In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is journalist Karen Attiah. The Washington Post fired Attiah in September from her role as Global Opinions editor over one of her social media posts. It was written in the aftermath of the assassination of American right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

Attiah, who’d been with The Washington Post for more than a decade, is contesting the decision, calling it unjust. She explains how she found out she lost her job, the state of free speech in the US and why she says everyone should be concerned about today’s political climate.

Natasha Ghoneim is a senior correspondent.

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Dr Mohammed Mustafa joins Centre Stage to talk about the horrific realities he witnessed during his volunteer postings in Gaza. The Australian emergency physician of Palestinian heritage witnessed first-hand Israel’s war on Gaza and discusses the immense pressure of making life-and-death decisions and what recognition of Palestinian statehood really means at this stage.

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Fifty years after independence, Mozambique is navigating the challenges of a young democracy—from conflict and displacement to the urgent need for inclusive development. President Chapo shares how he’s tackling these issues while working to position Mozambique as a key player in Southern Africa. He talks about the country’s past, the importance of unity and his vision for a peaceful, prosperous future.

In this episode:

• Daniel Chapo, Mozambique president

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Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, bestselling author and niece of US President Donald Trump, joins Centre Stage to offer her analysis of her uncle’s influence on US politics, the evolution of the Republican Party and what the 2025 elections revealed about the state and future of US democracy.

Mary Trump gained prominence with her bestselling book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, and recently released Who Could Ever Love You: A Family Memoir, offering a personal look at family and trauma behind the headlines.

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Dr Mimi Syed, a US emergency physician, joins Centre Stage to talk about the horrific reality she witnessed during her two trips to Gaza in 2024. She shares evidence she says indicates the Israeli military is deliberately targeting children, the stories she carries from the patients and families she met and explains why she believes the US is no longer merely an accessory to Israel’s war on Gaza— but fully complicit.

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In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Zach Foster, a Jewish historian of Palestine. 

He joins us to discuss his work on preserving Palestinian maps and archival materials, despite the deliberate destruction of archives by Israel. Foster explains his journey from growing up in a Zionist household to advocating for the rights and history of Palestinians. Phil Lavelle is a TV news correspondent at Al Jazeera.

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French political analyst Francois Burgat was charged with supporting terrorism over a social media post he shared, which included a statement by Hamas. He was later acquitted. Burgat joins Centre Stage to unpack the case, the politics behind it, and what he believes it reveals about free speech and support for Palestine in the West.

This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiative, an international platform that connects Muslims and non-Muslims in the realms of religion, politics, business, media, academia, and civil society.

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Rula Shadid, discusses the global perception of Palestine and Western complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

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Olivier Roy, a professor of Orientalism, talks about the roots of Orientalism and the enduring myth of how only the West represents progress. From colonial-era narratives to modern-day politics, Roy explores how the Global South is still perceived through a Eurocentric lens — and what that says about our civilisation, modernity and the West’s ongoing struggle with pluralism.

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In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Dr Gabor Mate, a retired physician, author and Holocaust survivor who has written extensively on trauma and child development, as well as Israel and Palestine. Mate talks about the colonial foundations of Zionism, how living under it has traumatised Palestinians and the ways mainstream media distorts the realities on the ground in Gaza. Phil Lavelle is a TV news correspondent at Al Jazeera.

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