Middle East Monitor Conversations

MEMO speaks with Walaa Quisay on theodicy and popular religious politics in Egypt. Quisay is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Manchester researching non-violent civil disobedience in contemporary Islamic thought. She completed her first book to be published with Edinburgh University Press on Neo-Traditionalism in the West. She received her DPhil from the University of Oxford at the Faculty of Oriental Studies. Her research interests include Muslim political subjectivities, popular political theology, theodicy, spirituality and traditionalism and modernism in contemporaryIslamic thought.

MEMO speaks with with Scottish-Palestinian actor, singer and writer Amira Al-Shanti about identity and Palestine in the context of her most recent short film 'Said the Dove to the Olive Tree'. The 12-minute film, created by Amira Al-Shanti and produced by Interbang Productions in 2021, is a piece of digital spoken word which explores the complex feelings and identity of a Palestinian Diaspora in Scotland. It captures the intricate balance between the nostalgic romanticism of a homeland she cannot return to, and the bleak and dangerous reality of the oppression of Palestinians.Al-Shanti had her West End debut in the world premiere of Rumi at the London Coliseum. She provided Arabic voiceover work in the National Theatre of Scotland's screenplay adaptation of Adam (BBC Scotland) and has a wealth of other theatre work. Previous pieces of her writing have been published by the Herald, including "Letters to JK Rowling" and "Being BROWN GIRL".

MEMO speaks with national security reporter Murtaza Hussain about Iran, the Middle East and national security in a changing world.Murtaza Hussain is a reporter at the Intercept who focuses on national security and foreign policy. He has appeared on CNN, BBC, MSNBC and other news outlets.  

MEMO speaks with Eric Maddox and Dalia Shurrab to discuss the Palestine Podcast Academy initiative. The project connects Palestinians across Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank for training in podcast production and an extended mentorship programme.Eric Maddox is the founder and director of the Palestine Podcast Academy, and host and lead producer of Latitude Adjustment Podcast.Dalia Shurrab is a Gaza-based entrepreneur and a content marketing expert.

MEMO speaks with Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh to discuss the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's 14th annual report on Islamophobia.Ambassador Sheikh is a career diplomat from Pakistan with over two and a half decades of experience. He served as Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC (August 2015 – November 2019).Before joining the embassy in Washington DC, Ambassador Sheikh served as Joint Secretary at the National Security Division, Islamabad where he was primarily engaged in drafting Pakistan's first National Security Policy.

MEMO speaks with Assistant Professor of History at University of Virginia Chris Gratien to discuss his new book 'The Unsettled Plain: An Environmental History of the Late Ottoman Frontier', which explores the social and environmental transformation of the Adana region of Southern Turkey during the 19th and 20th centuries. Gratien teaches classes on global environmental history and the Middle East and is also co-creator of the Ottoman History Podcast, which since 2011 has featured hundreds of scholars specialising in the history of the Ottoman Empire, the modern Middle East and the Islamic world.

MEMO speaks to journalist and author Ramzy Baroud on Palestine after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Baroud is the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle and author of five books; his latest is "Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out".  Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and also at the Afro-Middle East Center (AMEC).

MEMO speaks with French legal jurist and researcher Rayan Freschi to discuss state-sponsored persecution of Muslims in France, the global rise of Islamophobia and how to combat this menace. Freschi is the author of a new report by CAGE on the persecution of Muslims in France.

MEMO speaks with Dr Suja Sawafta to discuss orientalism and selective solidarity in light of the Ukraine refugee crisis.Sawafta is an Assistant Professor of Arabic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Miami. She is currently working on her first book project which examines the impact of exile, intellectual commitment, and political dissent in the works of the formative Saudi-Iraqi novelist Abdulrahman Munif. She teaches interdisciplinary content courses on literature and cinema as well as Arabic and French language.

MEMO speaks to Dr Rob Faure Walker to discuss the crackdown on free speech on Palestine in UK schools and understanding why the country's anti-extremism programme is flawed and racist. Faure Walker is a lecturer at UCL and author of 'The Emergence of ‘Extremism’ Exposing the Violent Discourse and Language of ‘Radicalization’'. He also runs PREVENT digest, an independent not-for-profit organisation that has been gathering evidence on the impact of the UK's counter radicalisation programme.