The Big Picture with Mohamed Hassan

Are Western leaders sleepwalking into a disaster in the Middle East?As regional tensions surge amid Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, its allies in the US and Europe have refused calls to de-escalate the conflict and prevent the staggering toll on human life from spiralling further. Western countries vowed to stand by Israel as it responds to the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, with many invoking the language of the ‘War on Terror’ and a ‘Clash of Civilisations’. But unlike conflicts in the past, these countries have increasingly found themselves isolated on the world stage, at the United Nations and on the streets of major cities.This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with Palestinian thinker and political strategist Wadah Khanfar, the former director general of Al Jazeera.Khanfar says Israel and its allies are desperately trying to maintain Western hegemony in the Middle East and beyond, but they cannot see that the world has already moved on.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

On Wednesday, the world woke up to newspapers plastered with a horrific headline about ‘40 Israeli babies decapitated by Hamas’. But was the story true?We dig into the dizzying, circular debate around the darkest story of an already devastating week and ask whether journalists fulfilled their duty to fact-check it, or instead helped Israel justify its policy of ‘collective punishment’ in Gaza.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

The history of Palestinian liberation movements is paved with setbacks, betrayals and bitter rivalries.What began as an attempt to unify the resistance against Israeli occupation has over time been undermined by regional and global political interests, ideological differences and disagreements over the justification, and use, of guerilla tactics.Today the question of who represents Palestinian interests is hotly contested, with Hamas and Fatah vying for control, and a wave of dissatisfied young factions on the rise in Gaza and the West Bank.This week on The Big Picture podcast, we speak with British-Palestinian academic and political activist Dr Azzam Tamimi.In the light of the ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel, and the devastating toll on civilian life, Dr Tamimi explains how these movements began, and why another Palestinian uprising is inevitable.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

What is the fate of Imran Khan?After more than a year of political turmoil following his ousting, the embattled former Pakistani leader is in prison, fighting dozens of charges from corruption to sedition to selling state secrets.He’s also been barred from taking part in the country’s upcoming elections, and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, is slowly being dismantled. Senior leaders have been arrested or pushed into exile, and his supporters accused of terrorism.Pakistan’s caretaker government insists justice is taking its course, and that elections will be open and fair. Khan’s supporters say the opposition and the military have conspired to make sure the country’s most popular political figure can never reach the polls come January.This week on The Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Zulfi Bukhari, a former cabinet minister and special assistant to Imran Khan. Himself in exile, Bukhari has been lobbying governments to speak out about the climate of fear, censorship and intimidation undermining the country’s future.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

Ireland’s fight for independence from British rule has defined how it sees itself in the world - as a liberated people compelled to fight against oppression everywhere.This sentiment formed its proud stance of ‘neutrality’, which saw it refuse to engage in World War II, and defines its strong and vocal support for the fight against Apartheid - first in South Africa, and today in Palestine.But under pressure from NATO to join the fight against Russia, is that ‘neutrality’ under threat?This week on The Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Irish lawmaker and anti-war activist Richard Boyd Barrett to talk about why Irish people feel compelled to support the Palestinian struggle, and how Ireland can lead the world away from warring empires.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

How far would you go to protect a client?When Muhammad Rabbani, a human rights advocate, was stopped and interrogated on his way back to the UK after working with a high profile client, it was an experience he was familiar with. As a Muslim and an activist, he'd been stopped at the airport many times before.This time however, when he refused to give up the passwords to his personal devices, he was arrested, charged and convicted under the Terrorism Act.His fight to clear his name has been documented in the new film 'Phantom Parrot', which highlights the controversial 'Schedule 7' clause that allows police to detain and question citizens at the border without suspicion, and how it's used to gather and share intelligence with other bodies such as the FBI.This week on the Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Rabbani, who is the managing director of CAGE, to hear his story firsthand, and why he thinks it should shock and concern every British citizen.You can find out more about 'Phantom Parrot' and where to watch it here: https://phantomparrot.com/We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

Has the Labour Party turned its back on the Left?Following the disastrous election loss to Boris Johnson in 2019, the party emerged from the ashes promising to shed itself of its past and the image of one man - Jeremy Corbyn.His successor Sir Keir Starmer has  instead defined his leadership directly in opposition to Corbyn, leaning towards the centrist ideals of another former leader, Tony Blair.So what remains of the Labour that once promised revolutionary reforms to Britain’s welfare, climate and foreign policies?This week on the Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Jeremy Corbyn, who resigned in 2019 as Labour leader, was suspended from the party in 2020 and earlier this year banned from running again as a candidate.He says the party now resembles the undemocratic and dictatorial environment he first encountered in the 1960s.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

How do you challenge the might of the Chinese state?For decades, the Uyghur Muslims have fought to preserve their culture, their language and their religion in the face of China’s rising power and control.Since 2013, sweeping crackdowns have turned the once-autonomous region which calls itself ‘East Turkestan’ into a heavily militarised zone, where high tech surveillance systems were installed and thousands of ordinary people disappeared.What China calls ‘anti-terrorism’ measures have been revealed as something much more sinister - concentration camps where more than a million Uyghurs are ‘re-educated’ into giving up their beliefs and adopting nationalist ideals, or face severe consequences.Those who managed to escape Xinjiang are now trying to warn the world about what’s happening to their families who they can no longer reach.This week on The Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Rahima Mahmut, an Uyghur folk singer in exile and the UK director of the World Uyghur Congress. She says China has fooled the world into looking the other way, but she and others will not give up.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

Can we trust the AI to watch over us?Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology have entered into a new era, advancing at a rate none of us can comprehend or keep up with. Tech companies, governments and police forces are racing to own and turn these advances into cutting edge security and mass surveillance systems, while legislators and human rights voices desperately try to build the guard rails that will keep it from getting out of control.What’s at stake is the real possibility of a world where every aspect of our lives, public or private, is surveilled, analysed and documented for the benefit of those at the helm of this new technology, and whose interests lie in keeping us under control.This week on the Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard, who says we’re already seeing the consequences of unregulated AI, and must act to fix it before it’s too late.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

For thousands of years, Jewish communities lived and thrived in the Arab world, and were integral to shaping its history, culture and economy.But when Israel was established, more than 260,000 Arab-Jews fled their homes, and their history has largely been forgotten.So what happened in the 1950s that forced the vast majority of them to leave?This week on The Big Picture podcast, we sit down with Israeli historian and Oxford fellow Avi Shlaim, who himself was born in Iraq and left as a child.Professor Shlaim documented his own family’s migration from Iraq, describing a prosperous and happy society that didn’t buy into the promise of Zionism.In fact, he says he’s uncovered proof that external forces conspired to scare Arab-Jews into leaving.We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG