The Thinking Muslim

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This episode is sponsored by Seed Education Trust, which funds education and community projects in the UK, with a particular focus on young people. Find out more: https://www.seed.org.uk

Three years after the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023, the ummah is still reckoning with what it has witnessed. Ustadha Dalya Ayoub joins Muhammad Jalal on The Thinking Muslim to examine the illusion of claiming to be people of the Qur’an while growing numb to Palestinian suffering and moving on.
As reports of Israeli attacks in Gaza continue despite the ceasefire, this conversation asks how Muslims can sustain their commitment to Palestine when exhaustion takes hold. Ustadha Dalya explains what the people of Gaza have taught her about the Qur’an, and how their steadfastness has changed the way she reads its verses.
Drawing on Surah Ali ‘Imran and Surah Al-‘Asr, she explores sabr as the resolve to take action and endure its consequences. She discusses the responsibility to uphold justice, the Qur’anic understanding of victory, and the accountability each of us will face before Allah for our own choices.

Recorded at the Prophetic Strategy Summit in Istanbul, the discussion also offers practical guidance for rebuilding our relationship with the Qur’an. Ustadha Dalya explains tadabbur, the careful study of its verses and examination of our lives through them, and what it means to make the Qur’an our minhaj: the guidance that shapes our daily decisions and our work for the ummah.

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The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Dr. Assal Rad is a Middle East historian known as the “headline fixer” for her viral media corrections. Her new book, Don’t Say Palestine: How the Media Manufactured Consent for Genocide, examines how outlets including The New York Times and the BBC helped manufacture consent for Israel’s genocide in Gaza through language, framing and omission.

In this conversation, Assal joins Muhammad Jalal to examine how Western media has reported on Palestine, Israel and Gaza, and what that reporting reveals about the relationship between journalism, political power and public consent.

From passive language around Palestinian deaths to the treatment of Israeli military claims, the discussion looks at how headlines and editorial choices can shape the way audiences understand war.

As tensions involving the United States, Iran and the wider Middle East remain at the centre of global politics, we also ask whether Western media can still manufacture support for war in the way it did before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The conversation explores Gaza, the killing of Palestinian journalists, declining trust in mainstream media, the rise of social media and citizen journalism, and the different ways the Biden and Trump administrations have approached Israel and the Middle East.

Has Gaza permanently changed the way people consume the news? And what happens when audiences can compare what they see on their phones with what appears in the headlines?

Dr. Assal Rad is the author of The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran and Don’t Say Palestine: How the Media Manufactured Consent for Genocide.

Find Assal Rad here:
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Find her Book 'Don't Say Palestine' here: https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/dont-say-palestine/

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Disclaimer:
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:15 - Meet Assal Rad
02:09 - Media Manufactured Consent
06:08 - Thinking Muslim Conference
06:52 - Headlines Hide Israel
12:02 - Western Media Complicity
14:10 - Liberal Media Bias
18:36 - Fox News vs Liberals
20:56 - Donate to Baitulmaal
21:31 - Palestinian Journalists Silenced
27:36 - Why Journalists Stayed
34:53 Who Controls Gaza History
38:20 Social Media Censorship
39:28 The Headline Fixer
44:02 Right Turns on Israel
47:54 Gaza’s Media Future
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Norman Finkelstein returns to The Thinking Muslim to examine how Israel’s war on Gaza has reshaped American and British politics.

From Tucker Carlson and the rise of “America First” opposition to Israel, to Zohran Mamdani, democratic socialism and growing anger among young Americans, Finkelstein asks whether this political realignment is driven by principle or opportunity. He explains why Gaza has resonated so deeply with a generation facing economic insecurity and argues that changing public opinion means little without an organised movement capable of challenging political power.

Muhammad Jalal and Norman Finkelstein also discuss Israel’s loss of support among younger Americans, the dehumanisation of Palestinians, Britain’s changing position on Israel, the role of international law and the pressure created by the pro-Palestine movement. Finally, they consider the response of cultural figures including Ed Sheeran and Macklemore, and whether artists can claim neutrality in the face of genocide.

Find Norman Finkelstein here:
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Find his Book here - Gaza's Gravediggers, An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places, available to purchase at: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gravediggers

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Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised.
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In this wide-ranging conversation, Sami Hamdi joins Muhammad Jalal to examine the rapidly shifting politics of the Muslim world, from the emerging Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan defence pact to the war with Iran, changing US influence and the future of regional power.

They ask whether the so-called “Muslim NATO” could become a serious political force, why traditional US allies are searching for new security arrangements, and what this could mean for Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Pakistan, Egypt and the wider Muslim world.

The discussion also turns to American politics, the growing backlash against Israel and AIPAC within the Democratic Party, Israel’s tensions with Türkiye over Syria, and whether Muslims have more political agency than they often assume.

In the final part of the episode, Sami reflects on his recent visit to Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugee camps. He discusses the failure to resolve the Rohingya crisis, the role Bangladesh, Malaysia and other Muslim countries could play, and why the plight of the Rohingya must remain a concern for the wider Ummah.

An extensive conversation on Muslim geopolitics, Gaza, Iran, Syria, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, US politics and the Rohingya crisis.

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The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised.

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What does Syria look like after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, and has the country truly secured its independence?

Muhammad Jalal speaks with Qutaiba Idlibi about the political realities facing the new Syria, from relations with the United States, Turkey and the Gulf to the challenge of rebuilding state institutions after years of war and dictatorship.

They discuss Syria’s economic recovery, foreign influence, Israel, transitional justice, the Kurdish question, minority communities and the danger of replacing one form of authoritarianism with another.

Can Syria rebuild on its own terms, or will the pressures of regional and global powers shape what comes next?

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Disclaimer:
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Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction
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