🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Hazami Barmada, humanitarian, activist, and founder of the Humanity Lab Foundation, whose fierce empathy and faith have redefined what activism can look like. From her early work at the United Nations to the frontlines of D.C. protests, Hazami reveals what it means to live authentically, love fiercely, and refuse to be silent in the face of injustice. She reflects on the courage it takes to confront power, the role of faith and motherhood in her activism, and how radical love has become both her philosophy and her weapon.

🌍 Hazami Barmada is an award-winning public affairs & social impact strategist, social innovator and humanitarian. She is the Executive Producer and Host of the Webby-Award and Anthem-Award winning international affairs and human rights podcast, Finding Humanity. For 20+ years, Hazami has consulted and worked with leading global institutions including the United Nations, United Nations Foundation, Harvard, The Elders, B Lab, and the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman, to name a few. Most recently she worked at the Aspen Institute where she spearheaded the design and launch of the Digital Equity Accelerator, a joint initiative between HP Inc. and the HP Foundation, which under her leadership invested over $4 million into 17 organizations addressing social and economic inequalities around the world. Hazami has previously held several high-level consulting positions at the UN, including Coordinator for the United Nations Secretary General’s World Humanitarian Summit, Advisor to the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, liaison to the UN SDG Strategy Hub for the launch of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and Innovation Advisor to UN Human Settlements Programme. Her campaigns, leadership coaching, and advocacy initiatives have reached tens of millions of people in 182+ countries, receiving recognition from the United Nations “SDG Action Awards” in 2020. Hazami is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government where she was also an Edward S. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management and earned a certificate in Management, Leadership & Decision Sciences.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ The story behind the Blinken encampment

➡ Balancing motherhood and frontline activism

➡ Radical love as a philosophy of resistance

➡ Islam, faith, and courage in the face of fear

➡ Doxxing, lawsuits, and the price of truth-telling

➡ Building communities of care beyond politics

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Introduction & Radical Humanity

02:28 Who is Hazami Barmada?

07:31 Faith, Fear & the Blinken Encampment

16:40 Motherhood & Resistance

24:11 The Cost of Speaking Truth

34:29 Radical Love as Activism

41:27 Community Beyond Politics

54:38 From the UN to the Streets

1:02:42 Faith, Freedom & Legacy

Sponsored by: The Karate Attorney (Instagram @karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

Sponsored by: The School of Radical Imagination, a new learning space turning knowledge into action through live, community-based courses on justice, liberation, and creativity. Enroll at www.RadicalImagination.school

🎬 Full episode on: https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow:

Hazami Barmada: Instagram @hazami | X @hazamibarmada

Sumud Podcast: Instagram @sumudpod

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This week on the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Sami Tamimi, award-winning chef, author, and co-founder of Ottolenghi, to explore how heritage, hard work, and heart have shaped his life from Jerusalem to London’s kitchens.

Sami Tamimi is a British-Palestinian chef and author whose cooking is deeply rooted in the flavors of his homeland. In his first solo cookbook, Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from My Palestine, he embarks on a vibrant journey through Palestinian culinary traditions, celebrating simple, colorful dishes centered around vegetables and grains. This exploration builds on his earlier work as co-founder of the Ottolenghi restaurants and co-author of bestselling cookbooks: "Falastin" and "Jerusalem: A Cookbook". "Boustany" is Sami’s homage to the food and culture of Palestine.

In this deeply personal conversation, he reflects on his early life under occupation, his rebellious path from a truck company to the kitchen, and the struggle of navigating Israeli kitchens as a Palestinian chef. Sami opens up about cultural appropriation in “Israeli cuisine,” the politics of food, and the creation of his newest book, "Boustany", a love letter to Palestinian memory, land, and flavor.

With humor and grace, Sami reminds us that every dish carries a story of land, family, and survival.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ Growing up in Jerusalem under occupation

➡ Becoming a chef against all odds

➡ Culinary appropriation and “Israeli cuisine”

➡ Food as political resistance and storytelling

➡ Writing Boustany: memory, land, and resilience

➡ Reclaiming Palestinian cuisine for future generations

Sponsored by: The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit ⁠KarateAttorney.com⁠

Sponsored by: The School of Radical Imagination, a new learning space turning knowledge into action through live, community-based courses on justice, liberation, and creativity. Enroll at ⁠RadicalImagination.school⁠.

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction & Opening Reflections

01:15 – Early Life in JerusaleQm

05:29 –  Rebellion, Art, and the Birth of a Chef

07:36 –  Navigating Israeli Kitchens as a Palestinian

11:41 –  What is ‘Israeli Food’?

13:36 – The Politics of Cooking & Food as Protest

18:13 – Founding Ottolenghi & Collaboration in ExileQ

21:11 – Boustany: Memory, Land & Palestinian Resilience

28:23 – October 7th, Speaking Out & Finding Voice

32:55 – Health, Balance & Using His Platform for Good

38:42 – Closing Reflections: Work hard, Follow the Heart

🎥 Full episode: ⁠www.sumudpod.com⁠

📚 Check out Sami's website: ⁠www.sami-tamimi.com⁠

📲 Follow: @sami_tamimi | @dredhasan

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🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Ahmad Ibsais, a law student, writer, and poet whose work captures life, loss, and defiance under siege. Through his acclaimed newsletter State of Siege, Ahmad documents a generation’s struggle for justice, blending legal insight, faith, and art to reclaim narrative power in a world determined to erase it.

In this episode, Ahmad speaks about courage on campus, finding strength through community, and how words can challenge systems of fear and censorship. He also shares his poem “Living in Memories,” a haunting reflection on endurance and remembrance amid unimaginable suffering.

Reflecting on his journey from Nablus to the University of Michigan, he navigated a law school environment steeped in Zionist influence while remaining steadfast in his convictions. He shares how speaking out for Palestine has come with professional risks, yet also profound purpose, and how faith and community have anchored him through moments of isolation and doubt.

Ahmad discusses the limits of the American legal system, its complicity in silencing pro-Palestine voices, and how young lawyers can still use the law as a site of resistance. From the courtroom to the classroom, he exposes the ways repression is disguised as “neutrality,” and why Palestinians must continue to name genocide even when institutions refuse to.

In this conversation, we explore:

➡ The making of State of Siege and documenting lived experience

➡ Speaking truth to power in academia and law

➡ Faith, memory, and the psychology of steadfastness (sumud)

➡ The role of poetry and storytelling in collective healing

➡ How young advocates are redefining resistance through word and action

Sponsored by: The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

02:00 – Introducing Ahmad Ibsais

04:00 – Palestine & the Power of Community

06:00 – Speaking Out in the Legal Field

10:00 – Censorship, Courage & Campus Activism

17:00 – The Birth of State of Siege

19:00 – The Role of Poets & Journalists in Gaza

21:00 – The Duty Not to Look Away

24:00 – Law, Power & the Limits of Justice

31:00 – Imagining Liberation: One State, One People

34:00 – “Living in Memories” – Poem Reading

36:00 – Closing Reflections: Free Palestine

🎬 Full episode on Sumud Podcast: https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow: @ahmad.ibsais

📲 Follow our host: @dredhasan

📝 Read State of Siege:

https://substack.com/@ahmadibsais

https://ahmadibsais.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

#Palestine #SumudPod #Resistance #EndGenocide #FreePalestine #StandWithPalestine #Steadfastness #BoycottIsrael

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🎙️This week on the Sumud Podcast, we amplify the voices behind Lifeline for Palestine and their urgent call to activate the Uniting for Peace process, a UN mechanism that empowers the General Assembly to act when the Security Council is blocked by vetoes. Recorded at a moment of moral urgency, this episode explores how global solidarity, diplomacy, and people power can come together to protect Palestinian civilians and end genocide.

Our guests: Craig Mokhiber, international human rights lawyer and former UN Director; Dr. Jill Stein, American physician, activist, and three-time Green Party presidential nominee, and Mark Elbourno, Palestinian American political strategist and Green Party leader, break down the legal, political, and moral dimensions of the Uniting for Peace plan.

Together, they reveal how Lifeline for Palestine has mobilized a growing global movement demanding accountability and action, pushing governments to honor international law and the will of the world’s majority. This conversation is a call to conscience, and a roadmap for how humanity can stand together against impunity and for justice.

The Sumud Podcast is sponsored by The Karate Attorney. Fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com or follow on Instagram @karateattorney to learn more.

In this conversation, we explore:

➡ What the Uniting for Peace process is and how it works

➡ How the US veto has blocked justice — and how to bypass it

➡ The role of Lifeline for Palestine and grassroots global movements

➡ Why Palestinians are leading this call for protection and accountability

➡ How ordinary people can take concrete action to shut down genocide

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌Chapters:

00:00 – Every Fighter Needs a Cause

02:00 – Introducing the Guests: Craig Mokhiber, Dr. Jill Stein & Mark Elbourno

06:30 – What is the Uniting for Peace Mechanism?

13:00 – The UN, Veto Power & Global Accountability

16:00 – Lifeline for Palestine: Origins and Purpose

23:00 – Global Solidarity & the Power of the People

36:00 – The Palestinian Call for Protection

43:00 – Why Action Still Matters: Overcoming Hopelessness

49:00 – Reclaiming International Law & the Global Majority

54:00 – What Happens If It Works? The Road Ahead

01:07:00 – Final Reflections & A Call to Action

🌐Take Action: Visit LifelineForPalestine.com

to send letters, sign petitions, and join upcoming global actions.

🎬Full episode on Sumud Podcast: https://sumudpod.com

📲Follow: @lifelineforpalestine , @craigmokhiber , @drjillstein , @markelbourno

📲Follow our host: @dredhasan

#Palestine #SumudPod #LifelineForPalestine #UnitingForPeace #FreePalestine #CraigMokhiber #JillStein #MarkElbourno #EndGenocide #Resistance

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🎙️This week on the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Aymann Ismail, journalist, storyteller, and father, to explore how identity, faith, and truth-telling intersect in a time of moral crisis. A staff writer at Slate, the author of Becoming Baba, and president of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA). Aymann has spent years documenting how American media frames Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians, and what it means to write honestly while the world burns.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, to Egyptian parents, Aymann came of age in the shadow of 9/11, an experience that forced him to navigate fear, belonging, and dual identity. In this deeply personal conversation, he shares how those formative years shaped his journalism from "Who’s Afraid of Aymann?" and PBS’s "American Muslims: A History Revealed" to his acclaimed essay, "The Store That Called the Cops on George Floyd", which won a Writers Guild Award and was nominated for a National Magazine Award.

With humility and clarity, he unpacks the ethical dilemmas of journalism, the burden of representation for Arab reporters, and the parallels between the post-9/11 era and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Through it all, Aymann reflects on fatherhood, faith, and what it means to tell stories that refuse to dehumanize.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ Growing up Arab Muslim in New Jersey after 9/11

➡ The parallels between anti-Palestinian racism and post-9/11 Islamophobia

➡ Journalism, bias, and courage in the era of genocide

➡ Storytelling, empathy, and moral responsibility in media

➡ Becoming Baba: faith, fatherhood, and belonging in America

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction & Opening Reflections

01:45 – 9/11 and October 7th

13:23 – Being Both: Arab American Identity & Belonging

22:18 – The Human Story of Being Gay and Muslim

25:13 – “Who’s Afraid of Aymann?”: Curiosity as Resistance

29:57 – Unearthing Muslim Roots in America with PBS

33:46 – The Store That Called the Cops on George Floyd

40:42 – Media Bias, Arab Journalists & Ethical Reporting

49:59 – Privilege, Courage & Writing Hard Truths

55:43 – Becoming Baba: Faith, Fatherhood & Finding Meaning

01:19:05 – Final Reflection: Teaching Faith in America

🎥 Full episode: https://sumudpod.com

📚 Check out Aymann’s work:

📖 Becoming Baba: https://bookshop.org/p/books/becoming-baba-fatherhood-faith-and-finding-meaning-in-america-aymann-ismail/dd46efc949a7959e?ean=9780385549615

🧠 AMEJA: https://www.ameja.org

📲 Follow: @aymanndotcom

📲 Follow: @dredhasan

#Palestine #SumudPod #FreePalestine #AntiZionist #EndtheOccupation #Media #Journalism #GeorgeFloyd #MuslimAmerican #Islamophobia #AMEJA

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🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we are joined by Dima Khalidi, founder and director of Palestine Legal, a US-based organization dedicated solely to defending the rights of people who speak out for Palestinian freedom.

Carrying her family’s long legacy of resistance into the present, Dima has spent decades on the legal front lines, protecting students, educators, and activists from repression. In this conversation, she explains how law is both weaponized against movements and reclaimed through organizing, offering a sharp look into the fight for free speech, student power, and justice in the US and beyond.

From historic cases like the Holy Land Foundation Five to recent victories against university crackdowns, Dima shows how lawfare, surveillance, and repression work—and how the movement continues to resist, organize, and win.

🔑 In this episode, we explore:

➡ The Khalidi family legacy and roots in Palestinian history

➡ Lessons from political prosecutions like the Holy Land Five

➡ Lawfare, anti-terror laws, and the Palestine exception to free speech

➡ Student courage, campus crackdowns, and legal victories

➡ Advice for young organizers and the importance of solidarity

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

01:59 – Family Legacy and Roots of Resistance

08:37 – Early Cases That Shaped a Lifetime of Advocacy

16:21 – Political Prosecutions & the Holy Land Five

19:27 – Lawfare and the Founding of Palestine Legal

27:24 – Student Repression and Free Speech Battles

36:06 – Recent Legal Victories and their Impact

40:55 – Advice for Students, Staff, and Teachers

48:52 – Final Reflection: Inspiring the Next Generation

🎥 Full episode: https://sumudpod.com

🌐 Learn more: https://palestinelegal.org/

📲 Follow: @palestinelegal

📲 Follow: @dredhasan

#Palestine #FreePalestine #SumudPod #PalestineLegal #StudentPower #Lawfare #FreeSpeech #Decolonize #Justice

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🎙️This week on the Sumud Podcast, recorded live at ADC’s ArabCon, we welcome Jordanian Palestinian singer, songwriter, and producer Dana Salah. Known for blending traditional Palestinian folklore with global contemporary sounds, Dana has pioneered a genre she calls Falahi Pop. Her music is not just art; it’s a vessel for storytelling, cultural preservation, and resistance.

In this conversation, Dana shares her journey from performing in New York under the name King Deco to returning to the Arab world and writing music in Arabic during COVID. She reflects on how songs like Ya Tal3een emerged from grief after October 7 and transformed into anthems of hope and empowerment, carrying Palestinian heritage to global audiences. Dana also discusses the influence of her grandfather, displaced from Haifa in 1948, whose advocacy and spirit continue to flow through her work.

Together, we explore how music can serve as both therapy and resistance, a way of keeping Palestinian identity alive for future generations, and a call for young women to embrace authenticity and courage.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ How folklore, tatreez, and heritage shape Falahi Pop

➡ The story behind Ya Tal3een and writing through trauma

➡ Shifting from English to Arabic songwriting

➡ Music as resistance, healing, and empowerment

➡ Ancestry, legacy, and advice to young Palestinian girls

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00- Storytelling as Resistance

01:38- Introduction

03:24– Dana Salah’s Journey: From King Deco to Falahi Pop

07:33– Ya Tal3een: Writing Through Grief & Finding Empowerment

11:39– Arabic vs English Songwriting & Honoring Heritage

17:51– Her Grandfather’s Legacy & Carrying Palestine Forward

21:01– Advice for Young Palestinian Girls & Closing Reflections

🎥 Full episode on Sumud Podcast: https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow: @danasalah

📲 Follow: @dredhasan

#Palestine #SumudPod #Arabcon #FreePalestine #Falahi #Resistance #DanaSalah #Singer #Songwriter #Producer

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🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Rania Masri joins us to speak on liberation, land, and the interconnected struggles for justice. An environmental scientist and long-time activist, Rania brings decades of experience in organizing to the fight against colonialism and ecocide.

Since 1990, Rania has organized for justice and against systems of oppression and war through protests, teach-ins, conferences, political organizing, public speaking training, writings, research, and media work. She taught holistic environmental sciences (including environmental justice) at the university level for nearly two decades. She served as an expert in the Court of Conscience, presenting testimony on the environmental impact of the 2006 Israeli War on Lebanon.

In this episode, Rania connects the fight for Palestinian freedom to global movements for environmental and social justice. She explains how Zionism imposes ecocide on the land of Palestine, unpacks the colonial legacy of Sykes–Picot and the artificial borders of Greater Syria, and invites us to learn from the socialist wisdom of trees, what she calls the “Mother Tree” model of care, resistance, and community.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ The environmental devastation of Israeli occupation and Gaza’s ecocide

➡ The colonial blueprint of Sykes–Picot and rejecting imposed borders

➡ Trees as teachers: Mother Trees, socialism, and organizing

➡ How solidarity—not charity—can reshape our future

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00- Introduction

01:35- Facing the Unspoken Issues

12:54- Engaging Despite Differences: Republicans, Democrats, and Greens

15:41- Holding Our Leaders Accountable

22:37- Greater Syria: Rejecting Borders & Claiming Our Lands

24:56- Side by Side: Liberation, Labor, and Community

28:26- Origins and Goals: The Arab and Muslim Green Party Caucus

34:17- Exploring the Core: Life as an Environmental Scientist

38:39- Examining Ecocide: The Impact of Occupation

46:00- Environmental Advocacy: Where to Begin?

49:23- Final Reflections: Hope, Resistance & the Fight for Palestine

🎥 Full episode on Sumud Podcast: https://sumudpod.com

🌐Check out: https://ncejn.org/

📲 Follow: @raniamasri

📲 Follow: @dredhasan

#Palestine #FreePalestine #SumudPod #Antizionist #AntiColonial #Arab #Occupation #Decolonize #Lebanon #Syria

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🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Ashish Prashar, a political strategist and human rights activist who has advised Middle East peace envoys, UK politicians, and international bodies. He shares a unique perspective shaped by years of firsthand experience in Israel and Palestine, revealing realities that often go unseen in mainstream narratives.

From 2010 to 2012, Ashish lived in the West Bank and witnessed systemic policies controlling Palestinian communities. These experiences highlight the everyday mechanisms of apartheid and the human cost behind the policies.

In this episode, Ashish discusses the broader lessons of his experiences, from international advocacy to solidarity work. He emphasizes understanding both the human and political dimensions of the conflict, offering insights for activists, policymakers, and anyone seeking justice.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ What living in Israel and Palestine taught him about systemic apartheid

➡ The meaning and implications of “sanitized” roads

➡ How political systems and propaganda shape narratives of the conflict

➡ The role of international advocacy and solidarity

➡ Lessons for activists and observers striving for justice

📌 Chapters:

02:00- When Hatred Found Us at Play

12:52- Prison at Seventeen: Assaulted and Tested

21:25- Ashish’s Background: Political Strategy & Human Rights Work

27:47- Between Blair and Palestine

31:33- Living in the West Bank: Firsthand Experiences of Segregation

35:32- Football Against Apartheid

45:56- Airbnb: Profiting from Genocide

51:22- Reflections on Justice, Responsibility, and Speaking Out

🎥 Explore more at: https://sumudpod.com

🌐Check out: https://www.ashishprashar.me/

📲Follow: @ash_prashar

📲Follow: @dredhasan

#Palestine #SumudPod #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #EndTheOccupation #JusticeForPalestine #ApartheidIsrael #HumanRights #NGO #BDS

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🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Sereen Haddad, a Palestinian student activist who helped lead the VCU Gaza solidarity encampment before police violently dismantled it!

In the days leading up to graduation, Sereen had been pepper-sprayed, beaten, and sent to the ER with head trauma as VCU and Virginia State Police stormed the encampment. Three days before graduation, she received an email from the university stating that she could walk the stage, but her degree would not be conferred due to her involvement in the protest.

Sereen’s story is not only about repression but also resilience. She experienced firsthand the violence facing student organizers across the U.S.—and yet, she insists: Palestinians refuse to remain quiet. Instead of breaking her, these moments only strengthened her resolve. With the help of Palestine Legal, she fought back and won her degree—showing that student movements have power and that universities are not neutral but complicit.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore:

➡ What it means to be Palestinian in a world that dehumanizes your people

➡ Police repression at VCU’s Gaza encampment

➡ The loss of her family members in Gaza and why they are people, not statistics

➡ Why the divestment movement matters and terrifies universities

➡ Advice to other students facing repression on campus

➡ The resilience, pride, and love at the heart of Palestinian identity

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

01:42 – VCU Withheld Her Degree & the Days After October 7

10:02 – The VCU Encampment: Police Violence & Repression

16:07- The Haddad Legacy: Refusal & Resistance

20:47- Graduation Blocked: Student Conduct vs. Palestine Solidarity

29:00- Morals 101 & Calling in Backup: Palestine Legal

36:53- Why Silence is Not an Option

41:56- Final Reflections: Pride, Struggle & Speaking Out

📲 Follow: @sereen_haddad_

🎙 Follow our host: @dredhasan

🌐 Explore more: https://sumudpod.com

#Palestine #SumudPod #FreePalestine #DivestFromGenocide #Gaza #StudentProtests #CampusEncampments #EndTheOccupation #Divest #BDS

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