The Fire These Times

In episode 146, Joey Ayoub and Dana El-Kurd talk to Sally Abed, Orly Noy and Amjad Iraqi. Abed is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together (עומדים ביחד نقف معًا), a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice. Orly Noy is the chair of B'Tselem, arguably Israel's most well-known human rights NGO, and editor of the Hebrew-language news magazine Local Call. Amjad Iraqi is a member of Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, an editor and writer at +972 Magazine, and previously an advocacy coordinator at Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. In this wide-ranging conversation, the hosts and guests spoke about the current state of Israel's political landscape, from its ongoing "Smotrichization" to the political crackdowns, from the normalization of genocidal rhetoric against Palestinians to the necessity of being "chronically optimistic" to push for change in Israel-Palestine. At a time when Netanyahu and the Israeli far-right have effectively taken over politics, and with so many self-described liberals joining in the calls for violence, principled left-wing voices seem all but gone in Israel. Finally, each guest shares their personal theory of change, offering a glimpse into their vision for the future.  These episodes are intended to be evergreen conversations. If you're interested in resources dedicated to real-time information, you can follow us on Instagram where we amplify voices on the ground in Palestine-Israel. The best way to support The Fire These Times is through ⁠Patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠. The other best way is to leave a review about The Fire These Times wherever you listen to podcasts. And the other other best way is to tell your friends and enemies about The Fire These Times.

Daniel and Joey host a conversation between Hadar Cohen and Dahab Kashi, exploring the radical power of Arab Jewish perspectives. Often seen as mutually exclusive identities, the existence and experience of Arab Jews transcends the narrow, and violent, confines of both Zionism and Arab Nationalism. The artist Yossi Zabari spoke about the power of the 'hyphen connecting Arab and Jew', and in this episode we explore the potential that acknowledging that hyphen has in our current critical moment. The best way to support The Fire These Times is through ⁠Patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠. The other best way is to leave a review about The Fire These Times wherever you listen to podcasts. And the other other best way is to tell your friends and enemies about The Fire These Times.   Credits: Host: Daniel Voskoboynik and Joey Ayoub Producer: Ayman Makarem Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Main theme design: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ Sound editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ayman Makarem Episode design: Joey Ayoub

In light of the genocidal onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza following the October 7th Hamas attack, we've decided to re-release an old episode on Hamas, Gaza, and Palestine-Israel. In this episode from June 2021, Joey interviews Tareq Baconi, author of the book "Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance" published in 2018. Baconi meticulously outlines the nature of Israel's blockade on Gaza, the various aspects of Palestinian resistance to ongoing occupation, and contextualizes Hamas's role, structure, and motives within this wider social and political struggle. The audio is remastered and includes a new introduction by Joey that situates this conversation in the post Oct 7th reality. Episode Credits Host: Joey AyoubProducer: Ayman MakaremMusic: Rap and RevengeMain theme design: Wenyi GengSound editor: Ayman MakaremEpisode design: Joey Ayoub

For episode 144, Daniel is joined by renowned Sudanese Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im for a wide-ranging conversation on human rights, spirituality, and inter-cultural justice. Professor An-Na’im is an internationally recognized scholar of Islam and human rights, specifically from cross-cultural perspectives, and teaches courses in international law, comparative law, human rights, and Islamic law. With intensifying human rights violations around the world, and longstanding failures from international bodies to curtail state and corporate impunity, how do we understand protecting human rights today? Abdullahi brings decades of experience as an activist, scholar and jurist to the table, drawing on cross-cultural prisms and critical religious thought. Mentions The works of Ustaz Mahmoud Taha: Brief Bio of Ustaz Mahmoud Taha Second Message of Islam, The – Syracuse University Press Books by Professor Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im: Decolonizing Human Rights Islam and the Secular State — Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im | Harvard University Press The best way to support The Fire These Times is through ⁠Patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠. The other best way is to leave a review about The Fire These Times wherever you listen to podcasts. And the other other best way is to tell your friends and enemies about The Fire These Times. Contact You can follow The Fire These Times on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can follow Daniel on: Website | Twitter | Instagram Credits Host: Daniel VoskoboynikProducer: Ayman MakaremMusic: Rap and RevengeMain theme design: Wenyi GengSound editor: Ayman MakaremEpisode design: Joey Ayoub

A roundtable discussion on Israel-Palestine featuring Dana El Kurd, Orly Noy, and Yair Wallach. They explore themes of grief, thinking through the current moment, and potential solutions. The Israeli response and repression, personal experiences of fear and grief, sustainability of the Israeli model, building solidarity, and the limitations of political institutions are discussed.

Ayman Makarem is joined by two Sudanese commentators, Raga Makawi and Dalia Abdelmoniem, to talk about the war in Sudan. Both guests talk at length about the situation as well as the political, economic, and revolutionary context it exists within. This intimate discussion explores the many ways Sudanese people are reflecting on and struggling against the current war situation. With little to no international attention, these voices are vital to listen to and learn from. You can support The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with a monthly or yearly donation and get a lot of perks including early access, exclusive videos, monthly hangouts, access to the book club, merch and more. Contact You can follow The Fire These Times on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Credits: Host: Ayman Makarem Producer: Ayman Makarem Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Main theme design: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ Sound editor: Ayman Makarem ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode design: Joey Ayoub

Elia Ayoub is joined by returning guests Karena Avedissian and Anna to talk about the recent crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh / Artsakh where the near entirety of the ethnic Armenian population was ethnically cleansed by Azerbaijan. The Aliyev dictatorship running Azerbaijan has met no challenges from the so-called international community - quite the contrary. What happened in Nagorno-Karabakh is a crime against humanity, the sort of crime that should never be normalized. You can support The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with a monthly or yearly donation and get a lot of perks including early access, exclusive videos, monthly hangouts, access to the book club, merch and more. Recommendations: https://allforarmenia.org https://www.miaseen.org https://syunfund.org https://astvatsaturian.org https://evnreport.com https://www.civilnet.am/en Contact You can follow The Fire These Times on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can follow Karena on Twitter | Bluesky Credits: Host: Elia Ayoub Guests: Karena Avedissian and Anna Producer: Elia Ayoub Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠ Main theme design: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠ Sound editor: ⁠⁠⁠Artin Salimi⁠ Episode design: Elia Ayoub

Joey is joined by Anas & Elena from the Border Violence Monitoring Network to talk about the way in which the European Union is criminalizing solidarity with migrants and how the EU has turned the Mediterranean into a giant graveyard for people who look like me. You can support The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠⁠⁠⁠ with a monthly or yearly donation and get a lot of perks including early access, exclusive videos, monthly hangouts, access to the book club, merch and more. Mentions and Book Recommendations: Tech Won't Save Us podcast Kerning Cultures podcast Sortiermaschinen: Die Neuerfindung der Grenze im 21. Jahrhundert by Steffen Mau Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova Contact You can follow The Fire These Times on: ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠ You can follow Joey on: ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠, or reach out to him via email at ⁠⁠⁠contact@thefirethesetimes.com⁠ Credits: Host: Joey Ayoub Producer: Joey Ayoub Music: ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠ Main theme design: ⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng Sound editor: ⁠⁠Artin Salimi Episode design: Joey Ayoub

Joey is joined by French economist and researcher Timothée Parrique and Lebanese researcher Yusra Bitar to talk about why tackling our world's most pressing challenges must include conversations around degrowth. Timothée Parrique is a researcher at the School of Economics and Management of Lund University (Sweden) and is the lead author of “Decoupling debunked – Evidence and arguments against green growth” (2019), a report published by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). He is also author of Ralentir ou périr. L’économie de la décroissance (September 2022, Seuil), a wide-audience book adaptation of his PhD dissertation. Yusra Bitar is the Lebanon Research Fellow with the Environmental Politics program at the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI). Yusra and Joey are also both Fellows of the Post Growth Institute (2022 and 2023 respectively). You can support The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠⁠⁠⁠ with a monthly or yearly donation and get a lot of perks including early access, exclusive videos, monthly hangouts, access to the book club, merch and more. Mentions and Book Recommendations: A journey through Misarchy: An essay to rebuild everything by Emmanuel Dockès The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism by Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, Aaron Vansintjan Less is More: How Degrowth will Save the World by Jason Hickel Contact You can follow The Fire These Times on: ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠ You can follow Joey on: ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠, or reach out to him via email at ⁠⁠⁠contact@thefirethesetimes.com⁠ You can follow Timothée on Website | Twitter | Instagram | Mastodon Credits: Host: Joey Ayoub Producer: Joey Ayoub Music: ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge Main theme design: ⁠⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠ Sound editor: ⁠⁠Artin Salimi Episode design: Joey Ayoub

Joey is joined by Leila Al-Shami, British-Syrian activist and co-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War, Romeo Kokriatski, Ukrainian-American managing editor of The New Voice of Ukraine and co-host of the Ukraine Without Hype podcast, and Dana El Kurd, Palestinian-American assistant professor in the department of political science at the University of Richmond to talk about an essay the four of us wrote. The essay, "A view of anti-imperialism from the periphery," was published by the south/south movement as part of their south/south dialogues: Beyond the colonial vortex of the ‘West’: Subverting non-western imperialisms before and after 24 February 2022. I recommend giving it a read before listening, but this is not necessary. You can support The Fire These Times on ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/firethesetimes⁠⁠⁠ with a monthly or yearly donation and get a lot of perks including early access, exclusive videos, monthly hangouts, access to the book club, merch and more. Mentions and Book Recommendations: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge Too Like the Lightning Book I by Ada Palmer Commons journal, including the interviews with Joey Ayoub and Dana El Kurd Sumoud-Washing: A Queer-Feminist Analysis of the Syrian and Palestinian Struggle for Liberation by Nayrouz Abu Hatoum and Razan Ghazzawi Contact You can follow The Fire These Times on: ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠ You can follow Joey on: ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠, or reach out to him via email at ⁠⁠contact@thefirethesetimes.com⁠ You can follow Leila on: Website | Twitter | Bluesky | Mastodon You can follow Romeo on: Twitter | Bluesky You can follow Dana on: Website | Bluesky | Twitter Credits: Host: Joey Ayoub  Producer: Joey Ayoub  Music: ⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠ Main theme design: ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠ Sound editor: ⁠Artin Salimi ⁠ Episode design: Joey Ayoub