The Thinking Muslim

There’s an assumption that the West have remained honest brokers in the Gaza genocide, or at least critical friends of Israel. My guest today Matt Kennard argues that contrary to public utterances, the British government, like the Americans are deeply involved in Israel’s merciless bombing of Gaza. They are providing military support, intelligence, diplomatic cover whilst at the same time claiming they want a quick resolution to the slaughter.Matt is an independent journalist and author of three books Irregular Army, Silent coup and The RacketLet me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps: 0:00 – Introduction 2:03 – Britain’s participation in the Gaza genocide7:48 – The secrecy around the intelligence 10:26 – Britain leads in giving intelligence to Israel12:11 – How do we apply pressure on the Labour government?15:37 – We need transparency around Cyprus24:23 – Mainstream media’s complicity32:15 – Has the Labour government really shifted?37:29 – Labour has lost control of the narrative42:37 – How can the activist space reset their focus51:42 – How do we recalibrate the Palestinian movement 54:11 – Have people moved on from Gaza?59:29 – What can we do?1:04:31 – The role of the Muslim Community Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US elections are nearly upon us, and we have all be subject to the empty words and rhetoric of of the two main political parties. The Green Party has gained a lot of traction, especially amongst the countries small but very important Muslim community. I have already interviewed the leader of the Greens, Dr Jill Stein. But Today I have the pleasure to speak with Professor Butch Bilal Ware, its Vice Presidential nominee.Professor Butch Ware is a lifelong activist and educator specializing in the history of empire, colonialism, genocide and revolution. For the past two decades, Ware has put scholarship in service of the people, especially in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as the George Floyd murder in 2020.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps:0:00 Introduction2:00 Embrace Islam at 155:00 Malcolm X and radicalism9:09 Sufis and being radical13:21 Diluting radical tradition19:40 Green Party and Liberals23:25 Green’s and social issues31:57 Uyghurs and foreign policy40:06 His political leanings45:55 Can Muslims work independently52:44 Voting for Trump58:31 George Floyd1:03:32 Fascism in US1:11:42 Dismantling Empire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Abandon Harris campaign has been making waves across the US. It has galvanised largely Muslim and conscientious Americans so build a coalition together to resist the genocidal administration through the ballot box. They have a lot of detractors, paid democratic people ready to defame them. But my guest today is relentless.Hassan Abdel Salam is one of two founders of the Abandon Harris movement. He is also the Executive Director of the Civil Rights Alliance for America, which is the organization that is organizing and coordinating the Abandon Harris movement. Hassan Abdel Salam has been a professor of strategy, movements, and human rights, for 12 years.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps:0:00 Introduction1:30 – His movements5:54 – The Greens9:13 – Is this realistic ?18:40 – A return to Democrats23:32 – Trump28:20 – Are you winning?35:51 – Is the appeal just Muslim?43:44 – Speaking truth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I know that not all Americans value what I have to say on the US elections. However, I do receive many emails and messages daily asking for advice, and my podcast, The Thinking Muslim, has been fairly instrumental in setting the correct intellectual parameters in parts of the US Muslim community when forming a conscious electoral decision on November 5th.My original position was to echo the views of many leaders within the US Muslim community who have said Muslim voters must disavow the two parties and opt for a third-party option, whoever that may be. But upon reflection, I think that advice, although in the right direction, will not procure the intended result – simply because it will diffuse the messaging of our vote. And thus diffuse its ability to make a statement. That’s why I have concluded that Muslims must vote for the Green Party on November 5th, even if they disagree, as I do, with some parts of their policy platform and public positions.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pro-genocide administration of Biden and Harris has been involved in a frenetic outreach to America’s small but vocal Muslim community. These critical constituents in crucial battleground states like Michigan are where November’s election will be won or lost. Both parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are Zionist to their core, but this genocide has happened with the seal of approval and the consent of the Biden-Harris administration. Is Gaza a turning point? Can we move beyond this two-party nightmare? Are third-party options plausible in a system that approves only two possibilities? Or is voting for anyone but the two bad options a wasted vote? And what of the broader question of the US empire and its propensity to violence? How will this election address what the world observes as an imperium without moral or ethical standards? Today I have a very special guest, Dr Jill Stein, leader of the Green Party and Presidential candidate. Jill is a Harvard educated doctor, an environmentalist, campaigner and organiser. Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimLet me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps:0:00 Introduction 2:00 Is a vote for the Green Party a vote for Trump?6:27 Voters vs Donors7:31 Why is Kamala Harris not opposing the Genocide?9:22 Does the Green Party have a Syria problem?12:47 Oppressive leaders14:24 Mehdi Hasan's position on Kamala Harris20:33 How does voting Green Party help Gaza?22:00 Green Party being contested23:30 AIPAC is running America25:38 The Responsibility of a Third Party32:41 Building a Third Party for the American people35:00 Muslims in the Green Party39:50 5% of The Popular vote44:46 Dr Stein's vision of American power?50:59 Where do Ordinary Americans stand?59:26 It's Not Too Late Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have been struck by the thoughtful and nuanced conversations that are being had across the US about the coming elections. But there remains confusion. One such community that probably has reason to be sceptical of mainstream Muslim organisations and their approach to politics, as relationships, is the all-important African American Muslim community – very often neglected in any conversation.I have invited today to show someone who I deeply respect for how he thought through these essential topics long before Gaza came along to haunt us. Imam Dawud Walid is the author of Towards Sacred Activism and an Imam in Michigan.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have seen the horrific genocidal scenes unfolding in the north of Gaza and in particular the onslaught by the occupation in Jabaliya. There is a horrendous cleansing of Palestinians, apparently to make way for Israeli settler expansion and cut the territory into two. This is a Nakba but worse. A catastrophe. But the world seems to remain silent. On a deeper level – many are asking when will the help of Allah come? How do we deal with this situation as a personal trauma. My guest today, is Imam Fuad Abdo, himself from palestine. Imam Fuad is the imam of Goodmayes Mosque, and someone who I have seen firsthand at the forefront of activism – especially encouragement the encampment movement.You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merchFind us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslimHost: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US elections are in full flow, with the two big parties focussing on the key swing states that will decide this election. In states like Michigan, a slight movement of voters can determine the outcome. And this means Muslim voters may play a decisive role.To help us understand the political and intellectual climate, I have invited back onto the show Imam Tom Facchine show. Imam Tom has been instrumental in galvanising Muslims behind the anti-Harris campaign, and he joins us from Pennsylvania. You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps0:00 Introduction2:09 - Mehdi re Trump worse8:31 – You are supporting Trump 11:43 – Trump vs Harris 17:47 – Lesser of the two evils 22:33 – Emgage and Harris 29:38 – Emgage no excuse 33:08 – Michigan is the showdown40:46 – Green Party challenges 45:43 – Quantifying our Gaza votes48:05 – Leverage within Democrats 50:55 – Staying at home53:20 – US Exceptionalism 57:16 – Liberal ideology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To help us unpick the relationship between Western foreign policy and media our guest this week is Hamza Yusuf is a British-Palestinian writer and journalist whose work focuses on Palestine. He has reported on daily life under occupation for Palestinians, including home demolitions and forced expulsion and the conditions for Palestinians in Israeli prisons. He is an investigative journalist at Declassified amongst other publications.You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden-Harris administration has aided and abetted genocide. The argument they still deserve our vote is not only politically naïve but is also built upon a bed of lies. We must show courage in this election and vote for a third party. This is not only morally the correct position; it is the only way to build long-term political leverage for the American Muslim community. Read Muhammad Jalal's full article here: https://jalalayn.substack.com/p/harri... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please subscribe ** Dr Yakoob Ahmed interviews your host, Muhammad Jalal. The genocide in Gaza and the need for enlightened activism was captured by the guests and content that came out on The Thinking Muslim. We had become accustomed to calls for immediate action, some of which were short-lived. But what The Thinking Muslim did was to place this activism within a sacred responsibility. That's why it captured so many imaginations and activated so many people.Much of The Thinking Muslim's content has been carefully curated and well thought through, and the guests showcased are amongst the most articulate and thoughtful in their field.Someone somewhere had the idea that Muhammad Jalal should answer questions from the Thinking Muslim audience, so they asked Dr Yakoob Ahmed to file these questions – and some of my own – to its host.You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps0:00 Introduction 2:00 – Feelings? 2:45 – How did you start? 10:00 – Challenges faced13:55 – The Team 17:50 – How Gaza changed everything 22:10 – Non-Muslim guests? 26:10 – How do you choose guests 29:56 – Pushing back 33:21 – UK elections and Gaza38:08 – The election strategy40:12 – Attacks from media4215 – How invested are you in this system? 46:16 – University scene 49:20 – US elections 51:25 – Why visit the US 53:22 – US Muslims are different 58:16 – Anti- Harris campaign 1:00:07 – Young Muslims 1:01:34 – US empire? 1:03:40 – The left and right 1:10:13 – Islamic alternative 1:14:50 – Unity of Muslims1:16:40 – Post-Gaza 1:18:40 – Guest selection 1:21:18 – Infantilising young Muslims 1:25:47 Book recommendation 1:28:59 – Dr Aafia Siqqiqui.1:31:28 – Future of TM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is modern society failing our children? Has the quest for constant progress, through the use of technology and the desire to constantly engage our children with stimuli and keep them busy with lives that we have curated for them, been to the detriment of childhood? A recent global childhood report found that British children are the most unhappy in the Western world despite our relative material progress. Yet, there is rarely a conversation about the root causes.My guest today, Ahmed Paul Keeler, is the AUTHOR OF RETHINKING ISLAM AND THE WEST. And also the author of a soon to be published book titled the Gazan Awakening. He has thought a lot about the issues involved in nurturing a true childhood. How can we resist the excesses of modernity and exhibit the timeless qualities of Islam in our lives?You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 Introduction 2:04 Why is Childhood so important 20:00 Capitalism 25:30 How has childhood been breached 30:27 Teenage angst 41:40 Was it really good in the past? 53:00 Reclaiming Childhood1:08:39 Motherhood and Fatherhood 1:18:40 The new generation1:23:00 His new Gaza book1:31:58 His poem Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apologies for the slight deterioration in sound, especially in the first 30 minutes of the interview.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimThe ongoing slaughter in Gaza and now the carpet bombing of Lebanon has at its backdrop the US elections. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have clearly stated their intentions to back Israel, and it is hard sometimes to place a cigarette paper between them.So how should American Muslims respond to the genocide. Should they abandon Harris? I am planning to visit the US very soon inshallah and will be meeting with American Muslim leaders and others as I attempt to piece together an answer to these crucial questions. But to begin the conversation, I have invited back onto the show Sami Hamdi to share his thoughts.You can support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time or a monthly donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 – Introduction03:00 Is there a Harris bounce in the polls 07:06 If Harris loses, Zionism loses? 13:34 Why is AIPAC worried? 20:00 Shifting US public opinion26:58 Muslims in swing states 30:01 Supporting Trump 38:19 Third-party candidates 48:21 Should we endorse Jill Stein57:39 The lesser of the two evils 1:18:00 Are US Muslims ready for sacrifice 1:39:40 Non-Muslim allies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Telegram channel Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimSami Hamdi has been at the fore of the conversation about how Muslims should respond to the unparalleled attack upon Gaza. The brutality with which the Israelis now act with impunity is clear for the majority of the world to see, but the West remains immune to its crimes. That’s partly because the West does not and cannot see Israel as anything but a benevolent project in a region that requires a Western presence. A colony. An imperial parasite whose crimes are erased by those funding its campaign of annihilation. Israel is not, as the conventional wisdom suggests, out of control. It is a project of the West. The West is Israel and Israel is the West. The two are symbiotically linked. Their destiny is one. This past week, we have seen the latest escalation, the systematic use of communications pagers and walk-in talkies to kill and maim indiscriminately across Lebanon and parts of Syria. The response in much of the Western press has been to praise the action as creative and daring. But what lay behind this escalation, what is Israel’s game plan, and where do the Muslim rulers now sit, almost a year after this act of mass murder? You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 – Introduction2:20 – Why did Israel do this? 10:25 – Netanyahu’s calculation with Iran 15:14 – Role of the US in this crisis 19:47 – US involvement 22:07 – Iranian restraint 28:05 – How do we view what happened 31:38 – Was Syria US inspired? 38:00 – Did Iran help the Syrians? 46:09 – Saudi Arabia and Normalisation 53:19 – Erdoğan and Türkiye Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sunni Shia divide remains an open wound and a means by which our enemies meddle in our internal affairs. Since the war on terror, and the horrible sectarianism unleashed on Iraq, this divide has got even bigger and has often led to bloody violence. However, amidst this turmoil, we often hear voices from within the Ummah and beyond, dreaming of unity to confront the misery, humiliation, and suffering of the oppressed, especially in the current situation with Palestine. But it’s a difficult topic, there are a host of theological and political concerns and the current tussle between Saudi Arabia and Iran makes any talk of reconciliation or an overlapping consensus politically charged.Dr Suwaidan is a profile writer, speaker, trainer and in many ways has brought much needed intellectual thought to our age.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 – Introduction 1:55 – Iraq: Framing sectarianism 10:00 – Iran’s Shia exceptionalism 15:30 – Iran and Shia not the same 16:48 – Why do we need unity? 21:03 – Overlapping consensus? 22:06 – How do we do this? 24:32 – Declaring takfir and abuse of companions31:44 – A major cultural shift? 33:50 – Our enemies using our division Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is said a people without a past are a lost soul. And in today’s turbulent world, the Muslim ummah has come to realise that we have, in many cases, been taught a version of history that fails to appreciate what the late Shabbir Akhtar called Islam as a imperial faith.Dr Yakoob Ahmed is an academic specialising in late Ottoman history. He was until recently a lecturer in Islamic history at Istanbul University. He is a regular to this podcast and writes and lectures extensively on Ottoman history. He is the author of a soon to be published title, Does History Matter – history done islamically - the conversation of today.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 Introduction 2:00 Gaza at the crossed roads 8:08 History as a vocation 11:08 Islam as an Imperial Faith14:40 Historians providing solutions 19:48 What are we doing wrong with history? 25:26 Idealism? 32:50 The Quran and History 37:32 Ibn Khuldun’s cyclical theory 43:22 Islam and the production of knowledge 50:40 Fiction and Ertrugul 55:20 Islamic method of history? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimGaza has been a hurtful experience. This year we saw the passing of a milestone, 100 years without a central leadership. The last Ottoman Caliphate, with all its faults, remained a global force and acted as a shield for this ummah. So why have we declined to such a degree that it seems our leadership is inept and our ummah has not moved over Gaza. And what now can we do about it?Dr Tareq al-Suwaidan is a prolific writer, speaker, trainer and in many ways has brought much needed intellectual thought to our age.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 Introduction 2:21 – Why has the ummah not moved? 7:18 – is it s leadership issue 12:10 – Western interference? 14:10 – Excuses of the rulers 17:03 – Decline inevitable? 25:28 – Prophetic method34:25 – Do we need a new leader? 37:41 – Muslim political unity 42:58 – Poor scholarship 51:55 – Responding to Gaza’s pain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, The United States strides the globe as one of the world's most powerful empires ever witnessed. Its hegemonic ambition, devised after the Second World War and consolidated with the untimely fall of the Soviet Union, knows little limits. With a litany of military bases, a network of alliances, an international economic architecture that places it at the centre of the world economy and enormous structural power in the form of global institutions, its empire is all-encompassing.My guest this week is Matt Kennard; he argues there is a global network of elites who do the bidding for this empire. While working for the Financial Times as an investigative journalist, he had unbridled access to the crème de la crème of the global elite. He is the author of The Racket, A Rogue Reporter vs the American Empire; Matt is a Co-Founder and head of investigations at Declassified UK.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage in critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a conscientious Muslim, managing ones money in the West can be a difficult prospect. Islam has a series of rules to do with money, the prohibition of riba (interest) being the key one, and rules on trade that often places it at odds with a rather laissez faire Neo liberal model. Muslims feel a sense of unease when we place our money in banks or engage is investment opportunities that may contravene Islamic precepts. Our guest today was an Islamic finance industry insider. Harris Irfan is currently the CEO of Cordoba Capital Markets. He has 29 years of investment banking and consulting experience. He was the former co-founder of Deutsche Bank's world-leading Islamic finance team and CEO of Deutsche's Islamic finance subsidiary. He is the Former Global Head of Islamic Finance at Barclays, then Head of Investment Banking for the Rasmala group. He is also the author of "Heaven's Bankers: Inside the Hidden World of Islamic Finance", the critically acclaimed best-seller about the Islamic finance industry.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Until last week, all the talk in the west was that of a developing ceasefire agreement for Gaza. That talk is now about a regional conflict. The lead negotiator, Ismail Haniyah, May Allah have mercy on him and accord to him the status of shahadah, was assassinated in an audacious attack in Tehran. This follows the death of a high-profile commander, Fuad Shukr, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. There are now fears that the conflict will escalate and more directly involve Iran. Already, Hasan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, has talked of revenge, and so have the Iranians.To help us navigate this evolving crisis, I am pleased to have Dr Azzam Tamimi back on our show. A political analyst and expert in the region and author on a well researched book on the group Hamas. He joins us today online from Jordan,It must be made clear that this show is an analytical show and in no way represents an acceptance of the tactics and methods of any organisation discussed. It is our editorial decision to engage in a conversation about the current events as an exercise in informing our audience. We remain completely against any tactic that undermines the sanctity of all human life. Timestamps:0:00 Introduction2:00 Why did they escalate at this time5:44 Iran’s lapse in security7:20 Iran’s response10:14 Is Iran serious about resistance12:05 Netanyahu regional war?14:05 Trump and Isreal16:56 Harris and Israel Policy22:12 Muslims and US elections24:29 Khalid Mashal28:04 Ceasefire prospects29:34 China’s role32:31 What can we do?36:58 Ismail Haniyeh Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To help us understand the situation in Bangladesh after the student protests, journalist and commentator Dilly Hussain joins us. Dilly is known for his public engagements, his fearless contribution to Muslim conversation, and his editorship of 5pillars.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com#thethinkingmuslimpodcast episode 160 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Quran is the majestic word of Allah (swt), it gives Muslims life. In the Quran, Allah speaks to all human beings and those that read the Quran revere the majesty of its style and prose. Professor Muhammad A. S. Abdel Haleem is the Professor of Islamic Studies and director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University, as well as editor of the Journal of Qur’anic Studies. Born in Egypt, he learned the Qur’an by heart during childhood. Haleem has published two translations of the Qur'an including the wonderful The Qur'an: A New Translation (2004).Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I invite Riaz Hasan, an economist and data scientist who has worked with me throughout this period on the elections. Riaz and I worked together over these past weeks to inject some data into the conversation about Muslim electoral weight. He was instrumental in offering the communities advice on moving forward, using the clarity of numbers to run good-quality local campaigns.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com#thethinkingmuslimpodcast episode 158 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A question many Western analysts have attempted to answer is whether Islam is a political faith. To help us understand the subject, we have invited an Dr. Fadhl Hasan. Dr Fadl is a Co-Founder of the Dar Al Ilm Institute. He was born and raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he memorised the Quran and attained his foundational knowledge of Arabic and Islamic sciences. He runs a publishing solutions company that, in addition to publishing Islamic texts, focuses on the revival and awakening of the Islamic Ummah. His research interests include Usul, Fiqh, and Muamalaat - Islamic Economics.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron.   / thethinkingmuslim  You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Urgent Call: To help leanne’s campaign in the last few days head to https://airtable.com/appE47RFg1wKrv41... This is probably the most important political campaign in the country. Leanne Mohamad is looking to cause a massive political upset for Labour this election night. Leanne Mohamad is a British Palestinian organiser and politician who is looking to win a seat in the UK general election on the 4 July. We speak about courage and the need to build a moral and principled politics. You can read about her pledges here: http://www.leannemohamad.co.uk Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMu...You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we conceptualise where we are, the international situation and what comes next. To help us understand ourselves and the world, we are happy to invite back onto the Thinking Muslim our friend Sami Hamdi.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, please consider becoming a Patron.https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Instagram:   / thinkingmuslimpodcast  Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host:   / jalalayn   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a time when the youth of the world are rising up for Gaza, it is probably not uncontroversial to say that Muslim students on university campuses are lagging behind. Dr. Ayo Khalil is a medical Doctor, community worker, and former student activist who spearheaded student political campaigns against Islamophobia, racism, and Israeli apartheid. He was also a VP at Fosis in 2020, leading their political work. Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls:   / thethinkingmuslim  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/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Until recently, lawyer Tasnime Akunjee was standing to be an MP in the British Westminster Parliament – standing in the seat of Bethnal Green and Stephney. I say until recently, because in order to prevent a split vote he did the honourable thing and stood down – sparking praise across the country. In Britain’s 4 million strong Muslim community, Tasnime’s behaviour is a model for how we should act – in unison to achieve our ends rather than for our individual ambitions.Tasnime is a criminal defence lawyer specialising in terrorism. He has defended high profile clients including Shamima Begüm and Jamal Hejazi – who bankrupted Tommy Robinson.Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: 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.

The Thinking Muslim team was honoured to host this exclusive event at Gatton Road Mosque, London with two lucid and outstanding thinkers. Ahmed Paul Keeler and Imam Tom Facchine discussed Muslims in an Age of Crises. Recording from 19th April 2024Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls:   / thethinkingmuslim  You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter:   / thinking_muslim  Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host:   / jalalayn   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week has been dismayed at the negative media coverage given to Muslims who place Gaza as a voting concern. Terms like fifth column and insurrectionists have been evoked to claim the Muslim vote should be deeply feared. Peter Oborne writes principally for the Middle East Eye, among other outlets. His books include "The Fate of Abraham: Why the West is Wrong about Islam” and “The Assault on Truth.”Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls:   / thethinkingmuslim  You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comTwitter:   / thinking_muslim  Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host:   / jalalayn   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Amina Shareef is Assistant Professor in Education at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research seeks to understand how Muslim people are unmade as tawhidic subjects—subjects forged in relation to tawhidic worldview in which there is no god but God—and remade as liberal subjects by anti-Muslim racism.Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imam Tom Facchine is the research director of the Department of Islam and Society at Yaqeen Institute. And a prolific speaker and commentator on Islam and philosophy. He discusses the US empire, American exceptionalism, liberalism and US Muslims abandoning Biden.Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls:   / thethinkingmuslim  You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comHost:   / jalalayn   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Labour Party is en route to form the next government of the United Kingdom with what most analysts describe as a landslide majority. The Conservatives have resided over a failed government, with Brexit, economic crisis and poor public services now associated with the Rishi Sunak’s lacklustre government. Labour’s leader, Keir Starmer is comfortably ahead in the polls and it is now openly stated that the tories may be out of government for a generation.Yet on Gaza, Labour policy has been horrendous. It has given a green light to Israel from the very start of its genocidal campaign, with its frontbenchers including David Lammy, Wes Streeting, Emily Thornberry and Lisa Nandy making it very clear that they supported a siege of Gaza or the absolute right of Israel to self defence. Labour continued this position despite the carnage and despite the interim judgement by the ICJ that clearly stated Israel was committing a plausible genocide.I have visited many Muslim communities in towns and cities across the UK and it is clear to me that our anger is palpable. There is a consensus forming that we can no longer vote for a party that has given the green light to killing on an industrial scale. To help us make a case against Labour, I have the pleasure today to speak to probably someone who is the most qualified to discuss the party, journalist and commentator  Owen Jones. Owen has been a principled campaigner for Gaza and recently made the unprecedented move to leave Labour. He now calls for an alliance of independents and progressives.Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist and the author of a number of book including The Establishment – And How They Get Away With ItJoin our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls:   / thethinkingmuslim  You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This interview was conducted before the most recent verdict in the High Court rejecting the right of a student to conduct Muslim prayers in British schools. Over the past few years there has been intense debate about the place of Muslim practice in liberal western societies. Across the west, partly because of the war on terror, politicians talk of unwelcome cultural shifts and the the need to chasten Islam in public life. In many European capitals, theres a debate about whether multiculturalism, a policy coined in the 1960s to integrate migrants, has had its day. Here in Britain, even many on the Labour left today blame the policy for allowing migrants to feel comfortable in their ‘ghettos’ whilst the right wing press talk of ‘no go areas’ and isolationist tendencies. This febrile environment has led to leaders like David Cameron to talk of a muscular liberalism. One that demands much more from those that have origins in other countries. My guest today is Lord Bikhu Parekh. Bikhu is a champion of a pluralist society, one where liberal dogma makes way for genuine multiculturalism where communities engage in a conversation, embracing the possible cultural shifts that may come with that. Bikhu is the emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Westminster and Hull, a distinguished scholar and prolific writer. Pertinent to today’s interview, he wrote ‘rethinking multiculturalism’.Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls:   / thethinkingmuslim  You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase 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/TheThinkingMu... and help us expand this podcast. You can email Clive on [email protected] 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 campaignhttps://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/TheThinkingMuslimListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite 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.comYou 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/TheThinkingMuslimListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite 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.comYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase 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/TheThinkingMuslimAt 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762You can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite 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/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase 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/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase 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/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase 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/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly Zoom calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateSign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com#thethinkingmuslimpodcast episode130 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.