Have you ever heard of Abkhazia? Not many people know about this rich territory filled with history and culture. In this episode, Meurad Osman, a native Abkhazian, enlightens us about his homeland and discusses the power dynamics of being sandwiched between Georgia and Russia.   

Meurad Osman is a student of knowledge, teacher, instructor, and freelance translator based in New Jersey. He comes from a Circassian background and is keen on maintaining his Islamic and Circassian identity.  

Timeline 

1:30 - Family History 

8:52 - Occupation of Abkhazia 

16:20 - Demographics 

24:50 - Russian Imperialism 

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The Tripolitan covers multiple topics that pertain to Islam, Islamic history, and socio-political issues dominating our times.  The Tripolitan can be found on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic!

Kabul has fallen to the Taliban. In this episode, Sangar Paykhar, who is the host of the Afghan Eye Podcast, goes into the reasons the Taliban blitzkrieg was so successful while looking back at the conditions and regional politics that helped shape the events we see today in Afghanistan.

Sangar Paykhar was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is the host of the Afghan Eye Podcast. He arrived to the Netherlands at the age of 12 and is currently a freelance journalist. Paykhar is a graduate from the School of Governance & Global Affairs in the Hague. 

Timeline

2:50 - Who are the Taliban?

18:20 - Taliban Hierarchy 

31:25 - Why did Kabul fall?

42:00 - Iranian role in Afghanistan

51:45 - The Future of the Country

The Tripolitan covers multiple topics that pertain to Islam, Islamic history, and socio-political issues dominating our times.

The Tripolitan can be found on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic!  

This episode with TRT journalist and producer, Obaida Hitto, will delve into the rise of the YPG, its relation with the Kurdish and Arab populations, and the Syrian revolution.

Obaida Hitto is a Syrian-American journalist of Kurdish descent. He currently works at TRT, a Turkish news agency with an impressive global reach. Hitto has a BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a Masters candidate in International Relations at Istanbul's Sabahettin University. 

Timeline

4:20 - Who are the Kurds?

8:40 - YPG Crackdown on Kurdish Activists

17:20 - The SDF Experiment

25:25 - Turkish Operations in Northern Syria

34:45 - Future Predictions on YPG Viability 

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The Tripolitan covers multiple topics that pertain to Islam, Islamic history, and socio-political issues dominating our times.

The Tripolitan can be found on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic!

This episode with the native Tripolitan, Yasser El Masri, will look at a brief history of Tripoli, Lebanon, challenges, and misconceptions its natives face, while dissecting its role within the modern Lebanese nation state.

Yasser El Masri was born and raised in Tripoli, Lebanon and is the founder of the online Tripoli-based outlet, Tripolicy. He has a BS in Architecture from the Beirut Arab University, an MS in Sustainable Design from the University of Texas at Austin and another MS in Architecture from Georgia Tech University, and currently working on his third MS in International Affairs and his PhD in Architecture from Georgia Tech University. 

Timeline

3:30 - Tripoli and its Identity

8:40 - What is "Greater" Lebanon

16:20 - Economic Marginalization of Tripoli

24:30 - Classist Component of Tripolitan Social Fabric

32:30 - Negative Media Portrayal & Political Ties

39:00 - The Tripolicy Project

This episode with Samina Sattar, a certified Speech Language Pathologist, will tackle issues dealing with speech impediments while delving into the rising cases of special needs children. Ways to confront these challenges head-on will be discussed and the role of the Muslim community and its institutions in alleviating the crisis. 

Samina currently works as a Speech Language Pathologist. As a SLP, she works to evaluate, assess, diagnose and treat children and adults with communication disorders. She currently serves children with various articulation, language and fluency disorders, as well as children with ASD. You can find Samina on LinkedIn.

Timeline

5:25 - Speech Pathology & Special Needs Connection

11:30 - Developmental Delay Stigma in Muslim Community

15:25 - Mosque Involvement in Special Needs Accommodation

22:30 - Role of Siblings in Speech Therapy

26:40 - Tips for Incoming SLP 

This episode, with the Syrian-American activist, Aghyan Alzuabi, will look back at the last ten years of the Syrian uprising and the future of the Syrian people in light of the ever-shifting political climate.

Aghyan Alzuabi is the son of the former Syrian Information Minister and originally from the Syrian province of Deraa. He currently works as a software professional in California. You can follow Aghyan on Twitter on @Augiedamous.

Timeline

3:20 - What Sparked the Uprising

14:45 - The Inevitability of Uprising Militarization 

20:00 - Sectarianization of Military Apparatus

24:00 - Assad Sr & the Golan Heights

27:15 - No Fly Zone Failure

34:00 - Systematic Disinformation on Syria

44:30 - Future of the Uprising

This episode, with the Circassian-American activist, Batter Kadkoy, will go into the history of the Circassian people and how events have shaped their community today, including attempts to save Circassia's language and culture amidst rising nationalism.

Batter Kadkoy is a Circassian activist from the United States. He is the founder of the Voice of Circassia podcast and an accredited blogger. 

Timeline

4:40 - Who are the Circassian People?

13:35 - Circassian Influence in Islamic History

23:15 - The Circassian Genocide & the Diaspora

37:30 - The Circassian Community in Lebanon

42:29 - Resources to Learn More

This episode with the honorable guest, Rukiye Turdush, will discuss the history of the Uyghur people and their profound effect on the history of the region. In addition, the ongoing Chinese state-sponsored genocide will be analyzed with personal stories while exploring the different international responses and ways to avoid indirect complicity to the events unfolding in occupied East Turkistan. 

Rukiye Turdush is a Uyghur-Canadian human rights activist, writer, and researcher at the Uyghur Research Institute. 

Timeline 

7:00 - Kasghar's Role in Islamic History 

16:06 - Demographic Engineering Against Uyghur People 

31:20 - Turkey - China Extradition Treaty & Ramifications 

38:48 - Ways to Help the Uyghur Cause

This episode will go over Abdullah Al-Rabbat’s biography on the life of the tabi’i, Ali Ibn Al-Husayn. His life will be analyzed from the perspective of Sunni sources while going over some Shia narratives that cement Ali Ibn Al-Husayn as a larger-than-life figure.

Abdullah Al-Rabbat's interests lie in the study of hadith and related sciences. He has published several works related to hadith and Islamic history, and he is currently authoring several more in that regard.

Timeline:

6:10 – Difference Between Theological and Historical Ali

20:20 – The Question of Imamate Infallibility

38:45 – The Shia Spectrum & Ghuluww

44:36 – Ali’s Condemnation of the Raja’a

Find "Ali Ibn Al-Husayn: A Critical Biography" by Abdullah Al-Rabbat on Amazon

A one minute synopsis of what The Tripolitan is all about.