The Majlis

Based on a recording of a live MSGP event, this episode of the Majlis features a panel of experts revisiting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and it's implications for academic freedom and the fight for justice and human rights. The panel was moderated by Queen's University professor of history Dr. Howard Adelman. He was joined by Middle East expert and professor Dr. Ariel Salzmann, Dr. Mark M. Ayyash an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Director of the John de Chastelain Peace Studies Initiative at Mount Royal University, as well as University of Toronto professor of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean history Dr. Jens Hanssen.  To follow MSGP news and events, like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MSGPQU  And follow us on twitter https://twitter.com/MSGPQU For more info on the Hearing Palestine Team, go to https://www.facebook.com/HearingPalestine “Hearing Palestine” is a new initiative at the University of Toronto, that provides a safe space for Palestinians and those interested in the history & future of Palestine to share their experience and research. The initiative is designed to improve the university experience for students enduring, and concerned about, anti-Palestinian discrimination on campus. We encourage dialogues on cultural life, artistic creativity, social justice and current affairs in Canada and the Middle East from the perspective of Palestine. We are in solidarity with indigenous struggles everywhere and encourage critical engagement with settler colonialism, sectarianism and authoritarianism in the Middle East, Canada and elsewhere.

Host Dr. Adnan Husain, professor and historian at Queen's University, is joined by an exciting panel of experts to discuss France's rhetoric on "Islamo-Leftism" and the Global Muslim Question. Azeezah Kanji, a legal academic and writer based in Toronto, is co-hosting. Professor Hatem Bazian is the executive director of the Islamophobia Documentation and Research project at UC Berkeley, where he is a teaching professor in the Near Eatern Studies and in Asian American Studies Departments. Hamza Esmili is a doctoral candidate in anthropology and sociology at the Centre Maurice Halbwachs of the Ecole Normale Superieur in Paris. And finally, rounding out the panel is Dr. Salman Sayyid, professor of Social Theory and Decolonial Thought at the School of Sociology and Social Policy of University of Leeds.  This lively and thought provoking discussion considers the The use of this term "Islamo-Leftism" and its context, as well as how and why scholarship on race, colonialism, and post-colonial social theory has become controversial in French political culture. More broadly, the panel also considers the global context of this rhetoric and the history of liberal democracies, and why western society must come to terms with the long standing anxieties over Islam and Muslims. 

In this episode, host Dr. Adnan Husain and Dr. Jasmin Zine, of Wilfrid Laurier University, discuss Canadian Islamophobia, in reflection and commemoration of the January 29th, 2017 Quebec Mosque shooting, where a gunman killed 6 Muslim men as they prayed, and injured 19. Dr. Zine unpacks the aftermath and reaction to the tragedy, or lack thereof; Canada simultaneously faces virulent anti-Muslim hate and a brand of exceptionalism that promotes apathy and even denial towards the very existence of islamophobia in the country. With the fourth anniversary of the massacre around the corner, Dr. Zine and Dr. Husain consider how the country has dealt or failed to deal with the massacre and islamophobia since, and what role Muslims play in the Canadian political and cultural spheres. Dr. Jasmin Zine is a professor of Sociology and Muslim Studies, specializing in Islamophobia, Islamic feminism, religious identity, and the politics of surveillance. She is the author of numerous books and articles, including the upcoming monograph tentatively titled Under Siege: Islamophobia, Radicalization, Surveillance, and Muslim Youth Counter-Publics. You can find her on twitter at https://twitter.com/jasminzine Get involved in remembrance of the Quebec Mosque shooting at: www.january29.ca Find MSGP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MSGPQU  and on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSGPQU  Support us here: https://www.queensu.ca/msgp/  Follow our host Dr. Adnan Husain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adnanahusain 

Majlis host Dr. Adnan Husain sits down with director David Schisgall to discuss his new documentary film The Oil War. Premiered in DOC NYC festival November 11th-19th, 2020. The film follows historian Andrew Bacevich and his book, America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History, as he delivers an anti-colonial critique of US foreign policy in the Middle East, informed by his long career in the Army. While other historians analyze changing presidential administrations, Bacevich sees one long Oil War. There are scant differences between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the sacrifice of soldiers’ lives. His radical analysis has won bipartisan followers and even an invitation to speak with President Obama. Bacevich describes what that meeting reveals about America’s need to break free from its past.  Find the film here: https://www.docnyc.net/film/the-oil-war/  Find MSGP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MSGPQU  and Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSGPQU Support us here: https://www.queensu.ca/msgp/ Follow Dr. Adnan Husain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adnanahusain 

In this episode, Amel Bensalim speaks to former Queen's PhD student and current Assistant Professor at York University, Dr. Sanober Umar. Dr. Umar's current work explores the relationship (and critical differences) between caste and racial hierarchies, and how they subsequently inform the figure of the Muslim in Indian and world politics. Another area of expertise and interest for Dr. Umar is exploring the histories and global politics of "racing" and gendering Islam as religion, and subsequently how these constructions are usurped, adapted, or challenged by various political quarters and communities. Dr. Umar and Amel discuss the intersecting issues at the heart of historical and contemporary Muslim marginalization in Indian society and politics. 

When Europe's Great War engulfed the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalists rose in revolt against their Turkish rulers and allied with the British on the promise of an independent Arab state. In October 1918, the Arabs' military leader, Prince Faisal, victoriously entered Damascus and proclaimed a constitutional government in an independent Greater Syria. But what happened next? On this week's episode, cohosts Dr. Adnan Husain and Dr. Ariel Salzmann, professor of Islamic and World history at Queen's University, are joined by Dr. Elizabeth F. Thompson to discuss her book "How the West Stole Democracy from the Arabs,"  and explore this very question. Tune in to learn about this little known episode in Middle East history. You can purchase Dr. Thompson's book "How the West stole Democracy from the Arabs"  with our friends from Novel Idea Bookstore. http://75.103.74.42/wp/ You can watch Dr. Thompson's lecture on her book and the wider context on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joe-Vj1kQvA 

[Recorded Oct 12th] Graduate student host Amel Bensalim speaks to PhD student Safa Moussoud on her work on Muslim cultural production in the post-9/11 world. They discuss Muslim representation in media and in politics, with a focus on Canada and France. Tune in to hear about how young Muslims use alternative media and how Safa is bringing that to the attention of academia! 

In this episode, Dr. Adnan Husain -Director of MSGP- talks about the politics of the IHRA definition of Antisemitism, Bill 168 and Academic Research and Teaching with special guests Dr. Ariel Salzmann (Professor of Islamic and World History at Queen's University), Dr. Dorit Naaman (documentarist and film theorist from Jerusalem, professor of Film and Media and Cultural Studies at Queen’s University) and Sharry Aiken, LL.B., LL.M. (Professor at Queen's University's Law Department specializing in immigration and refugee law) Sign the "No IHRA" petition here: https://www.noihra.ca/?fbclid=IwAR1PvezYjGeRHqdMaoYNLV-AbZWyhKpRpaDHlQjGBBIcIsxSjKU_kP-q1_Q

Grad student host Amel Bensalim interviews Queen's University student in Development Studies Shahroze on his experiences working with the UN in Indonesia, grassroots activism, academia, and more! 

Muslim Societies, Global Perspectives (MSGP) at Queen's is starting a podcast! Program director Dr. Adnan Husain fills you in on our exciting upcoming projects and what to expect from our podcast. We will feature discussions with guests covering a host of topics related to Islam and the Muslim world, including history, politics, art, culture, and more! We will also be highlighting Muslim students at Queen's and their work and insights. Stay tuned for our upcoming podcast episodes!