Peoples, communities and faith groups are being utilised to kill one another, but while different communities can clash this is not the only possibility, we can learn a lot about religious and cultural harmony from the Islamic rule of Spain, the leading conflict mediation expert says. The world is riddled with conflict, warfare and discord between …

Though internationally Israel uses the Bible to justify its colonisation of Palestine, for many Jews it is within Jewish ethical traditions that the seeds of anti-Zionism can be found. Israel coats itself in Jewish identity and purports to speak on behalf of all Jewish people, while critics of Israeli policy or its treatment of Palestinians are oft…

Is Persian the bridge language of ancient Muslim societies? And are Central Asian countries seeing a revival of this ancient heritage? When we think of the great cities of Islamic history, we tend to think of Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, Isfahan and Istanbul. But for much of history Samarkand, Herat, Kashgar and Bukhara, to name a few, were at the epi…

Has Iran's direct retaliatory strike on Israel been a major blow to Israel's deterrence capacity or a blow to Tehran on a world stage? MEMO speaks to leading experts on US-Iran relations Dr Trita Parsi. In this week’s MEMO in Conversation we speak to award winning author and expert on US-Iran relations, Dr Trita Parsi to discuss the latest escalati…

The Arab world of yesteryear had cities abuzz with sounds, schools, mosques and places to learn and improve. Now these cities have dropped in importance and become dirty and congested as Western ideas of metropolitan life took over, but is there a revival? Urbanisation is deeply rooted in Arab history. The city has been the epicentre of Arab ideals…

Subhead: Will the UN reactivate the Special Committee Against Apartheid to end Israel's years-long abuse of Palestinians? And will the World Court try the occupation state and bring an end to its abuses? Join us as we discuss what measures are being taken on a world stage to tackle Israel's aggressions. In an unprecedented move, allegations of Isra…

This Palestinian Children's Day Israel is blocking the entry of lifesaving humanitarian aid into Gaza and starving minors to death. Charities are unable to access aid that is waiting on the other side of the border and parts of Gaza remain completely off limits to them because of the occupation forces' siege. Thousands face death, scores may have a…

Ever wondered about the origins of some of your favourite Middle Eastern dishes? Many recipes date back to medieval times but have been tweaked and amended to create the modern take and flavours we now know. Join us as Daniel Newman takes us on a journey of food through the ages. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, where believers abstain fro…

America is Israel's closest ally today. Every US administration since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War has closely embraced Tel Aviv. Washington's political elite's support for Israel goes beyond strategic interest and is treated as a fundamental moral issue. US President Joe Biden's reaction to 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war on Gaza by Israel foll…

In this week’s conversation, renowned historian and political theorist Professor Mahmood Mamdani joins us to discuss racism and the genocidal nature of nation-state building projects, focusing on the ongoing atrocities in Gaza. Drawing upon his extensive research on colonialism, anti-colonialism, and decolonisation, Mamdani explains the deep-rooted…

The 13th century saw the Middle East invaded and occupied by both the Crusaders and the Mongols, but both invaders quickly built their own political systems and transformed the Middle East. The 13th century ushered in a violent transformation of the Middle East. Crusader armies burst into the Levant and took large swaths of territory. Towards the e…

In this week’s MEMO conversation we speak to Professor Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, author of the acclaimed book An Army Like No Other, to discuss the outsized role of the military in Israeli nationhood. Professor Haim's research chronicles how the Israeli army has ascended beyond a military body to become the most revered institution in Israel - with pr…

Canadian Professor of Law Mohammad Fadel joins us for a conversation on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, including Israel's military operations and blockade. With Professor Fadel's legal expertise, we analyse the implications of the International Court of Justice case alleging Israeli genocide against Palestinians. We also address the campaign against a…

Israel's war on Gaza shows no sign of letting up with over 30,000 Palestinians dead and 70,000 wounded since 7 October 2023. With Israel seemingly preparing a full scale military operation in Rafah and reports the north of Gaza are heading for a famine, the humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Strip is set to get worse. Hospitals and medics are…

The Zionist movement and Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, sought to revive the biblical Book of Joshua and use it to give the state a new identity. Here Israel was Joshua and the Palestinians were the Canaanites, but who is Joshua and can better understanding of his story help dismantle Israel's narrative and its treatment of Palest…

As The Soil and the Sea premiers in London this month, Rugo discusses the harrowing stories from the Lebanese Civil War which he unearthed in his new film and the generational impact of these life changing events. In this week’s MEMO in Conversation we speak to acclaimed filmmaker Daniele Rugo about his new documentary The Soil and the Sea, which p…

Lebanon's history of civil unrest means its political landscape is based on sectarianism, which have repeatedly caused its governments to collapse and pushed the country to the brink of civil war. But how does its conservative Christian movement mould society? And how does it differ from other prominent traditional groups that have a firm grasp on …

It has been 13 years since Egyptians took to the street and changed their political landscape, but who was behind the protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak? And what happened to the movement that forced him out? 11 February marks the 13th anniversary of the ousting of long-term Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak. A popular uprising, known as th…

UNRWA isn't only an aid agency, it is vital for advocating for the rights of Palestine refugees on a global stage, is that why Israel seeks to shut it down? Join this week's MEMO in Conversation as we discuss why UNRWA is being targeted. This week's special episode of MEMO in Conversation features an in-depth discussion with Dr Lex Takkenberg about…

Israel's sense of invincibility and security were shattered on 7 October 2023 and now its atrocities are playing out in full view of the world, but has it lost its international legitimacy? On 6 October 2023, Israeli leaders were feeling confident of their international standing. Normalisation with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and talks in the …

The United Nations Refugee and Work Agency (UNRWA) plays a critical role in the lives of millions of Palestinians. Setup in 1949 to support the 750,000 Palestinians expelled by Israel in the 1948 Nakba, the agency performs a number of functions from providing emergency aid and medical care, to running schools across the occupied Palestinian territo…

How does the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s ruling that Israel must prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to genocide and prevent a genocide taking place affect its manoeuvres in Gaza and will its main supporters and funders have to change tack? What does the International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s almost unanimous voted to cal…

More and more young American Jews are disillussioned with Israel and believe in the protection of Palestinian lives in the occupied territories and have been at the forefront of protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But what's made distance themselves from Tel Aviv? 'Israel is at the core of Jewish identity worldwide and its existence provides …

In times of genocide what responsibility does a teacher and a historian have? Israel's onslaught on Gaza has left more than 23,000 Palestinian civilians dead, many more injured and shows no sign of slowing down. While pro-Israel supporters frame all Israeli actions through the prism of 7 October 2023, the latest Israeli invasion of Gaza was decades…

Does Israel have a right to use the Holocaust to justify its bombing of Gaza? And how is the global silence towards its crimes hindering the establishment of a Palestinian state and halting Tel Aviv's plan to annex the occupied territories? Join us as we discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza ahead of the ICJ hearing. In this week's MEMO in Conversat…

20 years ago, CAGE UK was set up to advocate for detainees held unjustly in Guantanamo Bay. Now, the rights group is expanding and becoming global at a time when systemic injustices are prevalent, seen especially in the repression of pro-Palestine activism. In this week's conversation, MEMO speaks with CAGE about the organisation's 20-year long jou…

In an effort to beat the Abbasid Caliph Al-Nasir, the shah of the Khwarezmian Empire turned to magician Siraj Al-Din Al-Sakaki to create a magical statue that would help win the battle. But things took an unexpected turn. Join MEMO's conversation to find out more about the importance of magic in Middle Eastern history. Siraj Al-Din Al-Sakaki (1160-…

Omar Said surprised Antebellum America when he was discovered to be an educated slave from Senegal. Used as a poster child for the benevolence of slavery, Said's writings were distorted and failed to show his discontent at being a slave in America, that is at least, until now when a new translation of his work has been published. "I cannot write my…

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser is a divisive figure, to some he is the North African state's saviour to others he betrayed its people and destabilised the region, but could he have been both? The Arab World with its different authoritarian leaders still lives under the shadow of 1 man - Gamal Abdel Nasser. President of Egypt from 1954 to 197…

Does Israel have a right to bomb hospitals in Gaza? And what are the implications of its actions in the besieged enclave? Should the international be doing more to protect Palestinians? These are just some of the questions international law specialist Toby Cadmans will help untangle. While Israel's war on Gaza enters its third month, Palestinians i…

Did you know that the Ottomans use a number of different calendars to take into account the lives of their diverse communities? But how did this affect its operations? And what role did astrologers and advancements by neighbouring countries play in the Empire? What was the actual difference between western Mediterranean countries like Spain and Ita…

In spite of Israel's protests of the contrary, accusations of genocide do not exaggerate the situation in Gaza, but this was part of Israel's long term strategy. Israel has entered its annihilation phase in Gaza and transitioning from slow-motion to high speed genocide of the Palestinian population in the besieged enclave, argues law Professor Penn…

With Western governments questioning every Palestinian statistic coming out of Gaza but accepting Israel's version of events even when no evidence is provided, the Palestinian diaspora has been left feeling unable to express its grief without being criminalised Pro-ceasefire demonstrations are 'hate marches', chanting from the river to the sea is '…

The first to determine that Israel's operation in Gaza amounted to genocide, Prof Segal says the mass murder, forcible displacement of Palestinians and the official rhetoric of the Israeli government all provide a 'textbook case of genocide' "You must remember what Amalek has done to you," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an addres…

Imagining the future of Palestine isn't a fictional dream, but rather a radical attempt to rediscover and resistance "Palestine is alive and well in the Palestinian psyche, but where is Palestine today?" Since 1948, Palestinians have been exiled, displaced and uprooted from their homeland. Additionally, those who expelled them deny the history of t…

Jerusalemite historian Wasif Jawhariyyeh photographed a changing Palestine over many decades, under Ottoman, British and Israeli rule. A new book about his work highlights Palestinian life and identity across eras Join us for an illuminating discussion with the authors of Camera Palaestina: Photography and Displaced Histories of Palestine as they v…

Having served as the US envoy to a number of key Middle Eastern nations, Ford watched events in the region change the area's dynamic over the past two decades and how local leaders were reacting to the Arab Spring and the West's response to it. The United States's role in the Middle East has shifted over the last 20 years from invading Iraq to a mo…

Two weeks into Israel's relentless campaign of bombing the Gaza Strip have left Eman Basher no longer able to convince her son that the lights and sounds in the sky are just fireworks and there is no reason for him to be scared. As Israel's military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip continues, leaving in its wake thousands of deaths and millions o…

As Israel continues bombing the besieged Gaza Strip, killing an average of one child every 15 minutes, medical teams are struggling to cope. Supplies of vital medicines have now completely depleted and no water, fuel or other essentials have entered the Strip for almost 10 days, but medical crews continue to operate in an effort to reduce the death…

As we watch events unfold in Gaza on social media and on our television screens, we are only getting one per cent of the information from the ground, Palestinian student Aseel Safi says. Now with electricity being cut, less information will be getting out, and Palestinians will be unable to find out what is happening either. The Israeli assault on …

As Israel continues to bomb Gaza indiscriminately and an Israeli army spokesperson saying 'the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy', MEMO speaks to a Palestinian journalist from Gaza about the situation on the ground for her family and loved ones and what they are experiencing. Israel is bombarding the Gaza Strip and within 4 days almost 1,00…

Disclaimer Alert-- This conversation on Libya was recorded before the recent floods struck the country and so we do not discuss it in this episode. Some 20 per cent of Libyans have had a family member kidnapped or go missing since the 2011 protests that ousted long term dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with officials who have been implicated in atrocities…

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the regime has oppressed minorities and tried to drive a wedge between communities, the Circassians have not been saved from this. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad frames himself as the 'protector of minorities' and has depicted all opposition to him as being both sectarian and jihadi. However, many…

For the co-author of Tamimi's autobiography, meeting the outspoken Palestinian was an emotional rollercoaster When she was just 16 years old, Palestinian Ahed Tamimi became a household name when footage of her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral. She was later arrested and jailed by occupation forces. She has since detailed her experience and th…

Saleh established the Palestine Museum US after noticing there were no Palestinian museums in the Americas but there were over 70 Israeli galleries In this week’s conversation we speak with the visionary businessman Faisal Saleh, who is behind the Palestine Museum US, as he embarks on a tour to bring the Nakba and history of Israel’s expulsion and …

Ever wondered why certain words cross borders and are used the world over? Fadi BouKaram has made it his business to find out why Did you know the Arabic word for Austria - An-Namsa - comes from Proto-Slavic language and means 'mute' or someone who doesn't speak and this was applied to anyone who could not speak a Slavic language? Why is the loquat…

MEMO in Conversations is on hiatus this week and will be back next week. During the later quarter of August 2023, the southern Syrian city of As-Suwayda was gripped by anti-government protests led by a religious minority, the Druze. In this throwback episode from 2020, we discussed the politics of Druze in Syria with Syrian feminist and human right…

The internet has always been the place for free expression in Arabic and Arabs eagerly embraced the possibilities offered by the online world. However, since the Arab Spring, MENA governments have ruthlessly clamped down on the internet and used spyware, fake profiles and disinformation on social media. In 2011, people took to the streets in Tunisi…

Much of the Middle East's archaeological treasures are battling man-made climate change, over-development, wars and receding coastlines, but there are those who are working to save them. Gaza's heritage is being lost to the sea. Oman's ancient cities are taking a beating from cyclones. Archaeological treasures across the Eastern Mediterranean and t…

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