The Enlightenment Podcast

“He’s been called one of the most important Palestinian historians of his generation — a scholar who not only documents resistance but defends the very right of Palestinians to produce knowledge under siege.” In Episode 56 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti , the leading Palestinian Oxford-trained historian who developed the contemporary definitio...

“She’s been called a pioneer of Palestinian cinema — the filmmaker who broke barriers, rewrote history, and built a cinematic revolution for her people.” In Episode 55 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Annemarie Jacir , t he award-winning Palestinian filmmaker and writer whose body of work has not only made history but also given Palestine a lasting voice on the global s...

“I've never had an M16 pointed at me before. After just one hour in Bil'in! The Palestinians I met weren't terrorists but human beings — kind, resilient, and oppressed — fighting for the most basic right of all: freedom. What shocked me most was the deep-rooted racism among the majority of Israelis — a society taught to dehumanize Palestinians.” – Robert Martin, Bil'in, West Bank (...

“He’s been called ‘one of the most self-hating Jews on earth,’ faced death threats from fellow Jews, and in November 2023, Senator Chris Coons had him removed from an Amtrak train by police after he confronted him about opposing a Gaza ceasefire...” In Episode 53 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Aaron Maté , the award-winning Jewish-Canadian journalist who has become on...

In Episode 52 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Huwaida Arraf, the Palestinian-American human rights attorney, activist, and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) . Huwaida has dedicated her life to building international solidarity networks that confront Israeli apartheid and injustice. Huwaida co-founded ISM, which brought over 10,000 international...

In Episode 51 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Vivien Sansour , the Palestinian artist, conservationist, and visionary founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library . Through her groundbreaking work, Vivien is preserving endangered Palestinian seed varieties and ensuring that stories of land, food, and heritage remain alive—one harvest at a time. Vivien established the...

In Episode 50 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Bob Suberi , a Yemeni-American Jew, Vietnam veteran, and activist who was recently arrested by Israeli forces while attempting to break the Gaza blockade aboard the Freedom Flotilla . Bob joins us to share his remarkable journey, his fight for justice in Palestine, and his work dismantling Zionist propaganda. Bob is a 77-ye...

In Episode 49 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Omar El-Akkad , the award-winning Egyptian-Canadian journalist and novelist whose viral tweet about Gaza later became the title of his explosive nonfiction debut—now a New York Times bestselling book . Omar is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade covering conflicts from Afghanistan to Guantánamo Bay for The G...

In Episode 48 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Professor Omer Bartov, one of the world’s foremost Holocaust and genocide scholars , whose moral clarity and scholarly rigor have led him to unequivocally describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide—a position he reached through a deeply personal and professional journey. Professor Bartov is the Dean's Professor of Ho...

In Episode 47 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Ahed Tamimi , the iconic Palestinian girl, national hero, freedom fighter, and symbol of resistance whose unwavering defiance in the face of Israeli military occupation has inspired people around the world. As a teenager, Ahed became internationally known when videos of her confronting heavily armed Israeli soldiers in her...

In Episode 46 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Heather Masoud and Catherine Pawson , the visionary co-founders of Zaytoun , a pioneering social enterprise that launched the world’s first Fairtrade certified olive oil in 2009. For over two decades, Zaytoun has supported Palestinian farmers through ethical trade and solidarity, while celebrating the deep cultural heritage...

In Episode 45 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Dr. Raz Segal, an Israeli-American Holocaust and genocide scholar who made headlines for courageously stating that what is unfolding in Gaza is a “textbook case of genocide”—just days after October 7th. Dr. Segal is an associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies and an endowed professor in the study of modern geno...

In Episode 44 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan sit down with Gregory Khalil, a Palestinian-American lawyer, peacemaker, and co-founder of the Telos Group, to explore the complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the role of American evangelical engagement in shaping public discourse and policy. Greg is a Yale-trained lawyer who previously advised Palestinian leadership on...

In Episode 43 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan engage in a powerful conversation with  Laith Marouf , a Palestinian-Syrian award-winning journalist, media analyst, and activist, to explore Zionism, the politics of journalism, and the struggle for Palestinian justice and liberation. Laith is the founder of  Free Palestine TV,  an independent platform dedicated to amplifying Palestinia...

In Episode 42 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan engage in a compelling conversation with Dr. Azzam Tamimi , a Palestinian academic, political theorist, and author based in the UK, to examine the intellectual foundations of political Islam, the framing of Islamic resistance movements, and the struggle for Palestinian liberation. Dr. Tamimi is the former director of the Institute of Isl...

In Episode 41 of The Enlightenment Podcast , Shamim and Hanan engage in a powerful conversation with Sharmine Narwani , a Beirut-based geopolitical analyst and journalist, to unpack the ongoing struggle for justice in Palestine, the historical roots of Zionism, and the failures of Western media narratives. Sharmine is the Editor-in-Chief of The Cradle , a news outlet focused on West Asian geopolit...

In Episode 40 of The Enlightenment Podcast , Shamim and Hanan engage in a compelling conversation with Chris Doyle , Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), where he has led advocacy and education efforts on Palestine and the wider Arab world for over two decades. Chris is a leading voice on UK foreign policy in the Middle East, and a trusted advisor to parliamentary groups...

In Episode 39 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan engage in a compelling conversation with Dr. Marwan Muasher , a distinguished Jordanian diplomat and scholar whose career has centered on advocating for democratic reform, inclusive governance, and justice in the Arab world. Dr. Muasher has played a pivotal role in shaping Jordan’s foreign and domestic policy. He served as Jordan’s first...

In Episode 38 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan engage in a profound conversation with Mouin Rabbani , a Dutch-Palestinian analyst and writer renowned for his incisive commentary on Palestinian politics, international law, and Middle Eastern geopolitics. Rabbani has dedicated his career to analyzing the Arab-Israeli conflict and Palestinian affairs.  He has held significant positions,...

In Episode 37 of The Enlightenment Podcast , Shamim and Hanan speak with Professor Haim Bresheeth-Žabner , a British-Israeli academic, filmmaker, and author, whose life has been marked by a profound personal and political transformation. Born in a refugee camp to Holocaust survivors, Haim was raised in Israel under Zionist ideology — an ideology he would later reject entirely. His scholarship and...

In Episode 36 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan speak with Thomas Suárez — a London-based historical researcher, acclaimed author, and professional violinist — about Zionism, colonial violence, and the ongoing pursuit of justice for Palestine. His work as a meticulous researcher and author has made him one of the most fearless voices confronting the violent history of Zionism and its...

In Episode 35 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan speak with Mohammad Nawajhaa — a Palestinian activist from the village of Susya in the South Hebron Hills. Mohammad became involved in activism at a young age. At just 13, he traveled with a youth delegation to South Africa — a formative experience that opened his eyes to the deep parallels between apartheid there and the occupation in P...

In Episode 34 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan speak with Diana Buttu — a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer, political analyst, and former legal advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Diana played a pivotal role in the early 2000s as a spokesperson and negotiator for the PLO’s Negotiations Support Unit — one of the few women at the table during peace talks between Israeli...

In Episode 33 of The Enlightenment Podcast , Shamim and Hanan speak with Joudie Kalla — a Palestinian-British chef, food writer, artist, and passionate activist for Palestinian rights. Joudie is the author of the critically acclaimed cookbooks Palestine on a Plate and Baladi , which showcase her deep connection to Palestinian culture through food — and stories passed down from her family’s history...

In Episode 32 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan speak with Anna Lippman — a Canadian Jewish activist, scholar, and outspoken anti-Zionist.  Anna is currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at York University in Toronto, where her research and activism intersect around justice, solidarity, and decolonization. Raised in Canada in a family deeply rooted in Jewish tradition — as the granddau...