The Fire These Times

Elia Ayoub
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Nov 30, 2025 • 18min

The First Masterclass is Here! (Jan/Feb 2026)

Hey everyone, I wanted to let you all know that I’ll be giving online classes starting this January, and that I’m still accepting new people for the very first class. I recommend doing so asap as I’ve already had to open up a second class due to that amazing response I’ve received so far. All details below.The class is entitled “Beware of Small States: An overview of Lebanon from 1975 to 2025.” We will go beyond sensationalist headlines and shallow coverage, and beyond simplistic, top-down explanations for the country. Instead of a linear timeline of events, which you can get from Wikipedia anyway, you will get a messy one. After all, politics is not linear. Political actors evoke events from the recent or not-so-recent past as part of their politics in the present. In addition to the structured syllabus, I will use personal stories as someone who grew up in Lebanon in a very conservative, at times even Far Right, Christian environment, to explain how my own personal journey away from right-wing and towards left-wing, quasi-anarchist, politics has helped me understand Lebanon better, and hopefully help you too.RegisterJust send me an email at ⁠ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com⁠ or a Signal message @ ayoub.02. I will send you the syllabus as well as all the required details including how to pay for the class if you're interested in taking it.When? Weekly from Saturday Jan 17th, 4pm UK time. 5 sessions. Week 1 (Jan 17): The stories we tell ourselves about this painfully ordinary country.Week 2 (Jan 24): Five academic-y concepts that are easier to understand than they seem.Week 3 (Jan 31): We Are the Children of the Children of War.Week 4 (Feb 7): From Life in the Midst of History to The CollapseWeek 5 (Feb 14): Lebanon yesterday, today, tomorrowFees: $300Discounts: For Hauntologies (my newsletter) subscribers (past or present)50% off for paid subscribers100% off for Founding MembersAnyone joining the class will get:Access to all 5 sessionsLifetime access to the Google DriveLifetime access to the Hauntologies newsletter without paying extra (subscribers pay $50 a year on average)Discounts on future classesAn invitation to join a Signal groupMore classes to comeIn addition to repeating this class, here are the titles and brief descriptions of the other classes currently being prepared. You can already register your interest by email or Signal to those as well - and I’ll just send you an email or text when they’re ready.The Ghosts of Israel’s Future, looking at what the horrors unleashed by Israel during the ongoing genocide reveal about that country’s politics, and the people, Jews, Israelis and Palestinians alike, who predicted it. Estimated fee is $300 for 5 sessions. Against Multipolar Imperialism, looking at why we cannot accept multipolarity as a valid alternative to a US-dominated world, especially as that involves accepting authoritarian states and effectively sacrificing whole populations as collateral. We will look at China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, so-called Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong, Syria, Israel-Palestine, Iran, El Salvador, Argentina, Tigray and Ethiopia, Bosnia and of course Lebanon. Estimated fee is $300 for 5 sessions. Cancelling the Apocalypse: From James Baldwin to Solarpunk and beyond. Estimated fee is $300 for 5 sessions. Postwar Hauntings: Modern Lebanon Through Its Cinema. This will be a much more in-depth exploration of Lebanon post-1990 through its cinema, which was the topic of my PhD dissertation. We will watch movies, discuss them, and explore Lebanon through them. Estimated fee is $600 for 6 sessions.
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Nov 11, 2025 • 53min

208/ What Mamdani's Victory Means

For episode 208, Elia and Dana talk about Zahrani Mamdani's victory and what it could mean for all of us.What we got into, in no particular order:Dana seeing Mamdani win as a Muslim-American (and Arab/Palestinian) who grew up in the aftermath of 9/11 / Mamdani’s Arabic-language campaign video (in Syrian Arabic - thank you Rama - except when talking to the cat, when he switched to Egyptian Arabic for some reason) and him saying أنا منكم واليكم at his victory speechElia seeing Mamdani win as an Arab who’s never been to New York City but still felt the impact of the War on Terror growing up in LebanonBoth Elia and Dana being Mamdani’s age and how that’s f-ed upHow Mamdani navigated questions about Israel / why we need to be better at making the our opponents face their own contradictions instead of falling in their trapThe Far Right is not inevitable. It can be stopped. Billionaires are not inevitable. They can be stopped.Parallels to the UK with Zack Polanski and the rise of the Green PartyMentions Mamdani Created a Left-Liberal Coalition on Israel/Palestine by Peter BeinartThe Far Right is Not Inevitable | The Fire These Times with Aurelien Mondon (ep. 163)The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryFor more:The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Dana is on Bluesky Elia is on Bluesky and InstagramTranscriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Dana El Kurd (host), Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics)
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Oct 4, 2025 • 1h 35min

207/ Malcolm X and Our Modern Struggle w/ The Dugout and Mohamed Abdou

In this collaboration episode, host israa’ is joined with Jordan and Prince from The Dugout Podcast and Dr. Mohamed Abdou. We got together to talk about Malcolm X, his evolution over time, his commitment to the below, and the role and impact of Islam on his journey towards collective liberation. Along the way, we talk about Malcolm’s impact on our lives and our politics and share insights on how we think Malcolm would be showing up today. 00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions01:45 Personal Connections to Malcolm X04:52 Malcolm X's Influence and Evolution08:48 Reflections on Malcolm X's Teachings11:31 Malcolm X's Legacy and Modern Relevance19:39 Organizational Structures and Revolutionary Responsibility29:19 Global Impact and Pan-Africanism46:17 Evolving Governance and Lessons from the Zapatistas48:08 Exploring Malcolm X's Intersectional Analysis48:47 Malcolm X and James Baldwin: A Shared Journey50:45 Decolonization and Internationalism52:30 Contextualizing Malcolm X's Strategies54:34 Malcolm X's Methodology and Ethics58:38 Malcolm X's Legacy and Modern Implications01:18:09 The Role of Spirituality and Self-Critique01:29:20 Final Reflections on Malcolm X's InfluenceMohamed :Dr. Mohamed Abdou is a Muslim anarchist scholar and organizer. He's a student of the muqawama (the resistance) and author of Islam and Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances (Pluto Press, 2022).  His work centers on Palestinian, Indigenous, Black, and people of colour liberation, and draws on the Indigenous Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico, as well as his participation in the Egyptian uprisings of 2011. substack: https://drmohamedabdou.substack.com/website: ⁠mabdou.net⁠. Twitter: @minuetinGmajor Instagram: @slightlydriftingisraa’ :israa’ (they/them) is an activist scholar in a committed relationship with collective liberation. They are part of From the Periphery Media collective where they are hosts of The Mutual Aid Podcast, The Fire of these Times, and From the Periphery Podcast. They’re working towards building a world where all worlds fit through their activism and scholarship.israa’ is on Bluesky and IGDugoutThe Dugout is a Black anarchist podcast rooted in political education, decolonial thought/praxis, and deep community study. We tell stories, break down systems, and honor the voices of those building liberation from below. From interviews with Black Panthers and movement elders to media critiques and abolitionist strategy, each episode is a living contribution to Black radical traditions.Stay connected with The Dugout! Follow us for updates, exclusive content, and more:🔗OUR WEBSITE: https://www.thedugoutpodcast.com/🔗 ⁠Instagram⁠: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/dugoutpodcast/⁠🔗 ⁠Substack⁠: ⁠https://tdugout.substack.com/⁠ 🔗⁠YouTube⁠: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@thedugoutpod⁠🔗 ⁠Patreon⁠: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheDugoutPod⁠🔗 ⁠OUR LINKS⁠: ⁠https://bio.site/thedugoutpodcast⁠🔗 Watch Prince Shakur  on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMgrSHWLLU4U_FnJ1u10UgHow to Support Our Work:Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠: You’ll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join ⁠⁠⁠⁠our monthly hangouts⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more.Donations: https://fromtheperiphery.com/donate/Check out our merch: https://fromtheperiphery.com/shop/Credits:israa' (host, producer), Elia Ayoub (episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Sep 29, 2025 • 1h 9min

206/ The Limits of Palestinian-ness w/ Pablo Abufom

For episode 206, Dana El Kurd is joined by Pablo Abufom, translator, scientist, and organizer with the Coordinadora Por Palestina in Chile. We talk about the largest Palestinian diaspora population outside the Middle East, the limits of ethnic and national affinities, and what it means to organize against the backdrop of American hegemony. The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryFor more:The Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Dana El Kurd (host), Elia Ayoub (producer, episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Sep 9, 2025 • 1h 14min

205/ Warsaw Ghetto, Gaza Ghetto

Daniel joins Elia from what used to be the Warsaw Ghetto to talk about Gaza.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryRead the two relevant pieces that informed this chat:Daniel's: A Prayer Drifts to a NestElia's: Notes on Assadism, Zionism, Fascism and HopeFor more:Elia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky, Mastodon and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Daniel Voskoboynik is on Bluesky and blogs at The Ecology of UsThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), Daniel Voskoboynik (host), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Aug 18, 2025 • 41min

204/ The Kashmir Question: What Comes Next w/ Ather Zia, Hafsa Kanjwal and Abdulla Moaswes

Guest host Abdulla Moaswes, a Palestinian scholar and old buddy of mine, is joined by two scholars of Kashmir, Ather Zia and Hafsa Kanjwal to talk about Kashmir. It’s a long episode, but that’s because we wanted to make sure to present Kashmir’s history on its own terms, a Kashmir perspective that does not center Pakistan and certainly not India (or China). This is part 3 of the Kashmir Question series. ⁠⁠The full version is available⁠⁠ on Patreon.For much of the last 3 decades, Kashmir has been among the most militarised places on Earth, with its territory divided between the three nuclear-armed states of India, Pakistan, and China. Earlier this year, events in the region acted as a prelude to an armed confrontation between India and Pakistan, which the former used as an opportunity to more deeply entrench an emergent settler colonial form of rule in the territory. Many view the Kashmir question as simply a territorial dispute between these three states, but as this podcast series will demonstrate, the Kashmir question is one about colonial occupation and anticolonial resistance. In this podcast series, Hafsa, Ather and Abdulla first outline the origins of the Kashmir crisis, explaining how the region came to be partitioned as a result of British and Indian colonialism. They contextualise Kashmir’s colonisation within the project of Indian statebuilding, as well as the territory’s relevance to regional geopolitics. In part 2, they discuss Kashmiri resistance over the decades, including the events that led to and comprised the Kashmir Intifada that broke out in the late 1980s. The third and final episode consists of an assessment of Kashmir’s current status and the guests’ outlook for the future. Ather Zia is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Gender Studies program at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley as well as a poet, short fiction writer, and columnist. Hafsa Kanjwal is an associate professor of South Asian History in the Department of History at Lafayette College in Easton, PennsylvaniaAbdulla Moaswes is a Palestinian writer, researcher, educator and translator.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠⁠⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: ⁠⁠Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution⁠⁠,⁠⁠ From The Periphery Podcast⁠⁠,⁠⁠ The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠ ⁠Politically Depressed⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠ ⁠Obscuristan⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠ ⁠Antidote Zine⁠⁠⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on ⁠⁠Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠⁠For more:⁠⁠Kashmir Lit⁠⁠Elia Ayoub is on⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠ and blogs at⁠⁠ ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠⁠⁠ Abdulla Moaswes is on ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠Ather Zia has a ⁠⁠website⁠⁠Hafsa Kanjwal has a ⁠⁠website⁠⁠The Fire These Times is on⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ IG⁠⁠⁠ and has a⁠⁠⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠, and has a⁠⁠⁠ website⁠⁠⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠⁠⁠ Antidote Zine⁠⁠⁠ and will be published on⁠⁠⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠⁠⁠.Credits:Abdulla Moaswes (host), Elia Ayoub (producer, sound editor, episode design),⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music),⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Aug 11, 2025 • 1h 4min

203/ The Kashmir Question: Resistance w/ Ather Zia, Hafsa Kanjwal and Abdulla Moaswes

Guest host Abdulla Moaswes, a Palestinian scholar and old buddy of mine, is joined by two scholars of Kashmir, Ather Zia and Hafsa Kanjwal to talk about Kashmir. It’s a long episode, but that’s because we wanted to make sure to present Kashmir’s history on its own terms, a Kashmir perspective that does not center Pakistan and certainly not India (or China). This is part 2 of the Kashmir Question series. ⁠The full version is already available⁠ on Patreon.For much of the last 3 decades, Kashmir has been among the most militarised places on Earth, with its territory divided between the three nuclear-armed states of India, Pakistan, and China. Earlier this year, events in the region acted as a prelude to an armed confrontation between India and Pakistan, which the former used as an opportunity to more deeply entrench an emergent settler colonial form of rule in the territory. Many view the Kashmir question as simply a territorial dispute between these three states, but as this podcast series will demonstrate, the Kashmir question is one about colonial occupation and anticolonial resistance. In this podcast series, Hafsa, Ather and Abdulla first outline the origins of the Kashmir crisis, explaining how the region came to be partitioned as a result of British and Indian colonialism. They contextualise Kashmir’s colonisation within the project of Indian statebuilding, as well as the territory’s relevance to regional geopolitics. In part 2, they discuss Kashmiri resistance over the decades, including the events that led to and comprised the Kashmir Intifada that broke out in the late 1980s. The third and final episode consists of an assessment of Kashmir’s current status and the guests’ outlook for the future. Ather Zia is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Gender Studies program at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley as well as a poet, short fiction writer, and columnist. Hafsa Kanjwal is an associate professor of South Asian History in the Department of History at Lafayette College in Easton, PennsylvaniaAbdulla Moaswes is a Palestinian writer, researcher, educator and translator.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: ⁠Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution⁠,⁠ From The Periphery Podcast⁠,⁠ The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Politically Depressed⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Obscuristan⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠Antidote Zine⁠⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on ⁠Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery⁠For more:⁠Kashmir Lit⁠Elia Ayoub is on⁠ ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠Mastodon⁠ and blogs at⁠ ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠⁠ Abdulla Moaswes is on ⁠Bluesky⁠Ather Zia has a ⁠website⁠Hafsa Kanjwal has a ⁠website⁠The Fire These Times is on⁠ Bluesky⁠,⁠⁠ IG⁠⁠ and has a⁠⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠, and has a⁠⁠ website⁠⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠⁠ Antidote Zine⁠⁠ and will be published on⁠⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠⁠.Credits:Abdulla Moaswes (host), Elia Ayoub (producer, sound editor, episode design),⁠ ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music),⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠ ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and⁠ ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Aug 4, 2025 • 45min

202/ The Kashmir Question: Origins w/ Ather Zia, Hafsa Kanjwal and Abdulla Moaswes

Guest host Abdulla Moaswes, a Palestinian scholar and old buddy of mine, is joined by two scholars of Kashmir, Ather Zia and Hafsa Kanjwal to talk about Kashmir. It’s a long episode, but that’s because we wanted to make sure to present Kashmir’s history on its own terms, a Kashmir perspective that does not center Pakistan and certainly not India (or China). This is part 1 of the Kashmir Question series. The full version is already available on Patreon.For much of the last 3 decades, Kashmir has been among the most militarised places on Earth, with its territory divided between the three nuclear-armed states of India, Pakistan, and China. Earlier this year, events in the region acted as a prelude to an armed confrontation between India and Pakistan, which the former used as an opportunity to more deeply entrench an emergent settler colonial form of rule in the territory. Many view the Kashmir question as simply a territorial dispute between these three states, but as this podcast series will demonstrate, the Kashmir question is one about colonial occupation and anticolonial resistance. In this podcast series, Hafsa, Ather and Abdulla first outline the origins of the Kashmir crisis, explaining how the region came to be partitioned as a result of British and Indian colonialism. They contextualise Kashmir’s colonisation within the project of Indian statebuilding, as well as the territory’s relevance to regional geopolitics. In part 2, they discuss Kashmiri resistance over the decades, including the events that led to and comprised the Kashmir Intifada that broke out in the late 1980s. The third and final episode consists of an assessment of Kashmir’s current status and the guests’ outlook for the future. Ather Zia is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Gender Studies program at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley as well as a poet, short fiction writer, and columnist. Hafsa Kanjwal is an associate professor of South Asian History in the Department of History at Lafayette College in Easton, PennsylvaniaAbdulla Moaswes is a Palestinian writer, researcher, educator and translator.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryFor more:Kashmir LitElia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky, Mastodon and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Abdulla Moaswes is on BlueskyAther Zia has a websiteHafsa Kanjwal has a websiteThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Abdulla Moaswes (host), Elia Ayoub (producer, sound editor, episode design), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Jul 29, 2025 • 56min

201/ This Cannot Be The New Normal

In this special episode of The Fire These Times, Elia is joined by four members of the From The Periphery media collective to talk about the ongoing famine in Gaza, Israel's genocide and the world's complicity. Despite the obviously horrific nature of this topic, we insisted on not giving in to despair. The génocidaires cannot win.The five participants connected to the Gaza genocide through their own respective experiences: Leila Al-Shami (Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution) is a Syrian-British activist and writer who lived in Gaza for three years; Karena Avedissian (Obscuristan) is an Armenian scholar who continues to reflect on the legacy of the Armenian genocide and the role of Genocide studies today; Daniel Voskoboynik (Hidah: Jewish Counter-Colonial Thoughts) joined us from what used to be the Warsaw Ghetto, site of one of the most infamous episodes of the Holocaust; israa' (The Mutual Aid Podcast) has been involved in Gaza mutual aid (click here for the link); and finally Elia is a Palestinian-Lebanese whose grandfather was a Palestinian refugee.They spoke about pushing back against despair, and the importance of rejecting Israel's genocide as the new normal. It got very personal at times.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.If you're not a supporter yet, please consider doing so with only $5 a month on Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryFor more:Elia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky, Mastodon and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Leila Al-Shami is on Bluesky, Mastodon and blogs hereKarena Avedissian is on Blueskyisraa is on BlueskyDaniel Voskoboynik is on Bluesky and blogs at The Ecology of UsThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Leila Al Shami (host), israa (host), Daniel Voskoboynik (host), Karena Avedissian (host), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 
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Jun 30, 2025 • 1h 6min

200/ The Rise of End Times Fascism w/ Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor

For episode 200 (!) of The Fire These Times, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor join Dana & Elia to talk about their piece "the rise of end times fascism." Naomi Klein is the author of Doppelganger, On Fire, How to Change Everything, the Shock Doctrine & No Logo, among others. Astra Taylor is the co-founder of the Debt Collector and is the author of Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone, The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age and The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart, among others.The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.Support FTP on Patreon!Referenced:Sitt Marie Rose by Etel AdnanCool People Who Did Cool Stuff podcast (on all podcast apps)Resistance is Fertile: The Star Trek Anarchist Podcast (on all podcast apps)The Book of Records For more:Naomi Klein has a website, a newsletter, and is on Instagram and BlueskyAstra Taylor has a website and is on BlueskyElia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠Mastodon⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Dana El Kurd is on BlueskyThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and⁠ YouTube⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, producer, sound editor, episode design), Dana El Kurd (host), ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics). 

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