Podcasts about Hezbollah

Let's discuss my recent interview with Hezbollah's second in command, watch it on the Breakthrough News YouTube channel Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available at callin.com

I share my thoughts on Tarek Bitar's predicament, protestors' demands at the Justice Palace and an insistence on proactive diplomacy that focuses on Iran's security interests in Lebanon while discrediting pandering voices seeking accommodation with Hezbollah's weapons. Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com

On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down the declaration this week by the commander of Iran's Navy that Iran will will station warships in the Panama Canal—at America's doorstep—by the end of this year. What are Iran and its terror proxy, Hezbollah, up to in Latin America and why should the United States be concerned about the Iranian regime's inroads in the Western Hemisphere? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Oddcast I continue our Those We Don't Speak Of series by looking into the origins of two cuddly terror organizations. I notice a very similar pattern with United states foreign policy, and its history of supporting groups, or individuals who later go on to be enemies. I cover some articles documenting this history as I occasionally add my own perspective. Now, time once again to get down that dusty desert rabbit hole, far beyond the mainstream! Cheers, and Blessings

Former EU Representative for foreign policy and security policy Catherine Ashton joins The Foreign Desk with Lisa Daftari to talk about dealing with the world's biggest foreign affairs crises.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. A report by the Beirut Observer on Saturday stated that Lebanese security officials are urging Hezbollah to prevent a Lebanon-based Hamas cell from carrying out an attack against Israel. Fabian explains why. On Wednesday, new Justice Minister Yair Levin finally officially unveiled the government's plans for judicial reforms. We hear what are the four reforms and how the country is reacting. On Thursday, the High Court held a six-hour hearing for a petition against Shas head Aryeh Deri's appointment as interior and health minister. What were the main arguments? On Saturday, three Fatah officials came to visit the recently freed security prisoner Karim Younis in the northern Israel town of ‘Ara. Who is Younis and how did new Defense Minister Yoav Galant respond to this entourage? Discussed articles include: Report: Lebanon urging Hezbollah to prevent local Hamas cell from attacking Israel Justice minister unveils plan to shackle the High Court, overhaul Israel's judiciary Thousands rally in Tel Aviv against new government, judicial overhaul plans Court to Deri: ‘You can't quit Knesset in plea bargain, then get appointed minister' Gallant revokes entry permits of 3 PA officials who visited freed terror convict Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri during a meeting with his nationalist allies and his Likud party members, at the Knesset, Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem, March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On December 11, 2022,  Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi (Mas'ud), the suspected bomb maker in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, was arrested by the U.S. Department of Justice and brought to the United States for prosecution. In this episode we are joined by two distinguished guests, Fred Burton and Mark Zaid, who discuss counterterrorism, the intelligence community, the Lockerbie investigation spanning more than three decades, and the quest for American justice.Due to the sensitivity of these topics, listener discretion is advised. Fred Burton is a former police officer, special agent for the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. State Department, and a New York Times best-selling author.  He's served on the front lines of high-profile investigations like the attempted hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan in 1986, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, the hunt for and arrest of the mastermind behind the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993; the 1988 plane crash that killed a U.S. Ambassador and the President of Pakistani; and the search for Americans kidnapped by Hezbollah in Beirut, Lebanon.His best-selling books include his personal memoir GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent and his other books Chasing Shadows: A Special Agent's Lifelong Hunt to Bring a Cold War Assassin to Justice, Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi and Beirut Rules: The Murder of a CIA Station Chief and Hezbollah's War Against America.He was selected by Security Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Security in 2021 and his non-fiction books have been featured in fictional thrillers by Brad Thor, Jack Carr and Tom Clancy's Target Acquired by Don Bentley.  Fred's website is www.officialfredburton.comMark Zaid is an American attorney, based in Washington, D.C., with a practice focused on national security law, freedom of speech constitutional claims, and government accountability.Many of his cases are very well known, such as suing Libya for the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which resulted in a $2.7 billion settlement, the largest of its kind against a foreign government for terrorist activities. Mark often represents former and current federal employees, intelligence and military officers, whistleblowers and others who have grievances or have been wronged by agencies of the United States Government or foreign governments. He also regularly represents members of the media. Mark's website is www.markzaid.com

jQuery(document).ready(function(){ cab.clickify(); }); Original Podcast with clickable words https://tinyurl.com/2erodcj9 Contact: irishlingos@gmail.com "Seven accused" of the attack in which Sean Rooney was killed. "Seachtar cúisithe" faoin ionsaí inar maraíodh Seán Rooney. It is reported that the authorities in Lebanon have charged seven people with being involved in the attack in that country last month which killed Irish soldier Seán Rooney. Tuairiscítear go bhfuil seachtar cúisithe ag na húdaráis sa Liobáin faoi pháirt a bheith acu san ionsaí sa tír sin an mhí seo caite ar maraíodh saighdiúir Éireannach Seán Rooney dá bharr. Private Soldier Rooney, who was 23 years old, was killed when the armored vehicle he was driving was fired upon near the village of Al-Aqbiya in southern Lebanon on 14 December. Maraíodh an Saighdiúir Singil Rooney, a bhí 23 bliain d'aois, nuair a rinneadh ionsaí lámhaigh ar an bhfeithicil armúrtha a bhí sé a thiomáint gar do shráidbhaile Al-Aqbiya i ndeisceart na Liobáine ar an 14 Nollaig. The village is in an area under the control of the armed party Hezbollah. Tá an sráidbhaile i gceantar atá faoi smacht an pháirtí armtha Hezbollah. Three other soldiers were injured and one of them - Private Shane Kearney - remains seriously ill. Gortaíodh triúr saighdiúirí eile agus tá duine acu - an Saighdiúir Singil Shane Kearney - fós go dona tinn. The soldiers were on peacekeeping duty with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and were on their way to the capital Beirut when they were attacked. Bhí na saighdiúirí ar dualgas síochána le Fórsa Eatramhach na Náisiún Aontaithe sa Liobáin agus bhí siad ar a mbealach go dtí an phríomhchathair Béiriút nuair a hionsaíodh iad. Of the seven accused, only one is understood to be in custody after Hezbollah handed him over to the Lebanese Army last month. As an seachtar atá cúisithe, tuigtear nach bhfuil ach duine amháin acu faoi choinneáil tar éis do Hezbollah é a thabhairt ar láimh d'Arm na Liobáine an mhí seo caite. It is reported that that person is accused of throwing a machine gun at the soldiers. Tuairiscítear go bhfuil an té sin cúisithe sna saighdiúirí a chaitheamh le meaisínghunna. The other six - who were called "fugitives" - are accused of "making threats with an illegal weapon, destroying an armored vehicle belonging to the United Nations and intimidating the people in the vehicle". Tá an seisear eile - ar tugadh "éalaithigh" orthu - tá siadsan cúisithe "i mbagairtí a dhéanamh le harm mídhleathach, i bhfeithicil armúrtha leis na Náisiúin Aontaithe a scrios agus sna daoine a bhí san fheithicil a imeaglú". Hezbollah is said to be ashamed of the attack and is cooperating with the investigation by the Lebanese intelligence services. Deirtear go bhfuil náire ar Hezbollah faoin ionsaí agus bhfuil siad ag comhoibriú leis an bhfiosrúchán atá ar bun ag seirbhísí faisnéise na Liobáine. Sean Rooney was from Newtown, Co Donegal. B'as an mBaile Nua, Co Dhún na nGall, Seán Rooney. He was an Irish Cadet from 2019 and belonged to the 27th Infantry Battalion based in Dún MacAugáin in Dúndalgan, Co Louth. Bhí sé ina Óglach Éireann ó 2019 agus bhain sé leis an 27ú Cathlán Coisithe atá bunaithe i nDún Mhic Aogáin i nDún Dealgan, Co Lú.

As the Kinahan cartel continues to be pursued to the ends of the earth by the Americans and the Irish authorities, they are continuing to make connections in the underworld. In todays episode, we take a look at the Kinahan cartel and their connection to the Iranian backed group.(commercial at 7:38)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:https://www.thesun.ie/news/9392730/kinahan-cartel-links-hezbollah-terror-group/

On this episode, venerated political scientist Dr. Robert Freedman joins us to expound on the various wars and conflicts that Russia has gotten into, not only in Ukraine, but also in Syria, Libya, Mali, and more. Dr. Freedman articulates Putin's current goals as he sees them, touches on the liberal use of the Wagner Group by Russia, and prognosticates on the future of the war in Ukraine and Ukraine's prospects in joining Western security organizations. Thanks for listening (and happy holidays to all)! ABOUT THE GUEST Professor Robert Freedman received his B.A. in Diplomatic History from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in International Relations from Columbia University. He was an Assistant Professor of Russian History at the United States Military Academy (West Point) and Associate Professor of Political Science and Russian at Marquette University, before his extended career in Baltimore as Professor of Political Science and later the President of the Baltimore Hebrew University. Now, he is visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University and continues to hold an appointment at the Baltimore Hebrew University. He is the author or co-author of five books on Soviet foreign policy and fifteen on Israel and the Middle East. He has consulted with U.S. and Israeli government agencies, served on significant government delegations, and been a commentator innumerable times on major news outlets. He is a highly respected authority in the U.S. foreign policy community. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on November 13th, 2022 at Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois at the 2022 ASEEES convention. If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email slavxradio@utexas.edu and we will be in touch! CREDITS Host/Associate Producer: Taylor Ham Host/Assistant Producer: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy) Associate Producer: Lera Toropin (@earlportion) Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana) Assistant Producer: Sergio Glajar Social Media Manager: Eliza Fisher Supervising Producer: Katherine Birch Recording, Editing, and Sound Design: Michelle Daniel Music Producer: Charlie Harper (@charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com (Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Holizna, Jazzafari, Kai Engel,Makaih Beats) Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@MSDaniel) www.msdaniel.com DISCLAIMER: Texas Podcast Network is brought to you by The University of Texas at Austin. Podcasts are produced by faculty members and staffers at UT Austin who work with University Communications to craft content that adheres to journalistic best practices. The University of Texas at Austin offers these podcasts at no charge. Podcasts appearing on the network and this webpage represent the views of the hosts, not of The University of Texas at Austin. https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/9/9a59b135-7876-4254-b600-3839b3aa3ab1/P1EKcswq.png Special Guest: Robert O. Freedman.

On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down the overnight Israeli airstrikes on a Hezbollah facility near the Syrian capital of Damascus. As a rule, Israel's military does not comment on specific strikes in Syria, but has admitted to conducting hundreds of operations against Iran-backed groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country. Will the ongoing raids in Syria put Israel in a difficult position with a Russia who continues to strengthen its ties with Iran? What will Iran demand in return from their ally Vladimir Putin for their military assistance against Ukraine? Are we inching closer to an Isaiah chapter 17 and Ezekiel 38 and 39 moment? Are the final prophetic chess pieces moving into place? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The remains of Private Seán Rooney, who was killed in an ambush while serving on a United Nations (UN) mission in Lebanon on Wednesday night, have returned home to Ireland this morning. Three separate investigations are being conducted into the incident by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Lebanese authorities led by a military prosecutor, and the Irish Defence Forces. Sean was joined by Foreign Reporter based in Beirut, Hannah McCarthy…

https://youtu.be/QDn52vTDg-k …[W]e now have the first complete data set of all suicide terrorist attacks around the world from 1980 to 2009,…research on who becomes a suicide terrorist showed that virtually none could be diagnosed as mentally ill, while many were religious and, most striking, nearly all emerged from communities resisting foreign military occupation…. From 1980 to 2003, there were 345 completed suicide terrorist attacks by 524 suicide terrorists who actually killed themselves on a mission to kill others, half of whom are secular. The world leader was the Tamil Tigers (a secular, Hindu group) who carried out more attacks than Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) during this period. Further, at least a third of the suicide attacks in predominantly Muslim countries were carried out by secular terrorist groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey. Instead of religion, what over 95% of all suicide terrorist attacks before 2004 had in common was a strategic goal: to compel a democratic state to withdraw combat forces that are threatening territory that the terrorists' prize. From Lebanon to Sri Lanka to the West Bank to Chechnya, the central goal of every suicide terrorist campaign has been to resist military occupation by a democracy…. It was the Hindu, avowedly antireligious Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, whose 157 suicide terrorists totaled more than Hamas and all other Palestinian suicide groups combined. Of the Palestinian suicide terrorists, more than a third were from secular groups, such as the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Of the suicide terrorists associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon during the 1980s, only 21% were Islamic fundamentalists while 71% were communists and socialists; 8% were Christians. In Turkey, 100% of the PKK's suicide attackers were secular. Overall, Islamic fundamentalism cannot account for over half of the known affiliations of the 524 total suicide terrorists from 1980 to 2003—184 were from Islamic fundamentalist groups (35% comprising 73 Al Qaeda, 5 Lebanese, 5 Kashmiri Rebels, 69 Hamas, 34 Palestinian Islamic Jihad) and 236 from secular groups (45% comprising 157 Tamil Tigers, 42 Al-Aqsa, 22 Lebanese, 15 PKK), while 12 (21%) had unknown ideological affiliations…. Further, notice that there are no suicide attackers from Iran—one of the largest Islamic fundamentalist populations in the world, with a population greater than Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and Syria combined. – Robert Pape and James K. Feldman, Cutting the Fuse

jQuery(document).ready(function(){ cab.clickify(); }); Original Podcast with clickable words https://tinyurl.com/2fctbm8l Contact: irishlingos@gmail.com Irish soldier killed in Lebanon, another injured. Saighdiúir Éireannach maraithe sa Liobáin, duine eile gortaithe. A soldier of the Irish Defense Forces was shot and killed and another soldier was seriously wounded while on peacekeeping duty with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon last night. Lámhachadh agus maraíodh saighdiúir de chuid Óglaigh na hÉireann agus leonadh go han-dona saighdiúir eile agus iad ar dualgas síochána le Fórsa Eatramhach na Náisiún Aontaithe sa Liobáin aréir. Single Soldier Seán Rooney, aged 24, from Newtown, Co Donegal, who was killed. An Saighdiúir Singil Seán Rooney, 24 bliain d'aois, as an mBaile Nua, Co Dhún na nGall, an té a maraíodh. Single Soldier Shane Kearney, 22 years old, from Cork is the one who was seriously injured. Is é an Saighdiúir Singil Shane Kearney, 22 bliain, as Corcaigh an té a gortaíodh go dona. The two were in one of two armored vehicles that were on their way to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, shortly after 9 o'clock Irish time last night. Bhí an bheirt i gceann de dhá fheithicil armúrtha a bhí ar a mbealach go príomhchathair na Liobáine, Béiriút, go gairid tar éis 9 a chlog am na hÉireann aréir. There were eight soldiers in the two armored vehicles - four each - when they were apparently ambushed near the village of Al-Aqbiya in the south of the country. Ochtar saighdiúirí a bhí sa dá fheithicil armúrtha - ceathrar an ceann - nuair a rinneadh luíochán orthu, de réir dealraimh, cóngarach do shráidbhaile Al-Aqbiya i ndeisceart na tíre. In addition to the soldier who was killed and the person who was seriously injured, two other soldiers sustained minor injuries. Chomh maith leis an saighdiúir a maraíodh agus an duine a gortaíodh go dona, bhain mionghortuithe do bheirt saighdiúirí eile. The three were initially treated at a hospital near the city of Sidon but have since been transferred to the United Nations Hospital. Cuireadh cóir leighis ar an gcéad dul síos ar an triúr in ospidéal in aice le cathair Shiodóin ach aistríodh go hOspidéal na Náisiún Aontaithe iad ó shin. It is understood that the attack took place in an area under the control of Hezbollah but a spokesman for that group claimed that it was a "mistake" and had nothing to do with it. Tuigtear gur tharla an t-ionsaí i gceantar atá faoi smacht lucht Hezbollah ach mhaígh urlabhraí ón ngrúpa sin gur "míthapa" a bhí ann agus nach raibh aon bhaint acusan leis. In a statement, the Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces of Ireland, Lieutenant-General Seán Clancy, said that the whole community is deeply disturbed by the bad news. I ráiteas, dúirt Ceann Foirne Óglaigh na hÉireann, an Leifteanant-Ghinearál Seán Clancy, go bhfuil an chuallacht ar fad suaite go mór ag an drochscéala. He indicated that a medical officer from the Defense Forces went to the hospital in Sidon to ensure that the injured soldiers received the best possible treatment. Thug sé le fios go ndeachaigh oifigeach leighis ó Óglaigh na hÉireann chuig an ospidéal i Siodón lena chinntiú go gcuirfí an chóireáil ab fhearr agus ab fhéidir ar na saighdiúirí a gortaíodh. He also assured that an inquiry into the attack would begin soon. Dhearbhaigh sé chomh maith go gcuirfí tús gan mhoill le fiosrúchán maidir leis an ionsaí. The Defense Forces said the soldiers in the armored vehicles belonged to the 121st Infantry Battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Dúirt Óglaigh na hÉireann gur bhain na saighdiúirí a bhí sna feithiclí armúrtha leis an 121ú Cathlán Coisithe i bhFórsa Eatramhach na Náisiún Aontaithe sa Liobáin. Seán Rooney was an Irish Cadet from 2019 and belonged to the 27th Infantry Battalion based in Dún MacAogáin in Dúndalgan, Co Louth. Bhí Seán Rooney ina Óglach Éireann ó 2019 agus bhain sé leis an 27ú Cathlán Coisithe atá bunaithe i nDún Mhic Aogáin ...

Bel Trew, Beirut-based International Correspondent for The UK Independent, analyses the attitude towards United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Israel:  Northern West Bank surge in violence. Joe Truzman is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal, focused primarily on Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1  https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-724591 https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2022/12/analysis-west-bank-violence-trending-upward.php https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2022/12/12/mapping-terrorism-in-the-west-bank/

On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down Israel's warning that it could bomb Beirut's international airport following a report that Iran recently transferred weaponry to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon via civilian flights. Plus, alarm bells ring over the growing military partnership between Iran and Russia. How could this expanding alliance spell trouble for Israel? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edoardo Crisafulli"33 ore"Diario di viaggio dall'Ucraina in guerra.Vallecchi Firenzehttps://www.vallecchi-firenze.it/Cosa succede in Ucraina? Perché l'odio atavico fra Russi e Ucraini? Ce lo racconta un testimone d'eccezione: Edoardo Crisafulli, diplomatico, premio Elsa Morante “Culture europee” 2022."Questo instant book è un diario di viaggio a cavallo fra la narrazione e il saggio. Cronaca, letteratura e storia si intrecciano in maniera creativa e coinvolgente. L'autore – addetto culturale dell'Ambasciata d'Italia a Kiev – rielabora i pensieri che gli frullavano in mente durante il rocambolesco viaggio per fuggire dall'operazione speciale scoppiata, con gran fragore di missili e bombe, il 24 febbraio 2022. Una fuga in macchina, dalla capitale ucraina sotto attacco alla Moldavia, porta d'ingresso per l'Unione Europea. 33 ore, senza pause, mentre i paracadutisti russi scendevano dal cielo e le infrastrutture ucraine venivano polverizzate dagli attacchi. Tutti i fatti raccontati sono veri, così come i momenti più intensi.Edoardo (Teddy) Crisafulli (Rimini, 1964), nato in una famiglia mista (madre anglo-irlandese, padre di origine siciliana e per metà ungherese-tedesco), dal 2001 è addetto culturale del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Dal 2020 dirige l'Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Kiev. Ha diretto gli Istituti di Cultura di Haifa (durante la seconda Guerra del Golfo, l'Intifada e la guerra di Hezbollah contro Israele), di Damasco (agli inizi della guerra civile) e di Beirut (quando incombeva la minaccia terroristica dell'ISIS). È stato inoltre vicedirettore dell'Istituto di Cultura italiana a Tokyo. Ha studiato Lingue e letterature straniere a Urbino, Linguistica a Birmingham e italianistica/teoria della traduzione a Dublino (University College Dublin), dove ha conseguito il dottorato con una tesi su H. F. Cary, il maggior traduttore britannico della Divina Commedia. In precedenza ha insegnato lingua e cultura italiana in Irlanda (University College Dublin), in Arabia Saudita (Università King AbdulAziz di Gedda) e in Gran Bretagna (Manchester University). Ha pubblicato quattro libri - The Vision of Dante, Igiene verbale (per i tipi della Vallecchi), Le ceneri di Craxi, La fede nel dialogo – nonché molti saggi accademici in vari ambiti disciplinari: Dante in inglese, sociolinguistica, storia politica italiana, dialogo interreligioso. Nel 2016 ha esordito nella narrativa con la raccolta di racconti La Kamikaze e altri racconti del passaggio. Collabora con il Blog della Fondazione Nenni, con l'Avanti! e Mondoperaio. Nel 2022 ha ricevuto il premio Elsa Morante, sezione “Culture europee”.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEAscoltare fa Pensarehttps://ilpostodelleparole.it/

After growing up and studying in France and in the UK, Jonathan worked for Tearfund for a while before sensing the call of God to move to South Lebanon, to serve the Palestinian refugees community and to share Jesus.He tells the story of how he narrowly escaped the bombing of Beirut airport during one of the conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel, as well as how a mysterious man gave him intel to help his friends on the ground get out.He also talks about a wonderful emerging movement to Christ amongst the Palestinian Sunnis there, which even includes some Hamas leaders. The number of believers is now in the hundreds and several 'generations' deep.All this did take its toll on Jonathan and his marriage - and he reflects on some of the mistakes he made.He and Matt also touch on the controversial topic of Insider Movements. This is much misunderstood and maligned in some Christian circles - and often wrongly conflated with 'Chrislam', which is a syncretistic blending of Christianity and Islam. If you would like to read some helpful scholarly articles explaining some of the complexities of Insider Movement theology, please do get in touch.www.frontiers.org.ukmatt@frontiers.org.uk

Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace (USIP, 2022) is an insider's account of secret negotiations to broker a Syria-Israel peace deal―negotiations that came tantalizingly close to success. Ambassador Frederic Hof, who spearheaded the US-mediated discussions in 2009-11, takes readers behind the scenes in Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem, where President Assad and Prime Minister Netanyahu inched toward a deal to return Israeli-occupied areas of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria severing military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Hof's candid assessments, refreshing self-criticism, compelling prose, and rich historical detail make this a masterful memoir of an unknown chapter in American diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace (USIP, 2022) is an insider's account of secret negotiations to broker a Syria-Israel peace deal―negotiations that came tantalizingly close to success. Ambassador Frederic Hof, who spearheaded the US-mediated discussions in 2009-11, takes readers behind the scenes in Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem, where President Assad and Prime Minister Netanyahu inched toward a deal to return Israeli-occupied areas of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria severing military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Hof's candid assessments, refreshing self-criticism, compelling prose, and rich historical detail make this a masterful memoir of an unknown chapter in American diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace (USIP, 2022) is an insider's account of secret negotiations to broker a Syria-Israel peace deal―negotiations that came tantalizingly close to success. Ambassador Frederic Hof, who spearheaded the US-mediated discussions in 2009-11, takes readers behind the scenes in Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem, where President Assad and Prime Minister Netanyahu inched toward a deal to return Israeli-occupied areas of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria severing military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Hof's candid assessments, refreshing self-criticism, compelling prose, and rich historical detail make this a masterful memoir of an unknown chapter in American diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace (USIP, 2022) is an insider's account of secret negotiations to broker a Syria-Israel peace deal―negotiations that came tantalizingly close to success. Ambassador Frederic Hof, who spearheaded the US-mediated discussions in 2009-11, takes readers behind the scenes in Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem, where President Assad and Prime Minister Netanyahu inched toward a deal to return Israeli-occupied areas of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria severing military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Hof's candid assessments, refreshing self-criticism, compelling prose, and rich historical detail make this a masterful memoir of an unknown chapter in American diplomacy. 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

Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace (USIP, 2022) is an insider's account of secret negotiations to broker a Syria-Israel peace deal―negotiations that came tantalizingly close to success. Ambassador Frederic Hof, who spearheaded the US-mediated discussions in 2009-11, takes readers behind the scenes in Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem, where President Assad and Prime Minister Netanyahu inched toward a deal to return Israeli-occupied areas of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria severing military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Hof's candid assessments, refreshing self-criticism, compelling prose, and rich historical detail make this a masterful memoir of an unknown chapter in American diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace (USIP, 2022) is an insider's account of secret negotiations to broker a Syria-Israel peace deal―negotiations that came tantalizingly close to success. Ambassador Frederic Hof, who spearheaded the US-mediated discussions in 2009-11, takes readers behind the scenes in Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem, where President Assad and Prime Minister Netanyahu inched toward a deal to return Israeli-occupied areas of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria severing military ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Hof's candid assessments, refreshing self-criticism, compelling prose, and rich historical detail make this a masterful memoir of an unknown chapter in American diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Weichert of TheWeichertReport.com, Contributing Editor at American Greatness, and author of "Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower," and "The Shadow War: Iran's Quest for Supremacy", on his piece in Law and Liberty, "Make American Films Patriotic Again", the right's dangerous obsession with the current thing, and Hezbollah.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CLEO PASKAL, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Increased authoritarianism in China Is China ruling its people through fear? The great control the CCP has over its entire population What is China's relationship with the Solomon Islands? MARTY YOUSSEFIANI, 33-year veteran professional in the field of international strategic communications and public affairs, award-winning strategist and political crisis manager An update on the Iranian protests A shutdown of several media outlets by the Iranian regime Is there a sense of fatigue by the regime? Would the regime bring in proxies like Hezbollah to help quell the protestors?

Too few people know that parts of the Arab world and Iran were once home to large Jewish communities. This Mizrahi Heritage Month, let's change the story, with the final episode of the first season of The Forgotten Exodus, the first-ever narrative podcast series devoted exclusively to the rich, fascinating, and often-overlooked history of Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewry. Thank you for lifting up these stories to celebrate Mizrahi Heritage Month. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to listen to the rest of The Forgotten Exodus, wherever you get your podcasts.   __ Home to one of the world's oldest Jewish communities, the story of Jews in Iran has been one of prosperity and suffering through the millennia. During the mid-20th century, when Jews were being driven from their homes in Arab lands, Iran assisted Jewish refugees in providing safe passage to Israel. Under the Shah, Israel was an important economic and political ally. Yet that all swiftly changed in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which ushered in Islamic rule, while chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” rang out from the streets of Tehran.   Author, journalist, and poet Roya Hakakian shares her personal story of growing up Jewish in Iran during the reign of the Shah and then Ayatollah Khomeini, which she wrote about in her memoir Journey From the Land of No. Joining Hakakian is Dr. Saba Soomekh, a professor of world religions and Middle Eastern history who wrote From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women between Religion and Culture. She also serves as associate director of AJC Los Angeles, home to America's largest concentration of Persian Jewish immigrants.  In this sixth and final episode of the season, the Hakakian family's saga captures the common thread that has run throughout this series – when the history of an uprooted community is left untold, it can become vulnerable to others' narratives and assumptions, or become lost forever and forgotten. How do you leave behind a beloved homeland, safeguard its Jewish legacy, and figure out where you belong? __ Show notes: Listen to The Forgotten Exodus and sign up to receive updates about future episodes.  Song credits:  Chag Purim · The Jewish Guitar Project Hevenu Shalom · Violin Heart Pond5:  “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Oud Nation”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Haygaz Yossoulkanian (BMI), IPI#1001905418 “Persian”: Publisher: STUDEO88; Composer: Siddhartha Sharma “Meditative Middle Eastern Flute”: Publisher: N/; Composer: DANIELYAN ASHOT MAKICHEVICH (IPI NAME #00855552512), UNITED STATES BMI Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Sentimental Oud Middle Eastern”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Sotirios Bakas (BMI), IPI#797324989. “Frontiers”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Pete Checkley (BMI), IPI#380407375 “Persian Investigative Mystery”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Peter Cole (BMI), IPI#679735384 “Persian Wind”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Sigma (SESAC); Composer: Abbas Premjee (SESAC), IPI#572363837 “Modern Middle Eastern Underscore”: Publisher: All Pro Audio LLC (611803484); Composer: Alan T Fagan (347654928) “Persian Fantasy Tavern”: Publisher: N/A; Composer: John Hoge “Adventures in the East”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI) Composer: Petar Milinkovic (BMI), IPI#00738313833. ___ Episode Transcript: ROYA HAKAKIAN: In 1984, when my mother and I left and my father was left alone in Iran, that was yet another major dramatic and traumatic separation. When I look back at the events of 1979, I think, people constantly think about the revolution having, in some ways, blown up Tehran, but it also blew up families. And my own family was among them.  MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: The world has overlooked an important episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in Arab nations and Iran in the mid-20th century. This series, brought to you by American Jewish Committee, explores that pivotal moment in Jewish history and the rich Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations as some begin to build relations with Israel. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Join us as we explore family histories and personal stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience. This is The Forgotten Exodus.  Today's episode: Leaving Iran MANYA: Outside Israel, Iran has the largest Jewish population in the Middle East. Yes, the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2022. Though there is no official census, experts estimate about 10,000 Jews now live in the region previously known as Persia.  But since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Jews in Iran don't advertise their Jewish identity. They adhere to Iran's morality code: women stay veiled from head to toe and men and women who aren't married or related stay apart in public. They don't express support for Israel, they don't ask questions, and they don't disagree with the regime. One might ask, with all these don'ts, is this a way of living a Jewish life? Or a way to live – period?  For author, journalist, and poet Roya Hakakian and her family, the answer was ultimately no. Roya has devoted her life to being a fact-finder and truth-teller. A former associate producer at the CBS news show 60 Minutes and a Guggenheim Fellow, Roya has written two volumes of poetry in Persian and three books of nonfiction in English, the first of which was published in 2004 – Journey From the Land of No, a memoir about her charmed childhood and accursed adolescence growing up Jewish in Iran under two different regimes.  ROYA: It was hugely important for me to create an account that could be relied on as a historic document. And I did my best through being very, very careful about gathering, interviewing, talking to, observing facts, evidence, documents from everyone, including my most immediate members of my family, to do what we, both as reporters, but also as Jews, are called to do, which is to bear witness. No seemed to be the backdrop of life for women, especially of religious minorities, and, in my own case, Jewish background, and so I thought, what better way to name the book than to call it as what my experience had been, which was the constant nos that I heard. So, Land of No was Iran. MANYA: As a journalist, as a Jew, as a daughter of Iran, Roya will not accept no for an answer. After publishing her memoir, she went on to write Assassins of the Turquoise Palace, a meticulously reported book about a widely underreported incident. In 1992 at a Berlin restaurant, a terrorist attack by the Iranian proxy Hezbollah targeted and killed four Iranian-Kurdish exiles. The book highlighted Iran's enormous global footprint made possible by its terror proxies who don't let international borders get in the way of silencing Iran's critics.   Roya also co-founded the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, an independent non-profit that reports on Iran's human rights abuses.  Her work has not prompted Ayatollah Khameini to publicly issue a fatwa against her  – like the murder order against Salman Rushdie issued by his predecessor. But in 2019, one of her teenage sons answered a knock at the door. It was the FBI, warning her that she was in the crosshairs of the Iranian regime's operatives in America. Most recently, Roya wrote A Beginner's Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious about the emotional roller coaster of arriving in America while still missing a beloved homeland, especially one where their community has endured for thousands of years. ROYA: I felt very strongly that one stays in one's homeland, that you don't just simply take off when things go wrong, that you stick around and try to figure a way through a bad situation. We came to the point where staying didn't seem like it would lead to any sort of real life and leaving was the only option. MANYA: The story of Jews in Iran, often referred to as Persia until 1935, is a millennia-long tale. A saga of suffering, repression, and persecution, peppered with brief moments of relief or at least relative peace – as long as everyone plays by the rules of the regime. SABA SOOMEKH: The history of Jews in Iran goes back to around 2,700 years ago. And a lot of people assume that Jews came to Iran, well at that time, it was called the Persian Empire, in 586 BCE, with the Babylonian exile. But Jews actually came a lot earlier, we're thinking 721-722 BCE with the Assyrian exile which makes us one of the oldest Jewish communities.  MANYA: That's Dr. Saba Soomekh, a professor of world religions and Middle Eastern history and the author of From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women between Religion and Culture. She also serves as associate director of American Jewish Committee in Los Angeles, home to America's largest concentration of Persian Jewish immigrants. Saba's parents fled Iran in 1978, shortly before the revolution, when Saba and her sister were toddlers. She has devoted her career to preserving Iranian Jewish history.   Saba said Zoroastrian rulers until the 7th Century Common Era vacillated between tolerance and persecution of Jews. For example, according to the biblical account in the Book of Ezra, Cyrus the Great freed the Jews from Babylonian rule, granted all of them citizenship, and permitted them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple.  The Book of Esther goes on to tell the story of another Persian king, believed to be Xerxes I, whose closest adviser called Haman conspires to murder all the Jews – a plot that is foiled by his wife Queen Esther who is Jewish herself. Esther heroically pleads for mercy on behalf of her people – a valor that is celebrated on the Jewish holiday of Purim.  But by the time of the Islamic conquest in the middle of the 7th Century Common Era, the persecution had become so intense that Jews were hopeful about the new Arab Muslim regime, even if that meant being tolerated and treated as second-class citizens, or dhimmi status. But that status had a different interpretation for the Safavids. SABA: Really things didn't get bad for the Jews of the Persian Empire until the 16th century with the Safavid dynasty, because within Shia Islam in the Persian Empire, what they brought with them is this understanding of purity and impurity. And Jews were placed in the same category as dogs, pigs, and feces. They were seen as being religiously impure, what's referred to as najes. MANYA: Jews were placed in ghettos called mahaleh, where they wore yellow stars and special shoes to distinguish them from the rest of the population. They could not leave the mahaleh when it rained for fear that if water rolled off their bodies into the water system, it would render a Shia Muslim impure. For the same reason, they could not go to the bazaars for fear they might contaminate the food. They could not look Muslims in the eye. They were relegated to certain artisanal professions such as silversmithing and block printing – crafts that dirtied one's hands.  MANYA: By the 19th century, some European Jews did make their way to Persia to help. The Alliance Israélite Universelle, a Paris-based network of schools founded by French Jewish intellectuals, opened schools for Jewish children throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including within the mahalehs in Persia.  SABA: They saw themselves as being incredibly sophisticated because they were getting this, in a sense, secular European education, they were speaking French. The idea behind the Allianz schools was exactly that. These poor Middle Eastern Jews, one day the world is going to open up to them, their countries are going to become secular, and we need to prepare them for this, not only within the context of hygiene, but education, language.  And the Allianz schools were right when it came to the Persian Empire because who came into power was Reza Pahlavi, who was a Francophile. And he turned around and said, ‘Wow! Look at the population that speaks French, that knows European philosophy, etc. are the Jews.' He brought them out of the mahaleh, the Jewish ghettos, and said ‘I don't care about religion. Assimilate and acculturate. As long as you show, in a sense, devotion, and nationalism to the Pahlavi regime, which the Jews did—not all Jews—but a majority of them did. MANYA: Reza Pahlavi took control in 1925 and 16 years later, abdicated his throne to his son Muhammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1935, Persia adopted a new name: Iran. As king or the Shah, both father and son set Iran on a course of secularization and rapid modernization under which Jewish life and success seemed to flourish. The only condition was that religious observance was kept behind closed doors. SABA: The idea was that in public, you were secular and in private, you were a Jew. You had Shabbat, you only married a Jew, it was considered blasphemous if you married outside of the Jewish community. And it was happening because people were becoming a part of everyday schools, universities.  But that's why the Jewish day schools became so important. They weren't learning Judaism. What it did was ensure that in a secular Muslim society, that the Jewish kids were marrying within each other and within the community. It was, in a sense, the Golden Age. And that will explain to you why, unlike the early 1950s, where you had this exodus of Mizrahi Jews, Arab Jews from the Arab world and North Africa, you didn't really have that in Iran.  MANYA: In fact, Iran provided a safe passage to Israel for Jewish refugees during that exodus, specifically those fleeing Iraq. The Pahlavi regime considered Israel a critical ally in the face of pan-Arab fervor and hostility in the region. Because of the Arab economic boycott, Israel needed energy sources and Iran needed customers for its oil exports.  A number of Israelis even moved to Tehran, including farmers from kibbutzim who had come to teach agriculture, and doctors and nurses from Hadassah Hospital who had come to teach medicine.  El Al flew in and out of Tehran airport, albeit from a separate terminal. Taking advantage of these warm relations between the two countries, Roya recalls visiting aunts, uncles, and cousins in Israel.  ROYA: We arrived, and my mom and dad did what all visiting Jews from elsewhere do. They dropped to their knees, and they started kissing the ground. I did the same, and it was so moving. Israel was the promised land, we thought about Israel, we dreamed about Israel. But, at the same time, we were Iranians and, and we were living in Iran, and things were good.  This seems to non-Iranian Jews an impossibility. But I think for most of us, it was the way things were. We lived in the country where we had lived for, God knows how many years, and there was this other place that we somehow, in the back of our minds thought we would be going to, without knowing exactly when, but that it would be the destination. MANYA: Relations between the Shah and America flourished as well. In 1951, a hugely popular politician by the name of Mohammad Mosaddegh became prime minister and tried to institute reforms. His attempts to nationalize the oil industry and reduce the monarchy's authority didn't go over well. American and British intelligence backed a coup that restored the Shah's power. Many Iranians resented America's meddling, which became a rallying cry for the revolution. U.S. officials have since expressed regret for the CIA's involvement.  In November 1977, President Jimmy Carter welcomed the Shah and his wife to Washington, D.C., to discuss peace between Egypt and Israel, nuclear nonproliferation, and the energy crisis.  As an extension of these warm relations, the Shah sent many young Iranians to America to enhance their university studies, exposing them to Western ideals and values.  Meanwhile, a savvy fundamentalist cleric was biding his time in a Paris basement. It wouldn't be long before relations crumbled between Iran and Israel, Iran and the U.S,. and Iran and its Jews.  Roya recalls the Hakakian house at the corner of Alley of the Distinguished in Tehran as a lush oasis surrounded by fragrant flowers, full of her father's poetry, and brimming with family memories. Located in the heart of a trendy neighborhood, across the street from the Shah's charity organization, the tall juniper trees, fragrant honeysuckle, and gold mezuzah mounted on the door frame set it apart from the rest of the homes.  Roya's father, Haghnazar, was a poet and a respected headmaster at a Hebrew school. Roya, which means dream in Persian, was a budding poet herself with the typical hopes and dreams of a Jewish teenage girl.  ROYA: Prior to the revolution, life in an average Tehran Hebrew Day School looked very much like life in a Hebrew Day School anywhere else. In the afternoons we had all Hebrew and Jewish studies. We used to put on a Purim show every year. I wanted to be Esther. I never got to be Esther. We had emissaries, I think a couple of years, from Israel, who came to teach us how to do Israeli folk dance. MANYA: There were moments when Roya recalls feeling self-conscious about her Jewishness, particularly at Passover. That's when the family spent two weeks cleaning, demonstrating they weren't najes, or dirty Jews. The work was rewarded when the house filled with the fragrance of cumin and saffron and Persian dishes flowed from the kitchen, including apple and plum beef stew, tarragon veal balls stuffed with raisins, and rice garnished with currants and slivers of almonds.  When her oldest brother Alberto left to study in America, a little fact-finding work on Roya's part revealed that his departure wasn't simply the pursuit of a promising opportunity. As a talented cartoonist whose work had been showcased during an exhibition in Tehran, his family feared Alberto's pen might have gone too far, offending the Pahlavi regime and drawing the attention of the Shah's secret police.  Reports of repression, rapid modernization, the wide gap between Tehran's rich and the rest of the country's poor, and a feeling that Iranians weren't in control of their own destiny all became ingredients for a revolution, stoked by an exiled cleric named Ruhollah Khomeini who was recording cassette tapes in a Paris basement and circulating them back home.  SABA: He would just sit there and go on and on for hours, going against the Shah and West toxification. And then the recordings ended up in Iran. He wasn't even in Iran until the Shah left. MANYA: Promises of democracy and equality galvanized Iranians of all ages to overthrow the Shah in February 1979. Even the CIA was surprised.  SABA: I think a lot of people didn't believe it. Because number one, the Shah, the son, was getting the most amount of military equipment from the United States than anyone in the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf. And the idea was: you protect us in the Gulf, and we will give you whatever you need. So they never thought that a man with a beard down to his knee was able to overthrow this regime that was being propped up and supported by America, and also the Europeans. Khomeini comes in and represents himself as a person for everyone. And he was brilliant in the way he spoke about it. And the reason why this revolution was also successful was that it wasn't just religious people who supported Khomeini, there was this concept you had, the men with the turbans, meaning the religious people, and the you know, the bow ties or the ties, meaning the secular man, a lot of them who were sent by the Shah abroad to Europe and America to get an education, who came back, saw democracy there, and wanted it for their country.  MANYA: Very few of the revolutionaries could predict that Tehran was headed in the opposite direction and was about to revert to 16th Century Shia Islamic rule. For almost a year, Tehran and the rest of the nation were swept up in revolutionary euphoria.  Roya recalls how the flag remained green, white, and red, but an Allah insignia replaced its old sword-bearing lion. New currency was printed, with portraits bearing beards and turbans. An ode to Khomeini became the new national anthem. While the Shah had escaped on an Air France flight, corpses of his henchmen graced the front pages of newspapers alongside smiling executioners. All celebrated, until the day one of the corpses was Habib Elghanian, the Jewish philanthropist who supported all of Iran's Hebrew schools. Charged and convicted as a Zionist spy.  Elders in the community remembered the insurmountable accusations of blood libel during darker times for Iran's Jews. But younger generations like Roya's, who had not lived through the eras of more ruthless antisemitism and persecution, continued to root for the revolution, regardless of its victims. Meanwhile, Roya's Jewish day school was taken over by a new veiled headmistress who replaced Hebrew lessons with other kinds of religious instruction, and required robes and headscarves for all the students.  ROYA: In the afternoons, from then on, we used to have lessons in a series of what she called: ‘Is religion something that you inherit, or is it something that you choose?' And so I think the intention, clearly, was to convince us that we didn't need to inherit our religions from our parents and ancestors, that we ought to consider better choices. MANYA: But when the headmistress cut short the eight-day Passover break, that was the last straw for Roya and her classmates. Their revolt got her expelled from school.  Though Jews did not universally support Khomeini, some saw themselves as members of the Iranian Communist, or Tudeh Party. They opposed the Shah and the human rights abuses of his monarchy and cautiously considered Khomeini the better option, or at least the lesser of two evils. Alarmed by the developments such as Elghanian's execution and changes like the ones at Roya's school, Jewish community leaders traveled to the Shia holy city of Qom to assure the Supreme Leader of their loyalty to Iran.  SABA: They did this because they wanted to make sure that they protected the Jewish community that was left in Iran. Khomeini made that distinction: ‘I am not against Jews, I'm against Zionists. You could be Jewish in this country. You cannot be a Zionist in this country.'  MANYA: But that wasn't the only change. Right away, the Family Protection Law was reversed, lifting a law against polygamy, giving men full rights in divorce and custody, and lowering the marriage age for girls to nine. Women were banned from serving as judges, and beaches and sports events were segregated by gender.  But it took longer to shut down universities, albeit for only two years, segregate public schools by gender, and stone to death women who were found to have committed adultery. Though Khomeini was certainly proving that he was not the man he promised to be, he backed away from those promises gradually – one brutal crackdown at a time. As a result, the trickle of Jews out of Iran was slow.  ROYA: My father thought, let's wait a few years and see what happens. In retrospect, I think the overwhelming reason was probably that nobody believed that things had changed, and so drastically. It seemed so unbelievable. I mean, a country that had been under monarchy for 2,500 years, couldn't simply see it all go and have a whole new system put in place, especially when it was such a radical shift from what had been there before. So I think, in many ways, we were among the unbelievers, or at least my father was, we thought it could never be, it would not happen. My father proved to be wrong, nothing changed for the better, and the conditions continued to deteriorate. So, so much catastrophe happened in those few years that Iran just simply was steeped into a very dark, intense, and period of political radicalism and also, all sorts of economic shortages and pressures. And so the five years that we were left behind, that we stayed back, changed our perspective on so many things. MANYA: In November 1979, a group of radical university students who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seized hostages, and held them for 444 days until President Ronald Reagan's inauguration on January 20, 1981. During the hostages' captivity, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The conflict that ensued for eight years created shortages on everything from dairy products to sanitary napkins. Mosques became distribution centers for rations. ROYA: We stood in line for hours and hours for eggs, and just the very basic things of daily life. And then it became also clear that religious minorities, including Jews, would no longer be enjoying the same privileges as everyone else. There were bombings that kept coming closer and closer to Tehran, which is where we lived. It was very clear that half of my family that was in the United States could not and would not return, because they were boys who would have been conscripted to go to war. Everything had just come apart in a way that was inconceivable to think that they would change for the better again. MANYA: By 1983, new laws had been passed instituting Islamic dress for all women – violations of which earned a penalty of 74 lashes. Other laws imposed an Islamic morality code that barred co-ed gatherings. Roya and her friends found refuge in the sterile office building that housed the Jewish Iranian Students Association. But she soon figured out that the regime hadn't allowed it to remain for the benefit of the Jewish community. It functioned more like a ghetto to keep Jews off the streets and out of their way. Even the activities that previously gave her comfort were marred by the regime. Poetry books were redacted. Mountain hiking trails were arbitrarily closed to mourn the deaths of countless clerics.  SABA: Slowly what they realize, when Khomeini gained power, was that he was not the person that he claimed to be. He was not this feminist, if anything, all this misogynistic rule came in, and a lot of people realize they, in a sense, got duped and he stole the revolution from them. MANYA: By 1984, the war with Iraq had entered its fourth year. But it was no longer about protecting Iran from Saddam Hussein. Now the Ayatollah wanted to conquer Baghdad, then Jerusalem where he aspired to deliver a sermon from the Temple Mount. Meanwhile, Muslim soldiers wounded in the war chose to bleed rather than receive treatment from Jewish doctors. Boys as young as 12 – regardless of faith – were drafted and sent on suicide missions to open the way for Iranian troops to do battle.  SABA: They were basically used as an army of children that the bombs would detonate, their parents would get a plastic key that was the key to heaven. And the bombs would detonate, and then the army would come in Iranian army would come in. And so that's when a lot of the Persian parents, the Jewish parents freaked out. And that's when they were like: we're getting out of here.  MANYA: By this time, the Hakakian family had moved into a rented apartment building and Roya was attending the neighborhood school. Non-Muslim students were required to take Koran classes and could only use designated water fountains and bathrooms.  As a precaution, Roya's father submitted their passports for renewal. Her mother's application was denied; Roya's passport was held for further consideration; her father's was confiscated.  One night, Roya returned home to find her father burning her books and journals on the balcony of their building. The bonfire of words was for the best, he told her. And at long last, so was leaving. With the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Roya and her mother, Helen, fled to Geneva, and after wandering in Europe for several months, eventually reunited with her brothers in the United States. Roya did not see her father again for five years. Still unable to acquire a passport, he was smuggled out of Iran into Pakistan, on foot.  ROYA: My eldest brother left to come to America in the mid-70s. There was a crack in the body of the family then. But then came 1979, and my two other brothers followed. And so we were apart for all those very, very formative years. And then, in 1984, when my mother and I left and my father was left alone in Iran, that was yet another major dramatic and traumatic separation. So, you know, it's interesting that when I look back at the events of 1979, I think, people constantly think about the revolution having, in some ways, blown up Tehran, but it also blew up families. And my own family was among them.  MANYA: While her father's arrival in America was delayed, Roya describes her arrival in stages. She first arrived as a Jewish refugee in 1985 and found her place doing what she had always done – writing in Persian – rebuilding a body of work that had been reduced to ashes.  ROYA: As a teen I had become a writer, people were encouraging me. So, I continued to do it. It was the thing I knew how to do. And it gave me a sense of grounding and identity. So, I kept on doing it, and it kind of worked its magic, as I suppose good writing does for all writers. It connected me to a new community of people who read Persian and who appreciated what I was trying to do. And I found that with each book that I write, I find a new tribe for myself.  MANYA: She arrived again once she learned English. In her first year at Brooklyn College, she tape-recorded her professors to listen again later. She eventually took a course with renowned poet Allen Ginsberg, whose poetry was best known for its condemnation of persecution and imperial politics and whose 1950s poem “Howl” tested the boundaries of America's freedom of speech.  ROYA: When I mastered the language enough to feel comfortable to be a writer once more, then I found a footing and through Allen and a community of literary people that I met here began to kind of foresee a possibility of writing in English. MANYA: There was also her arrival to an American Jewish community that was largely unaware of the role Jews played in shaping Iran long before the advent of Islam. Likewise, they were just as unaware of the role Iran played in shaping ancient Jewish life. They were oblivious to the community's traditions, and the indignities and abuses Iranian Jews had suffered, continue to suffer, with other religious minorities to keep those traditions alive in their homeland.   ROYA: People would say, ‘Oh, you have an accent, where are you from?' I would say, ‘Iran,' and the Jews at the synagogue would say, ‘Are there Jews in Iran?' MANYA: In Roya's most recent book A Beginner's Guide to America, a sequel of sorts to her memoir, she reflects on the lessons learned and the observations made once she arrived in the U.S. She counsels newcomers to take their time answering what might at first seem like an ominous or loaded question. Here's an excerpt: ROYA: “In the early days after your arrival, “Where are you from?” is above all a reminder of your unpreparedness to speak of the past. You have yet to shape your story – what you saw, why you left, how you left, and what it took to get here. This narrative is your personal Book of Genesis: the American Volume, the one you will sooner or later pen, in the mind, if not on the page. You must take your time to do it well and do it justice.” MANYA: No two immigrants' experiences are the same, she writes. The only thing they all have in common is that they have been uprooted and the stories of their displacement have been hijacked by others' assumptions and agendas. ROYA: I witnessed, as so many other Iranian Jews witness, that the story of how we came, why we came, who we had been, was being narrated by those who had a certain partisan perspective about what the history of what Jewish people should be, or how this history needs to be cast, for whatever purposes they had. And I would see that our own recollections of what had happened were being shaded by, or filtered through views other than our own, or facts other than our own. MANYA: As we wrap up this sixth and final episode of the first season of The Forgotten Exodus, it is clear that the same can be said about the stories of the Jewish people. No two tales are the same. Jews have lived everywhere, and there are reasons why they don't anymore. Some fled as refugees. Some embarked as dreamers. Some forged ahead without looking back. Others counted the days until they could return home. What ties them together is their courage, perseverance, and resilience–whether they hailed from Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, or parts beyond. These six episodes offer only a handful of those stories–shaped by memories and experiences. ROYA: That became sort of an additional incentive, if not burden for me to, to be a witness for several communities, to tell the story of what happened in Iran for American audiences, to Jews, to non-Iranian Jews who didn't realize that there were Jews in Iran, but also to record the history, according to how I had witnessed it, for ourselves, to make sure that it goes down, as I knew it. MANYA: Iranian Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who in the last century left their homes in the Middle East to forge new lives for themselves and future generations.  Many thanks to Roya for sharing her family's story and for helping us wrap up this season of The Forgotten Exodus. If you're listening for the first time, check out our previous episodes on Jews from Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. Go to ajc.org/theforgottenexodus where you'll also find transcripts, show notes, and family photos. There are still so many stories to tell. Stay tuned in coming months. Does your family have roots in North Africa or the Middle East? One of the goals of this series is to make sure we gather these stories before they are lost. Too many times during my reporting, I encountered children and grandchildren who didn't have the answers to my questions because they never asked. That's why one of the goals of this project is to encourage you to find more of these stories.  Call The Forgotten Exodus hotline. Tell us where your family is from and something you'd like for our listeners to know such as how you've tried to keep the traditions and memories alive. Call 212.891.1336 and leave a message of 2 minutes or less. Be sure to leave your name and where you live now. You can also send an email to theforgottenexodus@ajc.org and we'll be in touch. Tune in every Friday for AJC's weekly podcast about global affairs through a Jewish lens, People of the Pod, brought to you by the same team behind The Forgotten Exodus.  Atara Lakritz is our producer, CucHuong Do is our production manager. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Sean Savage, Ian Kaplan, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name, for making this series possible. And extra special thanks to David Harris, who has been a constant champion for making sure these stories do not remain untold. You can follow The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can sign up to receive updates at AJC.org/forgottenexodussignup. The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed the episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.

The Sinaloa cartel and their rivals in CJNG laid the groundwork for the world cup years ago, as they hopped into bed with Hezbollah. Using their contacts with the terror group, they were able to set up shop in the middle east and Qatar and have things running like a well oiled machine in time for the world cup. Now, as Qatar is filled with revelers from around the world, the cash that comes with them is finding it's way into the pockets of the cartels as the cocaine finds its way up noses. (commercial at 6:43)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/el-chapos-cartel-teams-up-28579096

The Sinaloa cartel and their rivals in CJNG laid the groundwork for the world cup years ago, as they hopped into bed with Hezbollah. Using their contacts with the terror group, they were able to set up shop in the middle east and Qatar and have things running like a well oiled machine in time for the world cup. Now, as Qatar is filled with revelers from around the world, the cash that comes with them is finding it's way into the pockets of the cartels as the cocaine finds its way up noses. (commercial at 6:43)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/el-chapos-cartel-teams-up-28579096