PR Unmasked

This is the first part of our four-episode series where we take a look at America’s policy challenges for the next decade. In this episode, hosted by the Concordia Forum at the Atlantic Council headquarters in Washington D.C., Muddassar Ahmed is joined by a panel of experts to explore online censorship, hate speech, and the challenges to freedom of expression. 

Our panellists include Alex Johnson (the Deputy Director of U.S. Foreign Policy and Programs at the Open Society Foundations), Graham Brookie (the Senior Director of the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council), Keith Ellison (the current 30th Attorney General of Minnesota and the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress), as well as George Selim (the Senior Vice President for National Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League). 

This discussion is led by Katherine Brown, President and CEO of Global Ties U.S., the largest and oldest citizen diplomacy network in the United States. The episode was done in partnership with the Atlantic Council, international affairs think tank galvanizing U.S. leadership and engagement in the world.

Recent elections in Norway ushered in the most ethnically-diverse parliament in the nation's history, signalling the shift in its core demographic. Islam, in particular, has been on the rise, making it the second-largest religion in the Scandinavian country after Christianity. 

In this episode hosted by the Concordia Forum in the Nobel Peace Center, Muddassar Ahmed, joined by a panel of experts, explores the contributions and impact of Muslims on this new and ever-changing Norwegian society. Our panelists include Naz Shah (Member of Parliament for Bradford West), Shazia Majid (Senior Investigative Journalist at VG, a leading Norway Newspaper), Mohammad Usman Rana (Norwegian Columnist, Commentator, and Doctor). 

This discussion is moderated by Zahed Amanullah (Chair of the Concordia Forum). The Concordia Forum is a Global Network of Muslim leaders, activists, artists, thinkers focused on strengthening Muslim communities' role in the west. Each year the forum focuses on a particular country to go beyond the headlines and explore the depth of Muslim successes and achievements in the region.

In this episode of PR Unmasked, Muddassar Ahmed sits down with Abby El-Asmar, an entrepreneur and the founder of Ummahpreneur, to discuss Imam Connect and his unexpected entrepreneur journey during a global crisis.

Muddassar founded Imam Connect during the pandemic to answer the growing need for religious services while mosques across Britain were shut. Since then, Imam Connect has grown into a global network of religious service providers that has changed the lives of countless individuals who didn't have or otherwise wouldn't have access to a mosque.

Every single day Imam Connect attracts new users looking for a particular service, ranging from marriage and career counseling to Quran lessons and Nikkah – and much more. Since its inception, the platform now has over hundred service providers offering their expertise from around the globe.

This episode was produced in partnership with Ummahpreneur, a community of over 1800 Muslim business owners with a weekly podcast mentoring fellow entrepreneurs to succeed in their business ventures and to become leaders in their respective fields.

In this PR Unmasked exclusive, Muddassar Ahmed sits down with Huma Abedin, the Chief of Staff for Hillary Clinton, to discuss her personal journey on the frontline of American politics. 

Abedin has been Clinton’s right-hand woman for over two decades. Initially, she began her career as an intern in the White House, later serving as a personal advisor to Clinton during her successful campaign to become the New York Senator. 

She also worked for both of Clinton’s presidential campaigns: in 2008 when Clinton lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama, and in 2016 when she won the nomination – the first woman to do so – later losing to Donald Trump. 

After being behind the scenes for many years, Abedin is finally telling her side of the story with her memoir, “Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds”. In this episode we are also joined by politicians and campaigners from Unitas’ network

Over a decade ago, the Concordia Forum was born out of an idea to create a place where Muslim change makers could come together to address the issues they are facing in their respective communities. 

Since then, the Concordia Forum has become the world’s largest retreat of global cross-sector leaders from Muslim backgrounds. Each year, hundreds of Concordians are meeting at exclusive retreats across Europe and North America to promote social justice and improve social mobility. 

In this episode, Muddassar Ahmed sits down with the Co-Founder of the forum, Shiraz Ahmad (Managing Partner at Unitas Communications), the current Chair, Zahed Amanullah (Director at Unitas Communications & Senior Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue), and the Vice-Chair, Salma Hasan Ali (Storyteller & Author of ‘30 Days: Stories of Gratitude, Traditions, and Wisdom’), to discuss the profound impact of Concordia on transforming lives.

In August the Taliban forces seized Kabul, taking control of Afghanistan nearly two decades after they were driven out of the capital city by US troops – a takeover that triggered geo-political uncertainty and a major humanitarian crisis. 

With an escalation of violence in Afghanistan, the region is faced with new realities and challenges, Pakistan being on the front line of the unfolding chaos with Afghans seeking refuge across the border.

In this PR Unmasked exclusive, Muddassar Ahmed sits down with, Moeed Yusuf, the National Security advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, to discuss the political future of the region, by exploring Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan and how the West should respond to the new reality of Taliban Rule.

The conversation is also joined by several key individuals from Unitas’ network including members of the UK Parliament and key foreign policy and security experts.

Five years after the British public voted to leave the European Union, the UK is still shaking off the Brexit turmoil. But are we closer to knowing what life outside the EU means for everyday lives inside the UK? 

In this episode of PR Unmasked, moderated by Penny Richards (Managing Director of the Aspen Initiative UK), Muddassar Ahmed discusses the aftermath of the Brexit referendum and how to navigate the tumultuous political arena marked by social and cultural divisions. 

We are also joined by Peter Ricketts (Former British Diplomat, Member of the House of Lords & Author of ‘Hard Choices: What Britain Does Next’), and Ella Whelan (Freelance Journalist, Columnist for spiked & Author of ‘What Women Want: Fun, Freedom and an End to Feminism’).

This discussion was organised by the Bradford Literature Festival, an annual celebration of the written and spoken word to promote literature, arts, and culture.

Next week federal elections will take place in Germany, ending the era of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The elections come at a crucial time as this summer severe floods have devastated the country, making climate politics a central question in the upcoming elections.

In this PR Unmasked exclusive, Muddassar Ahmed sits down with Omid Nouripour, Member of German Federal Parliament and the Greens’ spokesperson on Foreign Policy, to discuss the climate crisis and the future of German political landscape after Merkel. 

The conversation is also joined by several key individuals from Unitas’ network including researchers and academics.

In this episode Muddassar Ahmed sits down with Keith Ellison, the current 30th Attorney General of Minnesota and the former US Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district. 

Keith was the first Muslim to be elected to Congress and to serve as an Attorney General as well as the first African American representative from Minnesota. 

Earlier this year Keith successfully prosecuted Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a case which sparked a renewed battle against racial injustice. 

The opening remarks of this PR Unmasked exclusive are deliver by Lisa Nandy, the UK’s Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The conversation is joined by several key individuals from Unitas’ network including politicians, campaigners, policy makers and many more.

In December 2016, Soleiman Faqiri suffered fatal injuries in Ontario jail whilst waiting for a mental health assessment. No guards were charged for his death.

Soleiman's case serves as an example of a man who lost his life in an institution that was supposed to take care of him. Now years later his family is still searching for justice. 

This episode of PR Unmasked brings together activists, journalists, and human rights advocates from Canada and United States to discuss accountability in the criminal justice system and the treatment of people suffering with mental illness. 

Our panellists include Yusuf Faqiri (Soleiman’s brother & founder of the Justice for Soli movement), Michelle Shephard (investigative journalist & story editor of the ‘Unascertained’ podcast), Rabia Chaudry (author of a New York Times bestseller 'Adnan’s Story' & host of the 'Undisclosed' podcast), Yusuf Zine (film director, actor & host of the 'Unascertained’ podcast) and Evan Solomon (political journalist & the host of Canada's most-watched political show ‘Question Period’).