Shadi Hamid and Annie Laurie Gaylor debate whether religion is a force for good. They discuss the positive impact of religion on individuals and society, as well as the historical conflicts and discrimination it can perpetuate. The conversation explores gender roles in Islam, harmful consequences of extreme religious beliefs, and the need for human intervention over relying solely on prayer for healing.

Two respected guests, Zack Beauchamp and Shadi Hamid, tackle the Israel-Gaza conflict, discussing topics like the motivations and context of Hamas' actions, the implications for the Middle East, the impact on global politics, and challenging perspectives on the conflict. They also touch on issues of betrayal, anti-Muslim sentiment, and the importance of engaging in dialogue with opposing views.

Shadi Hamid, a Middle East politics expert, discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the ceasefire, pro-Israel stance, and challenges to establishing a Palestinian state. The speakers also touch on the forever culture war, free speech on universities, and the schism within conservatism.

Shadi Hamid and Matthew Kaemingk discuss the moral and ethical challenges in the Israel-Hamas war, exploring religious perspectives, collective morality, Christian ethics, and the complex dynamics of money, power, and privilege. They express concern for the ongoing conflict in Gaza and its potential spread.

Shadi Hamid and Matthew Kaemingk discuss tribal loyalties and influences on Gaza positions. Hamid's Muslim identity and Kaemingk presses on tribal perspective. Exploring evangelical views on Israel, end times, and group identity shaping political beliefs. Delve into complexities of differing views on Israel and managing disagreements in relationships. Emphasize on empathy, self-criticism, and dialogue in divisive times.

Sarah Haider, Shadi Hamid, and Murtaza Hussain discuss the effects of the Israel-Palestine conflict on geopolitics and American culture, including eliminationist rhetoric, the divide between the West and the Global South, and potential changes in American foreign policy. They also address the impact of the conflict on American culture, cancel culture concerns, offensive rhetoric, the perception of the conflict in the US, and the compatibility of being a Zionist and a feminist or humanitarian. Additionally, they delve into personal experiences, Twitter personas, age gap discourse, the fracture of the American cultural left, and the importance of humanity amidst escalating tensions.

On this episode of Unsupervised Learning, Razib hosts three guests, Sarah Haider of A Special Place in Hell, Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institute and Murtaza Hussain of The Intercept. Razib, Haider, Hamid and Hussain discuss the current state of the culture from the perspective of “brown” observers of the public sphere dominated by woke vs. anti-woke factions. Despite ideological differences, all four are skeptical of the ideological orthodoxies regnant in American culture, even though one, Hamid, identifies strongly as a partisan Democrat who is liberal. In a wide-ranging conversation (which begins with a review of how to pronounce each other’s names), they discuss the case of Raquel Evita Saraswati, a woman Haider knew casually from the social activism sphere, who represented herself as a queer Muslim of Arab, Latino and South-Asian background. Saraswati, a Muslim who somewhat perplexingly co-opted the name of a Hindu goddess as her surname, was born Rachel Elizabeth Seidel and is of British, German and Italian ancestry. Due to her fifteen years of lying about her ethnic background, she was recently forced out of a position as chief equity and inclusion officer for the American Friends Service Committee. Haider and Hamid, in particular, discuss the pressure felt in some social justice movements for people to present incongruous backgrounds, like being a “queer Muslim,” and how it has created a demand that is being satisfied by grifters like Saraswati. Saraswati highlights the role of religion and how it is inextricably connected to brown identity in the US, whether it is coded Muslim or Hindu. Razib and Haider, both atheists from a Muslim background, and Hamid and Hussain, both believing Muslims, discuss the American religious scene in the wake of New Atheism and the social and functional value of religion in an age where moral frameworks have been overthrown and updated. Hamid questions Haider on her views on the value of religious wisdom in maintaining and perpetuating social norms that she supports, like the idea that there are two sexes and her deemphasis on the importance of “gender identity.” Hussain explains that religion, in a philosophical sense, should be considered distinctively from a more primal and animistic set of intuitions. All four meditate on the fact that they are outsiders not by dint of their race or immigrant background (or parental immigrant background), but their dissent from the dominant social norms of the ascendant professional-managerial class.

Shadi Hamid, a Washington Post columnist and author, returns to discuss pressing issues surrounding recent acts of violence and their implications. He explores the intersection of mental illness and homelessness, advocating for urgent systemic reforms in New York City. The conversation shifts to the moral complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict, addressing military strategies and humanitarian concerns. Hamid also critiques U.S. healthcare debates and the inefficiencies of public systems, illuminating the nuanced challenges in American society amidst political inertia.

Sign up for Intelligence Squared Premium here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more. See below for details.Many in the world see the influence of the United States as a force for good. It applies pressure on authoritarian regimes such as Iran to abide by human rights, and it supports nations such as Ukraine defending themselves against imperial aggression. But others argue that the Afghanistan and Iraq interventions show that American exceptionalism and the attempt to play the world’s policeman have wreaked irrevocable havoc which the rest of the world is still paying a price for today.This week ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections in the US on The Sunday Debate, we’re asking - is America a force for good in the world? To debate the issue we’re joined by foreign policy expert Shadi Hamid and academic Samuel Moyn. Our host for this debate is journalist and academic, Philippa Thomas.This episode is part one of two, join us on Wednesday’s episode to hear part two of the debate.…We are incredibly grateful for your support. To become an Intelligence Squared Premium subscriber, follow the link: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ Here’s a reminder of the benefits you’ll receive as a subscriber: Ad-free listening, because we know some of you would prefer to listen without interruption  One early episode per week Two bonus episodes per month A 25% discount on IQ2+, our exciting streaming service, where you can watch and take part in events live at home and enjoy watching past events on demand and without ads  A 15% discount and priority access to live, in-person events in London, so you won’t miss out on tickets Our premium monthly newsletter  Intelligence Squared Merch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biden getting on board the classified documents train to the raw milk revolutionaries who are skeptical of Big Dairy, today we bring you a roundtable to discuss, debate and pull apart the news of the week beyond the headlines.New York Sun columnist Eli Lake hosts this week's conversation with guests Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and writer at The Atlantic, and Honestly's very own Bari Weiss, with a special appearance by Free Press columnist, Suzy Weiss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices