The London Circle

| The London Circle | 19 April 2023

Relationship and Sexual Education (RSE) has been one of the most talks about subjects when it comes to schools and education, for the past few years,  particularly amongst Muslim families. 

The marginalisation of the core family unit of a mother and father in favour of same sex couples, followed by the introduction of multi-gender and non-gender identities, has left the overwhelming majority of parents concerned for the way their children are being educated, particularly from a moral and ethical standpoint. 

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Anas Altikriti discusses these issues with his guests: 

|  Yusuf Patel who founded RSEIslamic

|  Antonia Tulley, a Roman Catholic and long term campaigner for the protection of children in education

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| The London Circle | 12 April 2023

Pakistan is uniquely placed to play a crucial role in the way future geopolitics will unfold. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is one of the oldest political parties in Pakistan, and its perspective of events locally and regionally is of great importance.

One of the Nuclear states that straddle a dynamic region bridging the Far and Middle East, and an indispensable player in the geopolitics of one of the most volatile regions in the world today, Pakistan is a country and a nation that is often underplayed for its strategic location and its immense resources, natural, demographic and mineral. Whether its local politics or whether its neighbouring of Afghanistan, Iran, India and China, or indeed its possession of nuclear capabilities, Pakistan’s role should never be underestimated in shaping the map of the region and the power structures therein.

JI has been a present and an active and influential player in Pakistani politics for over 80 years, during which time it was part of several governments and ruling coalitions. Where does it find itself today, and how does it see local, regional and international events of concern?

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Anas Altikriti discusses these issues with his guests: 

| Asif Luqman Qazi, Director of Foreign Affairs, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan @JIPOfficial 

| Muhammad Abdus Shakoor, Vice President of Alkhidmat Foundation, Pakistan @AlkhidmatPakistan 

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| The London Circle | 05 April 2023

The significance of Al-Aqsa Mosque not just for Muslims but also for the world in general. The discussants also observe the rise in global solidarity with the Palestinians as opposed to a decline in world sympathy with Zionism. 

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Anas Altikriti discusses these issues with his guests: 

| Ismail Patel @FriendsofAlAqsafoa 

| Robert Andrews @EuropalforumOrgUk

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| The London Circle | 29 Mar 2023

The most profound social phenomena are those which take place behind closed doors and create victims who are virtually invisible. Domestic abuse, as abhorrent as most would deem it, is nonetheless far more prevalent and is creating much wider effects than initially expected.

Why is this disease so widespread, and how does it take grip within a community that holds such sublime teachings and high values as the Muslim community does, and what implication does it bear for all parties, the victim first and foremost, but the abuser and the community at large? What are Mosques and Islamic centres, as well as local governments doing to raise awareness and curb this scourge? Since domestic abuse and violence is so widely present throughout society as a whole, is it fair to assume that it has little to do with culture and religion and more so with popular conceptions and attitudes which bring around the theme of toxic masculinity and how young men perceive women and who they hold as role models?

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Anas Altikriti discusses these issues with his guests: 

| Huda Jawad, Campaigner against Domestic Abuse

| Shams Adduha, Director, Ebrahim College

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| The London Circle | 22 Mar 2023

A failed state riddled by sectarianism, corruption, violence and instability, Iraq 20 years on provides a damning indictment of the US President and British Prime Minister who for months, sold the war project to the world.

Over a million Iraqis dead, countless displaced, immeasurable corruption levels, a rotten political system, failed governments, terrorist organisations and sectarian militias roaming the streets of Iraq spreading fear, havoc and intimidation and much much more, are the legacy of the March 2003 war, deemed by many to have been illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary.

Anas Altikriti discusses with Marco Carnelos and Matt Kennard what happened to allow the war to happen, and what has taken place in Iraq as well as throughout the Middle East region and beyond ever since. Also, the panel discusses how the world and history see the architects and perpetrators of this horrific war.

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Anas Altikriti discusses these issues with his guests: 

| Marco Carnelos, Former Diplomat and Freelance Journalist

| Matt Kennard, Chief Investigator, Declassified UK

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| The London Circle | 15 Mar 2023

The changes seen throughout the Middle East over the past few years have signalled radical transformative realities that will have an impact on future alliances and conflicts that will have serious political, economic, security and demographic consequences. Whether it be the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) conflict, the alliances and disputes throughout the Arab world, the Iranian question, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Libya or the impact of Turkey and its internal and external challenges, the region is certainly a changing landscape which allows for a variety of scenarios regarding crucial themes. Along with the perspectives of Western perspectives thereon and the impact of the Russian-Ukranian war and the remnants, if any, of the Arab Spring are interesting factors in forecasting the next phases or phases of this most volatile and fascinating region. 

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Anas Altikriti discusses these issues with his guests: 

| Daud Abdullah, Director, Middle East Monitor @MiddleEastMonitor 

| Nasim Ahmed, Political Analyst

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| The London Circle | 08 Mar 2023

British Muslims amount to around 6% of the British population and have entered and enriched virtually every aspect of daily life and become normalised within modern British society.

Whilst the report on British Muslim Civil Society highlights the array of achievements and successes of British Muslims, it also points to a variety of challenges, difficulties, shortcomings and issues which need to be addressed by leaders of the community.

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Anas Altikriti discusses these topics and more related to how the future is looking for British Muslims amid a rise in Far Right and generally Islamophobic rhetoric with his guests:

| Neil Jameson: Founder of Citizens UK & presently Director of UK Welcomes Refugees

| Usaama al-Azami: Departmental Lecturer in Contemporary Islamic Studies  @oxforduniversity and Lead Researcher of the British Muslim Civil Society 2023 Report

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| The London Circle | 01 Mar 2023

While few can argue against the devastating impact Brexit has had on our state of the economy and has deepened the cost-of-living crisis, this episode attempts to address the other effects which have had a serious impact on public life, including the rise of far-right nationalism, racism, and xenophobia.

Whether it be the rhetoric that was deployed in the lead-up to the referendum in 2016, the false promises and the fabricated claims, the fact remains that the entire country is suffering the devastating effects thereof.

Oliver McTernan and Mark Ereira-Guyer, talk with Anas Altikriti about the state of the country and the steady and undeniable rise of Islamophobia in particular, and how much of that can be traced back to Brexit.  

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Anas Altikriti discusses these and various other related themes in this episode with his guests:

| Oliver McTernan: Director at Forward Thinking

| Mark Ereira-Guyer: Director at the European Network on Religion and Belief (ENORB) @ENARtube 

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| The London Circle | 22 Feb 2023

Recent news told of around 40 young refugees going missing from a hostel in Brighton. This led to questions as to how many children and minors are in the UK as unaccompanied refugees, and how did they come to find themselves in this situation. Further, how safe are they under the ward of local councils, or as proposed, under the guardianship of the Home Office? This leads to the highlighting of an area that seems to be problematic for the British Muslim community relating to the willingness or otherwise of Muslims to become foster parents to children and minors, and the role of Mosques and Islamic leaders in promoting this concept and duty. 

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Anas Altikriti discusses these and various other related themes in this episode with his guests:

| Shaqib Juneja: Head of Operations at My Family Group 

| Sheikh Suliman Ghani: Imam of Tooting Islamic Centre 

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| The London Circle | 15 Feb 2023

How did the three organisers of the historic 2 Million March; Stop the War Coalition, the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), manage to bring to the streets of London that mass wave of protesters from all walks of British life and from all backgrounds?

Since the war tragically still went ahead, could that particular event be counted as a positive, and what aspects thereof provided points of reflection and lessons for our times 20 years on?

The claimed impossibility of Muslims working with and collaborating with the Left continues to be present, whilst the fight against nuclear proliferation carries on unabated, if not with even more rigour.

Additionally, to what extent did the invasion and occupation of Iraq impact the country and its people, the region and its susceptibility to violence and conflict, and the entire world, and how close are we to seeing those who engineered this tragedy brought to international justice? 

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Anas Altikriti discusses these and various other related themes in this episode with his guests:

| Andrew Murray of @Stopthewarcoalition

| Kate Hudson of @CNDuk

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