The Fire These Times

For episode 179, Beirut-based journalist Justin Salhani is joined with New York University professor and journalist Mohamad Bazzi to talk about the situation in Lebanon before and after the ceasefire with Israel.For more:Follow The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠IG⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠From The Periphery is on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and has a ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠More links:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/27/israel-lebanon-gaza-war-bidenhttps://www.theguardian.com/profile/mohamad-bazzihttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/11/10/in-lebanon-misleading-and-sporadic-israeli-evacuation-orders-instil-fearhttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/10/26/once-upon-a-time-in-dahiyeh-israels-destruction-of-lebanons-communitiesBooks recommended by Bazzi:Rashid Khalidi 100 years warFawaz Traboulsi A History of Modern LebanonDavid Hirst Beware of Small StatesThe Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.To get early access to our episodes as well as other perks (monthly hangout, movie club, exclusive content and so on) you can join our patreon on Patreon.com/fromtheperiphery For more:Justin Salhani is on BlueskyMohamad Bazzi is on BlueskyThe 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:Justin Salhani (host), Ayman Makarem (producer, sound editor), 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). 

A lot has happened over the last week in Syria, so we figured we'd gather together, as members of From the Periphery, to discuss the latest developments and provide a historical and political background to help understand the current moment. We discuss a broad range of topics starting with an overview of the what's happened in the last week or so, including: the origins of the Syrian revolution, the counter-revolutionary war, the abuses and crimes of the Assad regime, foreign interventions and regional factors, descriptions of groups such as HTS (Hayat Tahrir al Sham) and SNA (Syria National Army), Kurdish movements and the concerns of ethnic/religious minorities, the racist tankie 'take' industry, and the connections between liberatory movements for Palestine and Syria. We cover a lot but of course we couldn't do everything justice. We will provide links below for further resources, but also plan on doing more episodes in the near future on all these topics as things develop and progress.You can support us on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠. You’ll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join⁠ ⁠⁠⁠our monthly hangouts⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more.For more:Elia Ayoub is on ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠Mastodon⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and blogs at ⁠Hauntologies.net⁠ Leila Al-Shami on ⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠Ayman Makarem is on BlueskyKarena Avedissian is on BlueskyThe Fire These Times is on Bluesky,⁠ IG⁠ and has a⁠ ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠From The Periphery is on⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠, ⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠,⁠ Instagram⁠, and has a⁠ website⁠⁠The Fire These Times is a proud member of⁠ ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, ⁠Obscuristan⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠.Transcriptions: Transcriptions are done by⁠ Antidote Zine⁠ and will be published on⁠ The Fire These Times' transcript archive⁠.Credits:Elia Ayoub (host, episode design), ⁠⁠Leila Al Shami (host), Ayman Makarem (host, producer, sound editor), Karena Avedissian, ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design) and ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics).

For episode 177, Leila is joined by Serge from Buzuruna Juzuruna, an agro-ecological farm and heirloom seed producer in the Bekka Valley working on food autonomy, and Abir from Hostel Beirut, a worker owned cooperative in the heart of the Lebanese capital committed to social and economic justice for all. We talk about the current situation in Lebanon following the Israeli invasion, the mutual aid initiatives both guests are involved in during the current crisis, and what international solidarity looks like in their context. The Fire These Times is a proud member of ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠.  How to Support: on ⁠Patreon⁠ or on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠. You’ll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join ⁠our monthly hangouts⁠, and more. Transcriptions: Transcriptions will be by Antidote Zine and published on this website. Episode links:  Hostel Beirut Solidarity Call Lebanon Solidarity Collective/Buzuruna Juzuruna fundraiser (in French) People to People Initiative  The Peoples Want Mutual Aid Lebanon (From the Periphery) For more: Follow The Fire These Times on IG and YouTube From The Periphery is on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠,⁠ and has a ⁠website⁠⁠ Follow Leila on Twitter and Mastodon and Bluesky  Check out Leila’s blog   Credits: Host: Leila Al-Shami | Guests: Abir & Serge | Music: ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠ | TFTT theme design: ⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠ | FTP theme design: ⁠Hisham Rifai⁠ | Sound editor: Ayman Makarem| Team profile pics: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Episode design: Elia Ayoub | Producers: Leila Al-Shami & Aydın Yıldız From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon! The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

In this rerun of episode 131, Elia is joined by Dr Yafa El Masri to talk about her paper “72 Years of Homemaking in Waiting Zones: Lebanon’s “Permanently Temporary” Palestinian Refugee Camps” which she presented at the 2022 Pluriverse of Eco-social Justice summer school in Coimbra, Portugal, where we met. Dr El Masri spoke from first hand experience of commoning in "permanently temporary" spaces as she is herself a Palestinian refugee who was born and raised in Borj El Brajneh refugee camp in Beirut's southern suburbs. Mentions and Recommendations: A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Sornit  Eleven Lives: Stories from Palestinian Exiles edited by Muhammad Ali Khalidi The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You by Dina Nayeri Placeless People: Writings, Rights, and Refugees by Lyndsey Stonebridge Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Sornit Credits: Host(s): Elia Ayoub | Guest (s): Yafa El Masri | Music: ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠ | TFTT theme design: ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ | FTP theme design: Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Elliott Miskovicz  | Team profile pics: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠ | Episode design: Elia Ayoub  

For episode 176, Dana El Kurd is joined by Atalia Omer, professor of Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame to discuss her work on the convergences between American neoconservatism, Christian Zionism, and Israeli politics, as well as how attacking Palestine is being used to advance right-wing politics around the world. Omer discusses the impact of American right-wing politics on knowledge production and the study of Palestine, the Israeli Kahanist far right, and broader trends of Israeli violence.The Fire These Times (TFTT)⁠ is part of the ⁠From The Periphery (FTP)⁠ Media Collective. To support our work, please ⁠head out to Patreon⁠ and get early access to all podcasts, an invite to join our monthly hangout, exclusive content, and more. Books by Atalia - Decolonizing Religion and Peacebuilding When Peace Is Not Enough: How the Israeli Peace Camp Thinks about Religion, Nationalism, and Justice Days of Awe: Reimagining Jewishness in Solidarity with Palestinians Transcriptions: Transcriptions will be ⁠by Antidotezine⁠ and published on ⁠The Fire These Times⁠.Credits:Host(s): Dana El Kurd | Guest: Atalia Omer | Music: ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠ | TFTT theme design: ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ | FTP theme design: Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Elliott Miskovicz  | Team profile pics: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠ | Episode design: Elia AyoubFrom The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon!The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

In lieu of an episode this week, we're pleased to announce a new podcast within the From the Periphery network. We'll return to regular TFTT releases next week. -- -- -- Welcome to The Mutual Aid Podcast. Join Ayman and israa every week as they discuss, share, and explore all things mutual aid. In this intro episode they talk about the reasons they started this project, what the project even is, and their experience, history, and positionally with mutual aid in general. They also discuss what you can expect from this project in the future and the necessity to take discussions of mutual aid more seriously, especially as the systems around us face collapse and crisis. Gaza Relief Mutual Aid https://www.instagram.com/ibrahimforgazamutualaid/ https://www.liberationthrumutualaid.com Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon https://www.patreon.com/qmalebanon References: https://www.thepublicsource.org/charity-mutual-aid Peter Kropotkin - Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution Dean Spade - Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis (and the Next) David Graeber - Debt: The First 5000 Years Support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/fromtheperiphery Credits: Artwork - Hisham Rifai Music - Beit Youssef and Ramsey Khudairi Hosts - israa and Ayman

Larisa Jašarević, an anthropologist and author of "Beekeeping in the End Times," dives into the rich interplay between beekeeping, culture, and climate change. She discusses personal stories from Bosnia and Armenia, revealing how religious beliefs shape our relationship with bees. The conversation touches on the importance of traditional knowledge and community responsibility in environmental stewardship. Jašarević also tackles climate's toll on mental health in youth, connecting it to broader spiritual narratives and hope amidst crises.

For episode 174, Elia and Ayman sit down to talk about Lebanon. As our little country is in the news for all the worst reasons, we thought it a good idea to give y'all an overview of Lebanese history. Materials Mentioned: Books A History of Modern Lebanon - Fawwaz Traboulsi Banking on The State - Hisham Safieddine Sextarianism - Maya Mikdashi Films Safar Barlek (1967) - Rahbani Brothers + Fairouz Ila Ein (Where to?) (1957) - dir. George Nasser Hail Walid Jumblatt (1977) - dir. Maroun Baghdadi The Lebanese Civil War (2001) (15-part Documentary - Full Playlist on FTP Youtube Channel) West Beirut (1998) - dir. Ziad Doueri Podcast TFTT Episode 85 - The Legacy of the Great Lebanon Famine (w/ Lina Mounzer and Timour Azhari) PolDep Episode 11 - Community of Grief (w/ Lina Mounzer) Transcriptions: Transcriptions will be by Antidotezine and published on The Fire These Times. Pluggables: The Fire These Times has a ⁠website⁠ ⁠ From The Periphery is on ⁠Patreon⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, Instagram, Twitter and has a website⁠ Elia Ayoub is on ⁠Mastodon⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠and ⁠Bluesky⁠, and he has a newsletter. Politically Depressed is on Instagram Credits: Host(s): Elia Ayoub & Ayman Makarem | Music: ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠ | TFTT theme design: ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ | FTP theme design: Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Hazel Henry Audio | Team profile pics: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠ | Episode design: Elia Ayoub From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, and israa abd elfattah. The Fire These Times is a proud member of ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠.

For episode 173, Elias Jahshan joins Elia Ayoub, israa abd elfattah and Leila Al-Shami to talk about "This Arab Is Queer" anthology, which he edited and was published by Saqi Books in 2022. The Fire These Times is a proud member of ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠. How to Support: on ⁠Patreon⁠ or on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠. You'll get early access to all podcasts, exclusive audio and video episodes, an invitation to join ⁠our monthly hangouts⁠, and more. Episode Links: Elias' articles at Gay Times TIMEP Q&A with Elias What is Pinkwashing? co-authored by Elias Jahshan and Hayfaa Chalabi for Shado Mag Elias' articles at Star Observer Elias' articles at The New Arab Check out Our first video essay on YouTube by Ayman Makarem: Zionism from the Standpoint of Its Victims and subscribe to our channel Elia Ayoub's newsletter Hauntologies.net Transcriptions: Transcriptions will be by Antidotezine and published on The Fire These Times. Pluggables: The Fire These Times has a ⁠website⁠ ⁠ From The Periphery is on ⁠Patreon⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, Instagram, Twitter and has a website⁠ Elia Ayoub is on ⁠Mastodon⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠and ⁠Bluesky⁠, and he has a newsletter. Elias Jahshan is on Instagram, Twitter and Bluesky Leila Al-Shami is on Mastodon, Twitter and has a blog Credits: Host(s): israa abd elfattah, Leila Al-Shami and Elia Ayoub | Guest(s): Elias Jahshan | Producer(s): Elia Ayoub and Leila Al-Shami | Music: ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠ | TFTT theme design: ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ | FTP theme design: Hisham Rifai | Sound editor: Elliott Miskovicz | Team profile pics: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠ | Episode design: Elia Ayoub From The Periphery is built by Elia Ayoub, Leila Al-Shami, Ayman Makarem, Dana El Kurd, Karena Avedissian, Daniel Voskoboynik, Anna M, Aydın Yıldız, Ed S, Alice Bonfatti, israa abd elfattah, with more joining soon! The Fire These Times by Elia Ayoub is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Ayman sits down with Elia to discuss his article "Hezbollah: 10 Things You Need To Know" which is available for free on his newsletter, hauntologies.net. We recorded this the day before Israel's mass terror attack on Lebanon on 21st of Sept' 24 which left nearly 500 people killed and over 1,000 injured. Elia has also written about that attack for 972mag: With pager blasts and airstrikes, Israel unleashes its terror on Lebanon. To listen to the full episode please head out to patreon.com/fromtheperiphery or, if you're on apple podcasts, you can subscribe to the channel directly.