Middle East Monitor Conversations

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.

MEMO speaks to Mariam Barghouti, a Palestinian writer and researcher based in Ramallah, discussing the relevance of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the global order. Barghouti worked as a journalist and reporter with a focus on the Levant, and published various sociopolitical commentaries from Palestine.She has undertaken monitoring and evaluation missions of humanitarian and development aid in Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon for various governmental and non-governmental organisations. Her reporting and analysis have been featured in Al Jazeera English, the New York Times, the Guardian, BBC and Middle East Eye, amongst others.

MEMO speaks to Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University Saul Takahashi, when we will discuss the rise of nationalism and its threat to human rights. A former UN civil servant, Takahashi lived in Palestine for five years as deputy head of the Office of the UN Human Rights Agency. He has authored several books, including 'I found myself in Palestine'.

MEMO speaks to Iraqi-American comedian and award-winning writer Reem Edan, discussing her career of doing comedy in America and the Arab world and how her background influenced the topics of her performances.Reem is known for her unique brand of 'Muslim-ennial' humour. She has performed at venues and colleges worldwide and opened for comics including Arsenio Hall and Jay Leno. She was previously invited to attend a programme at MIT for influencers using their platforms for social change, named one of Bustle's '5 Muslim Women Comedians to Get You Through Social Distancing' she can be seen performing in Arabic on the 'Stand Up Sketch Show'. Recently, Reem has worked as a synopsis writer/editor for Netflix and is the comedic voice of Tom & Jerry's Twitter page.

MEMO speaks with Professor and Director of foreign policy research Murat Yesiltas where we  discuss Turkiye's manoeuvres in the region and further afield and how this will improve its global standing.Author of 'Non-State Military Actors in the Middle East: Geopolitics, Strategy and Ideology', Yesiltas completed his BA and MA at the Department of International Relations of Sakarya University, while his PhD thesis was titled 'Locating Turkey: Geopolitical Mentality and the Army in Turkey'.Yesiltas is current carrying out research on international security, terrorism, military studies ethnic and religious radicalisation, non-state conflicts, and Kurdish affairs.