Interviews by Samaa Elibyari

Dr. Abdullah Al-Arian (Associate Professor of History and Chair of International History at Georgetown University in Qatar)

EPISODE NOTES Samaa interviews Dr. Abdullah Al-Arian (Associate Professor of History and Chair of International History at Georgetown University in Qatar) about Trump's vision for Gaza.

Dr. Brahim El Guabli (Assistant Professor of Arabic Studies, Specialist At Williams College, Massachusetts)

With the Islamic month of Zul Hijjah starting on June 19, preparations are well underway for those performing the Islamic pilgrimage to Mekka,  the Hajj,  this year. The pilgrimage to Mekka is one of the 5 five of Islam, obligatory for all physically and financially able Muslim men and women.  But this month is not just special for pilgrims. It is a time of great spiritual importance for all Muslims culminating in the great celebration called Eid El-Adha coinciding on June 28, 2023.   Mekka is the place where the message of Islam was borne. How did it spread from Arabia to different parts of the world, in particular North Africa? And how is it presently co-existing with other faith groups and indigenous beliefs? Our guest, Dr. Brahim El Guabli, Assistant Professor of Arabic Studies,  Specialist At Williams College, Massachusetts, USA, explains.

Dr. Andreas Krieg (Defence Studies Department of King’s College London) on the external actors in the current war in Sudan

The country’s many stakeholders – first and foremost the two warring “generals”, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan [https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-coup-abdel-fattah-burhan-who], and Hemeti, have become pawns in a wider competition to exercise influence in the strategically important Horn of Africa.  Dr. Andreas Krieg explains the interests and the role of these external actors, namely the  United Arab Emirates [https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/united-arab-emirates], which has curated and orchestrated a diverse grid of networks across the region based on gold, arms and mercenaries.  Dr. Andreas Krieg is an associate professor at the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London and a strategic risk consultant working for governmental and commercial clients in the Middle East. He recently published a book called ‘Socio-political order and security in the Arab World’.

Roger Clark (Hassan Diab Support Committee)

Hassan Diab, a Canadian university professor, and father, was accused of the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue. He was extradited to France based on weak, confusing evidence, where he spent more than three years in prison, without charge or trial.  Hassan was released and was able to return to Canada in 2018 after the investigative judges found significant evidence exculpating him, as well as evidence that he was not even in France at the time of the tragic events. Despite all this, a French court ordered Dr. Diab to stand trial in April 2023. On April 21st, despite the deep problems with the case against him, the court found Dr. Diab guilty and also issued a warrant for his arrest and extradition to France. This interview with Roger Clark, former Amnesty International Director explains why the case against Dr. Diab is troubling and what each one of us can do to ensure that this miscarriage of justice doesn't happen again. Samaa Elibyari conducts the interview.

Dr. Hesham Sallam (Stanford University Research Scholar at CDDRL and Associate-Director of the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy)

Dr. Hesham Sallam (Stanford University Research Scholar at CDDRL and Associate-Director of the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy)