Podcasts about North Africa

Decolonizing 1968: Transnational Student Activism in Tunis, Paris, and Dakar (Cornell UP, 2022) explores how activists in 1968 transformed university campuses across Europe and North Africa into sites of contestation where students, administrators, and state officials collided over definitions of modernity and nationhood after empire.  Burleigh Hendrickson details protesters' versions of events to counterbalance more visible narratives that emerged from state-controlled media centers and ultimately describes how the very education systems put in place to serve the French state during the colonial period ended up functioning as the crucible of postcolonial revolt. Hendrickson not only unearths complex connections among activists and their transnational networks across Tunis, Paris, and Dakar but also weaves together their overlapping stories and participation in France's May '68. Using global protest to demonstrate the enduring links between France and its former colonies, Decolonizing 1968 traces the historical relationships between colonialism and 1968 activism, examining transnational networks that emerged and new human and immigrants' rights initiatives that directly followed. As a result, Hendrickson reveals that 1968 is not merely a flashpoint in the history of left-wing protest but a key turning point in the history of decolonization. Thanks to generous funding from Penn State and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories. Elisa Prosperetti is an Assistant Professor in International History at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Her research focuses on the connected histories of education and development in postcolonial West Africa. Contact her at here. 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

Decolonizing 1968: Transnational Student Activism in Tunis, Paris, and Dakar (Cornell UP, 2022) explores how activists in 1968 transformed university campuses across Europe and North Africa into sites of contestation where students, administrators, and state officials collided over definitions of modernity and nationhood after empire.  Burleigh Hendrickson details protesters' versions of events to counterbalance more visible narratives that emerged from state-controlled media centers and ultimately describes how the very education systems put in place to serve the French state during the colonial period ended up functioning as the crucible of postcolonial revolt. Hendrickson not only unearths complex connections among activists and their transnational networks across Tunis, Paris, and Dakar but also weaves together their overlapping stories and participation in France's May '68. Using global protest to demonstrate the enduring links between France and its former colonies, Decolonizing 1968 traces the historical relationships between colonialism and 1968 activism, examining transnational networks that emerged and new human and immigrants' rights initiatives that directly followed. As a result, Hendrickson reveals that 1968 is not merely a flashpoint in the history of left-wing protest but a key turning point in the history of decolonization. Thanks to generous funding from Penn State and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories. Elisa Prosperetti is an Assistant Professor in International History at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Her research focuses on the connected histories of education and development in postcolonial West Africa. Contact her at here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Decolonizing 1968: Transnational Student Activism in Tunis, Paris, and Dakar (Cornell UP, 2022) explores how activists in 1968 transformed university campuses across Europe and North Africa into sites of contestation where students, administrators, and state officials collided over definitions of modernity and nationhood after empire.  Burleigh Hendrickson details protesters' versions of events to counterbalance more visible narratives that emerged from state-controlled media centers and ultimately describes how the very education systems put in place to serve the French state during the colonial period ended up functioning as the crucible of postcolonial revolt. Hendrickson not only unearths complex connections among activists and their transnational networks across Tunis, Paris, and Dakar but also weaves together their overlapping stories and participation in France's May '68. Using global protest to demonstrate the enduring links between France and its former colonies, Decolonizing 1968 traces the historical relationships between colonialism and 1968 activism, examining transnational networks that emerged and new human and immigrants' rights initiatives that directly followed. As a result, Hendrickson reveals that 1968 is not merely a flashpoint in the history of left-wing protest but a key turning point in the history of decolonization. Thanks to generous funding from Penn State and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories. Elisa Prosperetti is an Assistant Professor in International History at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Her research focuses on the connected histories of education and development in postcolonial West Africa. Contact her at here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/french-studies

Decolonizing 1968: Transnational Student Activism in Tunis, Paris, and Dakar (Cornell UP, 2022) explores how activists in 1968 transformed university campuses across Europe and North Africa into sites of contestation where students, administrators, and state officials collided over definitions of modernity and nationhood after empire.  Burleigh Hendrickson details protesters' versions of events to counterbalance more visible narratives that emerged from state-controlled media centers and ultimately describes how the very education systems put in place to serve the French state during the colonial period ended up functioning as the crucible of postcolonial revolt. Hendrickson not only unearths complex connections among activists and their transnational networks across Tunis, Paris, and Dakar but also weaves together their overlapping stories and participation in France's May '68. Using global protest to demonstrate the enduring links between France and its former colonies, Decolonizing 1968 traces the historical relationships between colonialism and 1968 activism, examining transnational networks that emerged and new human and immigrants' rights initiatives that directly followed. As a result, Hendrickson reveals that 1968 is not merely a flashpoint in the history of left-wing protest but a key turning point in the history of decolonization. Thanks to generous funding from Penn State and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories. Elisa Prosperetti is an Assistant Professor in International History at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Her research focuses on the connected histories of education and development in postcolonial West Africa. Contact her at here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italy's newly elected far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appear to be finding unlikely common ground on issues relating to Africa and migration. Meloni's is the latest in a list of strong partnerships that Erdogan has been working to build with European far-right leaders. At the first meeting between Erdogan and Meloni, there were smiles and a warm handshake on the sidelines of the G-20 gathering in Indonesia. Despite one of Meloni's first moves after winning the general election calling for a freeze on mosque construction in Italy. Common ground At the same time, Erdogan is positioning himself as a defender of Muslim rights, at home and abroad, as he heads into elections next year. But Huseyin Bagci, head of the Ankara-based Foreign Policy Institute, says the Italian and Turkish leaders have plenty of common ground.  "Tayyip Erdogan is an Islamist and a Turk. Meloni is Christian and Italian. So, they understand each other much better," said Bagci. "They don't talk about certain values, democratic values, they talk about the religious values, they talk about the nationalistic values, and I think they will understand each other much better than the others," added Bagci. One of Meloni's priorities is to stem migration from Africa, much of which comes through Libya. In addition, Turkey has strong ties with Libya's Government of National Unity, giving Erdogan a vital bargaining chip. "Turkey now has a base in west Libya. It controls all critical infrastructure in west Libya. And as you know, west Libya is a very important human trafficking point to Europe," pointed out," Aya Burweila, a visiting lecturer on security at the Hellenic National Defense College in Athens."  "So, Turkey now has a base in North Africa. They control the ports right now in western Libya," added Burweila. "They control the militias in west Libya involved in human trafficking. So definitely, this is a bargaining chip with them going Europe." Italy's far-right Meloni becomes country's first woman to lead government Strained relationships But Rome could pay a high cost for deepening ties with Ankara. Relations between Turkey and European Union member Greece over several territorial disputes, with the country's armed forces regularly challenging one another. Turkey also has strained relations with Egypt, an important trading partner of Italy.  "I think Italy has not forgotten that it's a European nation," points Mediterranean analyst Jalal Harchaoui of the civil-society network Global Initiative.  "Italy also has a lot of hydrocarbon business going with Egypt. It's not in the business of angering Egypt particularly. So, I would really keep a distinction between Turkey and Italy. Italy is not very happy to see this level of controversy," added Harchaoui.  Italian analysts also point out that while Meloni campaigned on a platform attacking the European Union leadership, the new Italian Prime Minister now in power is seeking to consolidate her position, which, at least for now, appears to be seeking to avoid confrontation with Brussels. "In the electoral campaign during which Meloni declared her party is not so European integrated and so on and so forth. After having won the election, she decided to turn to a more European-integrated foreign policy. Tightening the alliance with Nato, with the other western allies with the United States and the European Union," observes Alessia Chiriatti, a researcher on the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa for the Italian-based IAI think tank says. Who is Giorgia Meloni, the far-right contender set to be Italy's first female PM? Italy and Europe Chiriatti argues Meloni will be careful not to isolate herself in Europe with her dealings with Erdogan. "The Meloni foreign policy will be related to Italian membership in the European Union. So it could be possible to collaborate more intensively with Turkey on migration Italian role in Maghreb and Middle East but not without the European dimension for Meloni and for Italy," added Chiriatti. But Meloni and Erdogan share strained relations with French President Emmanuel Macron over incidents in which Italian authorities recently refused to allow a ship carrying migrants to dock. The vessel then had to go to France, where the migrants finally disembarked. The Turkish and Italian leaders also aim to challenge France's lucrative economic interests in Africa. Paris Perspective #32: NATO and the Erdogan paradox - Dorothée Schmid Relations with France During her election campaign, Meloni slammed France's colonial record in Africa and accused Paris of persisting with a colonial mentality towards African countries. Her words echo Erdogan's frequent criticism of France. Erdogan has years of experience working with other far-right and right-wing European leaders like Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban.  "He actually has a good working relationship with Islamaphobe autocrats like Orban, for instance, or like Putin, for instance, who might not be seen as a particular pro-Islamist. I mean, who might not be seen as a particular pro-Islamist," notes Senem Aydin-Duzgit a professor of international relations at Sabanci University near Istanbul. "So, it doesn't matter if she's (Meloni) far right, and I think it might even work more to his (Erdogan) interests that she is far right. Because he, Turkey, the current Turkish government, is quite happy to see a Europe that's disunited and that is devoid of so-called values." Istanbul's newest bridge was built by an Italian company. Trade is the bedrock of Italian-Turkish ties, which the two countries leaders appear ready to build upon. 

Decolonizing 1968: Transnational Student Activism in Tunis, Paris, and Dakar (Cornell UP, 2022) explores how activists in 1968 transformed university campuses across Europe and North Africa into sites of contestation where students, administrators, and state officials collided over definitions of modernity and nationhood after empire.  Burleigh Hendrickson details protesters' versions of events to counterbalance more visible narratives that emerged from state-controlled media centers and ultimately describes how the very education systems put in place to serve the French state during the colonial period ended up functioning as the crucible of postcolonial revolt. Hendrickson not only unearths complex connections among activists and their transnational networks across Tunis, Paris, and Dakar but also weaves together their overlapping stories and participation in France's May '68. Using global protest to demonstrate the enduring links between France and its former colonies, Decolonizing 1968 traces the historical relationships between colonialism and 1968 activism, examining transnational networks that emerged and new human and immigrants' rights initiatives that directly followed. As a result, Hendrickson reveals that 1968 is not merely a flashpoint in the history of left-wing protest but a key turning point in the history of decolonization. Thanks to generous funding from Penn State and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other repositories. Elisa Prosperetti is an Assistant Professor in International History at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Her research focuses on the connected histories of education and development in postcolonial West Africa. Contact her at here. 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

As Turkey threatens to mount a fresh ground assault against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria, America's Syrian Kurdish allies are warning that Washington and the Kremlin need to take a much firmer stance to prevent a Turkish offensive that will further undermine the battle against the Islamic State. While Washington has expressed “strong opposition” to a new Turkish military operation in Syria, sources have also indicated that Turkey is spurning all mediation efforts. Amberin Zaman, a senior correspondent reporting from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe exclusively for Al-Monitor, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the increasing likelihood of a Turkish offensive, the response from Washington and Moscow, and the options on the table for Syria's Kurds. Read Amberin Zaman's latest reports here: Syrian Kurdish commander says Kobani likely target of threatened Turkish ground offensiveSyrian Kurdish commander slams US response to Turkish attacks as US diplomats evacuated from SyriaAmerican aid volunteer David Eubank says Syrian Kurds feel even more betrayed by US in wake of Turkey's most recent attacksYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Greece to get EU-funded anti-disinformation hubGreece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary agree to boost gas grid interconnections

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – December 2, 2022 appeared first on KPFA.

As you may already know, the Vatican websites have been up and down for several days, and are down, in fact, as I write this column. vaticannews.va is down but vatican.va is up, although the English language site has not been updated since November 30. A Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said Wednesday that the Holy See had taken down its main vatican.va website amid an apparent attempt to hack the site. Without expanding on what caused the problem, he said, “Technical investigations are ongoing due to abnormal attempts to access the site.” Numerous users online, in fact, noted that the site was unavailable as of Tuesday morning. The sites have been up and down since Wednesday afternoon, with many attempts producing “404” error messages. The link you see below has nothing to do with what I normally bring you daily in this column but the World Cup is on, and it's hard to ignore stories related to this global event that, every four years, mesmerizes most of the world's population for a month! I saw a story today that I found to be very interesting – all about the traditional Arab headgear that is taking the games by storm. It quotes one Swiss fan as saying he has “been surprised by how indulgent Qataris — and others from across North Africa and the Middle East — have been when it comes to foreigners adopting and appropriating local customs and clothing, something that is generally seen as disrespectful in Europe and North America.” Being an American who lives in Europe, it was that soccer fan's statement that drew my attention. I think you'll enjoy this piece and perhaps even learn something new. It's the World Cup's Hot Accessory. But Should Fans Wear It? – The New York Times (nytimes.com) VATICAN INSIDER: SERVANT OF GOD JOSEPH DUTTON: HAWAII'S THIRD SAINT? This week, in what is normally the interview segment, I've prepared a Special Report on Joseph Dutton. The past two weeks, you heard Fr. John Paul Kimes of Notre Dame University, which has a lar

Niners win again13-0 over the Saints! Now at 7-4 and riding a 4-game win streak, on top of the NFC West with no losses in the division. Last Sunday we watched an unbelievable performance by Niner defense in a shut out of the Saints (which makes 4 straight games with 2nd half shutouts!). Terrific goal line stands with turnovers caused by hard hitting tackles and great team defense.  Niner D is ranked #1 in NFL in every significant defensive category. Offense was a bit sluggish but got it done and give some credit to Saints defense who had both starting DE's back in the lineup. This is always a very physical matchup and this game lived up to that mark as well.This week we host the Miami Dolphins with our good friend and former run game coordinator Mike McDaniel at the helm. Miami enters WK 13 at 8-3 and tied for 1st in the AFC East with Buffalo and playing great football.  Should be a great game as McDaniel and Kyle know each other very well (McDaniel started as an intern under Mike Shanahan in Denver back in 2005). Lot's of scheming and planning going into this one as well as seeing some former Niner players who are now on the Miami roster, including WR Trent Sherfield, RB Raheem Mostert, and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. In addition, former Niners Tight Ends Coach John Embry is now on the staff at Miami. And you have QB Tua Tagovailoa, as well as former Chief's standout WR Tyreek Hill to contend with. Should be a great matchup all over and I am excited to watch it all play out.   This week we have another great show for you as we sit down with Andy and Curtis Hayes (father and son) to tell the story of Ed Hayes (Andy's father and Curtis's grandfather). This story has a lot of overlap for us personally as Ed and the Hayes family all hail from Mt Pleasant Iowa in Henry County (SE Iowa), which is where George's mom Jan and all her family are from. In addition, Ed graduated from the University of Iowa as an undergrad but also from the UI Law School (which I also graduated from). Helping us with the Iowa Connections is retired Army Colonel (and my brother-in-law) Pat Coen. While all of that is cool enough, we offer it to you this week in honor and remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day, which is next week on December 7. The Pearl Harbor attack was on Dec 7, 1941, which was right smack in the middle of Ed's first semester in law school at Iowa. As a result, Ed immediately was drafted, left law school, reported and shortly thereafter left on what would be a 4+ year deployment overseas as part of the WW II war effort. He was stationed in North Africa, and later in Italy after the front moved, attached to a MASH unit. Finally coming home in 1945 to marry the love of his life Cora. You will hear of that journey as well as his lifelong tenure at Drake University Law School in Des Moines Iowa, where he served and taught until 1990 when he retired. This is a story of humility, engagement, sacrifice, loyalty, and service, which are all a common theme of that generation. I found this story inspiring and hopeful, as it connects us to each other in powerful ways, and affirms the need to always have a lookout for the welfare of our neighbor and the common good. We also hear from Curtis (grandson to Ed) who is Command Sargent Major and served in the Army and was also the Recruiting Battalion commander in California who we have worked with for the past 2 years to help us bring more than 150 veterans to Niner games, both at Levis and on the road. He shares his journey into the military, lessons learned, deployments, and transitions home. He also explains how his grandfather Ed shaped and formed him, directly and indirectly through his father Andy. This is a great family military story and one I know you will enjoy. Happy holidays as we enter into December. Encouragement to all of us to use self-care during these times, know that it is OK to say no and to set boundaries

Air Date 11/30/2022 Today, we take a look at the context of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar including the labor abuses endemic in the construction of the facilities, the authoritarianism and anti-LGBTQ policies of the Qatari government, and the corruption fundamental to the inner working of FIFA that brought the tournament to Qatar in the first place. Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) BestOfTheLeft.com/HOLIDAY (BOTL GIFT GUIDE!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Qatar and a World Cup controversy - Front Burner - Air Date 11-10-22 In the decade since Qatar won its bid to host this year's tournament, allegations of bribery, discrimination and human rights abuses have threatened to overshadow the game. Ch. 2: What Does Qatar Want? - Pro Revolution Soccer - Air Date 11-25-22 Tom speaks to Lebanese writer and activist Ali Reda about why Gulf petrostates are investing billions into football – particularly in the north of England – and what the British state gets out of the deal. Ch. 3: Qatar and the World Cup of Shame - Burn It All Down - Air Date 4-20-21 We discuss the (longstanding) controversy around the Qatar 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup including the ongoing inhumane working conditions and indentured servitude for migrant laborers building stadiums that have led to at least 6,500 deaths Ch. 4: World Cup: Welcome to Qatar! - Today, Explained - Air Date 11-4-22 Soccer is sometimes called “the second religion of the Arab World,” and Qatar is the region's first country to host the World Cup. Ch. 5: Qatar World Cup: FIFA president defends tournament in extraordinary speech - Channel 4 News - Air Date 11-19-22 FIFA's President Gianni Infantino gave an extraordinary speech in which he railed against Western hypocrisy over migrant workers Ch. 6: 'One Love' campaign hit by threat of FIFA sanctions - DW News - Air Date 11-21-22 The threat of sanctions has resulted in the seven European nations who had signed up to the One Love campaign, including England and Germany, announcing their decision to abandon plans to wear the rainbow-themed captain's armbands. Ch. 7: Boom in demand for 'One Love' arm bands banned by FIFA - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 11-24-22 The "One Love" armbands that captains of some teams at the World Cup had been intending to wear to show support for the LGBTQ+ community are seeing a boom in demand among the general public after FIFA decided to ban players from wearing the armbands. Ch. 8: Qatar World Cup - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 11-21-22 John Oliver discusses the Qatar World Cup, the human rights violations happening in the sporting event's host country, and what perfection really means to David Beckham. Ch. 9: Human Rights and the Qatar World Cup - Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters - Air Date 11-16-22 In this episode, we speak with Michael Page, deputy director in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch We discuss how and why migrant workers were exploited in Qatar and then have a conversation about human rights MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 10: How FIFA corrupted the World Cup - Vox - Air Date 11-23-22 FIFA announced the 2022 World Cup would take place in a surprising country, Qatar. At that same meeting, they also announced that the 2018 World Cup would take place in Russia. These selections set off a new chapter in FIFA's history FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments on the propaganda master class put on by the president of FIFA Reference: FIFA President Gianni Infantino Press conference MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions) Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Brits and the U.S. decided to form the first allied command in history in order to defeat Nazi Germany (and not the Japanese who just bombed Pearl Harbor), why was their first ground battle (Operation Torch) against France in North Africa? Here's the great Stephen Ambrose with the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full Text of ReadingsThursday of the First Week of Advent Lectionary: 178All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Charles de FoucauldBorn into an aristocratic family in Strasbourg, France, Charles was orphaned at the age of 6, raised by his devout grandfather, rejected the Catholic faith as a teenager, and joined the French army. Inheriting a great deal of money from his grandfather, Charles went to Algeria with his regiment, but not without his mistress, Mimi. When he declined to give her up, he was dismissed from the army. Still in Algeria when he left Mimi, Charles reenlisted in the army. Refused permission to make a scientific exploration of nearby Morocco, he resigned from the service. With the help of a Jewish rabbi, Charles disguised himself as a Jew and in 1883, began a one-year exploration that he recorded in a book that was well received. Inspired by the Jews and Muslims whom he met, Charles resumed the practice of his Catholic faith when he returned to France in 1886. He joined a Trappist monastery in Ardeche, France, and later transferred to one in Akbes, Syria. Leaving the monastery in 1897, Charles worked as gardener and sacristan for the Poor Clare nuns in Nazareth and later in Jerusalem. In 1901, he returned to France and was ordained a priest. Later that year Charles journeyed to Beni-Abbes, Morocco, intending to found a monastic religious community in North Africa that offered hospitality to Christians, Muslims, Jews, or people with no religion. He lived a peaceful, hidden life but attracted no companions. A former army comrade invited him to live among the Tuareg people in Algeria. Charles learned their language enough to write a Tuareg-French and French-Tuareg dictionary, and to translate the Gospels into Tuareg. In 1905, he came to Tamanrasset, where he lived the rest of his life. A two-volume collection of Charles' Tuareg poetry was published after his death. In early 1909, he visited France and established an association of laypeople who pledged to live by the Gospels. His return to Tamanrasset was welcomed by the Tuareg. In 1915, Charles wrote to Louis Massignon: “The love of God, the love for one's neighbor…All religion is found there…How to get to that point? Not in a day since it is perfection itself: it is the goal we must always aim for, which we must unceasingly try to reach and that we will only attain in heaven.” The outbreak of World War I led to attacks on the French in Algeria. Seized in a raid by another tribe, Charles and two French soldiers coming to visit him were shot to death on December 1, 1916. Five religious congregations, associations, and spiritual institutes—Little Brothers of Jesus, Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Little Sisters of Jesus, Little Brothers of the Gospel, and Little Sisters of the Gospel—draw inspiration from the peaceful, largely hidden, yet hospitable life that characterized Charles. He was beatified in 2005 and canonized in 2022. Reflection The life of Charles de Foucauld was eventually centered on God and was animated by prayer and humble service, which he hoped would draw Muslims to Christ. Those who are inspired by his example, no matter where they live, seek to live their faith humbly yet with deep religious conviction. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Tunisia's recent reversal of democratic freedoms under the presidency of Kais Saied has raised concerns about the country's democracy and stability. The fragile political and economic situation has also unleashed a significant wave of displacement in the Mediterranean, as worsening Tunisian conditions have exacerbated migration waves from North Africa. In this Contours podcast, the Head of New Lines' Power Vacuums Program, Caroline Rose, sits down with former U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Gordon Gray and New Lines analyst Alice Hickson to break down the precarious situation.

What's up! It's episode 105 of Payne Points of Wealth and the economy continues to chug along. We had retail spending up even with record-high inflation. We're starting to see on the ground floor inflation coming down, and unemployment is still strong, yet every economist and strategist still say we're going to fall off a cliff. We're going to address that today. We've seen a huge rally in the global markets over the course of the last couple of weeks, specifically internationally. Should you be playing that in your portfolio? Well, we're gonna break it down for you. Check it out.  You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Are we going to see a healthy end-of-the-year rally? [1:04] The market is smarter than everybody! [4:52] The ‘Yeah…but' market [7:29] The Tipping Point [11:59] Paying down debt [14:55] Do you readjust your portfolio? [16:04] Hidden Facts of Finance [18:58] Emerging markets are trending! Right now we're talking about how we don't know what's going to happen next, we don't know what's going on. But one thing I do know is what we don't expect is what's going to happen. We've seen this with what I call the pandemic hangover trade. We've seen disruptive technology, and it's still getting slaughtered here, even as markets are recovering, and I think one of the most obvious trends in the world is emerging markets. You look at the emerging markets right now, they've been growing faster than the US in terms of profits growth since like 1995, yet their stock market is in the same place it was in 2007. So there are a lot of places you can be allocating your capital right now that are dirt cheap that are poised to rise in the future. This week on the tipping point: When to take action and when not to When it comes to financial planning, sometimes it's good to take action, but other times it's better to maybe just hold back and let things play out. So let's talk about when you should be taking action and when you should not take action when it comes to your financial independence plan. A point of confusion, when it comes to action or no action, is eliminating debt. It's actually a trickier conversation than it used to be because at the beginning of this year your mortgage would typically be your largest debt and you were getting a 2-3% rate depending on how long you're going out. Now you're paying like 6-7% and it really becomes a portfolio decision and with rates so much higher right now, I would say unless you're locked into a lower rate it might be better to start paying off debt and as opposed to mortgaging, maybe just paying out right if you have cash because that's a real hard spread to get over the long term if you're starting to borrow at like 6-7%.  Another big This week's hidden facts of finance India will have the highest growth rate of all countries over the next 10 years, there are also opportunities in parts of the Middle East, and North Africa, although capital markets in these places are still very early in development, you gotta have some money around the world. What do FTX, Vroom, Draft Kings, and Coinbase all have in common besides the fact they're down 62 to 98% so far this year? They all spent $6.5 million per 30 seconds for Super Bowl ads just less than a year ago. Since the inception date of 8/1/2001 CNBC's Jim Cramer's Action Alerts Plus portfolio returned a cumulative 210%. Compare that to the S&P 500's 398%, nearly 50% better. Resources & People Mentioned See if you qualify for a complimentary financial review from the Paynes Connect With Ryan, Bob, and Chris http://PayneCM.com  Follow on Twitter Follow on Facebook Follow on LinkedIn Subscribe on YouTube Follow on Instagram Subscribe to Payne Points of Wealth On Apple Podcasts, On Google Podcasts, On Spotify

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. 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This 43rd episode of Governance Uncovered reflects on COP27, the UN climate summit held between the 6th and 18th of November in Cairo, Egypt. Researchers Rabab El-Madi and Nadim Farajalla discuss the Loss and Damage fund, climate justice, and the future of fossil fuels. All with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa region. Then we'll hear an interview with Professor Jillian Schwedler on her latest book, "Protesting Jordan: Geographies of Power and Dissent." A book based on her twenty-five years of field research. It examines protests as they are situated in the built environment, bringing together considerations of networks, spatial imaginaries, space and place-making, and political geographies at local, national, regional, and global scales. Jillian's book: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=15881 Finally, GLD Director Ellen Lust spoke with Bekka Ross Russel, founder and Executive Director of The Small Things Tanzania and the Families and Future Coalition in Tanzania – two organizations that aim to support families who cannot take care of their children. The Small Things website: https://www.thesmallthings.org/ Families and Future website: https://familiesandfutures.org/

Khalil Bendib spoke with Berlin based exiled journalist and democracy activist Hossam El-Hamalawy about Egypt's horrific human rights and environmental record since the 2013 coup. Is the Sinai peninsula such a suitable venue for a worldwide meeting on climate change? Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East & North Africa (VOMENA).

November 2022  The Allied victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942 proved to be the beginning of the end of the war in North Africa. But many months of hard fighting, and the opening of a whole new front in northwest Africa, would be needed before the Allies were finally able to kick Axis forces off that continent for good. Though often forgotten about today, the Operation Torch landings were a pivotal event which led to the first battles between German and American forces. These troops, and the intelligence personnel who supported them, had to learn their trade quickly in the toughest of circumstances.  In this 'It Happened Here' episode, Bletchley Park's Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham reveals how these lessons would prove fundamental to the Allied use of intelligence later in the war This episode is hosted by Exhibitions Manager, Erica Munro.  Many thanks to Dr Ben Thompson and Owen Moogan for voicing our archival documents. Image: © US Army Green Books (Public Domain) #BPark, #Bletchleypark, #WW2, #Enigma,

Turkey is threatening to mount a fresh ground assault against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria after a wave of airstrikes that left 11 civilians and numerous Kurdish fighters dead. US officials say they are trying to de-escalate the situation, but their Syrian Kurdish allies say Washington's response has been weak and is unlikely to stave off another Turkish offensive. David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers, a volunteer group that assists civilians in conflict zones, came out of northeast Syria yesterday where he witnessed the devastation wreaked by Turkey's latest airstrikes. He told Al-Monitor that the sense of betrayal by the United States is even deeper than when President Donald Trump gave Turkey the green light to invade large chunks of northeast Syria in 2019. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate Adie presents stories from Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Colombia and Ireland. The Taliban announced a ban on women going to parks, swimming pools and gyms this month, following one on girls attending secondary schools. Yogita Limaye spoke to one young woman about what life is like in Kabul as these once cherished freedoms disappear. The story of Gao Zhisheng, a Chinese human rights lawyer, who was repeatedly detained for his work defending members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement and Christians, is a cautionary tale of Xi Jinping's China. Michael Bristow followed his story from his initial arrest in 2006. The UN has said Iraq is the world's fifth most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The country's two main rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris have seen their water levels drop significantly this year as the country experienced one of its worst droughts. Leila Molana Allen spoke to locals about the impact on their livelihoods. Colombia's new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, campaigned on a manifesto of tackling inequality and switching to a greener economy. But rising inflation and a depreciation of the peso has proved a challenge to enforcing his radical agenda. Rohan Montgomery went for a ride with motorcyclists in Medellin and heard their views on life under Petro. The story of the 'Sack of Baltimore', where a village in Ireland's County Cork was ambushed by Barbary pirates, intrigues visitors to the area, in particular to the Algiers Inn. The attack. in 1631, was the worst on Ireland who took their captives back to North Africa and eventually sold them into slavery. Vincent Dowd went to speak to the locals about what happened. Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

African telecom operators have resolutely opposed U.S. calls to stop using Chinese networking hardware. In fact, Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese tech firms in recent years have significantly expanded their presence beyond networking to mobile money, data centers, and even new energy solutions, among other sectors.African countries, at least so far, have been spared serious consequences from the increasingly contentious U.S.-Chian technology duel. But Jane Munga, a technology policy expert in the Africa program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., worries that may soon change.Jane joins Eric & Cobus to discuss her new research on how U.S.-China technology decoupling will impact Africa's mobile phone industry.SHOW NOTES:Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: How Will U.S.-China Tech Decoupling Affect Africa's Mobile Phone Market? by Jane Munga: https://bit.ly/3AKrim9The Diplomat: China's Tech Outreach in the Middle East and North Africa by Dale Aluf: https://bit.ly/3AKruln JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @jane_mungaFacebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectFOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChineعربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfrJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaprojectSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off this week in the Qatari capital Doha. The tournament comes at a time of fast-evolving politics in the region. Just a few years ago, a spat within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) saw Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) break diplomatic ties with and blockade Qatar, frustrated in part by Doha's support for Islamists across the Middle East and North Africa. The crisis was mostly resolved in early 2021, and diplomacy ahead of the World Cup has further calmed intra-GCC relations, though differences remain, particularly between Qatar and the UAE. The World Cup also comes amid other changes nearby: Iran is convulsed by mass protests; talks involving Tehran and world powers over Iran's nuclear program have fizzled out; and Benjamin Netanyahu looks set to return to power in Israel at the helm of the most right wing government in the country's history – all at a time when Gulf monarchies have taken some steps to calm tensions with Iran and, in some cases, improve relations with Israel. It also comes amid Saudi-U.S. friction. Riyadh's decision, together with other oil producers, to cut oil production against Washington's wishes has further tested relations that were already strained over the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for which U.S. intelligence blames powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood is joined by Joost Hiltermann and Dina Esfandiary, Crisis Group's Middle East & North Africa director and senior adviser, respectively, to talk about the World Cup and Gulf Arab states' external relations. They discuss how ties between countries in the region have evolved since the GCC spat and their different interests in the region. They examine how Gulf Arab countries view developments in Yemen and Iran and the changing relationship between some Gulf capitals and Israel. Finally, they look at the ups and downs of U.S.-Saudi ties during U.S. President Joe Biden's tenure in office thus far. They talk about how Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region are navigating Washington's changing role in the region, big-power tensions and multipolarity. They discuss Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plans for Saudi Arabia and ask what the future holds for relations between Riyadh and Washington. For more on the situation in the Gulf region, check out Crisis Group's extensive analysis on our Gulf and Arabian Peninsula regional page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – November 25, 2022 appeared first on KPFA.

Today on Sojourner Truth we discuss the UN Climate Summit held in Egypt, or Cop 27, that culminated Sunday November 20th after two weeks of arduous negotiations. This victory is a direct result of mounting pressure from global civil society organizations present in Sharm el-Sheikh and in cities and capitals around the world, combined with strong leadership, 30 years in the making. A breakthrough deal is the establishment of a loss and damages fund to help poorest countries most impacted by climate change. Rich countries are agreeing to contribute to this fund but what will this actually look like? It will likely still be several years before the fund exists. Major lingering questions include: who would oversee the fund, how the money would be dispersed – and to whom. Many countries said they felt pressured to give up on tougher commitments for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order for the landmark deal on the loss and damage fund to go through. And the richest countries largely contributing to fossil fuel pollution, made no real commitments to curb their use, in fact the loss and damage funds deal also included a reference to "low-emissions energy," raising concern among some that it opened the door to the growing use of natural gas - a fossil fuel that leads to both carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Joining us to discuss and contextualize the gains and concessions that took place at Cop 27 are, Shereen Talaat is Co-director and one of the founders of The Arab Watch Regional Coalition for Just Development that covering issues in the Middle East and North Africa, Tina Gerhardt, journalist and Cop 27 correspondent covering the UN conference for The Nation magazine and Luiz Vieira coordinator for the Bretton Woods Project. The Bretton Woods Project is a civil society watchdog of the IMF and World Bank, advocating for a multilateral system that is democratic, inclusive, transparent, accountable, and responsive to people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

When it comes to open banking globally, there are several factors that have acted as drivers for the movement, like competition, inclusion, stability and innovation. Although innovation takes a back seat in some regions, there is one place where it is firmly front-and-center: the Middle East. The Middle East and North Africa, a region known by the acronym MENA, has embarked on its own open banking journey, where Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel and Egypt have all introduced some form of open banking initiatives. While they may vary in scope and approach, they all have one thing in common: a laser focus on modernizing their banking sectors with innovation acting as the primary driver. In this episode, Eyal will sit down with guest Hakan Eroglu, the Global Open Banking Lead at Mastercard. With more than 13 years of international experience in open banking strategy, Hakan is global in both title and practice. Eyal and Hakan's focus on a subset of the MENA region, the countries who are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or the GCC.Specifically they discuss: The meaning of the term “over-banked”Key drivers of open banking in the MENA regionHow market vs. regulation is really a spectrumAn open banking tour of the the GCC members The differences between one country and anotherDigital ID, real-time payments and other extensions Open banking as a vehicle for innovation

A Tennessee native, Carol Ghattas earned an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, after serving two years in Ivory Coast, West Africa. She met and married her late husband, Dr. Raouf Ghattas, while attending an Arabic-language church in Texas, where he served as pastor. They were appointed by the International Mission Board in 1991 to serve in the Middle East and North Africa. With thirty-plus years in missions, Carol Ghattas has made her home in over six countries and among a wide variety of peoples. She's also had to rediscover what home looks like after returning from the field. Carol has lived what she writes, reflected in this book, her other non-fiction work, and her novels, which she wrote under the pen name of Um Daoud. A sought-after speaker on Islam, missions, and other topics, you can connect with Carol through her website lifeinexile.net. Carol is the author of numerous books, including her recent Not in Kansas Anymore: Finding Home in Cross-Cultural Service. Find Missions Pulse episode #93 on our website at https://davidjoannes.com/093carolghattas/

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – November 23, 2022 appeared first on KPFA.

Today on Sojourner Truth we discuss the UN Climate Summit held in Egypt, or Cop 27, that culminated Sunday November 20th after two weeks of arduous negotiations. This victory is a direct result of mounting pressure from global civil society organizations present in Sharm el-Sheikh and in cities and capitals around the world, combined with strong leadership, 30 years in the making. A breakthrough deal is the establishment of a loss and damages fund to help poorest countries most impacted by climate change. Rich countries are agreeing to contribute to this fund but what will this actually look like? It will likely still be several years before the fund exists. Major lingering questions include: who would oversee the fund, how the money would be dispersed – and to whom. Many countries said they felt pressured to give up on tougher commitments for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order for the landmark deal on the loss and damage fund to go through. And the richest countries largely contributing to fossil fuel pollution, made no real commitments to curb their use, in fact the loss and damage funds deal also included a reference to "low-emissions energy," raising concern among some that it opened the door to the growing use of natural gas - a fossil fuel that leads to both carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Joining us to discuss and contextualize the gains and concessions that took place at Cop 27 are, Shereen Talaat is Co-director and one of the founders of The Arab Watch Regional Coalition for Just Development that covering issues in the Middle East and North Africa, Tina Gerhardt, journalist and Cop 27 correspondent covering the UN conference for The Nation magazine and Luiz Vieira coordinator for the Bretton Woods Project. The Bretton Woods Project is a civil society watchdog of the IMF and World Bank, advocating for a multilateral system that is democratic, inclusive, transparent, accountable, and responsive to people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

Meet Ali Kheeler, one of the founders of Al Firdaus Ensemble, a Spain-based musical band which combines between classical, western, Moroccan, Andalusi, and Syrian styles in their music. Known for their Celtic Salawat and Madha Morisco, Nihal sat with Ali and spoke about spiritual expression through art and how to bring people together through art. They also spoke about their new album "Shifa" and the motivations behind its production. This episode will also feature some of their songs from the new album. Ali Keeler was born in London in 1973 and started learning the violin at the age of seven. During his youth, he played in several orchestras. In 1991, he went on to study classical violin at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he gained experience playing in a string quartet. He moved to Damascus in Syria in 1998. During his time in Syria, he learnt to sing within the tradition of the maqam in the zawiyas of Damascus and Aleppo, receiving instruction in singing from the well-known munshid Ustadh Mustapha Karim. Applying his musical experience within the Arabic tradition to the violin, he has developed a varied repertoire of Celtic, Arabic, Andalusi and Turkish pieces. In 2006, he moved to Granada and in 2007 helped form the group Al Kauthar. He contributed within the group as the lead singer, violinist, arranger and composer, performing in concerts and festivals in Europe, Turkey and Morocco. In 2012 he founded the group Al Firdaus Ensemble, with whom he has performed in numerous concerts throughout Europe, the US, North Africa, Turkey, & Lebanon. -- Faith in Fine Print is brought to you by The Mantle, a sacred safe space dedicated to facilitating and demonstrating Islamic Spirituality. Comments or Questions? E-mail us at faithinfineprint@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithinfineprint Twitter: https://twitter.com/faithfineprint Instagram: https://instagram.com/faithinfineprint SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES AT http://www.faithinfineprint.com/