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Middle East File

Middle East File

By Middle East File

The Middle East File is an interview podcast from the Religious Freedom Institute
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003 | The Tyranny of Religious Freedom Rankings | Dennis Petri

Middle East FileMay 29, 2022

00:00
33:41
025 | Politics of Hate | Farahnaz Ispahani

025 | Politics of Hate | Farahnaz Ispahani

Farahnaz Ispahani is a Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute and joins to discuss her new book: Politics of Hate: Religious Majoritarianism in South Asia (Harper Collins, 2023). 

South Asia-home to almost 2 billion people representing every major and minor religious belief-has also witnessed religious extremism, often supported by the state apparatus.

In Politics of Hate, noted scholars-experts on the subject and the region discuss their research on the role of the media and political leaders in deploying hatred for political advantage, covering developments in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In an era of media incitement, orchestrated attacks on mosques, churches, and temples, and identity politics, this book serves as a timely study of the phenomenon of politically motivated religious and ethnic division. 

Farahnaz Ispahani has been a leading voice for women and religious minorities in Pakistan for the past twenty-five years, first as a journalist, then as a member of Pakistan's National Assembly, and most recently as a scholar based in the United States. As a Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute and advisor and consultant to numerous other initiatives, she works at the intersection of human rights, freedom of religion or belief, and the US policy world. She is on Twitter: @FIspahani

The Middle East File podcast is a publication of the Religious Freedom Institute's Middle East Action Team. For more of their work, including recent articles, publications, and events, sign-up for the Middle East File email.

Jan 22, 202332:50
024 | Tolerance, Religious Freedom, and Authoritarianism | David H. Warren

024 | Tolerance, Religious Freedom, and Authoritarianism | David H. Warren

David H. Warren, lecturer in the Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies department at Washington University in St. Louis, joins to discuss a new report: Tolerance, Religious Freedom, and Authoritarianism (USCIRF, 2022). 

This report details how authoritarian states promote religious tolerance without necessarily ensuring freedom of religion or belief. It distinguishes between these two concepts and explains the origins of religious tolerance promotion as a tool of statecraft. The report then presents case studies of countries engaged in religious tolerance promotion, such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

David H. Warren is a scholar of contemporary Islam, politics, and media in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the understudied Arab Gulf states and Islamic soft power. His first book, Rivals in the Gulf: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Abdullah Bin Bayyah, and the Qatar-UAE Contest Over the Arab Spring and the Gulf Crisis (Routledge 2021) investigated the political interventions of two of the most prominent figures among the Muslim scholarly-elite (the ulama) and their relationships with the Qatari and Emirati ruling families. The project included fieldwork in Doha and Abu Dhabi and qualitative analyses of media platforms ranging from satellite TV interviews, to YouTube sermons, to Twitter feeds.

The Middle East File podcast is a publication of the Religious Freedom Institute's Middle East Action Team. For more of their work, including recent articles, publications, and events, sign-up for the Middle East File email.

Jan 15, 202335:53
023 | Charting a Nationalist and Secular Iraqi State: The Road Ahead | Geneive Abdo

023 | Charting a Nationalist and Secular Iraqi State: The Road Ahead | Geneive Abdo

Geneive Abdo is a Fellow in the Middle East Program of the Wilson Center and joins to discuss a new report: Charting a Nationalist and Secular Iraqi State: The Road Ahead (EPIC / Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2022). 

Young people are changing Iraq. But what kind of state do they want? The report covers the results of a national survey conducted by EPIC of 1,062 eligible Iraqi voters ages 18 – 40 on their views toward religion and a secular state.

Geneive Abdo is a visiting fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a consultant at the World Bank. She was most recently a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center. Her current research focuses on the shifting political and religious alliances within Shia communities in the Middle East. She has worked at several Washington-based think tanks, including the Atlantic Council and the Stimson Center. She was a non-resident scholar at the Brookings Institution from 2013-17. She was also a lecturer at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University from 2016-19.

Among her vast publications, including monographs and works in scholarly journals, Abdo is the author of four books on the Middle East, including The New Sectarianism: The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi’a-Sunni Divide (Oxford University Press, 2016). Her other books, also published by Oxford, include a groundbreaking study of the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in Egypt.

The Middle East File podcast is a publication of the Religious Freedom Institute's Middle East Action Team. For more of their work, including recent articles, publications, and events, sign-up for the Middle East File email

Jan 08, 202343:04
022 | Better Religion | John Barton

022 | Better Religion | John Barton

John D. Barton, Professor of Teaching of Religion and Director, Center for Faith and Learning, Pepperdine University joins to discuss his new book Better Religion: A Primer for Interreligious Peacebuilding (Baylor University Press, 2022). 

In the twenty-first century, humanity faces both unprecedented existential threats and remarkable possibilities for development. While no one knows how things will unfold by century's end, it is increasingly clear that religion will play a major role in shaping the outcomes, for better or worse. In Better Religion, philosopher and religion scholar John Barton explores how grassroots interreligious peacebuilding can help ensure the "better." 

Written for academic and professional audiences, this "conceptual primer" will equip readers to understand religion in the twenty-first century and pursue constructive collaborations for human flourishing, all for the sake of the world we currently share and the world we want our grandchildren to inherit. Read More

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To learn more about the Religious Freedom Institute and find more of the Middle East File podcast visit: https://www.religiousfreedominstitute.org/middle-east

Dec 13, 202241:34
021 | Syrian Religious Communities and the Transnational War | Bayar Mustafa and Thomas Schmidinger

021 | Syrian Religious Communities and the Transnational War | Bayar Mustafa and Thomas Schmidinger

Bayar Mustafa Sevdeen, Dean of External Engagement and Research at the University of Kurdistan Hewler and Dr. Thomas Schmidinger Lecturer at the University of Vienna and a Visiting Professor Politics & IR at University of Kurdistan Hewler join to discuss the recent conference Syrian Religious Communities and the Transnational War

The conference brought together a wide range of contributors from within Syria and internationally to understand the diverse experiences of religious communities throughout the more than 11 years of conflict in Syria. 

The conference was jointly organized by the Center for Peacebuilding and Dialogue (CPD) at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH), in collaboration with Socialists and Democrats Group (S&D) at the European Union Parliament, and the Religious Freedom Institute (USA).

Livestream: 

Conference Part 1 (Video) 

Conference Part 2 (Video)

Conference Part 3 (Video)

Conference Part 4 (Video)


Dec 08, 202228:20
020 | We Cannot Return | Haider Elias

020 | We Cannot Return | Haider Elias

Haider Elias, President, Yazda, joins the Middle East File to discuss We Cannot Return: Collapsed Security Threatens the Future of Yazidis & Minorities in Sinjar co-authored by Yazda and The Zovighian Partnership and published by the Wilson Center.

This first paper in a two-part series presents and recommends immediate solutions to strengthening security in Sinjar. Published by the Wilson Center, the series aims to equip national and international stakeholders with community-led and actionable recommendations to enable political support for all minority communities in Sinjar. 

Related: 

Nov 20, 202232:10
019 | Islam in the Constitutions of Modern Arab States: the Case of Tunisia | Ismail Royer
Nov 06, 202250:35
018 | No Escape | Nury Turkel | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Oct 30, 202226:14
017 | Shackled | Mariam Ibraheem | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Oct 24, 202235:10
016 | The Politics of Inclusive Pluralism | Bob Fu w/ Todd Huizinga | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Oct 16, 202227:04
015 | Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison | John Cao | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Oct 09, 202214:18
014 | Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty | Mustafa Akyol | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner

014 | Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty | Mustafa Akyol | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner

Mustafa Akyol is author of Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty (Cato Institute, 2021) and is interviewed by Jeremy P. Barker, Director, Middle East Action Team, Religious Freedom Institute. 

Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. Since 2013, he has also been a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, covering politics and religion in the Muslim world. He is the author of Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance (2021), The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims (2017), and Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty (2011).

Hosted in partnership with the Religious Freedom Institute (www.RFI.org), the IRF Summit Authors’ Corner took place at the IRF Summit 2022 (www.IRFSummit.org) in Washington, D.C. and featured interviews with authors on a range of books related to religious freedom issues around the globe. 


See more interviews here: IRF Summit Authors' Corner 

Purchase books here: IRF Summit Authors' Corner (Bookshop)

Oct 02, 202229:43
013 | State Responses to Crimes of Genocide | Ewelina Ochab and David Alton | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Sep 25, 202219:59
012 | Who Are China's Walking Dead | Kay Rubacek | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Sep 18, 202222:45
011 | Heroic Faith | Arielle Del Turco and Lela Gilbert w/ Todd Huizinga | IRF Summit Authors’ Corner
Sep 11, 202222:23
010 | Baroness Cox: Eyewitness to a Broken World | Lela Gilbert w/ Paul Marshall | IRF Summit Authors' Corner
Sep 04, 202213:27
009 | The Disappearing People | Stephen M. Rasche | IRF Summit Authors' Corner
Aug 28, 202225:17
008 | The War on the Uyghurs | Sean R. Roberts | IRF Summit Authors' Corner

008 | The War on the Uyghurs | Sean R. Roberts | IRF Summit Authors' Corner

Sean R. Roberts is author of The War on the Uyghurs: China's Internal Campaign against a Muslim Minority (Princeton University Press, 2020) and is interviewed by Jeremy P. Barker, Director, Middle East Action Team, Religious Freedom Institute. 

Professor Roberts is Associate Professor in the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the International Development Studies (IDS) MA program at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. 


Hosted in partnership with the Religious Freedom Institute (www.RFI.org) The IRF Summit Authors' Corner took place at the IRF Summit 2022 (www.IRFsummit.org) in Washington, D.C. and featured interviews with authors on a range of books related to religious freedom issues around the globe.

See more interviews here: IRF Summit Authors' Corner

Purchase books here: IRF Summit Authors' Corner (Bookshop)

Aug 21, 202223:28
007 | International Protocol on Documenting Violations of Religious Freedom | Naomi Prodeau
Jun 26, 202238:48
006 | Freedom of Religion or Belief and Cultural Heritage Protection: Synergistic not Competitive | Knox Thames
Jun 19, 202231:33
005 | How Liz Truss Can Champion Religious Freedom at U.K. Ministerial Conference | Miles Windsor
Jun 12, 202232:10
004 | Invisible: The Gender Report 2022 | Helene Fisher

004 | Invisible: The Gender Report 2022 | Helene Fisher

Helene Fisher, Global Gender Persecution Specialist at Open Doors International, joins the Middle East File podcast to discuss Invisible: The Gender Report 2022. the latest gender specific religious persecution report from Open Doors. The report was featured in the Middle East File | 14

Over the past five years, this report from Open Doors has helped shine light on the particular ways in which religious persecution impacts women and girls, distinct from men and boys, and how that help to inform policy and practice in the efforts to protect the religious freedom of all people. 

Related:

To learn more about the Religious Freedom Institute and find more of the Middle East File podcast visit: https://www.religiousfreedominstitute.org/middle-east

Jun 05, 202232:01
003 | The Tyranny of Religious Freedom Rankings | Dennis Petri

003 | The Tyranny of Religious Freedom Rankings | Dennis Petri

Dennis Petri, International Director of the International Institute for Religious Freedom, joins the Middle East File to discuss his article: The Tyranny of Religious Freedom Rankings. Dennis' article featured in Middle East File | 17.

This article provides further nuance to the discussion about how to describe and measure levels of religious freedom around the world. 

Related:

To learn more about the Religious Freedom Institute and find more of the Middle East File podcast visit: https://www.religiousfreedominstitute.org/middle-east

May 29, 202233:41
002 | The Political Marginalisation of Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Iraq | Shivan Fazil
May 22, 202224:26
001 | USCIRF Annual Report 2022 | Nadine Maenza
May 15, 202228:60