Middle East Monitor Conversations

Pamphlets were the social media of their time, they helped spread dissent and were pivotal to the polarisation of politics during the Ottoman Empire, Nir Shafir guides us through the communications revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Ottoman Empire banned the printing press and stifled intellectual and economic development in the Middle East due to religious objections. At least this has been the popular narrative about the Ottomans for decades, despite the fact there is no evidence of a ban and throughout the empire's history, different printing presses emerged. However, the print press would not take off in a major way until the 18th century, but that does not mean a communication revolution did not occur in the Islamic world. Indeed the pamphlet took off across the empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, leading a radical transformation in ideas, identities, politics and to the creation of a public square. Pamphlets were the social media of their day and, much like today, they were pivotal to the polarisation of politics in the Empire. The Kadizadeli, a new religious movement, emerged through the pamphlet, fermenting dissent and discord. A new book 'The Order and Disorder of Communication: Pamphlets and Polemics in the Seventeenth-Century Ottoman Empire' takes us into the world of Ottoman polarisation. To discuss the book and the communication revolution during the Ottoman Empire MEMO in Conversation is joined by author Nir Shafir. Shafir is an associate professor of history at  University of California, San Diego (UCSD) whose work focuses on the Ottoman Empire/Middle East from 1200 to 1800. At UCSD, he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes on the history of the early modern and medieval Middle East, the history of science, global history and historical approaches to disinformation, misinformation and propaganda. He is an occasional contributor and editorial board member of the Ottoman History Podcast and served as its editor in 2018. Future projects include a social history of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire and an investigation into the cultural role of antiquity and antiquarianism in the early modern Middle East. 

The war on Gaza is raging on, with Israel looking set to impose a permanent security zone in the Strip. With less than one month before US President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House, what should Europe do to bring peace to the region and justice for the Palestinians?In this week’s MEMO in Conversation we examine a timely new report from the European Council on Foreign Relations that assesses Gaza's future as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House. Our guest Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow with ECFR's Middle East and North Africa programme, brings his expertise as both a researcher and Gazan to unpack this critical analysis.The discussion reveals the realities on the ground in Gaza, moving beyond official narratives to explore how Israel’s targeting of civilians, mass starvation and decimation of basic governance structures has fundamentally altered daily life in the territory. Shehada provides fresh insights into Hamas’s current position and the widespread breakdown of social order.One of the most striking elements of the conversation focuses on Israel’s plans for Gaza’s future administration, including the controversial prospect of working with local clans. Shehada explains how Netanyahu’s government appears set on transforming Gaza into a permanent security zone rather than pursuing meaningful negotiations.Drawing from his deep understanding of Gaza and extensive research, Shehada maps out practical steps for the international community, particularly European states, to avoid the nightmare scenario Israel is presenting. His analysis offers valuable perspective on navigating these challenges as Trump’s return threatens to dramatically reshape regional dynamics.A researcher, writer and human rights advocate from Gaza, Muhammad Shehada's work focuses on investigating human rights violations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and more broadly in the Middle East and Europe, with an emphasis on the treatment of migrants, refugees and civilians in conflict zones.He is currently serving as the chief of communications and programmes at the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. He has contributed to a wide range of international publications such as the Forward, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, the Nation and the New Arab.

When Daesh was defeated in 2017, many thought their crimes would be forgotten and their victims would have the terrors they experienced swept under the carpet, but a new online museum has been launched to preserve and educate people about the group's atrocities.Over a decade ago, the world was fixated on the emergence of Daesh or so-called Islamic State, the terror group that took control of vast swaths of territory across Syria and Iraq. Daesh governed the lives of millions of people and ran a vast police state, their defeat in 2017, led to concerns that their crimes would soon be forgotten and what people endured would be swept under the carpet. A new online digital archive aims to preserve and educate people about some of the atrocities committed by the group. The ISIS Prisons Museum is a virtual museum space that uses state-of-the-art technology to forensically investigate the group's crimes and to tell stories that promote awareness of what happened in Daesh custody. Joining us to speak about the project is its English Editor Robin Yassin-Kassab. Yassin-Kassab is the author of the novel 'The Road From Damascus', and co-author of 'Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War'. He is deputy editor of, and contributor of essays to, the Critical Muslim. 

 Germany has repeatedly stressed its unwavering support for Israel and its actions in Gaza over the past 14 months, but what is underpinning this position and will it ever shift?Against the backdrop of Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, Germany has emerged alongside the US as one of Israel’s most ardent defenders. While US support has been crucial in allowing Israel to carry out its genocide, Germany's backing is rooted in complex historical and political factors, including its concept of 'Staatsraison' - the commitment to Israel's security as a reason of the German state. Joining us to discuss how Germany’s past continues to shape its present policies is Professor Jurgen Mackert.A distinguished sociologist from the University of Potsdam, author of 'On Social Closure' and an expert on political sociology, Mackert offers unique insights into Germany's support for Israel and its deeper historical underpinnings. He explores the controversial relationship between Germany's historical obligation stemming from the Holocaust and its current position on Gaza and examines how this affects Berlin's stance on international law, its response to ICC arrest warrants, and its reaction to ICJ rulings. Most provocatively, he discusses his recent work arguing that the same settler-colonial logic that drove the Holocaust continues to animate German politics today.This timely conversation delves into whether Germany's unwavering support for Israel truly reflects public opinion and what might cause this position to shift in the future. 

For many, the civil war in Syria has been a distant memory, but that all changed when in a sudden turn of events, rebel groups captured the country's second largest city, Aleppo, and began to move towards other northern cities. But why is all this happening now? Syrian journalist Hussam Hammoud joins us to explain.What a difference a few days make. Up until the end of November 2024, Syria's second largest city Aleppo was firmly under the control of President Bashar Al-Assad and to many outsiders the Mediterranean country's civil war was a distant memory. Many assumed the war was either over or at least frozen and then in the space of a few days Syrian rebels, who are opposed to the rule of Al-Assad, launched a lightning offensive and captured Syria's second city. Fighting is now taking place in different parts of the Levantine country, but what is actually happening? Why is it happening now? And who are those involved? In this MEMO in Conversation special we are joined by Hussam Hammoud to delve into events in Syria. Hammoud is a Syrian journalist who specialises in the Syrian conflict and beyond. He is known for his field reporting and focus on human rights, highlighting stories from war zones and displacement crises in both Syria and Ukraine. His work has mostly appeared on the European Cultural Chanal ARTE.

Many have wondered how states have allowed the massacres in Gaza to continue for over a year and what can be gained from them. Investigative journalist Kennard exposes corporate power and state intervention to highlight why the genocide in Gaza has been allowed to continue.In this episode, MEMO is in Conversation with investigative journalist and author Matt Kennard who joins us to delve into Western complicity in the Gaza genocide and examine how deeply this complicity runs. Known for his groundbreaking books 'The Racket' and 'Silent Coup', Kennard brings his expertise in exposing corporate power and state intervention to shed light on the forces driving the genocide in Gaza.Kennard explores how Israel's actions fit into a broader pattern of Western imperial power and examines the evolving US-Israel relationship, the surprising alliance between far-right groups and Israel, and how these developments are reshaping international dynamics.The conversation takes a critical look at the media landscape, exploring how the stark contrast between social media coverage and mainstream narratives of Gaza has contributed to a collapse in public trust in traditional media outlets. Kennard provides unique insights into how global perception of Western support for Israel is shifting in the wake of genocide charges at the ICJ and ICC arrest warrants.As co-founder of Declassified UK and a former Financial Times journalist, Kennard offers a seasoned perspective on how the Gaza crisis represents a potential turning point in public understanding of Western complicity in state violence.Kennard has previously written for the New Statesman, the Guardian, OpenDemocracy and the Intercept. He is the author of 'Irregular Army: How the US Military Recruited Neo-Nazis, Gang Members, and Criminals to Fight the War on Terror', 'The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs. the Masters of the Universe' and co-author of 'Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy'.

From raising a family to a nation, how debates around modernisation, democracy and capitalism gave birth to a new Arab woman. In the 1850s the Arab world underwent a gendered revolution brought about by western missionaries, integration into the global capitalist economy, the print press and reform efforts. Life in the eastern Mediterranean within a few decades after the 1850s was unrecognisable from a few years prior. Women, gender and childrearing were at the centre of tension and changes taking place. Tarbiya, or cultivation, took on a new urgency in Arabic thought, before the 1850s Tarbiya was often used in the context of teachers or sheikh cultivating their students’ intellectual development, but after the 19th century it referred more specifically to women and the raising of children. Raising a child became a political act and the failure to instil ‘good’ ethical and moral norms could bring down nations, it was feared. The notion of women’s work and a good mother being at home became a feature of political debates and tensions. Gendered notions like Tarbiya sit at the cross section of modernisation, democratisation and nation building ideas. Joining us is Susanna Ferguson who is the author of a new book called Labors of Love: Gender, Capitalism, and Democracy in Modern Arab Thought, a review to her book can be found here: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241023-labors-of-love-gender-capitalism-and-democracy-in-modern-arab-thought/Susanna Ferguson is a historian of women, gender, and intellectual life in the Eastern Mediterranean and Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies at Smith College. Her research focuses on how questions about gender, sex, and science shaped political imaginaries in the 19th- and 20-century Arab world. Her work has appeared in various scholarly journals, including Modern Intellectual History, the Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East and the Arab Studies Journal. She is a longtime host, former editor-in-chief and now associate producer at the Ottoman History Podcast, where she also co-curates the series on “Women, Gender, and Sex in the Ottoman World.” Ferguson's first book, Labors of Love: Gender, Capitalism, and Democracy in Modern Arab Thought, was published by Stanford University Press in September 2024.

The 16 and 17 centuries saw an eruption in espionage, spying and covert operations, with a growing network of Christian clergymen, traders, slaves, travellers, nobles and others who were also intelligence operatives for Istanbul. We speak to the author of the book 'Spies for the Sultan' to find out more.The Bishop of Heraclea, an Orthodox clergyman, approached the Habsburg royal family with a devious plot, the Austro-Spanish dynasty could form a secret alliance with the Persian Shah to take control of the Ottoman Empire. Together they could back the son of Sultan Suleiman I, Prince Selim, to seize power away from his brother Prince Mustafa. Little did the Habsburgs know, the cleric was also an Ottoman spy and part of a growing network of Christian clergymen, traders, slaves, travellers, nobles and others who were also intelligence operatives for Istanbul. The 16 and 17 centuries saw an eruption in espionage, spying and covert operations. A book recently translated from Turkish into English 'Spies for the Sultan' delves into the murky world of surveillance. Joining us for MEMO in Conversation is the book's author Emrah Safa Gurkan. Professor Gurkan teaches at the Istanbul 29 Mayis University’s department of political science and international relations. In 2012, he was awarded a doctorate in history from Georgetown University. He was the recipient of the Promising Scientist of the Year award at the 14th Kadir Has Awards in 2018. He received the the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the same institution. He has written a number of articles in English, Turkish, Italian, Spanish and German as well as two scientific monographs, the first of which received the Scientific Monograph of the Year Award from the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA).

As an anti-apartheid activist, Stavit Sinai has repeatedly taken action against the occupation state of Israel, but she made headlines when, in 2022, she was one of two Israelis arrested for storming the site of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in the UK, she speaks to MEMO about why it's important not to stay silent.Elbit Systems is Israel's premier arms and military technology company, which claims that its drones are the backbone of the Israeli occupation forces. With 18,000 employees and sites across the world, its weaponry boasts being field tested i.e. used on Palestinians in the West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli military officials and politicians serve on its board and sell weapons worldwide. On 15 May 2022, a group of activists with Palestine Action UK, stormed the Elbit Systems site in Bristol, aiming to disrupt its operations while highlighting what the company does. The direct action protest led to the seven activists being arrested, charged and convicted in the British court. Two of the seven were Israeli dissidents with a track record of Palestinian rights activism. In this second of a two-part conversation, we are joined by Stavit Sinai, one of the two Israeli activists involved in the protest. Dr. Stavit Sinai is a philosophy lecturer and Israeli anti-apartheid activist based in Berlin. She was formally imprisoned for taking direct action against Elbit Systems in the UK.

CAPTION: On Nakba Day in 2022, 7 activists stormed the site of Israel's largest weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in an effort to disrupt its operations and highlight the atrocities its 'field tested' weapons have caused against Palestinians. Two of the activists were Israeli and they spoke to MEMO to discuss why they continue to protest. Elbit Systems is Israel's premier arms and military technology company, which claims that its drones are the backbone of the Israeli occupation forces. With 18,000 employees and sites across the world, its weaponry boasts being field tested i.e. used on Palestinians in the West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli military officials and politicians serve on its board and sell weapons worldwide. On 15 May 2022, a group of activists with Palestine Action UK, stormed the Elbit Systems site in Bristol, aiming to disrupt its operations while highlighting what the company does. The direct action protest led to the seven activists being arrested, charged and convicted in the British court. Two of the seven were Israeli dissidents with a track record of Palestinian rights activism. In the first of a two-part episode we speak to Ronnie Barkan, one of the two activists. Barkan is co-founder of Boycott from Within and member of Palestine Action. Most recently Barkan was harassed by the German secret police following his Munich talk at Professor-Huber-Platz, where he connected the legacy of the White Rose who opposed Nazism with direct action in opposition to Zionism. He is also considering taking on the UK legal system in international forums for violating his rights by forcing him to pay a fine to an arms company involved with Israel's genocide.