Essential Middle East

According to the Clooney Foundation For Justice, the destruction and plunder of the Middle East's cultural heritage are being committed on a scale not seen since World War II. Hundreds of thousands of artifacts are stolen from countries such as Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, smuggled through neighbouring states, and eventually sold to the highest bidder in the EU, the US, and worldwide. A portion of these profits is known to be used to finance conflicts and global terrorism.

In this episode:

• Vasiliki Kynourgiopoulou, the dean of Academic Affairs at Georgetown and UNESCO’s chief adviser for Heritage Management and Sustainable Development

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

France is home to one of western Europe's largest Muslim populations, estimated at 5.7 million.

Since the nation held presidential and legislative elections, Muslims in France have endured a rise in discrimination, from bans on burkinis and Muslim headscarves to accusations of offending the values of the secular republic. Many Muslims feel the elections have stigmatised their faith and increased populist and right-wing attacks on their way of life.

In this episode: 

• Nacira Guenif, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Paris 8

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Hayat Mongodin and Khaled Soltan and hosted by Sami Zeidan. Research by our intern Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. Our lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Omar Al-Saleh is our executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Iran’s brutal crackdown on protests has failed to stop people from protesting for a fifth week. The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last month for violating the strict dress code angered many Iranians. She became an icon and her death led to the biggest anti-government protests in years.

In this episode: 

• Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam (@iranhr), director of Iran Human Rights and professor of neuroscience at the University of Oslo in Norway

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and hosted by Sami Zeidan. Research by our intern Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. Our lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Omar Al-Saleh is our executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries has announced reducing oil production by 2 million barrels per day, one of its largest supply cuts since the coronavirus pandemic. The decision comes at a time when many countries are grappling with soaring energy prices-fuelled inflation.

So what is behind the new decision of OPEC+ to reduce oil production, and what could that mean for consumers?

In this episode:

• Nikolay Kozhanov (@KozhanovNikolay), Research Associate Professor at Qatar University

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Salim Alyafei. Research was done by our intern Nada Shakir. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Our lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Omar Al Saleh is the executive producer and Al Jazeera's head of audio is Ney Alvarez. 

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Palestinian activists and common users claim their content is deliberately suppressed, and accuse social media companies of double standards.

In this episode:

• Eliza Campbell (@elizaecampbell), journalist and former director of the cyber programme at the Middle East Institute.

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Our research was done by intern Nada Shakir. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

An election in Bosnia is set to take place on October 2, as fear and uncertainty grip the country.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only bolstered fears that Russia might try to use its good relations with Republika Srpska to prompt another conflict with Bosnian Muslims - to hit back at NATO.

In this episode:

• Dr. Adnan Huskic, CSS Professor of International Relations and Politics at University Sarajevo School of Science and Technology

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Our research was done by intern Nada Shakir. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Since 2019, banks in Lebanon have imposed draconian controls on deposits, effectively locking millions of customers out of their foreign currency savings. 

As a result, bank heists in Lebanon have become a growing trend – but in this case, these armed “robbers” are not stealing anyone else’s money. 

They are just demanding access to their own savings.

In this episode:

• Nizar Ghanem (@nizarghanem), Director of Research at Triangle, co-founder of the depositors union

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Our research was done by intern Nada Shakir. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Israel has carried out new missile attacks in Syria at the warehouse in the airport compound used by an Iran-backed militia. Though Israel has been bombing hundreds of different targets across Syria in the last few years, it rarely acknowledges such operations. So what is behind the continuing Israeli air raids in Syria and what does it mean for the rest of the region?

In this episode:

• Hassan Barari (@barari_hassan), Professor of International Relations at Qatar University

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Salim Alyafei. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Our research was done by intern Nada Shakir. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Middle Eastern countries spent $168bn on buying weapons last year.

So who are the biggest military spenders, and is there an increase in military spending?

In this episode: 

• David B. Des Roches, associate professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Pakistan is facing catastrophic flash floods. But it’s also witnessing a political showdown between the government, the military on one hand, and the populist former Prime Minister Imran Khan on the other. 

In this episode: 

• Mosharraf Zaidi (@mosharrafzaidi), CEO of Tabadlab, a think tank based in Islamabad

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. George Alwer is the sound designer. Nada Shakir is our intern supporting on research. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer.

Connect with us at:
@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook