Podcasts about Arabic

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 19, 2026 is: nadir • NAY-deer • noun Nadir refers to the lowest or worst point of something. When used in astronomy, nadir describes the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer. // Only once the novel's protagonist reaches her nadir does she arouse the reader's empathy, and we root for her to climb back to respectability. See the entry > Examples: “Sacrament dives right into the nadir of the 2020 health crisis, following a group of nurses who have moved into makeshift housing near a California hospital, to isolate from their families during the height of the case surge.” — James Folta, LitHub.com, 1 July 2025 Did you know? Nadir is part of the galaxy of scientific words that have come to us from Arabic, a language that has made important contributions to the English lexicon especially in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. The source of nadir is naḍhīr, meaning “opposite”—the opposite, that is, of the zenith, the highest point of the celestial sphere which is positioned vertically above the observer. (The word zenith itself is a modification of another Arabic word that means “the way over one's head.”) Though born of the heavens, both words are called upon to refer to earthy things too, especially a significant point or period of time, be it a high point or low one.

Commonsense House, a new publishing imprint in the Upper Valley, aims to bring more Arabic works to English readers. Its founder, Ezzedine Fishere, is an author himself. He is a Distinguished Fellow at Dartmouth from Egypt who teaches courses on Middle East politics. He discusses the highs and and lows of getting his novels translated into English. Daisy Rockwell is an award-winning Hindi and Urdu translator based in North Bennington. Her love of languages runs deep, as does her passion for bringing new books to American readers. Her latest translation is Sleep Journeys, a book-length prose poem by the noted Urdu poet Azra Abbas.Then, Mitch Wertlieb sits down with Westmore writer Ted Page. When he became a grandparent, Page couldn't find much material that offered advice or reflection on this new stage of life. So, he decided to find out on his own and publish what he learned in Good Grandpa: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood.Broadcast live on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

On this episode, my guest is Hasan Kerim Güç. Kerim graduated from Istanbul High School in 1992 and from Yildiz Technical University in 1996. Between 1997-2004, he completed his master's degree in Information Systems and Business Administration in Baltimore, USA. He returned to Turkey in 2010. Realizing that the treasure he had been looking for for 14 years was right in his own home, he took the position of Chief Editor at Nefes Publishing House in 2014. Kerim nourishes his business life with Sufi studies and is pursuing a doctoral degree from the Usküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies. He has published four books.Show Notes* Rejecting the American Dream* Anatolian and Sufi Hospitality* Sufis and the Ottomans* Tanri misafiri (“God's guest”)* Togetherness, and the roots of Religion* When we welcome suffering, we make honey out of pain* Submission, servants and the prophet Mohammed* The Conference of the Birds / Stories from the Thirty Birds* Limits to hospitality in the Islamic world* Bereket / Baraka* Rumi's Guest HouseHomework* Kerim Vakfı* Stories from the Thirty Birds* Cemalnur Sargut: A Sufi Life of Love, Suffering, and Divine Union* Cemalnur Sargut Books* Kerim Guc - Instagram* Kyoto University Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies* Ken'an Rifâî Chair of Islamic Studies at Peking University* University of North Carolina (UNC) Ken'an Rifâî Chair in Islamic StudiesTranscriptChris: [00:00:00] Welcome to the End of Tourism podcast, Kerim. Hoș geldiniz.Kerim: Thank you very much for having me.Chris: Yeah, it's my pleasure. Thank you for joining me today. Perhaps you could tell our listeners, where you find yourself and what the world looks like there for you.Kerim: Well, first of all, I'm an immigrant also. I was an immigrant. I lived in the US for a while, and then I came back to to my own country. And things are very different here than there, than it is in US. From the perspective of what I did... I was actually an engineer, and I was working in the IT fields, and I was living the American dream, and then I realized that there was some kind of an emptiness, and this whole thing, and I decided to go back to Turkey and [00:01:00] study Sufism, and since my mother was actually a Sufi teacher. She decided to actually move this whole Sufism into academia. So, she basically established an institute in Istanbul - Üsküdar Istanbul - at the University of Üsküdar. The difference between this institute and the other schools, the people like myself, like engineers, coming from different disciplines, including lawyers and whatnot, they were not able to do their masters or PhDs in Sufism, because in other universities, they require for you to actually have theology backgrounds. But with this new establishment, we were able to educate people from all different disciplines and, [00:02:00] so we basically concentrated on ethics rather than the religion itself.So, a lot of people coming from different areas, especially the white-collar people, living this, like - how do I say that? - it's a world of money and materialism and all kind of that stuff. They're coming to our institute and realizing that money or career is not the only goal for life.And we started to concentrating on things like spirituality more than the materialist world.Chris: Thank you. Well, I'm very much looking forward to exploring these themes with you and a little bit of the work that you do with Kerim Vakfı.Kerim: Sure.Chris: And so for the last season of the podcast, I'm very much interested in focusing on different hospitality traditions and practices from around the [00:03:00] world, as I mentioned to you. And, one of the key themes of the podcast is radical hospitality. Now, the word “radical” comes from Latin and it means “rooted,” or we might even say “local” or “living.”And so. I'm curious if there are any radical hospitality practices that you think are unique to your place, to Istanbul, or to the Sufi community that you might be willing to share with us today?Kerim: Well, Istanbul, actually, is a very metropolitan city. So like the other metropolitan cities, we kind of lost that - what we call the hospitality of Anatolia. Anatolia is basically the Eastern part of Istanbul. And in Istanbul, we have, right now, 25 million people in a very small area. And in older days when the population was smaller, [00:04:00] we were able to show our hospitality, because the Turkish hospitality is very famous, actually. In this area the hospitality is very famous, including the, you know, Greek and Arab hospitality. Usually, it's a little bit different than the western countries.For instance, we welcome people - we used to, and probably still, in the countryside - the people coming from other cities or countries or whatnot. The locals actually helped them out as much as possible. They even invite them to their own houses and let them stay for how long they want to stay. And this was kind of like a regular thing in the old days. It's still going on very much in the eastern side of Turkey, pretty much in the countryside. [00:05:00] But Istanbul, like other cosmopolitan cities, we kinda lost that. You know, neighbourly things. We have a lot of neighbours and we we have always good... we used to have a lot of good relationship with them, but nowadays, again, because of this material world, we kind of lost this hospitality.So from the Sufi point of view, hospitality is very important. It's interesting that you mentioned the “radical.” You were talking about where “radical” come from, but you didn't talk about where “hospitality” comes from. See, there is a relationship between the hospital and the hospitality and the way the Sufis look at things is very much like the illnesses in our body are our guests. So, we don't think that they're bad for you. They're actually [00:06:00] the guests of our house for a time being. So we show them the hospitality as much as we can, and then hopefully we say goodbye to them.Chris: Wow. Wow. That's fascinating. I do know that the term “hospitality,” hospital is part of that, and hospital historically came from these notions of hospitality. I mean, in the western world in, and at least in the Christian world, there's a kind of unauthorized history in which a lot of this hospitality, as you mentioned, that was offered to the stranger, was done by the families or the individual houses or homes within a community. A stranger would come and they would ask for hospitality, ask for food and shelter, and the family would have to decide whether to do that and how to do it. [00:07:00] And then at some point, the institution of the Church kind of stepped in and said, “you know what? You don't have to do this anymore. When the stranger comes to the community, when they show up at your door, just send them to us. Just send them to the church and we'll give them what they need.”And so this did a number of things, but the two most obvious ones, I think, are that the family, the individuals in the family and the community on a grassroots level, slowly ended up losing their ability, their unique kind of familial or personal ability to host the stranger. And at the same time, of course, the church used this as a way to try to convert, the stranger.Kerim: Right.Chris: And so I'm curious if there's anything in that realm that you see in the Islamic world, maybe in the Sufi world... you mentioned that, since the [00:08:00] imposition of modernity and the industrial Revolution in the world, we see less and less possibilities for small-scale, grassroots hospitality between people, in part, because there's so much movement, and of course, because the hospital has its brothers and sisters in the sense of the “hotel” and the “hostel.”Kerim: Absolutely.Chris: So, I'm curious if there's anything like that that comes to mind for you in regards to the Islamic world.Kerim: Well, one thing is about like the Ottomans. The Ottomans, when they were coming from the Anatolia and then started conquering all those places in the Balkan area, Greece and Bulgaria, Hungary and all those places, after they actually conquered, they sent Sufis to those places. And, like in Hungary, there is a person, his name is [00:09:00] Gül Baba, which means “Rose Father.” That's what they call him. He actually has his own tekke (tekke is like a church for Sufis). And this place, it's like a school more, more like a school, but it's a religious school.And in this tekke, he actually finds all those people with needs, and he pretty much helped them out with all those needs. And the people coming from different religions, they actually started liking people like from the Turks' point of view, because the Turks were symbolized by these Sufi movements. And instead of, you know, pushing people to convert or demolishing the churches and rebuilding mosques and stuff. Instead of that, they actually [00:10:00] welcomed people from all over the world, or all over the place, basically, to stay in the tekke, to eat and to get education in the tekke. So this was a great strategy of Ottomans. That's how they actually stayed in Europe for almost like 600 years. So that was very much like, you know, their strategy, I think. And in a good way.Chris: Yeah, you know, in my research I found out that there's still Sufi orders in the Balkans a group called the Bektashi.Kerim: Right.Chris: And of course, with the very little historical understanding that I had, I was very surprised. I had no idea. But of course, when I eventually went to visit the regions that my father is from, I saw churches, synagogues, and mosques, all in the same little neighbourhoods.[00:11:00] So, quite an impressive kind of understanding that the major religions in those places could coexist for so long. And that in the context of someone who grew up in North America, who thought it was the opposite (previously) and such things are so difficult.Kerim: Right. Right.Chris: So, Kerim, a mutual friend of ours has told me, that in the Turkish language, there is a phrase (and excuse my pronunciation). The phrase is tanri misafiri.Kerim: Right.Chris: Which translates into English as something like “God's guest.”Kerim: Right.Chris: Or “the guest sent by God.”Kerim: Right. Right.Chris: And so I'm wondering if you could speak about this phrase, maybe what it means to you and where you think it comes from?Kerim: Well, in Anatolia, it's a very famous phrase. And like I said previously, you know anybody coming from somewhere else, who comes into somebody's [00:12:00] house, is allowed to stay in the house as “the guest of God,” because we believe that God has sent that guest to us and we try to... you know, it's more like making that guest happy means making God happy. So, that's the understanding of older generations.In today's metropolitan areas, I don't think it's possible because of the security problems and everything. But like I said, in the countryside, people are very welcoming when it comes to this, because it is very important that knowing that person is actually coming from God, from Allah, so we have to take care of that person as much as possible to please God, actually.So that's how it is. I still see that in many cities in the [00:13:00] more eastern side of Turkey or south side of Turkey, or even north side of Turkey except in the bigger cities. But in the smaller cities, people are much more welcoming, again because of this specific idiom, actually.Chris: From tanri misafiri?Kerim: Right. Tanri means “God” in our language. In the original Turkish language, it's tanri, and, misafiri means “ the guest.”Chris: Yeah. So beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us.Kerim: Absolutely.Chris: And so when guests arrive in a home, you know, in English, at least in, in the context of the older traditions, it is said that the guest or the potential guest, the stranger, asks for hospitality. They don't necessarily say “ they ask for food,” which we can imagine that surely they [00:14:00] do. They don't necessarily say that “they ask for shelter” or “accommodation,” which we surely we could imagine they do. But the literature often says they ask for hospitality.And so, when we think of hospitality today, we often think about people sitting around a table eating food together. And so I'm curious if there's a shared understanding among Sufis or at least the community that you live among and in, about the importance of both eating food and eating food together.Kerim: Togetherness is probably one of the most important things in the Islamic religion. Because like even our way of worshiping God - Allah - we try to do that in a union as much as possible. It is very interesting, the words that “religion” comes from.[00:15:00] Re- means “again,” and legion means “union.”So it's almost like “religion” itself means “to recreate the union,” “to reshape the union,” “ to have the union back,” because we have the tendency to be alone. And even you can imagine that in the western countries, in the western world, a lot of people want to be alone.Like, there's a lot of individuals rather than a group of people. And in the eastern world, it's a little bit different. We are more like family-oriented people. We try to do things together. I mean, there are advantages and disadvantages obviously, but there is a difference between them.So, we always had this [notion that] “the more is better,” basically. You know, more people is better. So, we help each other, [00:16:00] we understand each other, we talk about our problems. When we try to solve them, it's easier together. And if there's pain, you know, the pain actually, can be eased with more people, easier, I think, compared to have this pain alone. So, again, we're more family-oriented people.And the Sufi are very much like that. The Sufi always pray together, and they think that it creates a n energy, basically. It produces an energy that basically helps all of them at the same time, in a union.Chris: Hmm hmm. And do you find that sitting down for a meal together also creates that kind of union, or recreates as you were saying?Kerim: I think so. Doing any kind of activities, including eating... eating is basically the most common activity [00:17:00] that we do in our daily life and getting together, to talk about our things together, and discuss things together, all those things - togetherness, when it comes to the idea of togetherness - I think, is beautiful.Chris: Hmm, hmm. Amen. Yeah, I very much agree with that, Kerim.And so, when we think about hospitality, and we think about food, we often imagine big banquet tables and as you said, this sense of togetherness and celebration.But there's also, you know, from what little I've read, there's also this important aspect of the religious life in the Islamic world, and perhaps in the Sufi world as well that points to, maybe not the absence of food, but a different way of being fed, and a different way of feeding that doesn't [00:18:00] include the food we're used to, the kind of material food. And we often refer to this as fasting. And so, there's a beautiful video that you sent me, Kerim, of your mother speaking, and she recalls a phrase in that video from her own mother who said that “when we welcome suffering, we make honey out of pain.”And so, this is a question I very much want to ask you because I've fasted myself quite intensely. I'm curious, what is the honey that comes from fasting? Or, what do you think is the honey that comes from fasting?Kerim: Right? First of all, yeah, fasting is in our religion. So, we basically do that one month in the whole year. It's called Ramadan. In some cases, we actually do that because our Prophet Muhammad, when he [00:19:00] lived, he was fasting every Monday and every Thursday. So it was like a common practice for some of the religious people. And at least we do that one month in the whole year.And obviously, that month is a little bit difficult, you know, because we not only stop eating, we also stopped drinking and all that stuff. In theory, we should not be lying, we should not be telling bad things to other people or gossiping and all that stuff, but usually we do during that time. I mean, in theory, we should not be doing that.So it's like a whole discipline thing - the whole fasting. And at the end of the thirty days, you become a really, really different person. And first of all, one thing that [00:20:00] I feel, is that you understand the people who do not have food. We still have people in the world, unfortunately, in Africa, and all those places, the people, having less access to food as we do, and we feel like, oh yeah we don't actually thank God for all those things that he's giving to us. And this is the time that you start thinking about the reality and start thanking God for actually giving us all that food, twenty-four hours, seven days [a week]. And when you are fasting during that time, you are understanding the feeling of these people, who are like poor and who cannot eat.There are people now, in the social media, we are seeing people, who never had [00:21:00] chocolates in their life. The people living in these countries or in the cities or metropolitan cities, we never think about these things.So, we take these things for granted, and during that time of fasting, you start thinking about these stuff and then you become more thankful, and that's basically honey itself, after the suffering. And I wouldn't say “suffering,” because we don't suffer as much as they do, honestly.And we're just telling our egos, “just stop for a day to do bad things and stop eating,” and all that stuff that ego wants to have. And again, it's at the end of the thirty days, you become a new person because now you have a different mentality. Now, in the other eleven months, you still forget about these things, but [00:22:00] again, it comes through. It's like a cycle.Chris: Yeah. Yeah. I totally agree with you that, you know, gratitude is the honey and...Kerim: Absolutely.Chris: ...I remember the fasting that I did over the course of four years, and I don't know if it was as intense as the fasting that happens during Ramadan, but doing that fasting and trying to feed something other than myself for a time imbued a degree of hospitality and gratitude that I don't think I had ever felt before. And it sticks to me. It sticks to my bones to this day. And it's something that, like you said, I also have to constantly remind myself of those moments when I sit down to eat a meal, because it's so easy to forget.Kerim: Absolutely. Absolutely. And one thing is [00:23:00] basically during that time of fasting, you basically stop feeding your ego, and start feeding your spirit, basically. That's what I think.Chris: That's beautiful. Yeah. I absolutely understand that. Thank you, Kerim.So my next question is around the word “ submission.” So, translated into English, the word “Islam” means “submission.” Now I've read that this word can also be translated to mean “servants of God.” Servants of God.Now in English, the word “servant” can be synonymous with “host.” A servant and a host. Now, there's a book by an author named Mona Siddiqui called Hospitality in Islam. And in that book she writes, it's actually a quote, but she writes,“'What is faith?' The Prophet replied, ‘the giving of [00:24:00] food and the exchange of greetings.' He ends on a most dramatic note saying, “a house which is not entered by guests is not entered by angels.”Kerim: Perfect. Yeah.Chris: And it seems that in this phrase, the Prophet is suggesting that the way we are with guests and strangers has something to do with how we are with the divine, which I think you kind of alluded to a little bit earlier.And so I'm curious, is this something that you've seen in your own days or in those of others that you know? Is hospitality a practice that connects us to the divine?Kerim: Absolutely. Because reaching God, you need to reach people first. To be able to reach God... when I say “reach God,” meaning be in communication with Him, is basically being in a communication [00:25:00] with the people he created. So, to serve the people is basically serving him from the Islamic point of view.So, and that's a hadith that you mentioned in the book. It's a hadith of Prophet Mohammed, like you said. And Prophet Mohammed always... it was a common practice that he was hosting maybe, you know, 10-15 people every night. And he was a poor person, by the way. I mean, he doesn't have much money, much food or anything, but they share. There was a time that... there's a story that somebody, actually, one of his apostles rather, asks him to visit him for a dinner. So he invites him to a dinner.But during his conversation, Prophet Mommed said, “can I bring my friends too?”[00:26:00]And the apostle says, “of course you can bring your friends.” And he brings hundreds of people. Now, the host only have some bread, and maybe a little bit meat, and a little bit rice in the cup.So, he was ashamed because he doesn't have any money, and the Prophet Mohammed is going to bring all those guests together, and he didn't know what to do. But he uses submission, basically.He said, well, if Prophet Mohammed is coming, then something is going to happen. And as he was thinking all those things, Prophet Mohammed puts his hand on top of the rice holder. And every time he was putting rice onto the dishes, the rice never ends, the meat never ends. So he served like 200 people during this invitation and the food never ended.[00:27:00]So he was happy for his submission, basically.Chris: Wow. Beautiful. Thank you, Kerim.Kerim: Of course.Chris: You know, you have this beautiful book - that is still in the mail, unfortunately I haven't got my hands on it yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it - called Stories From the Thirty Birds, which I understand is inspired by The Conference of the Birds, this incredible book from I think the 1300s.And I'm curious if you could tell us a little bit about that book and what, if any inspiration or maybe teachings around hospitality that come from both, The Conference of the Birds and how you've employed it in your book.Kerim: Right. The Conference of the Birds is really a beautiful story of Farid ud-Din Attar who lived in Nishapur, which is in Khorasan, in Iran, today. And he was one of the very famous [00:28:00] Sufis at that time. He was the teacher of Rumi. A lot of people know Rumi. And he wrote this book about birds, millions of birds, who are in the process of going to their king, which is the phoenix (or what we call it simurg). And during that time, during that travel, they go through seven valleys, and in each valley some of the birds get lost, because the valleys actually symbolize things.Like, the first valley is the valley of intention. So, a lot of birds actually don't have the intention to reach their king. The king is basically symbolizing Allah (God), and the birds are symbolizing us very much, and we are getting [00:29:00] lost during the time of life. Like, our intention is basically this world. If our intention is staying in this world, then we stay in this world. And that's the valley of intention.And a lot of birds, like half of them, actually, get lost in this stage.And the second valley is the valley of love. And the birds that get lost in this valley are the ones that actually think the beauty is in this world, rather than they don't see the beauty of God himself. So they see the shadow of that beauty in the world, but they're content with that beauty, and they don't really want to move on.And again, the third valley is the value of wisdom. And the birds that get lost in this valley are the ones who think that knowledge, [00:30:00] in this world, is more important than anything else, and they don't realize the source of the knowledge is actually their king.So on and so forth, they go through the seven valleys and at the end of the seventh valley, only thirty birds remain. And the thirty birds, they're ready to see their king, and they go through this mountain called Qaf, where the  simurg, the phoenix lives (behind the mountain). And it's very difficult to get there, basically. When they get there, they can't find the king over there. They only find a mirror. So, they realize the king is themselves, but more specifically, the union of thirty birds. So simurg - the [00:31:00] phoenix - in Iranian, in Persian means “thirty birds,” actually. Si is “thirty.” “Burg” is “bird,” actually.So from what we understand is, the union of ourselves, what we are seeing, is our reflection, because the king is actually a perfect mirror. But we don't see ourselves, only, we see the union of thirty birds together. So there are birds that we don't think live together. For instance, a hawk doesn't live with a smaller bird together, but in this union, they live together. There in one. And they use whatever advantage they have together. So it's almost like being one and using the characteristics of every single bird [00:32:00] itself.Chris: And I imagine that someone growing up in a culture like that, whether back then or more recently, and hearing this story or hearing it multiple times throughout their life or maybe once a year, that that notion also might arise in the way that they are with others, the way they are with strangers.Kerim: Right.Chris: And so, I have one final question for you, if that's all right?Kerim: Absolutely.Chris: So, before we say farewell I'd like to ask you about Istanbul, and I'd like to ask you about the limits to hospitality. So, last year, on a trip I took to the city I met a friend of a mutual friend of ours, and for a couple of hours we walked around the Karakoy neighbourhood and he spoke to me about how the city has changed quite a bit over the last decade.For many people who grew up in Istanbul, the city [00:33:00] might now appear to be very difficult to live in. He said that the cost of living has skyrocketed. The rents, the rent prices or costs have doubled. And much of this is a combination of tourism and gentrification in the city.Now it seems that many religious traditions speak of the importance of welcoming strangers and offering them hospitality, but they also speak of the limits to such hospitality. In one particular, hadith or saying of the Prophet Mohammed, it is said that “hospitality is for three days. Anything more is charity or sadaqah.”Again, excuse my pronunciation.Kerim: No. That's perfect pronunciation.Chris: And so I'm curious, you mentioned a little bit earlier, in the Sufi community and perhaps in the Islamic communities, there is this notion of togetherness, but also that “more is better.” And so I'm [00:34:00] curious in the context of what's happening in Istanbul and what's happening in many places around the world, do you think there should also be limits to the hospitality that is offered to the guest or stranger?Kerim: Well, of course. I mean, of course we have financial issues here, and it's very difficult for us to actually serve other people as much as we want to. But again, when we are together, even if it's very difficult to live in the city, it's still something, you know?What I see: the rent went up, like you said, so the people try to move into their family houses, the houses there of their families and everything. And in western countries, it's difficult. You usually don't do this kind of stuff, but in our community, it's much easier to do these things. And, you know, the families welcome the children [00:35:00] more than other countries. So that's something I think that's a positive thing.But to the strangers. What do we do for strangers? Obviously, we do as much as possible. We may not be able to serve them as much as we used to, obviously, before this inflation. And we have the highest inflation in the world, or probably the second-highest inflation. So again, it's difficult, and Istanbul became probably one of the most expensive cities in the world. But even that, again, we may not be able to take them to dinner every night, but we serve what we have in the house, like in the Prophet Mohammed's story.Whatever we have, we share. And, we call it bereket, as in Arabic baraka, they call it. Baraka is something [00:36:00] like... we use it for money. It's not “more money.” That's not important. How do I say that? I don't even know how to say it in English, but it's more like “the luck of the money, itself.” Basically, you may be able to buy more stuff with less money based on your luck. That's basically what we call it. Bereket. So the bereket is much more important than the amount of the money or the financial thing. And the bereket always goes up when you share it.Chris: Beautiful. Yeah, I love that. I mean, in English, not to reduce it at all, but in English we say, quality over quantity.”Kerim: Yeah, absolutely.Chris: And you said that, in order to offer hospitality or the hospitality that we would like to offer to our guests, sometimes maybe that means not doing it all the time, [00:37:00] because one simply cannot. Right. It's not possible.Kerim: Right.Chris: But yeah, it's a really beautiful point.Kerim: Rumi is a very important Sufi, probably known by many Americans. Even the world knows him. He wrote a poem, which is about the guests. So, if you don't mind, I'm gonna read that, uh, it's called the Guest House and it goes like:This human life is a guest house. Every dawn, a new visitor arrives.A gladness, a sadness, a pettiness, a flash of insights all come knocking, unannounced.Welcome them all. Make room even if a band of sorrows storms inand clears your rooms of comfort.Still honour every guest.[00:38:00] Perhaps they empty you to prepare you for something brighter.The gloomy thought, the shame, the bitterness,greet them at the door with a smile, and lead them inside.Be thankful for whoever comes, for each is sent as a messenger from the beyond.So that's a poem by Rumi, and I think it pretty much explains the whole hospitality thing.Chris: Yeah, that's a gorgeous, gorgeous poem. I love that. I'll make sure that's up on the End of Tourism website when the episode launches.And so finally, Kerim, uh, I'd like to thank you so very much for being willing to join me today, to be willing to speak in a language that is not your first, or mother tongue, and to share with us some of the beauty that has touched your days. Before we say goodbye, [00:39:00] perhaps you could tell our listeners how they can follow and learn more about Kerim Vakfı, Stories from the 30 Birds, your book, and any other projects you might want them to know about.Kerim: We have a Sufi centre in North Carolina, at the University of North Carolina. We have a centre in China, Beijing University, and another center in Kyoto University in Japan. And my mother's book about the commentary of some Quranic verses is the one. For instance, Yasin is available through Amazon and my book Stories from the 30 Birds is available on Barnes and Noble and all that other places in US.Chris: Beautiful. Well, I'll make sure that those links are all available on the End of Tourism website and on my Substack when the episode comes out. [00:40:00] And on behalf of our listeners, tesekkur, tesekkur.Kerim: I thank you. Get full access to Chris Christou at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - Arabic News at 15:00 (JST), March 18

 Although it seems that we live in a world filled with tragedy, especially as we hear about wars raging in the Middle East, there are still so many people there doing good in the world. In today's show, Lisa interviews Ora and Ihab Balha, a Jewish and Muslim couple living in Isreal who exemplify love, despite the extreme conflicts in which they are living. Together they co-founded "The Orchard of Abraham's Children'' nonprofit organization, a holistic educational and communal organization dedicated to transforming Jewish-Arab relations for a shared future, as well as the "Human First Community Center" in Jaffa, Israel. Ihab Balha explains as a Muslim man how he was challenged to a fight by a Jewish man who came running into a restaurant screaming hateful words toward Arabs. They got into a physical fight. Frequently this many would run into this restaurant shouting the same words and fighting with men there. Eventually Ihab decided to wait for him and attacked him outside. The Jewish man was surprised and said how they should schedule the next fight and invited him to fight at his home. Ihab talks about how they scheduled it, and when he arrived at the man's house, the man broke down about his wife leaving him. This led to a conversation about the importance of love and human connection. Together they talked about relationships and spoke from their hearts. They continued to meet, to talk, and to express their fears and anger. Slowly more Jewish people and Muslim people began to gather with them, just to talk. They decided to have a meeting in the Holy Land between the Israeli and Palestinian people. They were anticipating approximately 10 people. More than 300 showed up. They invited people from various religions including priests, Sufis, and rabbis. One man talked about his daughter being killed by an Israeli soldier. Another person talked about how a Palestinian man killed his son. Together they cried and shared their pain. Afterwards they hugged each other. At the second meeting, more than 1000 people came and for the third meeting, more than 5,000 people of various religions attended. This was essentially the biggest peace project in Israel. They did not talk about politics – instead they talked about being Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. They built bridges. Ora Balha talks about how she met Ihab when she was visiting the Sinai desert in Egypt. They saw each other and immediately fell in love. Even though Ora is Jewish and Ihab is Muslim, they talk about how love "took" them. It took over. They had to rise above cultural and societal differences. Ora moved in with Ihab in Jaffa. Because of the difficulties, they couldn't share this with anyone, including their families. When Ora first met Ihab's father, it was especially challenging. Their families could not get over their prejudices, but every time they met, Ora and Ihab would express only love. Finally, after a struggle of several years, their families accepted one another. It took time, but Ora and Ihab stayed true to their love. They also talked about the importance of choosing love. Even if you are afraid, when you choose love, people can see that and then reflect it. They also discuss what happened when they had their son and how they educated him. He learned both Hebrew and Arabic at home. They celebrated all of each other's holidays. When it came time to send him to kindergarten, they couldn't find a school that was teaching what they were at home, so they decided to start a kindergarten.  They were young and didn't think about the future as much, so they started a very small school in Ihab's father's yard. Two children joined. They brought in both a Jewish teacher and a Muslim teacher.  The community started to hear about them. In the beginning, it was hard, but slowly more children joined. By the end of the first year, 16 children were involved. They opened a second group the following year and a third group by the third year. Currently they now have nine kindergartens, an elementary school, and a community center which focuses on adults. It offers music and activities. They have more than 100 staff members.  They invite people to remember that we are human first. God chooses all of us. We complete each other. Info: www.orchardofabrahamschildren.org

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Heba Zeineddin holds a Bachelors Degree in English language and Teaching Methods from Alaqsa University in Gaza. She shares details of her life of displacement and loss in Gaza, where she has displaced with her family, including brother who has a disability, to a tent 12 times. Her family's home was destroyed. Now she is trying to get back to normal by teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers. She joins us from her tent in Gaza to tell her story. Tune in for the full story. Trump's war on Iran podcast:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-153166120 Donate to the Hind Rajab Centre here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/152402329

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott speak with ABWE missionaries “Will and Beth McAuliffe” (pseudonyms) about their long journey toward serving among Arabic-speaking people. After years of preparation and ministry in the Middle East, their plans were unexpectedly disrupted when their daughter was born extremely premature with significant medical complications. The experience forced them to leave the field and wrestle with whether their missionary calling had changed, ultimately leading them to new refugee ministry opportunities in Europe. Now living in Berlin, Germany, where thousands of Arabic-speaking refugees have settled, Will and Beth are creating unique opportunities for gospel ministry. Despite the challenges of a deeply secular culture and compassion fatigue toward refugees, they are building relationships, showing practical love, and pursuing church planting among Arabic-speaking communities across the city. Key Topics Will and Beth's lifelong calling to missions and ministry in the Middle East Navigating family hardships and their missionary calling after a medical crisis Reaching Arabic-speaking refugees in Germany The spiritual challenges of secular Europe and refugee ministry Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber! Premium Subscribers get access to: Exclusive bonus content A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts Invite-only webinars A free gift! Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

Subscribe to get access to the full episode, the episode reading list, and all premium episodes! www.patreon.com/OrdinaryUnhappinessAbby and Patrick are joined by Séamus Malekafzali, a journalist whose reportage and commentary has proven indispensable to processing the United States' war with Iran, and whose historical research and critical essays are vital for thinking about the modern Middle East in general. Séamus begins by talking about his work, setting ongoing events in context, and reflects on the differences between public discourse in English versus Arabic-language spaces. Toggling between contemporary headlines and historical texts, Séamus, Abby, and Patrick reflect on how material realities and geopolitical antagonisms have interacted with competing fantasies, traumatic memories, and logics of identification to produce our current juncture. What ensues is an earnest and searching conversation about dynamics of family, ethnicity, religion, race, and nationality; intergenerational experiences of historical traumas; identification with the aggressor; repression, resistance, and enactment as material and libidinal concepts; nationalism, chauvinism, and settler colonialism; Israeli-US relations as a “feedback loop”; the politics of language; the advocacy of diaspora communities; the difficulties of talking about what's obvious; and much more.Have you noticed that Freud is back? Got questions about psychoanalysis? Or maybe you've traversed the fantasy and lived to tell the tale? Leave us a voicemail! (646) 450-0847  A podcast about psychoanalysis, politics, pop culture, and the ways we suffer now. New episodes on Saturdays. Follow us on social media:  Linktree: https://linktr.ee/OrdinaryUnhappiness X: @UnhappinessPod Instagram: @OrdinaryUnhappiness Patreon: patreon.com/OrdinaryUnhappiness Theme song: Formal Chicken - Gnossienne No. 1 https://open.spotify.com/album/2MIIYnbyLqriV3vrpUTxxO Provided by Fruits Music

Listen To Full Sermon: "Overcoming Warfare of Prayer" @ Pope Kyrillos the Sixth Coptic Orthodox Church - North Richland Hills, TX ~ March 8, 2026https://on.soundcloud.com/clUR2DXGr6cEWIOq03

Manuela Ceballos' new book Between Dung and Blood: Purity, Sainthood, and Power in the Early Modern Western Mediterranean (University of California Press, 2025) engages with the life and legacies of two sixteenth-century saints; the Spanish Christian Teresa de Jesús (also known as Teresa of Avila) and the Moroccan Sufi Sidi Ridwan al-Januwi. The book draws from rich Arabic and Spanish sources that moves us between Morocco and Iberia. In the process, we learn that these saints both descent from families of converts and as such blood and bodily pollution operated as material and metaphoric symbols to define their identities. Through this generative comparison, we see how constructions of blood and dung circulate across these varied but entangled temporal geographies to constitute notions of impurity and purity, such as in the case of the deathly hemorrhaging experienced by Teresa. In end though blood is used to set different boundaries around religious or racial identities, and even at times gender norms. As such, the discourses that are utilized for such argumentations are not stable, and so blood and how it is deployed is not the same across the stories of these two saints and their enduring legacies nor does it refract power consistently. This book will be of interest to those who think about embodiment, material culture, the early modern Mediterranean world, and Christian-Muslim mysticism. Manuela Ceballos is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Shobhana Xavier is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Queen's University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Manuela Ceballos' new book Between Dung and Blood: Purity, Sainthood, and Power in the Early Modern Western Mediterranean (University of California Press, 2025) engages with the life and legacies of two sixteenth-century saints; the Spanish Christian Teresa de Jesús (also known as Teresa of Avila) and the Moroccan Sufi Sidi Ridwan al-Januwi. The book draws from rich Arabic and Spanish sources that moves us between Morocco and Iberia. In the process, we learn that these saints both descent from families of converts and as such blood and bodily pollution operated as material and metaphoric symbols to define their identities. Through this generative comparison, we see how constructions of blood and dung circulate across these varied but entangled temporal geographies to constitute notions of impurity and purity, such as in the case of the deathly hemorrhaging experienced by Teresa. In end though blood is used to set different boundaries around religious or racial identities, and even at times gender norms. As such, the discourses that are utilized for such argumentations are not stable, and so blood and how it is deployed is not the same across the stories of these two saints and their enduring legacies nor does it refract power consistently. This book will be of interest to those who think about embodiment, material culture, the early modern Mediterranean world, and Christian-Muslim mysticism. Manuela Ceballos is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Shobhana Xavier is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Queen's University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist/analyst/commentator Nour Odeh. Nour is an independent media professional and communications consultant with 20 years of experience as a distinguished journalist. In 2012, Ms. Odeh became Palestine's first female government spokesperson and she served in various capacities as a senior communications and public diplomacy advisor to the Palestinian leadership. She writes opinion and analysis in English and Arabic and is a regular guest in international news outlets. In this far-ranging conversation, Lara and Nour discuss the situation in the West Bank today; trends in West Bank settler and IDF terror and ethnic cleansing dating from before 10/7/23, escalating through 2.5 years of genocide, and now escalating again during the Israeli-U.S. war on Iran; the situation in Jerusalem and the Harm al-Sharif; the implementation of Israel's Gaza playbook in Lebanon and Iran; the role of the international community; the state of Palestinian domestic politics and the national movement for Palestinian rights and self-determination; and how all of this is playing out with respect to grassroots attitudes and activism around the globe.

What does it mean to be truly free?In this episode of Qur'an Conversations, Imam Magid and I reflect on the journey of Bani Israel after liberation, because freedom in the Qur'an is not only physical. It's the beginning of something deeper: learning how to live with a purified heart, how to receive Allah's blessings without crossing His limits, and how to return when we fall.These verses carry both a warning and a promise: don't overstep the bounds after being given goodness, but if you do, the door back is never closed. Allah introduces Himself here as Al-Ghafoor—the One who repeatedly forgives—reminding us that repentance isn't a one-time event, but an ongoing return to mercy.You will learn:

Manuela Ceballos' new book Between Dung and Blood: Purity, Sainthood, and Power in the Early Modern Western Mediterranean (University of California Press, 2025) engages with the life and legacies of two sixteenth-century saints; the Spanish Christian Teresa de Jesús (also known as Teresa of Avila) and the Moroccan Sufi Sidi Ridwan al-Januwi. The book draws from rich Arabic and Spanish sources that moves us between Morocco and Iberia. In the process, we learn that these saints both descent from families of converts and as such blood and bodily pollution operated as material and metaphoric symbols to define their identities. Through this generative comparison, we see how constructions of blood and dung circulate across these varied but entangled temporal geographies to constitute notions of impurity and purity, such as in the case of the deathly hemorrhaging experienced by Teresa. In end though blood is used to set different boundaries around religious or racial identities, and even at times gender norms. As such, the discourses that are utilized for such argumentations are not stable, and so blood and how it is deployed is not the same across the stories of these two saints and their enduring legacies nor does it refract power consistently. This book will be of interest to those who think about embodiment, material culture, the early modern Mediterranean world, and Christian-Muslim mysticism. Manuela Ceballos is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Shobhana Xavier is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Queen's University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - Arabic News at 15:00 (JST), March 13

03/08/26 Fr Salar Boudagh - 4th Sunday of Lent (Arabic) by St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese

Tonight is the 23rd night. And because the Islamic calendar begins at Maghrib, tonight is already Friday night. Many of our pious predecessors said that when an odd night of Ramadan falls on a Friday night, the likelihood of it being Laylatul Qadr increases.This is the night we've been hunting for all year. So do extra. Make lots of du'a. Don't waste a minute of it.And as it happens — alhamdulillah — the ayat we reach tonight in Surah Al-A'raf are about du'a itself. About how to make it, what should be in our heart when we make it, and why it is the very heart of all worship. Allah has a way of doing that.A paid subscription includes a free digital copy of the Surah Al-A'raf Study Guide and Workbook. Now That You Know Who He Is — Call HimWe spent two nights on ayah 54. We talked about the six stages of creation, about Prof. Jenkins' framework, about matter and antimatter, about why physicists keep stopping just short of saying “God” — and why that has everything to do with European trauma and nothing to do with the evidence.The point was this: Allah introduced Himself. He is the one who created the heavens and the earth. The sun, the moon, the stars — all operating under His command. And this matters because now ayah 55 opens with a natural next step.You know who your Lord is. So call Him.Ud'u rabbakum tadarru'an wa khufya.Call your Lord with tadaru' — with humility — and khufya — quietly.The Outer and the InnerTadaru' captures two things at once: humility on the outside and humility on the inside. Both. Together.The external side — your body posture when you make du'a. You don't stand chest out, arms crossed, making demands. You beg. And the way we beg is with our palms open, raised to the sky. The Prophet ﷺ taught us this. And he said that Allah is — and I want you to sit with this — embarrassed when His servant raises his hands to the sky and then puts them back down empty.That's not to say Allah owes us anything. He doesn't. But it tells you something about how much He loves to hear from us. He is waiting for us to call. He wants us to call. So when we raise our hands, He will not let us lower them without answering.The Prophet ﷺ when making du'a would look downward — hands raised, gaze lowered. The qibla of salah is the Ka'bah. The qibla of du'a is the sky. But in moments of great need, moments of complete brokenness, he would raise his hands high and look upward. Not demanding. Just — there is no one else. There is nowhere else to turn. Ya Allah.Then there is khufya — quietly. The companions were once marching and making du'a at the top of their lungs. The Prophet ﷺ told them to bring it down. Your Lord is not deaf. He hears you.So the outer dimension of du'a: humble posture, lowered voice.But there is also the inner dimension — and that comes in the next ayah.What Du'a Feels Like on the InsideAyah 56: Khawfan wa tama'an. Make du'a with fear and longing.We talked about tama' a few nights ago in the context of the people of A'raf. In Malay it means greedy — but in Arabic it means something different. It means a deep, intense desire for something. You want it so much. So tama' in du'a means you are making du'a with a genuine ache for it. Not going through the motions. Actually wanting.And khawf — fear. What are we afraid of? Not that Allah won't answer. But that we are not worthy of the answer. That we might be arrogant enough to think we've earned it. The khawf keeps us humble. It stops du'a from becoming a transaction — Ya Allah, I've been to taraweeh 23 nights straight, so now give me what I want, or I'm not coming tomorrow. That is not du'a. That is negotiation.Khawf and tama'. Fear and hope. These two things together are not just for du'a — they carry us through our entire journey to Allah.Think about what happens when they get out of balance. If a person only has fear — only reads the ayat of punishment, only thinks about Jahannam, only focuses on their sins — they will break. They'll reach a point where they think: everything I do is wrong, Allah is going to throw me into the fire anyway, why bother? So they give up. The fear, without hope, destroys.And if a person only has hope — only focuses on Allah's mercy, only reads about forgiveness — they get lazy. Why worry about halal and haram? Allah is Ghafurul Rahim. He'll forgive me. The hope, without fear, makes you complacent.You need both. Fear reminds you that Allah is Al-Muntaqim — the Avenger, the One who punishes, the One who has full power over Jahannam. Hope reminds you that He is Ghafurul Rahim. And when those two things live in your heart together, you keep moving. You don't collapse, and you don't drift.Du'a Is the Essence of Every IbadahHere's something that might reframe how you see worship.After spending all of ayah 54 introducing who He is — after all of that — the next instruction Allah gives is not pray. Not fast. Not give zakat. It is: make du'a. Why?Because the Prophet ﷺ said: al-du'a mukhkhul ibadah — du'a is the marrow of worship. The core. The essence. Every act of worship, properly understood, contains du'a within it.What is the most important part of salah? The Prophet ﷺ said: there is no salah without Surah Al-Fatiha. So what is Al-Fatiha about? Strip away the opening praises — Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, Al-Rahman Al-Rahim, Maliki Yawmid-Din — those are the adab. You praise Allah first before you ask. You don't walk up to someone and say I need five hundred dollars before you've even said hello. You warm them up. You acknowledge them. Then you drop the ask. And the ask in Al-Fatiha is one thing: Ihdina As-Sirat Al-Mustaqim. Oh Allah, keep us on the straight path. The entire prayer — seven times in every raka'ah — is that one du'a. Put me back on the path.And fasting? The Prophet ﷺ said: whoever enters Ramadan and leaves it without their sins being forgiven, Allah curses them. That means the entire month of fasting is one extended du'a: Ya Allah, forgive me. Every hunger pang is that du'a. Every moment of thirst. Every night of taraweeh. All of it is saying: Ya Allah, I am broken, I need You, forgive me.Al-du'a mukhkhul ibadah. When you understand that, you understand why du'a comes before everything else in this ayah.Don't Spread Corruption After the Earth Has Been Set RightAllah ends ayah 56 with something that reaches far beyond our personal worship: do not spread corruption on earth after it has been set right.Ba'da islahiha. After its reform. After its repair. The earth has been made good. Don't undo that.This is bigger than just don't harm people. Our responsibility is to all of Allah's creation — human beings, animals, plants, the water, the land. Allah follows this immediately with the image of wind carrying rain clouds across the sky, dead earth suddenly turning green after winter — that is Allah's islah. He repairs the earth constantly. Who are we to corrupt what He keeps restoring?The Prophet ﷺ once saw a companion using excess water while making wudu. He asked him: what is this waste? The companion said: is there waste in wudu? I'm doing ibadah. And the Prophet ﷺ said: yes. Even if you are making wudu in a flowing river.A flowing river. 1,400 years ago, people could not imagine that human beings would ever have the capacity to destroy something as vast and powerful as a river. And yet here we are — post-industrial revolution, with water undrinkable in country after country, because we corrupted it. The Prophet ﷺ saw it coming. The instruction was already there.Even at war, Islamic rules of conduct prohibit cutting down trees and burning crops. If we cannot corrupt the environment in war, what is our excuse in times of peace?Qaribun Min Al-MuhsineenAllah ends with: indeed the mercy of Allah is near to those who are muhsineen — those who are excellent, those who do ihsan.We'll pick this up tomorrow insha'Allah and explore what it means that Allah's mercy is specifically close to the muhsineen — and what that tells us about the standard we should be reaching for.Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit groundeddaily.substack.com/subscribe

Aaron is Joined by Luke Peterson to discuss his new book, The US Military in the Print News Media. Peterson is a professor of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. American Exception followers on Patreon, regardless of the tier, get first access to new episodes! Paid subscribers enjoy access to the entire library of the best historical analysis of deep events on the American Exception podcast.  Subscribe to our Patreon at https://patreon.com/americanexception Special thanks to: Dana Chavarria, production Casey Moore, graphics Michelle Boley, animated intro Mock Orange, music

In this episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we return to Eugene Rogan's superb The Fall of the Ottomans to explore how military defeat and political crisis in the Balkan Wars transformed the Ottoman Empire from within—and set the stage for the birth of modern Turkey.It's remarkable how topical the story of a declining empire, seemingly in endless crisis, yet still capable of surprising its enemies, feels at this moment. But the Ottoman story is worth understanding on its own terms, not just as a mirror to our own times.We pick up the narrative in 1913, following the catastrophic First Balkan War in which the Ottomans lost most of their remaining European territories. The defeat of Edirne—a historic Ottoman city—triggered a political earthquake in Constantinople. The liberal government that had overseen the loss was overthrown, and when the Grand Vizier was assassinated in June 1913, the Committee of Union and Progress (the Young Turks) seized the opportunity to eliminate their opponents once and for all.The result was the emergence of a ruling triumvirate that would dominate the empire until its final collapse: Enver Pasha, Talat Pasha, and Cemal Pasha. More powerful than the Sultan himself, these men would lead the Ottoman Empire into the First World War and oversee both its greatest triumphs and its ultimate destruction.But 1913 also brought an unexpected gift. Bulgaria, aggrieved by the division of spoils after the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies—Greece and Serbia—sparking the Second Balkan War. With Bulgarian forces redeployed away from the Ottoman frontier, Enver Pasha seized his moment. Defying a cautious government, he led Ottoman forces back into Edirne, liberating the city on 9th July 1913 to national euphoria. The hero of the 1908 revolution became the liberator of Edirne, and the CUP gained unprecedented popular support.Yet this victory masked deeper problems. The same crisis that brought the Young Turks to power also intensified their centralising, Turkifying policies—measures that would alienate the empire's Arab provinces. Arabic was displaced from schools and courts, Turkish officials replaced experienced Arab civil servants, and demands for autonomy were met with police crackdowns.Eugene Rogan traces the emergence of Arabist societies, from Al-Fatah in Paris (which envisaged a dual Turco-Arab monarchy on the Austro-Hungarian model) to the Ottoman Decentralisation Party in Cairo. These organisations sought not independence but greater rights within the empire—a federal system, cultural autonomy, equal status with Turks. But the CUP, at the height of the Balkan crisis, was in no mood to compromise.When the Beirut Reform Society published a manifesto calling for administrative decentralisation in 1913, Ottoman authorities closed its offices and ordered it to disband. A week of strikes and protests ended with prisoners released—but the society never reopened. Arabism went underground, and with it, the possibility of holding the empire together through compromise and cooperation.Empires die, or they evolve. Those that lack the capacity to fend off external threats while accommodating internal diversity through assimilation, compromise, and cooperation—those are the ones that tend to die more rapidly. The Ottoman story is a lesson in what happens when a ruling elite, facing existential crisis, chooses centralisation over conciliation.Topics covered:The political fallout from the loss of EdirneThe assassination of Grand Vizier Mahmud Şevket PashaThe CUP's purge of liberal opponentsThe rise of the triumvirate: Enver, Talat, and Cemal PashaThe Second Balkan War and Bulgaria's fatal miscalculationEnver's recapture of Edirne and its propaganda valueThe emergence of Arabist societies and their demandsThe CUP's centralising, Turkifying policiesThe closure of the Beirut Reform SocietyThe shift from imperial to national identityExplaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit groundeddaily.substack.comEight nights left. Make them count.Quick reminder before we get into the tafseer: Zakatul Fitr is wajib on every Muslim — $20 per head this year. It's due before Eid prayer, so don't leave it to the last minute. If you're not sure where to give locally, I'll post the details for MWSC — Muslim Welfare Support Centre — in the Qaswa Community Group. Six Days — Picking Up From Last NightWe were in the middle of something last night and I want to finish it properly.Allah created the heavens and earth in six days — sittati ayyam. We established last night that no classical scholar ever read this as six 24-hour days. The word yawm in Arabic simply means a span of time — an epoch. Allah Himself uses the same word elsewhere in the Quran to mean 1,000 years, and in another place 50,000 years. The six-day literalism came from the Protestant Reformation, not from Islamic tradition, and it quietly seeped into some Muslim circles when logic (mantiq) got stripped out of the curriculum.So what do the six days actually mean?A paid subscription includes a free digital copy of the Surah Al-A'raf Study Guide and Workbook. One of my teachers — Professor Muhammad Mahdi Jenkins, formerly Gary Jenkins, a nuclear physicist turned psychologist who eventually became Muslim — spent years building a theory that maps the six stages of cosmic creation to the Quranic account. Is this the traditional tafsir? No. But does it violate the Arabic, contradict established tafsir, or conflict with what the Prophet ﷺ or the early generations said? No. So it sits within the acceptable range of new tafsir.Here's what the physics looks like:Stage one: light. The universe began as a singularity — a point of infinite density containing intense concentrated energy. That energy expressed itself across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. When we say light, don't just picture what your eyes can see. Visible light is actually a tiny sliver of the full electromagnetic spectrum. The rest — radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, gamma rays — is all light we cannot see. That was stage one.Stage two: particles. When energy exceeds E=mc² — energy equals mass times the speed of light squared — matter emerges. The first particles came into existence. But here's where it gets interesting. Physics tells us that whenever matter is created, equal amounts of antimatter are also created. And when matter meets antimatter, they annihilate each other. Cancel out completely. Leave nothing but energy. By pure theory, nothing should exist in this universe — because every particle of matter should have been cancelled by its antimatter counterpart.And yet. Here we are.

Amanda Holmes reads Ibrahim Nasrallah's “In Love You Rise” from Palestinian, translated from the Arabic by Huda J. Fakhereddine. Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you'll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman. This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, Sean Morgan sits down with Nicky Gumbel to discuss the global acceleration of Alpha, leadership succession, church planting, and the essential role of spiritual leadership in the church today. As Alpha approaches its 50th anniversary and looks toward the 2033 vision—the 2,000-year anniversary of Jesus' death and resurrection—Nicky shares how new, fully contextualized film series in Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, and African languages are expanding Alpha's reach worldwide. He reflects on handing leadership to the next generation, the power of church planting to create healthy growth, and why pastors must resist being defined by business models rather than by spiritual leadership. Welcome to Episode 154 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.

Fraction of Holy Great Fast of the Forty Days to the Father @ Pope Kyrillos the Sixth Coptic Orthodox Church - North Richland Hills, TX ~ March 9, 2026https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7HJkf-MRVU

Guest: Jake NussbaumHost:  Christopher KardambikisRecorded on December 11, 2025Jake Nussbaum is a multidisciplinary artist, musician, and scholar. He works and researches in the intersections of creative practice and political organizing.The creative methods Jake uses emerge from the questions he asks with his  collaborators and community. In the past he has made art books, pirate radio stations, costumes, card systems, zines, sound installations, drawings, archival exhibitions, and essay films. He is always experimenting in new modalities and asking more questions. Jake is also a musician and percussionist deeply invested in improvisation and collaboration. He has studied in classical, jazz, experimental, Arabic, West African, and Afro-Caribbean traditions. He is currently a member of the bands The Early and Seven Count.Jake holds a PhD  in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a graduate certificate from the Center for Experimental Ethnography. From 2024-25 he was Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Library Company of Philadelphia. He is currently a lecturer in Liberal Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.jakenussbaum.com“Paper Cuts Theme” by The Early@theearly_band // http://theearly.net

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit groundeddaily.substack.comNight 21. First of the odd nights.Go all in from here.We've been over this — Laylatul Qadr is greater than a thousand months. Greater than 83 years. Most of us won't even live to see 83. And yet Allah is handing us this, every single year, completely free. One night of worship worth more than a lifetime. Don't let it pass.The Trap of Being Born Into ItWe stopped last night at the people of Jahannam begging for water. Not a glass — just the overflow. The spillover from the cups of the people of Jannah. Just whatever drips from the abundance that Allah has given them.And the people of Jannah are told: it's haram. Nothing from Jannah reaches those who took their religion as entertainment, treated it like a game, and were completely deluded by the life of this dunya.This ayah made me pause. Because if I'm honest, this description can creep up on any of us — especially those of us who were born Muslim.Think about it. Most of us didn't make an active decision to be Muslim. We didn't wake up one day, study the options, and choose Islam. We were born into it. The guidance was handed to us without us having to do anything to earn it. And because it was given for free, we sometimes treat it that way.The attitude becomes: yeah, I'm Muslim, what's the worst that can happen? I'll burn in Jahannam for a few thousand years and eventually get to Jannah anyway.There's a story — I can't verify the chain on this one, so take it as it is — apparently Muhammad Ali would light a match and put his finger through the flame whenever he felt tempted to do something haram. Just to remind himself: if you can't take this heat, what about the fire of the akhirah? He would talk himself out of it right there.Now that might sound dramatic, but the logic is sound. Imam al-Ghazali addressed exactly this problem — that we inherit our religion, we grow up with it, and we stop thinking seriously about it. We don't study our aqidah with the weight it deserves. We don't appreciate who our Lord is. We assume rather than know.Some people say: don't ask too many questions about your religion, it'll make you doubt. Imam al-Ghazali disagreed. He said doubt is actually useful — because when you doubt, you seek answers. And there are always answers in this deen. Our scholars have spent centuries engaging with every objection from every angle. The answers are there. You just have to find them.The problem is not doubt. The problem is sitting in doubt without seeking.Following along? A paid subscription includes a free digital copy of the Surah Al-A'raf Study Guide and Workbook. A Book With No Room for DoubtAllah says: We have sent down to them a book, explained with knowledge — meaning certainty. No doubt in it.In the study of usul al-fiqh, knowledge (ilm) is defined as that which reaches the level of absolute certainty — 100%. Below it you have zhan (probability, around 75%), then shukk (50-50), then waham (25%), then nothing. Ilm is the highest level — no room for doubt.And this book operates at that level. Allah is saying: We gave them the tools. The argument was complete. There is no excuse.One small thing from this ayah that I want to highlight. Allah says this book is guidance and mercy lil ladhina yu'minun— for those who are in the process of believing. Not lil mu'minin, not for the confirmed believers. The verb form rather than the noun form. Why does that matter?In Arabic, a noun is stronger than a verb. If I say someone is reading, that just describes what they're doing right now. If I say someone is a reader, that tells you who they are. So when Allah uses the verb form here — yu'minun, those who are believing — He is saying: even if you're not there yet, even if you're still on your way, still trying, still working to get to iman — this book will be clear to you. You don't have to have arrived to see it. You just have to be making the journey honestly.This Quran is not a book for passive consumption. It's not like opening a novel at page one and following the story. It jumps. It shifts. Surah al-Fatiha, then straight into Baqarah which changes topic to topic. It demands that you think. Allah literally asks: afala yatadabbarun al-Quran — why don't you do tadabbur of the Quran? It's a book that rewards effort. When you start to dig, you start to see the coherence — and when the coherence becomes apparent to you, SubhanAllah, you realise this could not have come from a human being.

News items read by Laura Kennedy include: Arabic letter from Nubian king proves he was real (details)(details) DNA study dispels some popular notions about interactions of farmers and hunter-gatherers in Neolithic Europe (details)(details) Archaeologists discover ancient settlements and rock art during northern Mexico railway project (details) Recent findings at Templo Mayor in Mexico City shed more light on a colossal ceremonial ritual (details)

Vespers Sermon @ Pope Kyrillos the Sixth Coptic Orthodox Church - North Richland Hills, TX ~ March 8, 2026

Sunday Arabic Sermon @ Pope Kyrillos the Sixth Coptic Orthodox Church - North Richland Hills, TX ~ March 8, 2026 | Meshir 29, 1742

Book of Job ~ Arabic Bible Study | 2026 @ Pope Kyrillos the Sixth Coptic Orthodox Church - North Richland Hills, TX ~ March 8, 2026

In this episode, we cover:The Global Underground Church: A firsthand account of meeting hundreds of underground church leaders on the border of Iran and the rapid growth of the Gospel in the Middle East.The Nature of Revival: Understanding that revival often comes in ways we don't expect—through pressure, tension, and the desperation of the persecuted.Crowds vs. Disciples: Lessons from the woman with the issue of blood; why many "throng" Jesus, but only the desperate "touch" Him and draw out His virtue.Divine Intervention: A call for immediate prayer over physical, spiritual, mental, and financial needs.The Command to Go in Peace: Shifting from a state of worry to an "assurance beyond human comprehension."Key Moments:[00:00] Report from the Middle East: Updates on television networks airing the Gospel into Iran and Arabic nations.[12:30] The Border Meeting: The beauty and sacrifice of church leaders living under extreme pressure.[28:45] Virtue and Desperation: Analyzing why Jesus felt power leave Him in the middle of a crowded street.[45:10] The Prayer of Intervention: A focused time of seeking salvation, healing, and liberation.[55:00] Final Benediction: The repetitive, prophetic declaration to "Go in Peace."Key Themes & Concepts:The Power of Touch: Moving from proximity to God to an actual encounter that changes your nature.Virtue (Dunamis): The specific "moral power" and "miraculous force" that flows from Christ to the believer.Peace as a Guard: How the peace of Christ transcends circumstances and grants the desires of the heart.Connect with us:English Website: http://LeondeJuda.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cljoficial/#Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/congregacionleondejudaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeondeJudaBoston

NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - Arabic News at 15:00 (JST), March 09

Num 11:24-13:33, Mark 14:22-52, Ps 52:1-9, Pr 11:1-3

In this episode of The Wisdom Of ... Show, host Simon Bowen speaks with Dr Naba Alfayadh, emergency medicine doctor, social entrepreneur, Stanford-trained innovator, and Founder and CEO of Rahma Health. Naba's organisation has reached over 3 million Arabic-speaking families globally, achieved 95% parent behaviour change in under 10 minutes, and in 2025 won three simultaneous national Telstra awards, including Business of the Year. A former Iraqi refugee who fled war at age 10, Naba has built a life and an organisation at the intersection of medicine, technology, and the most foundational force she's identified in human development … love.Simon builds a live visual model, ‘The Rahma Health Behaviour Change Pathway', capturing the precise framework behind how cultural safety becomes the gateway to real, measurable transformation.Ready to apply systematic frameworks like this in your own business?Join Simon's Masterclass on The Models Method: https://thesimonbowen.com/masterclass.Episode Breakdown00:00 Welcome to The Wisdom Of ... Show and introduction of Dr Naba Alfayadh04:15 From Iraq to Australia, the refugee journey that shaped everything10:30 Founding Happy Brain Education at 22: what a student sees that institutions miss17:45 The genesis of Rahma Health and why COVID turned out to be the moment24:10 What "culturally safe" actually means and why it's a performance variable, not a value statement31:55 The behaviour change data: how 5–10 minutes produces 95% change and doubled health literacy38:20 LIVE MODEL BUILD: The Rahma Health Behaviour Change Pathway47:00 Intergenerational trauma, the precise mechanism by which conditional love becomes a survival programme55:30 Unconditional love as leadership: what the research shows and why it's not soft01:03:15 The three principles for leading across cultures: listening, respect, and love01:10:40 Kookaburra Kindness, writing a children's book with her daughter in response to the Bondi tragedy01:17:00 What it means to build something. Not to become a billionaire, but because there are things to be done.01:17:53 Closing reflections and the green lineAbout Dr Naba AlfayadhDr Naba Alfayadh is a General Practice Registrar, emergency medicine doctor, public health leader, and serial social entrepreneur whose work has supported more than three million people globally. She is the Founder and CEO of Rahma Health, an award-winning Australian charity creating culturally and psychologically safe health and parenting resources for Arabic-speaking families worldwide.Born in Iraq, Dr Alfayadh fled to Australia in 2003 at age 10 during the Iraq War, after her school was bombed. She graduated from Monash University with MBBS/BMedSci degrees on a Merit and Equity Scholarship, and later studied Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Stanford University. She co-founded Happy Brain Education at age 22, growing it to serve 2,000+ students with 50 staff across two states, before founding Rahma Health in 2021.Under her leadership, Rahma Health has reached over 3 million users globally, partnered with 50 international organisations, and published research with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute demonstrating that health literacy more than doubled after just 5–10 minutes of platform use, with 95% of parents reporting behaviour change. She currently serves on the Governance Committee, updating Maternity and Neonatal Handbooks for Safer Care Victoria.In 2025, Dr Alfayadh was named Telstra Business of the Year, Telstra Championing Health, and Telstra Accelerating Women - three simultaneous national awards. She also received the Women's Health Medal of Distinction Australasia 2025 and the Monash Emerging Leaders Alumni Award. She is a Westpac Social Change Fellow and a Women's Agenda Leadership Awards Finalist.Connect with Dr Naba Alfayadh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmalfayadh/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrahmahealth/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myrahmahealth/Website: https://rahma.health/about-rahma-health/About Simon BowenSimon has spent over two decades working with influential leaders across complex industries. His focus is on elevating thinking in organisations, recognising that success is directly proportional to the quality of thinking and ideas within a business. Simon leads the renaissance of thinking through his work with global leaders and organisations.Connect with SimonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonbowen-mm/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsimonbowen/Website: https://thesimonbowen.com/Get Simon Bowen's Personal Newsletter for Leaders, Thinkers, and Entrepreneurs!Sign Up Now: https://thesimonbowen.com/newsletter.Join Simon's Masterclass: Unlock your leadership potential with The Models Method.Learn to articulate your unique value and create scalable impact.Watch it Now: https://thesimonbowen.com/masterclass.

When Luke records Jesus commanding the Twelve to take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, he activates a deliberate stripping that recalls the scriptural logic of exile as exposure. The Hebrew root ג-ל-ה (gimel-lamed-heh) can function as “to uncover” or, by extension, “to go into exile,” linking displacement with nakedness in the prophetic texts themselves. There, exile is repeatedly portrayed as being uncovered, stripped naked, and shamed before the nations. Nakedness is not merely physical but signals dispossession and removal from the land. In Luke 8, the Gerasene demoniac embodies this condition, naked, outside the city among the tombs, cut off from communal and tribal life, a living figure of exposure in exile. When Jesus restores him, he is clothed and seated in his right mind, and he is commanded to return home to bear fruit as a witness, with nothing in hand but the knowledge of his sins and the command of God. Immediately afterward, in Luke 9, Jesus sends the Twelve out divested of staff and supplies, stripped of institutional and tribal supports, and of any authority derived from them. Though not naked in body, they are stripped of the signs of power, protection, affiliation, and provision. Both the demoniac and the Twelve thus reflect the same scriptural function: exile as nakedness, and exposure out in the open as the precondition of restoration for mission.ῥάβδος (rhabdos) / מ-ט-ה (mem-ṭet-heh)Staff; tribe, delegated power. From the triliteral root נ-ט-ה (nun-ṭet-heh), to stretch out, to extend, to incline.“And you shall take in your hand this staff [מַטֶּה (maṭṭeh)] with which you shall do the signs.” (Exodus 4:17)The staff represents what is stretched out. In Exodus, it symbolizes the instrument through which delegated authority operates, acting as an extended hand. In Numbers 17, each leader brings his staff, which denotes his tribe. Extension here signifies lineage: what is stretched out becomes a branch, and that branch becomes a tribe. Thus, the rod is not just wood but a visible symbol of authority and continuity, indicating the ordered descent and delegated power.ῥάβδος (rhabdos) / ש-ב-ט (šin-bet-ṭet)Rod, scepter, tribe. From the triliteral root ש-ב-ט (šin-bet-ṭet), associated with striking and ruling.“You shall break them with a rod [בְּשֵׁבֶט (be-šebeṭ)] of iron.” (Psalm 2:9)The rod is the instrument of rule. It disciplines, enforces, and governs. In Proverbs, it corrects; in Isaiah, it becomes the rod of divine anger; in royal psalms, it signifies sovereign authority. The same word names a tribe, linking governance with structure. The rod is therefore not merely a stick but embodied jurisdiction, the visible sign of judicial and royal power.ῥάβδος (rhabdos) / ק-ל-ל (qof-lamed-lamed)Rod; stick; branch, to be light, slight.“And the Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks [בַּמַּקְלוֹת (ba-maqqelot)]?'” (1 Samuel 17:43)This rod belongs to the field, not the throne. It is the shepherd's implement, the ordinary support of the traveler. In Genesis 30 Jacob uses rods in the tending of flocks; in Samuel David carries them into battle as a shepherd confronting a warrior. The stick here signifies pastoral presence rather than institutional authority. It is wood in the hand of the lowly, not the emblem of a court.ῥάβδος (rhabdos) / ש-ע-ן (šin-ʿayin-nun)Staff of support. From the verbal root ש-ע-ן (šin-ʿayin-nun), to lean upon, to rely.“Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken staff [מִשְׁעֶנֶת (mišʿenet)] of reed.” (Isaiah 36:6)The staff here is what one leans upon. It represents reliance, alliance, and structural backing. When it breaks, dependence collapses, and the individual who is leaning on it falls. The rod becomes a metaphor for political trust and misplaced confidence. It is not an instrument of striking but of support, the symbol of that upon which stability rests.ῥάβδος (rhabdos) / שַׁרְבִיט (šarbiṭ)Scepter; royal staff. Likely a Persian (modern-day Iran) loanword associated with imperial authority.“If the king holds out the golden scepter [שַׁרְבִיט (šarbiṭ)] that is in his hand, he shall live.” (Esther 4:11)In Esther, the rod is sovereignty compressed into a single gesture. Life and death depend on whether it is extended. It is not the shepherd's staff, not the tribal symbol, not the rod of discipline. It is ceremonial kingship embodied in gold. The scepter draws the line between execution and mercy, exclusion and acceptance. Authority is visible, concentrated in the king's hand.But does the king's own life ultimately matter? A wise leader knows that his life is of little value because it does not belong to him. As Jesus commands, the sign of God is neither the owner, the support, nor the strength of God's many peoples. There is no god but God. Scripture repeatedly shows, through Persian rulers like Cyrus and Xerxes, that real control belongs neither to Israel, nor to the king, nor to the empire. Sovereignty belongs to God alone, who governs history itself, directing kings as easily as he directs the sun and the moon, according to his plan.πήρα (pera)Shepherd's bag.“And he took his staff [τὴν ῥάβδον (ten rabdon)] in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the shepherd's bag [εἰς τὴν πήραν τὴν ποιμενικήν (eis ten peran ten poimeniken)]…” (1 Samuel 17:40 LXX)David advances toward Goliath carrying two things: the rabdos (ῥάβδος) and the pera (πήρα). The rabdos is the shepherd's staff, the maqel (מַקֵל), a rod in the hand of one who tends flocks. The pera is the shepherd's satchel, the container of stones and the place of stored provision. One extends the arm; the other holds what sustains the strike. This is the only occurrence of pera (πήρα) in the Septuagint.The five stones evoke Torah, the Five Books. Their smoothness carries the root ח-ל-ק (ḥet-lamed-qof) / ح-ل-ق (ḥāʾ-lām-qāf). In Hebrew, ḥalaq is to divide, to apportion, to allot. In Arabic, ḥalaqa is to shave, to make smooth, to strip bare. These are not separate functions. To smooth a stone is to shape it by removal. To allot land is to cut it from the whole. The triliteral holds division and preparation together.The brook itself sharpens the resonance. Naḥal (נַחַל), from the root נ־ח־ל (nun-ḥet-lamed) / ن-ح-ل (nūn-ḥāʾ-lām), in Hebrew is a wadi, a seasonal stream. But the same consonants in both languages yield naḥalah (נַחֲלָה), naḥala (نَحَلَ) / niḥla (نِحْلَة) inheritance, endowment, gift, or allotted possession. Water and land converge in the root. David reaches into the stream and draws out inheritance. Surat al-Naḥl سورة النحل refers to “The Bee,” an animal associated with provision, honey, and divinely guided producti...

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Num 10:1-11:23, Mark 14:1-21, Ps 51:1-19, Pr 10:31-32

THE 1,400-YEAR WAR: Raymond Ibrahim on the Real History of Islam Is the "History of Islam" being systematically sanitized in Western schools? In this explosive episode, world-renowned historian and former U.S. Library of Congress scholar Raymond Ibrahim joins the show to dismantle the "grievance narrative" of Jihad. While the West is told that modern violence is a response to recent foreign policy, Ibrahim uses his fluency in Arabic to reveal ancient texts that prove a 1,400-year continuity of conquest. We dive deep into the Persecution of Christians, both historical and modern, and how the 7th-century Arab conquests "swallowed" three-quarters of the original Christian world. Ibrahim exposes the doctrine of Taqiyya (strategic deception), the Sword Verse that commands the subjugation of "People of the Book," and the legal reality of Dhimmitude. From the "Double-Speak" of Al-Qaeda to the Creeping Sharia and the Fall of Europe, this conversation reveals why the West is currently losing a civilizational war it refuses to admit is happening. We specifically discuss the takeover of the West through institutional infiltration, highlighting the surreal reality of New York officials like Zohran Mamdani transforming New York. Raymond Ibrahim is a Visiting Fellow at the Danube Institute in Budapest link to Raymond Ibrahim Substack: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/45f6956a/4_4M0K0loEyP-3YgpgmL_Q?u=https://raymondibrahim.substack.com/ 3) Books by Raymond Ibrahim https://link.edgepilot.com/s/23087b08/qxp5w_r2G0qSXsgBmZU8-A?u=https://www.raymondibrahim.com/books #RaymondIbrahim #HistoryOfIslam #TheCrusades #WesternCivilization #Jihad #SwordAndScimitar #IslamicHistory #Podcast Quince: Refresh your wardrobe with timeless, high-quality pieces from Quince—go to https://Quince.com/JILLIAN for free shipping and 365-day returns! Shopify: Launch your dream business with Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at https://Shopify.com/Jillian and start selling today! OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code KEEPINGITREAL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JillianMichaels Watch full episodes of Keeping it Real here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiii-iSEaAue6WFBwW7i6CQfaJZViGhZp Watch clips of Keeping it Real here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiii-iSEaAuekunvlzuUDl3W5UY3tEydK&si=2RUFlp3Vo79h9XBW Click Here to Download My App! https://www.jillianmichaels.com/join Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillianmichaels/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillianmichaels/ X: https://x.com/JillianMichaels/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prodigal Son Spiritual Song By H. H. Pope Shenouda @ Coptic Community - Destin, FL ~ March 6, 2026

Num 8:1-9:23, Mark 13:14-37, Ps 50:1-23, Pr 10:29-30

What happens when someone claims they're guiding people, but they're actually leading them straight into ruin?In this episode of Quran Conversations, Imam Magid and I reflect on the Qur'an's final summary of Pharaoh's story: “Pharaoh truly led his people astray and did not guide them.” From there, we widen the lens. Because Pharaoh isn't only a figure of history, Pharaoh can be a leader with a platform– a system of oppression, a tyrant at home, and even the inner Pharaoh within our own nafs.We also move into Allah's address to Bani Israel: a reminder to recognize liberation as a divine gift, not a personal victory—then a warning not to overstep the bounds after being given blessings, because falling after receiving goodness is a fall from a great height.You will learn:

General Meeting @ St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church - New Orleans, LA ~ March 1, 2026

The Philosophy of Translation (Yale UP, 2024) is a fresh, approachable, and convincing account of what translation really is and what translators actually do. As the translator of sixty books from multiple languages, Damion Searls has spent decades grappling with words on the most granular level: nouns and verbs, accents on people's names, rhymes, rhythm, “untranslatable” cultural nuances. In this book, he connects a wealth of specific examples to larger philosophical issues of reading and perception. Translation, he argues, is fundamentally a way of reading—but reading is much more than taking in information, and translating is far from a mechanical process of converting one word to another. This sharp and inviting exploration of the theory and practice of translation is for anyone who has ever marveled at the beauty, force, and movement of language. In this episode, Ibrahim Fawzy sat down with Damion Searls to discuss The Philosophy of Translation, exploring what it truly means to read as a translator, how grammar shapes worldview, and where creativity lives in the space between languages. Damion Searls studied philosophy at Harvard and is a prominent translator from German, Norwegian, French, and Dutch, including books by Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Rilke, Proust, Kielland, Jelinek, Schwitters, Mann, Modiano, and Fosse. His own books include the novel Analog Days, the poetry volume The Mariner's Mirror, and The Inkblots, a history of the Rorschach test and biography of its creator. Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian literary translator and writer. He is the translator of Hassan Akram's A Plan to Save the World (Sandorf Passage, 2026). His interests include translation studies, Arabic literature, ecocriticism, disability studies, and migration literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Epicus Furor Diē Saturnī, quī undecimus diēs nōnī mēnsis secundum rātiōnem Mahometānōrum fuit, Ali Khamēnī, tyrannus Irāniānōrum, aliīque ēiusdem regiminis magistrātūs et dūcēs in ūnum locum convōcātī, sunt āb Isrāēlītīs et Americānīs, quī scīvērunt ubi Irāniānī essent et quid agerent, subitō interfectī, ac castra et missilia et arma in Irāniā condita sunt oppugnāta. Quō factō Irāniānī mīlitēs, ultimīs mandātīs ante impetum datīs pārentēs, missilia nōn sōlum in Israelītās iēcērunt sed etiam in Baharīnam, et in Coniunctōs Phylarchōs Arabicōs, et in Cuvaitō, et in Iordaniam, et in Ōmānam, et in Quatariam, et in Arabiam Saudōrum, et in Sȳriam, necnōn etiam in Cyprum īnsulam Eurōpaeam; unde ferē tōta regiō Arabica est rārā concordiā in īram conjuncta adversus Irāniānōs. Regimen autem Irāniānum fōns et orīgō fuit terrōris; et Hezbollah conjūrātōs terrōristās in Libanō, Hamās inter Palaestīnōs, Houthiānōs in Iemeniā aluit ut gentēs vīcīnās convelleret; necnōn Venetiolānōs aluit, ut vexāret Americānōs, quōs Khamēnī “magnum Satān” vocitāre solēbat. Domī autem idem regimen innumerābīlia mīlia cīvium trucidāvit et lībertātem repressit. Khamēnī tamen interfectō, iuvenēs in viīs exsultant et monumenta tyrannī evertunt. Hortātur praeses Americānus ut Iraniānī cīvēs in oppressōrēs insurgant et regimen tyrannicum ēvertant. Ursula von der Leyen, praeses Europaeae Commissiōnis, diē Saturnī nūntiāvit suum Collegium Secūritātis diē Lūnae convōcandum. Keir autem Starmer, quī ministrī prīmāriī mūnere adhūc fungitur in Britanniā, brevem ōrātiunculam habuit, quā negāvit Britannōs quicquam ēgisse. Ante impetūs factōs, Starmer recūsāverat nē permitteret Americānīs ūtī castrīs Britannōrum, ut in īnsulīs Chagōs dictīs; sed cum Irāniānī coepissent missilia in omnēs gentēs fīnitimās et ad mīlitēs Britannōs sine discrīmine iactāre, Starmer aliter cēnsuit, ut licēret Americānīs ūtī castrīs. Bellum in Afghāniā Magsitrātūs Afghānī, quī et Talibānī appellāntur, diē Iovis subitō coepērunt bellum in Pacistānōs gerere longē melius exercitātōs atque armātōs. Illī igitur invicem bellum apertum gerunt in Talibānōs et impetūs aēriōs tam Cabūrae, in capite Afghāniae, quam in Candahāriam regiōnem, sēdem Talibānōrum, fēcērunt. Bellum in Libanō Quamquam indutiae in Libanō factae sunt, Isrāēlītae impetūs aēriōs in terroristās Hezbollah dictōs faciunt, in quibus praecipuē dūcēs missilibus praefectī occīduntur. Grex ille Hezbollah dictus ab Īraniānīs alitur, sed longē dēbilior est nunc quam priōribus annīs fuit. Nawaf Salam minister prīmārius Lībanus dīxit Hezbollah ā mīlitibus Lībanīs interdictum irī. Bellum in Ūcrāīnā Nicolāō Madūrō inter hōrās sublātō, et Khamēnī inter prīmum impetum interfectō, Russī quīntum iam annum bellum, quod putāverant intrā trēs diēs ad fīnem perducendum, in Ūcrāīnēnsēs gerere pergunt. Diē autem Saturnī subitō atque ex inopinātō Cyrillus Budanov nūntiāvit Russōs nōn iam nōlle pignora secūritātis accipere quae Americānī prōposuissent. Operātiō in Aequitōriā Diē Martis Americānī nūntiāvērunt sē cum Aequitōriānīs coniunctōs in narcoterroristās facere impetum. Diē autem Mercuriī magistrātūs Aequitōriānī lēgātōs omnēs Cubānōs declārāvērunt persōnās nōn grātās et iussit ante diem Veneris ē fīnibus Aequitōriae ēgredī.

Yehudit Barsky is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy. Fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, Ms. Barsky is a Middle East counterterrorism specialist.Yehudit conducts research and led the Division on Middle East and International Terrorism at the American Jewish Committee for fourteen years.Ms. Barsky has been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Chicago Tribune, amongst others. She regularly briefs media, law enforcement agencies and Jewish communities on the implications of terrorism on U .S. policy. She is a founder of the Secure Community Network which focuses on homeland security for the Jewish community and also served as its senior advisor and Middle East specialist for intelligence and analysis. She also serves on the security advisory council of the Community Security Service, which has trained over 10,000 security volunteers to protect synagogues throughout the US.Ms. Barsky is the author of Islamist Antisemitism in the United States, Hamas: The Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine, The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, and Hizballah: The Party of God.

The Philosophy of Translation (Yale UP, 2024) is a fresh, approachable, and convincing account of what translation really is and what translators actually do. As the translator of sixty books from multiple languages, Damion Searls has spent decades grappling with words on the most granular level: nouns and verbs, accents on people's names, rhymes, rhythm, “untranslatable” cultural nuances. In this book, he connects a wealth of specific examples to larger philosophical issues of reading and perception. Translation, he argues, is fundamentally a way of reading—but reading is much more than taking in information, and translating is far from a mechanical process of converting one word to another. This sharp and inviting exploration of the theory and practice of translation is for anyone who has ever marveled at the beauty, force, and movement of language. In this episode, Ibrahim Fawzy sat down with Damion Searls to discuss The Philosophy of Translation, exploring what it truly means to read as a translator, how grammar shapes worldview, and where creativity lives in the space between languages. Damion Searls studied philosophy at Harvard and is a prominent translator from German, Norwegian, French, and Dutch, including books by Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Rilke, Proust, Kielland, Jelinek, Schwitters, Mann, Modiano, and Fosse. His own books include the novel Analog Days, the poetry volume The Mariner's Mirror, and The Inkblots, a history of the Rorschach test and biography of its creator. Ibrahim Fawzy is an Egyptian literary translator and writer. He is the translator of Hassan Akram's A Plan to Save the World (Sandorf Passage, 2026). His interests include translation studies, Arabic literature, ecocriticism, disability studies, and migration literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/ToddGet the new limited release, The Sisterhood, created to honor the extraordinary women behind the heroes. Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeMike O'Rourke, a special forces combat veteran and CEO of Advanced Operational Concepts joins to help us make sense of the military operation taking place in The Middle East…Episode Links:'Unlikely, Unlikely, Unlikely': MS NOW's Barry McCaffrey Predicts Failure In Iran Mark FinkelsteinHacked traffic cameras and US intelligence: How a plot to kill Iran's supreme leader came together“Monarchists & Zionists claim Iranians are 'celebrating' the death of Ayatollah Khamenei. If that is true, why are people flooding the streets demanding revenge?” BREAKING: American pilots reportedly shot down over Kuwait were carrying a “blood chit”  a survival message sewn inside their jackets. Written in English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Kurdish, it reads: Footage of Kuwaiti locals approaching one of the shot down American pilots this morning. “Are you OK? Thank you for helping us.”

Events are moving rapidly in the Middle East, so we wanted to provide our loyal podcast listeners with some context to help digest everything that's happened so far. We hope to provide a longer view of the what, where, who, how and why and offer some perspective on this military action's broader historical, political, and legal implications.Ted Postol is Professor of Science, Technology and National Security Policy Emeritus in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT. His expertise is in nuclear weapon systems, including submarine warfare, applications of nuclear weapons, ballistic missile defense, and ballistic missiles more generally. He previously worked as an analyst at the Office of Technology Assessment and as a science and policy adviser to the chief of naval operations. In 2016, he received the Garwin Prize from the Federation of American Scientists for his work in assessing and critiquing the government's claims about missile defenses.Ambassador Chas Freeman is a retired career diplomat who has negotiated on behalf of the United States with over 100 foreign governments in East and South Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and both Western and Eastern Europe. Ambassador Freeman was previously a Senior Fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires in the American embassies at both Bangkok and Beijing. He was Director for Chinese Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 1979-1981. He was the principal American interpreter during the late President Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972. In addition to Chinese, Ambassador Freeman speaks French and Spanish at the professional level and can converse in Arabic and several other languages.Bruce Fein is a Constitutional scholar and an expert on international law. Mr. Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General under Ronald Reagan and he is the author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy, and American Empire: Before the Fall.Ralph Nader Radio Hour is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading Ralph Nader Radio Hour! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

03/01/26 Fr Salar Boudagh - 3rd Sunday of Lent (Arabic) by St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Diocese

A kaleidoscope of polyrhythms and post-dubstep. "Music was a way to speak Arabic… It's my way of being confident that I am, in fact, Lebanese," Jared Beeler AKA DJ Plead told Crack Magazine in 2022. Often framed as an Australian producer threading Arabic rhythmic structures through techno and post-dubstep, DJ Plead's music is better understood as tradition embedded inside contemporary club forms, where percussion and bass move as one. First surfacing in the late 2010s with releases on DECISIONS and Nervous Horizon, he has since become one of the most consistent voices in leftfield dance music, defined by the tactile clarity of their drum programming and Maqam-informed phrasing. RA.1028 opens with Bruce's "Just Getting On With It" from Livity Sound's ten-year compilation, a fitting nod to the kind of rhythmic experimentation that runs through the set. From Iran to London to Miami and back again, the 90-minute mix pulls a wide frame into focus, including several unreleased DJ Plead tracks. Whether it's the dry snap of hand-drum hits or sub-bass that lands with chest-caving weight, RA. 1028 is a reminder that rhythm can be a direct path back to the self. Find the tracklist and Q&A at https://ra.co/podcast/1047 @1djplead

In this episode from Highclere Castle, I sit down with Nick Hopton to talk about his book, "Marma Mia," which begins as the story of buying and restoring a holiday house in an unspoiled part of Tuscany, the Maremma and becomes a wider family and personal journey. Nick shares how reading "A Year in Provence" during COVID while he was British Ambassador to Libya helped inspire him to write a feel-good book that encourages readers to discover lesser-known regions. We discuss his Foreign Office career and his approach to languages, including learning Arabic across postings such as Morocco, Yemen, Qatar and Libya, along with French, Italian, Spanish, some German, and some Farsi ahead of becoming ambassador to Iran after the 2015 nuclear deal and the reopening of the British embassy. Nick explains how a friend's suggestion to look beyond Chianti led serendipitously to the first house they viewed and ultimately boughtalongside the realities of renovating abroad: high costs, practical challenges, and the highs and lows of making a place work for family life. We also talk about his unexpected love of landscaping and working with a skilled digger operator he calls “Michelangelo,” the region's food, wine, local olive oil and its strong Tuscan accent. Nick recounts a memorable moment when a friend arrived with an armed escort and the town's mayor turned out to greet them, and he updates me on ongoing projects, including drilling a 97-meter well to reach a fresh aquifer. Looking ahead, Nick describes writing best in the relative isolation of the Italian house and shares his interest in writing more broadly about the Mediterranean, linked to his role creating a new program at the University of Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics. We touch on the Napoleonic history of the area, including the principality of Piombino and Lucca and Napoleon's sister Elisa and end with a playful question about a dream dance guest Nick chooses Dante's Beatrice, reflecting his early love of Dante's poetry and its lifelong influence.00:00 Meet Nick Hopton & the book ‘Marma Mia' (restoring a house in Italy)00:50 Inspired by ‘A Year in Provence': writing a feel-good travel memoir during COVID01:59 Diplomatic life & learning languages: Arabic, French, Italian (and more)04:26 Why you should speak the local language (even with bad grammar)05:17 Falling for Tuscany's Maremma: the serendipitous house-buying story07:42 Renovation reality: highs, lows, and why the Maremma stays authentic08:44 Landscaping obsession: diggers, Kubotas, and ‘Michelangelo' the operator11:05 Food, wine & dialect: tomatoes, olive oil, and the Tuscan accent12:49 Small-town surprises: the ambassador friend visit and the mayor's welcome13:43 The work never ends: is the villa project ever really finished?14:01 Digging a 97m Well & the Never-Ending House Project14:27 What's Next After the Book: A Wider Mediterranean Focus14:58 Seeing the Mediterranean Holistically (Cambridge Geopolitics & Trade Routes)16:26 Duff Cooper, John Julius Norwich & Highclere's Colorful Guests17:20 Writing Habits: Tuscany, Isolation, Rhythm & Beating Procrastination18:37 Italy, Maremma & Napoleonic History: Elisa and the Principality of Piombino and Lucca20:30 Diplomatic Postings & Reopening the UK Embassy in Iran (2015)23:09 Iran Today: Regime Weakness, Protests, and a Hope to Visit the Cradle of Civilization24:21 Highclere's Library, the Book Club, and a Shared Love of Italy25:27 Finale: The Summer Dance Fantasy Guest—Dante, Beatrice & Vita NovaYou can hear more episodes of Lady Carnarvon's Official Podcasts at https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/podcast/New episodes are published on the first day of every month.