Episodes
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| The London Circle | 31 Oct 2024
Islamic schools are a prominent feature within Australian Muslim societies, and among the greatest success stories one can tell. However, there are immense challenges within the sector, particularly in attempting to provide an exemplary education to Australian Muslims and Australia as a whole.
Dr. Zacharia Matthews is clearly passionate about his vocation, when discussing Islamic Education with Anas Altikriti.
Not only the brilliant achievements which he proudly speaks of, but also the challenges which cause him deep concern, particularly in terms of the role learners will assume within and at the helm of Australia in the future in all walks of life.
He also talks about the impact of Islamic education and Islamic schools on Australian society and what real value and benefit this brings to the entire country.
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Guests:
| Dr. Zachariah Matthews, Educational Expert and Headteacher
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| The London Circle | 24 Oct 2024
There’s no denying that Gaza has motivated Australian Muslims, and possibly the entire pro-Palestine movement in Australia to engage with the coming elections in an unprecedented manner. How though? And towards which direction and for what end?
Wherever you go and whoever you speak to, there’s no denying the impact that Gaza has had on every discussion and every event. With the council elections ongoing and the federal elections expected sometime early next year, politics plays a big part in those discussions.
While there appears to be a division of sorts in tactical positioning, the fact remains that now more than ever before, Australian Muslims want real and effective change.
Ramia Abdo Sultan is perfectly positioned to shed light on this and other issues with Anas Altikriti, being a lawyer, a community activist and a leading figure in the pro-Palestine campaign.
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Guests:
| Ramia Abdo Sultan, Lawyer and community activist
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| The London Circle | 17 Oct 2024
As Australia goes through its council elections and braces for its Federal Elections, what are the main challenges they face, and what opportunities stand before them? Also, what are the political and non-political tools at their disposal to achieve their collective goals.
Sheikh Shadi Alsuleiman is a prominent figure in the life of the Australian Muslims, and since his appointment as President of Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), in Australian life in general. He discusses with visiting Anas Altikriti, the challenges and the opportunities, and speaks of the tools which could be employed to see the Muslim community attain its full potential.
He also describes the variant opinions on the looking Federal Elections, and what that might mean for Australia’s Muslims and overall society.
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Guests:
| Sheikh Shadi Alsuleiman, President of ANIC
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| The London Circle | 20 Sep 2024
For almost two decades, Prevent has been enforced by one UK government after another, as the main point of reference for combatting terrorism and extremism within Muslim youth, and encouraging social cohesion. However, not everything is as described on the packaging.
PreventWatch was established ten years ago, after it became clear that the government’s anti-extremism strategy was yielding far far more problems than positive outcomes, as well as stigmatising British Muslims and creating divisions within society as a whole.
Anas Altikriti discusses with Dr. Layla Aitlhadj on what Prevent really entails, how it impacts children whether at school or even at home, breaks up families and creates a society riddled with suspicion, fear and inability to express or think freely.
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Guests:
| Dr. Layla Aitlhadj, Director, PreventWatch
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| The London Circle | 12 Sep 2024
With Far-Right riots dominating the news, the question of whether this spike in racist outbursts, is an abnormal occurrence and a blip on the radar or whether it’s a phenomenon that is here to stay for a while.
Anas Altikriti talks with Weyman Bennett on the recent far-right racist riots and how they are likely to manifest in the coming days, weeks and probably even years.
They discuss how the target of racists are Muslims, and how this emerged and developed so that Islamophobia became almost normalized across the board.
The role of the new Labour government in combatting, or indeed exacerbating this issue is also discussed, with a look at the role that the Gaza protests had on the collective response to the racists.
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Guests:
| Weyman Bennett, Co-Convenor of Stand Up to Racism
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| The London Circle | 05 Sep 2024
Riots across the UK, accompanying a rhetoric adopted by politicians and sections of the media, strongly remind of the days when NF racists marched the streets of Britain and politicians declared racist viewpoints from prominent lecterns. Is this a return to that?
Whilst Islamophobia has been a much discussed topic in recent years, very few would’ve predicted the scenes and the scale of the riots that followed the Southport murders.
Little doubt that politics and politicians have a role in either stemming or stoking racist sentiments and expressions, it was clear that politics was at the heart of troubles which saw children as young as 11 convicted of racist criminality targeting Muslim communities, mosques as well as police forces attempting to push back.
Sabby Dhalu talks to Anas Altikriti about how matters escalated in the way they did and what we can hope for a future under the new Labour government.
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Guests:
| Sabby Dhalu, Co-Convenor of Stand Up to Racism
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| The London Circle | 22 Aug 2024
Over 500 years, the Ottomans were regarded as the greatest power in the world, with cultural, aesthetic, architectural influences as well as their military and political supremacy. But it’s never as simple as that, not does it just stop there.
The impact of the Ottomans on the entire world, and not only in the regions of Anatolia and the Near East, is remarkable. The 500-year history of the regional and arguably global domination is full of significant events, developments, challenges and achievements on virtually every section of human interaction.
It’s rise, but equally, it’s fall, and the role of the rising West, the Arab Revolution make for a fascinating discussion with Dr. Yakoob Ahmed.
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Guests:
| Yakoob Ahmed, Lecturer in Ottoman Studies
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| The London Circle | 15 July 2024
Despite the magnificent advancements humanity has made in the fields of technology, medicine, research and communication, the vast majority of the world’s population find themselves buried in crisis, problems, issues and challenges on every single level.
Wars, poverty, oppression, disease, injustice and social breakdown are rife, and if Gaza, Sudan, The Congo and others are anything to go by, matters are getting worse by the day.
Anas Altikriti sits with Amr Darrag and Yehia Hamed to discuss the way out of the quagmire humanity finds itself, and how Islamic perspectives on a renaissance of sorts might provide that way out.
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Guests:
| Amr Darrag
| Yehia Hamed
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| The London Circle | 06 July 2024
Gaza has changed everything, including many would argue, the state of the world media. Not only in terms of how news is gathered and broadcast but also how news is relayed and with what kind of imagery.
The impact of social media which has become the choice of the majority of young people for their news and information has also contributed to the radical change the media has underwent over the past 20 years or so.
Khalil Charles the Deputy News Editor @trtworld sits with Anas Altikriti and discusses these themes and more.
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Guests:
| Khalil Charles, Deputy News Editor @trtworld
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| The London Circle | 25 July 2024
The impact of colonialism and colonising the human mind remains in effect till this day. Rather than troops with guns, the slavery of the mind is arguably the strongest weapon in the oppressor’s armour.
Professor Hatem Bazian specialises in decolonisation studies, and is therefore best placed to comment on the deep and long term impact of colonialism on the shape of the world today, politically, economically and socially. In this discussion, he explains the manifestation of colonialism on the shape of modern society, and how the occupation of Palestine and indeed the genocide in Gaza, can be traced intellectually to the remnants of colonialism which linger until this very day.
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Guests:
| Hatem Bazian, Professor of Middle East History and Cultures
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| The London Circle | 18 July 2024
While it’s good that the British Muslim community has spent a tremendous effort on organizing for the General Election, it would be entirely wrong to forget the real effort that must be spent on creating real change.
There can be little argument that the effort to organise for the General Election was unprecedented, but Saghir Hussain argues that the Muslim community must not ignore what needs to happen if real and radical change is the objective.
In his conversation with Anas Altikriti, He argues that the system under which we live is ingenuine and virtually a deceit, where rules could easily be bent and broken should the wrong outcomes emerge.
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Guests:
| Saghir Hussain, Legal Advisor to CAGE
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| The London Circle | 11 July 2024
Is there any value in posing the question of whether or not peace is even attainable between Israel and Palestine in light of the past 9 months?
What of the stands of the West and the Arabs, and how can the cycle of violence and injustice come to an end?
Daniel Levy is a former chief negotiator for the Israeli government as well as a political advisor to former PMs, and therefore best placed to shed light on the problem within Israel which prevents any form of resolution to this 76-year problem.
He and Anas Altikriti discuss pivotal moments such as Oslo in 1993 and others, where this recent genocide could have (hypothetically) been avoided, and what developments we could look forward to that would bring an end to Palestinian suffering and injustice and peace to the region.
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Guests:
| Daniel Levy, Director of US Middle East Project
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| The London Circle | 03 July 2024
The issue of rights and responsibilities when it comes to RSE in UK schools seem to be an ambiguous issue, which deemed even the PM’s intervention necessary.
So what are the rights of parents to oversee their children’s education and to intervene when they feel they must?
It could be argued that Relationships and Sexual Education is among the top issues in every British Muslim’s mind, indeed in the minds of the majority of Brits, parents particularly.
Along with a moral stand on the genocide in Gaza, endorsable candidates for the General Election were asked to express their unequivocal stand on this issue as well.
The fact that there is so much ambiguity and lack of clarity when it comes to an issue, the consequences of which so significant, makes this conversation between Yusuf Patel and Anas Altikriti, all the more crucial.
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Guests:
| Yusuf Patel, Managing Director of Muslim Family Initiative
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| The London Circle | 27 June 2024
For almost 9 months, the Pro-Palestine coalition has mobilized like it has never mobilized before. Record numbers of protestors, record numbers of events and an unprecedented benchmark for change and effect.
But what next for the Left, as well as for Britain as a whole?
Over 15 national protests, hundreds of local and regional events and millions of protestors who have incessantly come out in support of the victims of Gaza over close to 9 months, in an unprecedented show of support and solidarity.
Anas Altikriti talks with Chris Nineham who traces back this movement to the days of the Afghanistan and then Iraq wars over 20 years ago, and the political and social upheavals that have occurred since, allowing for this tremendous mobilization to be possible.
They discuss Palestine, the British and European Left, the Corbyn years leading Labour and the future of Britain amid the coming general election.
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Guests:
| Chris Nineham, Vice President of Stop The War Coalition
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| The London Circle | 20 June 2024
Whilst the world focuses on the genocide unfolding in Gaza, Kashmir continues to endure its own occupation and cultural, religious and ethnic annihilation by Indian authorities, amid indifference from its supposedly closest allies.
Kashmir has been occupied by India since 1947, and despite UN resolutions and international agreements pertaining to a referendum by the people of Kashmir, India continues to ignore all of that, favouring mass murder, annihilation, torture and cultural and physical genocide instead, relying on its standing as a global economic powerhouse.
Zaffar Ahmad Quraishi speaks with Anas Altikriti to discuss how further light could be shed on this issue and the scenarios for a resolution.
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Guests:
| Zaffar Ahmad Quraishi, Chairman, Kashmir Campaign Global
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| The London Circle | 13 June 2024
A South African Jew, marries to Bangaldeshi Muslim and who grew up in the circles of the ANC before and after the collapse of the Apartheid regime, is now standing opposite the leader of Labour and the widely expected Prime Minister Kier Starmer.
The parralels between Apartheid South Africa and the Zionist state of Israel could not be made clearer than by a South African Jew, who lived under Apartheid and was part of the struggle to see its demise. Andrew Feinstein’s experience with the great Nelson Mandella and his take on the future of the UK, British politics and the Palestinian cause make for a rich and profound discussion with Anas Altikriti
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Guests:
| Andrew Feinstein; Gaza, Apartheid and Standing Against Starmer
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| The London Circle | 05 June 2024
Since the Gaza strip was blocked by Israel and a siege was imposed, despite the denunciation of numerous international laws, various attempts have been made to break the siege by activists from around the world, some failing and some coming close to reaching the besieged strip and its people.
John Adam Turnball, a Canadian retired software engineer and activist, who is one of the captains of the ship Handala speaks with Anas Altikriti about the endeavour to break the siege imposed on Gaza, and the varying degrees of success this has encountered over the years.
He speaks about his own personal journey since hearing of Israel and Palestine and the transformation he and his thinking went through over the years. He also speaks of his hopes and aspirations for the younger generation and their fight for truth and justice over the world.
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Guests:
| John Adam Turnball, Captain of the Ship Handala
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| The London Circle | 30 May 2024
The student movement condemning Israel’s genocide against Gaza is remarkable for a number of reasons, not least the high threshold set by the movement and the demand of western countries to reassess its own respective value systems and identities. Have those movements in Pakistan and Turkey matched that threshold?
The student movements in both Turkey and Pakistan are renowned for their dynamism and influence on the wider societies. However, despite the global movement against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, Turkey and Pakistan, as two of the largest and most influential Muslim countries, have failed to match the volume and expanse of that movement, especially the student and youth sections.
Ahsan Shafiq discusses with Anas Altikriti the reasons and factors that have impacted both societies, and the significant potentials both continue to carry.
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Guests:
| Ahsan Shafiq, Leading Student Activist in Pakistan
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| The London Circle | 22 May 2024
With dissatisfaction with the major parties being at an all-time high, some consider the next general elections as a potentially historic spectacle, where major wins for independent candidates and small parties threaten to win big.
The recent local elections displayed the scale of public frustration and dissatisfaction among the general public towards the main political parties.
Whilst Gaza might have been the point at which people began to question the very values claimed by successive governments, indeed by Western civilization generally, including human rights, women and child safety, democracy and international law, issues at home are playing a significant part in fueling the general appetite for real change.
Anas Altikriti discusses with Kamel Hawwash and Pamela Fitzpatrick the scope and possibilities for real change.
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Guests:
| Kamel Hawwash, PPC for Birmingham Selly Oak
| Pamela Fitzpatrick, PPC for Harrow West
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| The London Circle | 16 May 2024
The problem with the world right now might seem to be Gaza, but in actual goes far deeper and is far more endemic than one is led to initially believe. Whether it be ‘democracy’, ‘human rights’ or ‘international law’, unless we recognize the more serious problem, we won’t be able to fully comprehend why the world seems to be in such a mess.
In the estimation of Professor Irfan Ahmad, the ongoing genocide in Gaza is merely symptomatic of what is truly at the heart of the worlds’ problems.
In his discussion with Anas Altikriti, Prof. Ahmad attempts to dissect what we have come to accept as givens and as fixtures of the world in which we live and the system with which it is governed.
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Guests:
| Irfan Ahmad, Sociologist & Anthropologist, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul
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