The Thinking Muslim

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimThe Syrian revolution began in 2011 as a grassroots civil society uprising against one of the most tyrannical rulers in the Muslim World. Bashar al-Assad, like his father before him, presided over a state of terror, with mass disappearances, secret police repression and a brutal, corrupt state machinery that governed through fear. Assad had four secret service agencies (mukhabarat) that worked independently. If you got onto a list, your life would become a never-ending Kafkaesque tragedy. All four had to pardon you before you could be absolved of any guilt. Ordinary Syrians talked in hushed tones in case stray criticism of the state would be misconstrued as insurrection. Assad was a ‘god’ who had to be adored by his people.What has happened over these past two weeks is truly spectacular. But how did we get here? And how do we understand the past 13 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/merchFind 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/thinkingmuslimBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thinkingmuslim.bsky.socialHost: https://twitter.com/jalalaynIG: https://www.instagram.com/jalalayns?igsh=MWIxbXBkOWswbTg5OA==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 calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimIs the European Union a model for Muslim unity? Can the often fractious and politically weak Muslim world improve its regional strength and international standing by pooling economic and even political sovereignty and creating a zone of prosperity that harnesses talents and halts a brain drain to the West? Until 1924, the Muslim world came under a caliphate; many calling for a modern unity cite the EU as a model.But is the EU really something to aspire to? What binds the EU states is their unity, which is fracturing under the weight of what my guest today calls Euro Whiteness. Today, many Muslims are being marginalised not just by EU nation states but in a larger sense by an EU that observes itself to be a paradise, protecting its borders from Eastern barbarians – the jungle, as Joseph Borel referred to the world outside.To help us understand the EU, what it is, and what its failings are, I have the pleasure of speaking today to Mehreen Khan. Mehreen is the economics editor of the Times and she spent five years with the Financial Times as their Brussels Correspondent.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/merchFind 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/thinkingmuslimBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thinkingmuslim.bsky.socialHost: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps:0:00 – Introduction2:24 – Euro whiteness8:42 – Neutrality and Hijab ban18:29 – European Islam?20:35 – Secularism – France’s religion 23:38 – What is EU?27:16 - EU Ideology 31:17 – The Left34:44 – EU Success38:05 – Binding structures44:48 – Europeanness vs Muslimness 47:40 – EU on Gaza50:03 – Media on Gaza54:32 – Islamophobia and Optimism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This live event was held on Youtube to show solidarity with the Syrian revolution. Here’s a list of speakers and their respective timestampsTimestamps:0:00- Introduction 9:00 - Omar Suleiman - Justice24:10 – Tox – On ground feeling32:44 – Dilly Hussain – Freedom 37:47 – Azzam Tamimi – The Left46:02 – Ali Hammuda – Quranic view59:45 – Shadee Elmasry – Propaganda 1:05:35 – Imam Tom – America1:13:50 – Saifullah – Filmmaker experience 1:17:36 – Razzan Saffour – Syrians experience 1:28:03 – Moazzam Begg – Assad1:36:40 – Robin Yassin – Prisons1:47:37 – Maryam Abdulrahman – Faith 1:54:55 – Ismail Patel – Palestine 2:02:30 – Taji Mustafa – Ummatic thinking 2:10:20 – Abdul Wahid – Islam vilification 2:22:23 – Arslan Hidayat – Uyghurs view2:29:30 – Mohammad Abdulrahman – Martyrdom 2:40:38 – Sikander Iqbal – Victory 2:48:31- Mufti Mangera – Al-Sham2:51:00 – Imran Muneer – Muslim activism 2:57:48 – Mufti Mangera - Al-Sham3:06:41 – Bilal Abdulkareem – Revolution Subverting 3:11:40 - Abdullah Jabbar – Aid3:15:35 – Haitham Al-Haddad – Advice3:34:17 – Yasir Qadhi – Final words Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join our Patreon to get access to exclusive monthly calls: https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimSyria is now free. But what does the future hold for a revolution that we believed had all but been decimated? The most recent spectacular offensive has given the rebel groups control over the country's major cities. There now is an appetite for change and unity. I have been struck by the jubilation felt by most Syrians as the tyrant fell. Many who escaped his brutality are returning. The optimism has to be maintained, and the positivity it expresses should not be replaced with the pessimism shown by some partial commentators who are wishing for Syria to fail.But challenges remain. How do we navigate these? And what of the people who are now at the centre of the new government? I have the pleasure of having Bilal Abdul Kareem on the show to help us understand the complexities of the road ahead and analyse the current players.Bilal Abdul Kareem is a video journalist who has been covering the conflict in Syria since 2012. He has produced reports for CNN, Channel 4, BBC, and Sky News and runs his own news channel, On The Ground News.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/merchFind 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/thinkingmuslimBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thinkingmuslim.bsky.socialHost: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.comTimestamps:0:00 – Introduction 2:30 – HTS ideology 5:55 – Justice – Islamic call8:41 – Jolani – positive?11:50 – Bilal too pessimistic?14:34 – New Syria 16:31 – Toleration of Journalists 17:49 – Capability to govern20:11 – Israel 23:30 – How far is Israel in Syria26:00 – Assad central to resisting Israel?28:06 - Where Islam fits?33:28 – New government and the West35:54 – Syrian Prisons39:38 – SDF43:35 – Iran and Hezbollah46:25 – Iran’s role in Syria49:18 – Anti-Imperialist left52:18 – Syrian Mindset Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.