation, that of the companions, had deep challenges to overcome. Our enemies have continuously worked to undermine our unity, and it is often the hard lessons of these challenges that help us overcome our petty disputes and territorial differences. This episode we focus on the notion of unity and its real implications. If we agree the lack of Muslim unity is holding us back – how do we overcome this challenge? And are we destined to slide into further decline? And is their hope in this crisis? Dr Omar Suleiman is the founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute. Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu... You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

** This interview was recorded a few hours before South Africa initiated its ICJ case - the Genocide Convention is discussed in detail here. When we consider the disgraceful actions of the Israeli state, it becomes evident that they operate in a system of impunity. But what, if anything, can we do about this? My guest today, Tayab Ali, is a lawyer specialising in criminal trials. He is a partner at the legal firm Bindmans. He has been described as “an irresistible force – he’s fearless.” He is rated as a Super Lawyer by Thompson Reuters and recognised in Civil Liberties by The Legal 500. He has represented clients in the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights and at international political and legal institutions, including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights. Listen to the audio version of the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjV... https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu... You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/Donate Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Find us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.