The Majlis
By The Majlis
The Majlis Jan 19, 2021
Ep. 33: The Campus Front: A Field Report from Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine
In this special episode of both "the Majlis podcast" of the Muslim Societies-Global Perspectives project at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON and "Guerrilla Radio", an activist companion podcast to "Guerrilla History podcast", Adnan Husain and Matt Deitsch, part of the "Guerrilla Radio activist network", discuss campus organizing, the repression of Palestinian solidarity at universities, and how faculty and students have responded. A diverse group of students and faculty from Syracuse University joined the program to discuss the range of issues about academic freedom, the denial of expertise, the persecution of racialized communities, and repression of pro-Palestinian solidarity. They issued a call and petition making concrete demands that has articulated the shape of the intersectional struggle for freedom and justice in the neoliberal university and for Palestine.
USACBI, BDS call for Faculty of Palestine chapters: https://usacbi.org/faculty-for-justice-in-palestine/
Co-Host:
Matt Deitsch is a filmmaker, writer, educator and organizer w/NNOC (National Network on Cuba), Friends of Swazi Freedom, Progressive International and in Democratic Socialists of America’s International Committee. He has a political economy background through work at the IDEAs Institute, a development economics institute located in India.
Guests:
Sophie Clinton is from Syracuse, NY, and is currently studying to get their MPA at Syracuse University. Their research focuses on the study of global atrocities, historical memory, and genocidal patterns with a focus on contemporary Latin America. Their current project is on the ways in which family planning policies under the authoritarian regime of Augusto Pinochet played a role in queer erasure and heightened violence against the queer community. Their other research interests include historical atrocities in the Middle East and South Asia.
MoAde M. J. is a recent alum of Syracuse University and the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. They are a poet, essayist, and creative nonfiction writer who pays special attention to the fields of regenerative agriculture and afrofuturism. They founded the @blackatcuse Instagram account to provide a platform for radical honesty about the experiences that Black and Indigenous students have at Syracuse University.
Biko Mandela Gray is a writer and ethicist concerned about life, liberation, and freedom. He is also an associate professor of religion at Syracuse university, where he teaches on politics, ethics, and race. He is the author/co-author/co-editor of three books, all of which interrogate the religious and/or philosophical dimensions of antiblackness in the west.
Carol Fadda grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and is currently faculty member at Syracuse University. Her teaching and scholarship lie at the intersections of American Studies, transnational SWANA studies, and women’s and gender studies. She focuses in her work on critical engagements with race, gender, war trauma, carcerality, cross-racial solidarities, and transnational belonging across the US and the SWANA region.
Dana Olwan teaches in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Syracuse University. She is a core member of Faculty for Palestine-Syracuse University chapter.
Ep. 32: The Cultural History of the Oud w/ Rachel Beckles Willson
About...
Rachel Beckles Willson, om.rachelbeckleswillson.com
'The Oud: an illustrated history' : www.interlinkbooks.com/product/the-oud/
Hamza El Din: Greetings, Oud Duo
Iraq War 20 Years Later: Reflections w/ Dr. Ariel Salzmann
On this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain invites back Dr. Arial Salzmann, Associate Professor of Islamic and World History at Queen’s University, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq by the US military and its allies. With almost 500,000 Iraqis dead, the Iraq War continues to shape the modern Middle East. Together with Dr. Husain, Dr. Salzmann offers an in-depth analysis of the devastation of the Iraq war and reflects upon the war’s history, the contemporary social and political ramifications, and the continued lack of accountability for anyone responsible for the mass casualties in Iraq.
Ep 30: The Kafala System and Migrant Labour under Neoliberalism w/ Shahroz Khan
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain speaks with writer, photographer and M.A Student, Shahroz Khan, regarding his upcoming master's thesis on the Kafala system and the migrant labour regimes under neoliberalism. For the last two years, Shahroz has been working behind the scenes as the main producer of the Majlis and now Dr. Husain invites him to shed light on the Kafala system and help our audience historicize its emergence and understand how it became such a prominent part of labour system in the Middle East. During the recent 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, the Kafala system was a common topic in the media cycle, highlighting the constant abuse migrant workers experienced in the Gulf countries. Building on that, Dr. Husain and Shahroz discuss how the system is connected to the global neoliberal economy and connect it to other exploitative systems around the world. To follow more of Shahroz's work, you can connect with him on instagram.
Ep 29: Anarcha-Islam, towards an anti- and non-authoritarian Islam w/ Dr. Mohamed Abdou
In this special live episode commemorating Islamic History Month in Canada, Dr. Adnan Husain takes the Majlis to the live discussion panel with Dr. Mohamed Abdou, where he discusses his book Islam and Anarchism. Specifically, Dr. Abdou talks about one part of the book called "Anarcha-Islam", which is geared towards an anti- and non-authoritarian understanding of Islam, and theologically challenges the classist, sexist, racist, ageist, queerphobic, and ableist inequalities in modern societies. You can find more of Dr. Abdou's work on his website or follow him on twitter.
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Ep 28: The Kurdish Struggle and the Ongoing Protest in Iran w/ Dr. Djene Bajalan
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain speaks with the historian of the modern Middle East, Dr. Djene Bajalan, about the Kurdish struggle in Iran and its impact on the ongoing protests in country. The discussion follows Dr. Bajalan’s article in Jacobin and offers insight into the nature of the protests in Iran, particularly focusing on the centrality of the Kurdish community. For more of his work, you can follow Dr. Bajalan on Twitter and listen to his podcast “This is Revolution”.
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Ep 27: Training as a 'Mediterranean-ist' w/ Amel Bensalim
In this special episode, M.A student Shahroz Khan catches up with the Mediterranean historian and an alum of The Majlis, Amel Bensalim. She inaugurated The Majlis as a podcast during her time as an M.A student at Queen's University, where she worked with Dr. Husain and Dr. Salzmann on the Hafsid Dynasty and trained as a 'Mediterranean-ist'. As a Ph.D. student at Princeton University's history department, Amel is currently working with Dr. Marina Rustow and researching the Geniza Documents, and how they paint an image of the medieval world. For more information on Geniza, you can go to The Princeton Geniza Project. To follow more of Amel's work, you can find her Twitter.
Ep 26: Islam and Anarchism, in conversation w/ Dr. Mohamed Abdou
Welcome back to the Majlis!
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain speaks with Muslim anarchist activist-scholar Dr. Mohamed Abdou, about his new book "Islam and Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances". Through this conversation and his research, Dr. Abdou seeks to disturb two commonly held notions - that Islam is necessarily authoritarian and capitalist; and that anarchism is necessarily anti-religious and anti-spiritual. Deeply rooted in key Islamic concepts and textual sources, and drawing on radical Indigenous, Islamic anarchistic, and social movement discourses, Dr. Abdou proposes 'Anarcha-Islam' and theologically challenges the classist, sexist, racist, ageist, queerphobic, and ableist inequalities in modern societies.
You can find more of Dr. Abdou's work on his website or follow him on twitter.
Ep 25: Qissah and The Art of Indian Storytelling w/ Prof. Pasha M. Khan
On this episode of the Majlis, Dr. Adnan Husain and graduate student Shahroz Khan discuss the verbal art known as Qissah or Dastaan with Prof. Pasha M. Khan, Chair in Urdu Language and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. He is the author of The Broken Spell, which highlights the rise and fall of the art of Qissah in South Asia. Such storytelling techniques once flourished from Mughal India to Safavid Iran, entertaining and captivating audiences in villages and bazaars and, patronized by imperial courts. Pasha Khan discusses the history of early Qissah and its relevance in the Persinate world, and how British colonization ultimately led to its decline. We also hear the fun tale of Sami Pokar, the Anglo-Indian woman who turned into a cat. You can find Pasha Khan on Twitter.
Ep 24: Peace Movements in Islam w/ Prof. Juan Cole
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain speaks with historian and essayist Prof. Juan Cole from the University of Michigan, about a new collection of essays and studies in his latest book Peace Movements in Islam. Contrary to the distorted and mainstream view of Islam as somehow inherently or uniquely violent, Prof. Cole argues that there is a dazzling array of Muslim organizations and individuals that have worked for harmony and conciliation through history. Expanding Islam and its relationship to movements for peace, this episode discusses the necessity of bringing attention to how Muslims have looked to their faith to find inspiration for creating and uplifting peace movements throughout the world.
You can find more of Prof. Cole's work on his website or find him on twitter.
Ep 23: "The Honor Crime": Transnational Politics of Gender Violence across Canada, US, Palestine and Jordan w/Dr. Dana Olwan
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain speaks with gender studies scholar Dr. Dana Olwan as they discuss her most recent book "Gender Violence and the Transnational Politics of the Honor Crime". Dr. Olwan's research examines how certain forms of violence become known, recognized, and contested across multiple geopolitical contexts—looking specifically at a particular form of gender-based violence known as the “honor crime” and tracing how a range of legal, political, and literary texts inform normative and critical understandings of this term.
Ep 22: Letters for Jan. 29th's Victims: Doing Something About It w/artist @studentAsim
On Jan. 29, 2017, a lone gunman entered a mosque in Quebec City and opened fire on dozens of Muslim Canadians ending a prayer service. By the time the shooting had ended, tragically six worshippers had been killed, and 19 more injured. In this special episode, Dr. Adnan speaks to Canadian author, filmmaker, and creative producer Student Asim about his latest project in commemoration of the Quebec City mosque shooting. By going on the website islamophobia.io/jan29, listeners can participate in the project by writing a Letter of Remembrance for the Quebec City Mosque Massacre Victims.
Ep 21: The War on Terror, Radicalization Theory and the Geopolitics of Islamophobia w/ Arun Kundnani
20 years on, the so-called "War on Terror" has had major consequences on geopolitics but also on domestic politics. In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain speaks with Dr. Arun Kundnani, author of The Muslims are Coming!: Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror (Verso, 2014) about the intersections between imperialism and military invasion abroad, and their effect on the security and surveillance of Muslims to understand how Islamophobia underwrote both foreign and domestic policies in the US, UK, Canada and beyond. Dr. Kundnani in particular explains the connections between programs of "de-radicalization" and their racial and Islamophobic underpinnings, and implementation as "liberal" alternatives to Bush's War on Terror.
On Jan. 25, Dr. Kundnani will be speaking at the MSGP lecture titled 'What was the War on Terror'. The link to register for the event can be found here. For more updates from Dr. Kundnani, you can follow him on twitter.
Ep 20: In solidarity & loving memory of Soleiman Faqiri, on the 5th year of his death
On December 15th 2016, Soleiman Faqiri died at the hands of correctional officers while temporarily housed at a Lindsay, ON correctional facility.
In this episode of the Majlis, Host Adnan Husain interviews Yusuf Faqiri, Soleiman Faqiri's eldest brother and founder of the movement 'Justice for Soli'. Throughout their open and candid conversation, Yusuf and Dr. Husain commemorate Soli as a brother, a son, a person with a story to tell while also demanding answers and holding the system accountable.
Justice for Soli Calls for:
ACCOUNTABILITY: Criminal Charges must be laid against the guards who are responsible for Soleiman’s death.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The Ontario Premier must make an official apology to the Faqiri Family for the death of Soleiman.
REFORM: Institutional Changes must be made to mental health training in the prison system.
Read about Sen. Lucie Moncion remarks on the criminalization of individuals who suffer from mental illness
https://twitter.com/SenLucieMoncion/status/1471155868658024452?s=20
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Ep. 19: "A Kashmiri Fire-Pot Speaking": Poetry and Politics - In Conversation w/ Binish Ahmed
In this special episode, Binish Ahmed (she/her), an Asian Indigenous Kashmiri Muslim cis-woman, reflects on her identity and the formation of her activism and politics on Turtle Island through spoken word poetry. Currently, a Policy Studies Ph.D. candidate at X University, formerly Ryerson, her academic and community organizing work has focused on human rights, Indigenous rights, decolonizing governance, anti-imperialism, and social movement resistance at the intersections of racialization, migration, gender, labor, and solidarity with Indigenous movements for self-determination and resurgence. Her first book, ‘The Alchemy of Making Soft Landings on Sharp Places’ s a collection of poetry that deals with subjects of racism, trauma healing, and decolonization; some spoken-word poems are performed in the podcast. Reach her via Instagram @BinishAhmedArt, Twitter @BinishAhmed or mail@binishahmed.com.
More on in embedded links:
As Binish Ahmed discussed during the podcast, it's imperative we credit, cite, and attribute Indigenous people for their ideas, analysis, and knowledge. Please cite and credit Binish Ahmed from the knowledge she shared during this podcast as a reference, especially given some of the work she shared is her original work from her Ph.D. Dissertation research. Here is the reference:
"A Kashmiri Fire-Pot Speaking": Poetry and Politics - In Conversation with Binish Ahmed." The Majlis Podcast With Shahroze Khan, Muslim Societies, Global Perspectives, Queen's University. Recorded Nov 18, 2021.
Citation format: Binish Ahmed said... (The Majlis Podcast With Shahroze Khan, 2021)
Ep. 18: Discovering Sufism in South Asia and North America w/Dr. Shobhana Xavier
Dr. Shobhana Xavier, Queen’s School of Religion, reflects on the course of her explorations of contemporary Islamic mysticism transnationally and ethnographically. Beginning with her first project, Sacred Spaces and Transnational Networks in American Sufism: Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and Contemporary Shrine Cultures (2018), which connected the career and teachings of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, a Sufi master, from his multi-religious native Sri Lanka to an equally diverse community in Philadelphia. Dr. Adnan Husain and Dr. Xavier discussed her current research interests and experiences using the prism of Rumi to examine Sufism in Canada. You can follow her on Twitter, and listen to her podcast: New Books in Islamic Studies.
Ep 17: Mysticism and Music: Baul Sufi Spirituality and the Commercial Culture Industry in Bangladesh with Golam Rabbani
Dr. Adnan Husain discusses the fascinating dissertation research of Golam Rabbani, a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies at Queen's University. Golam sketches the unique spiritual practices of the Baul, a syncretic Sufi Muslim orientation in rural Bengal, that employ musical training and performance in an integrated mysticism and pious devotional program. These amazing traditions are being transformed in contemporary Bangladesh, especially under the global regimes of the capitalist music industry.
Ep 16: What now for Afghanistan?: The Cost and Crimes of US Imperial War w/Dr. Ariel Salzmann
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Ep 15: Muslim Pioneers in Canada: Murray Hogben and an Islamic Tapestry of Canada
Dr. Adnan Husain sits down with author, journalist, and community leader Murray Hogben to discuss his exciting new book Minarets on the Horizon: Muslim Pioneers in Canada. For the first time ever, Hogben has compiled the stories and oral histories of some of the earliest Muslims in Canada. The pioneering work takes a journey across Canada and paints a portrait of stories seldom told and rarely presented in such a holistic perspective. This is especially timely given the growth of Islamophobia in Canada – Hogben’s work demonstrates decisively that there has been a lively Muslim community all over the country for many decades. This represents the first invaluable contribution to the growing study of Muslims and Islam in Canada.
Get your copy of Minarets from the publisher Mawenzi House (link below) or call your local bookstore and request a copy!
https://www.mawenzihouse.com/product/minarets-on-the-horizon/
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Ep 14: Violent Islamophobia is systemic in Canadian settler colonial state and society
Dr. Adnan Husain -Director of MSGP- is joined by co host Amel Bensalim, a Libyan-Canadian SSHRC-funded Master's student at Queen's University and Member of MSGP. Dr. Husain and Amel welcomed two guests: Azeezah Kanji, a legal academic and writer, whose has appeared in the Al Jazeera English, Haaretz, Toronto Star, TruthOut, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, OpenDemocracy, Roar Magazine, iPolitics, Policy Options, Rabble, and various academic anthologies and journals. And Dr. Yasmine Djerbal, a recent PhD graduate from Queen's University whose work revolves around Islamophobia and the French and Canadian states. Her research investigates how radicalization & terrorist narratives are used to erode citizenship rights of Muslims in Canada and France. Specifically, she looks at how the two countries oversee, read, and manage Muslims in relation to secularism and 'war on terror' legislation.
In this episode, the panelists addressed the implications and impact of the horrific murder of four members of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario, which was motivated by white supremacy and hate. Three generations of a Muslim Canadian family killed, leaving a 9-year-old child orphaned. The motive was horrific: Nathaniel Veltman, the pickup driver who mowed into them targeted them because of their faith. Thus far, Federal and provincial Crown attorneys have laid terror charges against Veltman while Police allege the incident was a planned and premeditated attack targeting Muslims However, Canadian Society continues to address the tragic killing of the Afzaal family as an "isolated incident"; yet Canada simultaneously faces virulent anti-Muslim hate and a brand of exceptionalism that promotes apathy and even denial towards the very existence of islamophobia in the country.
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Ep 13: “Places of Mind:” The life, times, and literary mind of Edward Said
What do literary studies have to do with politics? How and why was Edward Said able to emphasize this connection, and revolutionize the way the West looked at the Middle East, and the way the Middle East looked back?
Dr. Husain is joined by guest co-host Dr. David Schmid, professor of English at the University at Buffalo, for this discussion on the life and work of famed scholar and activist, Edward Said. The University of Minnesota’s Dr. Timothy Brennan, who was a student, colleague, and friend of Said, speaks about the scholar and his new biography “Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said.” The fascinating discussion covers not only his work, but also Said’s remarkable life, personality, and world view, and how all of those came together to shape his writing.
Get the book here: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/places-of-mind-a-life/9780374714710-item.html
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374146535
Professor David Schmid is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY). The recipient of the Milton Plesur Excellence in Teaching Award and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, he teaches courses in British and American fiction, cultural studies, and popular culture. Dr. Schmid has published on a variety of subjects, including the nonfiction novel, celebrity, film adaptation, Dracula, and crime fiction.
Timothy Brennan works on the relationship between comparative literature, world literature, and global English. He is a member of both the departments of Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature, and English, and is a member of the graduate faculty of American Studies at the University of Minnesota.
As someone who studied under Edward Said and remained a friend until his death in 2003, Timothy Brennan had unprecedented access to his thesis adviser’s ideas and legacy. In this authoritative work, Said, the pioneer of postcolonial studies, a tireless champion for his native Palestine, and an erudite literary critic, emerges as a self-doubting, tender, eloquent advocate of literature’s dramatic effects on politics and civic life.
Charting the intertwined routes of Said’s intellectual development, Places of Mind reveals him as a study in opposites: a cajoler and strategist, a New York intellectual with a foot in Beirut, an orchestra impresario in Weimar and Ramallah, a raconteur on national television, a Palestinian negotiator at the State Department, and an actor in films in which he played himself. Brennan traces the Arab influences on Said’s thinking along with his tutelage under Lebanese statesmen, off-beat modernist auteurs, and New York literati, as Said grew into a scholar whose influential writings changed the face of university life forever. With both intimidating brilliance and charm, Said melded these resources into a groundbreaking and influential countertradition of radical humanism, set against the backdrop of techno-scientific dominance and religious war. With unparalleled clarity, Said gave the humanities a new authority in the age of Reaganism, one that continues today.
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Ep 12: Saints and Slaves: The African Community of the Ottoman Empire w/ Dr. Michael Ferguson
When one thinks of African enslavement in history, the Ottoman Empire is rarely the first thing to come to mind. On this episode, Dr. Michael Ferguson (Concordia University) illuminates and discusses the facets of this little known aspect of global slavery history. Dr. Ferguson and Majlis host Dr. Adnan Husain delve into the relatively unknown social and cultural history of enslaved and emancipated Africans and their descendants in Izmir in the late Ottoman Empire.
Dr. Michael Ferguson is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Concordia University. Michael’s research focuses on questions of identity, marginalization, and minorities in the late Ottoman Empire and early republican Turkey.
Learn more about Dr. Ferguson and his work: http://www.michaelfergusonhistorian.net/
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Ep 11: Victim of Canadian Justice: The Tragic Story of Soleiman Faqiri #JusticeForSoli
Soleiman Faqiri was killed while in federal custody in 2016. To this day, questions remain about the circumstances of his death at the hands of correctional officers, and the lack of transparency and justice for his murder. In this episode of The Majlis, host Dr. Adnan Husain sits down with his brother Yusuf Faqiri and with Yusuf Zine, who hosts and produced an upcoming investigative podcast series called "Unascertained," which delves into the case. Yusuf Faqiri not only outlines the details of his brother's murder, but remembers his life and how important it is for all Canadians to seek #JusticeForSoli.
Tune in to the Unascertained pre-launch event tomorrow (March 31st) at 7pm EDT https://fb.me/e/49XLsf452
Listen to Unascertained, launching April 7th on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/66piID0CN1nXbel6NxxZj2?si=P3ITj6HNRdmYUkGKg061KA
and Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/unascertained/id1559615719
To get involved and stay informed, follow JusticeForSoli on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Justice4Soli
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justiceforsoli
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justiceforsoli/
Follow Yusuf Zine on twitter https://twitter.com/yusufzine and Kevin Young https://twitter.com/theyoungkevin13
And check out more of their work on https://www.innerspeak.co/
Ep 10: Teaching Controversy: Academic Freedom and the Definition of Anti-Semitism
Based on a recording of a live MSGP event, this episode of the Majlis features a panel of experts revisiting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and it's implications for academic freedom and the fight for justice and human rights. The panel was moderated by Queen's University professor of history Dr. Howard Adelman. He was joined by Middle East expert and professor Dr. Ariel Salzmann, Dr. Mark M. Ayyash an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Director of the John de Chastelain Peace Studies Initiative at Mount Royal University, as well as University of Toronto professor of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean history Dr. Jens Hanssen.
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For more info on the Hearing Palestine Team, go to https://www.facebook.com/HearingPalestine
“Hearing Palestine” is a new initiative at the University of Toronto, that provides a safe space for Palestinians and those interested in the history & future of Palestine to share their experience and research. The initiative is designed to improve the university experience for students enduring, and concerned about, anti-Palestinian discrimination on campus. We encourage dialogues on cultural life, artistic creativity, social justice and current affairs in Canada and the Middle East from the perspective of Palestine. We are in solidarity with indigenous struggles everywhere and encourage critical engagement with settler colonialism, sectarianism and authoritarianism in the Middle East, Canada and elsewhere.
Ep 9: "Islamo-Leftism": Macron's Bogeyman in French and Global Context
Host Dr. Adnan Husain, professor and historian at Queen's University, is joined by an exciting panel of experts to discuss France's rhetoric on "Islamo-Leftism" and the Global Muslim Question. Azeezah Kanji, a legal academic and writer based in Toronto, is co-hosting. Professor Hatem Bazian is the executive director of the Islamophobia Documentation and Research project at UC Berkeley, where he is a teaching professor in the Near Eatern Studies and in Asian American Studies Departments. Hamza Esmili is a doctoral candidate in anthropology and sociology at the Centre Maurice Halbwachs of the Ecole Normale Superieur in Paris. And finally, rounding out the panel is Dr. Salman Sayyid, professor of Social Theory and Decolonial Thought at the School of Sociology and Social Policy of University of Leeds.
This lively and thought provoking discussion considers the The use of this term "Islamo-Leftism" and its context, as well as how and why scholarship on race, colonialism, and post-colonial social theory has become controversial in French political culture. More broadly, the panel also considers the global context of this rhetoric and the history of liberal democracies, and why western society must come to terms with the long standing anxieties over Islam and Muslims.
Ep 8: The Canadian Islamophobia Industry: Dr. Jasmin Zine and the Antecedents and Aftermaths of the 2017 Quebec Mosque Shooting
In this episode, host Dr. Adnan Husain and Dr. Jasmin Zine, of Wilfrid Laurier University, discuss Canadian Islamophobia, in reflection and commemoration of the January 29th, 2017 Quebec Mosque shooting, where a gunman killed 6 Muslim men as they prayed, and injured 19. Dr. Zine unpacks the aftermath and reaction to the tragedy, or lack thereof; Canada simultaneously faces virulent anti-Muslim hate and a brand of exceptionalism that promotes apathy and even denial towards the very existence of islamophobia in the country. With the fourth anniversary of the massacre around the corner, Dr. Zine and Dr. Husain consider how the country has dealt or failed to deal with the massacre and islamophobia since, and what role Muslims play in the Canadian political and cultural spheres.
Dr. Jasmin Zine is a professor of Sociology and Muslim Studies, specializing in Islamophobia, Islamic feminism, religious identity, and the politics of surveillance. She is the author of numerous books and articles, including the upcoming monograph tentatively titled Under Siege: Islamophobia, Radicalization, Surveillance, and Muslim Youth Counter-Publics. You can find her on twitter at https://twitter.com/jasminzine
Get involved in remembrance of the Quebec Mosque shooting at: www.january29.ca
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Ep 7: America's Long Oil War: Conversation with Filmmaker David Schisgall
Majlis host Dr. Adnan Husain sits down with director David Schisgall to discuss his new documentary film The Oil War. Premiered in DOC NYC festival November 11th-19th, 2020. The film follows historian Andrew Bacevich and his book, America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History, as he delivers an anti-colonial critique of US foreign policy in the Middle East, informed by his long career in the Army. While other historians analyze changing presidential administrations, Bacevich sees one long Oil War. There are scant differences between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the sacrifice of soldiers’ lives. His radical analysis has won bipartisan followers and even an invitation to speak with President Obama. Bacevich describes what that meeting reveals about America’s need to break free from its past.
Find the film here: https://www.docnyc.net/film/the-oil-war/
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Ep 6: Dr. Sanober Umar on Racializing the Subaltern: Muslim Minorities in India and the Shapes of State Violences
In this episode, Amel Bensalim speaks to former Queen's PhD student and current Assistant Professor at York University, Dr. Sanober Umar. Dr. Umar's current work explores the relationship (and critical differences) between caste and racial hierarchies, and how they subsequently inform the figure of the Muslim in Indian and world politics. Another area of expertise and interest for Dr. Umar is exploring the histories and global politics of "racing" and gendering Islam as religion, and subsequently how these constructions are usurped, adapted, or challenged by various political quarters and communities. Dr. Umar and Amel discuss the intersecting issues at the heart of historical and contemporary Muslim marginalization in Indian society and politics.
Ep 5: "How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs" with Dr. Elizabeth F. Thompson
When Europe's Great War engulfed the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalists rose in revolt against their Turkish rulers and allied with the British on the promise of an independent Arab state. In October 1918, the Arabs' military leader, Prince Faisal, victoriously entered Damascus and proclaimed a constitutional government in an independent Greater Syria. But what happened next? On this week's episode, cohosts Dr. Adnan Husain and Dr. Ariel Salzmann, professor of Islamic and World history at Queen's University, are joined by Dr. Elizabeth F. Thompson to discuss her book "How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs," and explore this very question. Tune in to learn about this little known episode in Middle East history. You can purchase Dr. Thompson's book "How the West stole Democracy from the Arabs" with our friends from Novel Idea Bookstore. http://75.103.74.42/wp/
You can watch Dr. Thompson's lecture on her book and the wider context on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joe-Vj1kQvA
Ep 4: Safa Moussoud on Muslim Cultural Production, Islamophobia in France, and being Muslim in the Media Age
[Recorded Oct 12th] Graduate student host Amel Bensalim speaks to PhD student Safa Moussoud on her work on Muslim cultural production in the post-9/11 world. They discuss Muslim representation in media and in politics, with a focus on Canada and France. Tune in to hear about how young Muslims use alternative media and how Safa is bringing that to the attention of academia!
Ep 3: IHRA, Bill 168 and Academic Research and Teaching
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain -Director of MSGP- talks about the politics of the IHRA definition of Antisemitism, Bill 168 and Academic Research and Teaching with special guests Dr. Ariel Salzmann (Professor of Islamic and World History at Queen's University), Dr. Dorit Naaman (documentarist and film theorist from Jerusalem, professor of Film and Media and Cultural Studies at Queen’s University) and Sharry Aiken, LL.B., LL.M. (Professor at Queen's University's Law Department specializing in immigration and refugee law)
Sign the "No IHRA" petition here: https://www.noihra.ca/?fbclid=IwAR1PvezYjGeRHqdMaoYNLV-AbZWyhKpRpaDHlQjGBBIcIsxSjKU_kP-q1_Q
Ep 2: The politics of the IHRA definition of Antisemitism and Academic Freedom
In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain -Director of MSGP- talks about the politics of the IHRA definition of Antisemitism and Academic Freedom in ME studies with special guests Azeezah Kanji (Legal Academic and Journalist), Corey Balsam (Independent Jewish Voices Canada- https://www.ijvcanada.org) and Mohammed Alqasem (SAIA York- https://yorku.campuslabs.ca/engage/organization/saiayork )
To support IJV Canada's campaign "Say NO to bill 168 and and the IHRA" follow the link https://secure.ijvcanada.org/action/2020-02/tell-ontario-mpps-say-no-bill-168-and-ihra
Ep 1: Indonesia, Geopolitics, and Making Art, w/ Amel and Shah
Grad student host Amel Bensalim interviews Queen's University student in Development Studies Shahroze on his experiences working with the UN in Indonesia, grassroots activism, academia, and more!
Welcome to the MSGP Podcast!
Muslim Societies, Global Perspectives (MSGP) at Queen's is starting a podcast! Program director Dr. Adnan Husain fills you in on our exciting upcoming projects and what to expect from our podcast. We will feature discussions with guests covering a host of topics related to Islam and the Muslim world, including history, politics, art, culture, and more! We will also be highlighting Muslim students at Queen's and their work and insights. Stay tuned for our upcoming podcast episodes!