The afikra Podcast

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What Does China Actually Want from the Arab World? | Mohammed Alsudairi Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

The modern experience of China is often viewed through a western lens, but its complex history and relationship with the Arab world reveal a much deeper story. Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi challenges the dominant narrative of a growing security footprint and intense US-China competition over the Middle East. Instead, the conversation explores the evolving diplomatic recognition, transactional dynamics, and economic connections that define Sino-Middle Eastern relations. This discussion unpacks why the Chinese experience is often neglected in the Arab intellectual tradition and how the modalities of empire are shifting in the 21st century.

00:00 Introduction

04:33 Escaping the Post 9/11 Paradigm Shift

07:23 Alternative Journeys & Transformative Intellectual Paths

14:22 Dismantling Dominant Narratives on Regional Footprints

17:13 Contextualizing China's Strategic Priorities

26:41 Historical Dimensions & Evolving Diplomatic Ties

34:34 Financial Synergy, Alternatives & Global concessions

37:48 Deconstructing Frameworks & the Myth of the Silk Road

44:40 Projecting Arab Anxieties onto a Cultural Other

52:52 Technological Realities & the Changing Modalities of Power

Mohammed Alsudairi is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic Speaking World at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University.

Senior Nonresident Fellow, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies

He holds a PhD in Comparative Politics from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), an MA in International Relations and International History from the London School of Economics and Peking University, and a BSc in International Politics from Georgetown University. Prior to his appointment at CAIS, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at HKU, working on a project examining the intersections between religion and infrastructure in the context of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2015, he oversaw the development of the Asian Studies Program at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2022, he was awarded a research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to work on his upcoming book manuscript. He is also a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

Connect with Mohammed Alsudairi 👉 https://cais.cass.anu.edu.au/people/dr-mohammed-alsudairi

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Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb
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ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
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Seeing the Earth's Water Crisis from Space | Dr. Raha Hakimdavar Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

Global water systems are facing an unprecedented challenge as climate change, resource depletion, and globalization place staggering pressure on our natural resources. Dr. Raha Hakimdavar, Senior Advisor to the Deans of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) and the Earth Commons & Founder & CEO - Zyon Space, unpacks the critical intersections of hydrology, space science, and environmental security. From analyzing how agricultural water waste and food imports impact the Arab world to detailing the vulnerabilities of desalination infrastructure, she offers a profound look at the cascading threats facing urban centers. By leveraging advanced satellite data collected from space, she reveals how tracking global groundwater levels can transform these invisible vulnerabilities into vital opportunities for international cooperation and policy reform.

00:00 Introduction

04:36 Energy, Oceans & the Cost of Innovation

06:22 Supermarket Aisles & Disconnected Systems

10:09 A Fifty-Year View from the Cosmos

14:09 Urban Budgets & Changing Taps

26:02 The Changing Anatomy of Regional Diets

30:47 Invisible Pipelines & Cascading Points

34:58 Distorting the Baseline of National Security

36:14 The Enabling Elements of Uprisings

38:06 A Landscape of Treaties

Dr. Raha Hakimdavar is a hydrologist, science policy expert, and space science leader with a proven record of innovation across government, academia, and industry. She is currently a Research Professor at the Earth Commons and Senior Advisor to the Deans at Georgetown University in Qatar and the Earth Commons, leading strategy and programs focused on environmental security, climate action, and sustainability research and education. She has active research projects in Greece (water scarcity), the Middle East (water and food security), and Indonesia (flood risk and nature based solutions), with a special focus on small islands. Dr. Hakimdavar has served as a technical consultant for UN Environment, the World Bank, and USAID on disaster risk reduction, water, and forestry projects for over a decade. Dr. Hakimdavar is also the Founder and CEO of Zyon Space, which supports emerging space agencies and organizations in the Global South in leveraging Earth observation technologies for climate and environmental resilience.

Connect with Raha Hakimdavar 👉 https://www.instagram.com/rahazhina/

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Lessons from Innovators Across the Arab World | Hala Hanna, MIT Solve Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Global challenges require useful intelligence rather than singular futures driven by tech hype. Executive Director Hala Hanna joins the podcast to share how MIT Solve acts as a marketplace for social impact, connecting early-stage ventures with critical funding and partners. This conversation highlights inspiring innovators and solvers who are transforming constrained design prompts into sustainable, sovereign systems across healthcare and education. Empowering communities through true open innovation proves that proximity to the problem is the ultimate tool for scalable, long-term change.

00:00 Introduction

03:56 The Flawed Metric of Monopolized Tech

07:41 Aligning Targets with Global Realities

10:08 The Select Few and the Select Best Seat

16:05 The False Solace of Parallel Systems

26:58 Reclaiming Data Ownership from Extractors

29:15 Transforming Government into a Platform

36:13 A Grumpy Contrast to Blind Optimism

24:52 Cultivating Agency Through Local Frugality

50:03 Leveraging Proximity as an Unfair Advantage

Hala Hanna is the Executive Director of MIT Solve, an MIT initiative that finds and scales tech-based solutions to global challenges. Hala's global career is about advancing equity and sustainability for all. She grew up in Lebanon, where conditions of conflict and constraint shaped her understanding of resilience as a design principle. She is a member of the Fast Company Impact Council and a contributor to the World Economic Forum. Her recent writing includes 'AI Has a Single Story Problem' (Fast Company, June 2026) and 'When Resilience Creates Innovation: Lessons for Entrepreneurs' (Entrepreneur MENA, April 2025). Previously she served as Managing Director of MIT Solve.

Connect with Hala Hanna 👉 https://solve.mit.edu

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna

Connect directly with Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

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HopeCore, HopeRot & Life in the After Timeline | Shumon Basar Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

The pervasive exhaustion resulting from witnessing modern global atrocities often creates a paralyzing "hopeRot," yet the cultivation of an radical "HopeCore" remains an essential engine for systemic transformation. Writer and curator, Shumon Basar, analyzes the rewiring of the global psyche through the rise of Gulf Futurism and the eventual arrival of a post-Western reality. His critique centers on the provincialization of the West, a phenomenon where a minority population disproportionately dictates universal narratives and conceptual models. The discussion further traverses the evolution of Dubai from a startup city to a global urban paradigm, alongside a sobering exploration of the war on amnesia", as Basar describes it, through alternative institutions and magical historical thinking. Ultimately, the conversation confronts the unmasking of power and the abandonment of institutional shame, reinforcing the vital necessity of counter-histories in an increasingly ahistorical digital age.

00:00 Introduction

04:36 The Rewiring of the Global Psyche

07:30 Spectral Enemies and the Geography of Time

10:08 Provincializing the West and Cognitive Mapping

16:13 The Foundational Myths of Unification

27:31 The Paradox of HopeRot and HopeCore

34:39 Absolute Impunity and the Narrative Battle

44:02 The Reckoning of Liberal Fascism

53:48 Alternative Institutions and the War on Amnesia

01:00:10 Magical Historical Thinking in the Extreme Present

Shumon Basar is a British-Bangladeshi writer, editor, and curator born in 1974. He attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University (1993–1996) and studied at the AA School, London (1998–2000). In 2005 he joined Goldsmiths, University of London's doctoral program in Visual Cultures. He is co-author with Douglas Coupland and Hans Ulrich Obrist of The Age of Earthquakes: A Guide to the Extreme Present (Penguin, 2015) and The Extreme Self: Age of You (Walther & Franz König, 2021), and co-curated the large-scale exhibition Age of You at MOCA Toronto and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai. Since 2010, Basar has been Commissioner of the Global Art Forum, Art Dubai's annual transdisciplinary summit. He became a founding member of Fondazione Prada's Thought Council in 2015. He is Adjunct Curator at Art Jameel and holds editorial and advisory positions at Tank, Bidoun, 032c, and Flash Art. He has lived in Dubai, Vancouver, Berlin, Beirut, and Istanbul.

Connect with Shumon Basar 👉 https://www.instagram.com/shumonbasar/

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Celebrating the Heritage of Arabic & Islamic Science | Dr. Hüseyin Şen Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

The scientific achievements of the medieval Islamic world provided the forgotten foundations for much of the modern world's mathematics and physics. Dr. Huseyin Sen, historical map specialist at The Heritage Library, Qatar National Library, explores the critical necessity of reclaiming this heritage to combat cultural prejudice and build self-esteem in new generations. This discussion highlights the monumental contributions of scholars like Al-Khwarizmi and Ibn al-Haytham, whose work on algebra and optics remains foundational to global scientific knowledge. The conversation reveals the urgent need for digitizing, translating, and integrating these historical texts into modern education to bridge the gap between past innovations and current understanding. From the intricate chemistry of medieval perfumery to the advanced engineering behind historical maps, these insights showcase a sophisticated intellectual tradition that once spanned the globe.

00:00 Introduction

01:10 The Legacy of Arabic Sciences

01:48 Modern Efforts in Manuscript Digitization

03:26 The Multidisciplinary Skills of a Science Historian

05:54 Reconnecting with a Forgotten Heritage

08:37 Integrating History into Modern Science Education

10:50 Cultural Role Models and Global Contributions

15:25 Reconstructing Original Texts from Manuscripts

19:40 The Sophisticated Chemistry of Medieval Perfumery

27:24 Tracing the Evolution of Personal Care Products

34:30 Algebraic Roots and Algorithmic Foundations

35:44 Paradigm Shifts in the Science of Optics

42:04 Cartographic Rarities and Engineering Marvels

Dr. Huseyin Sen is an aerospace engineer and a historian of science, specializing in the history of medieval Arabic science & technology. His engineering background has enabled him to engage with the history of science and technology in a profound way (numerical and hands-on) and at the same time has allowed him to build bridges between the education of history of science on one hand and education of science on the other. He is particularly interested in combining history of science with STEM/STEAM education, and in introducing and engaging students with technologies of the future such as 3D printing via history of science like by developing working replicas of ancient inventions by 3d printing.

الدكتور حسين شِن هو مهندس طيران ومؤرخ علمي متخصص في تاريخ العلوم والتكنولوجيا العربية في العصور الوسطى. وقد مكنته خلفيته الهندسية من التعمق أكثر في تاريخ العلوم والتكنولوجيا، كما أتاحت له الربط بين تعليم تاريخ العلوم من جهة وتعليم العلوم من جهة أخرى. يركز د. شِن على الدمج بين تاريخ العلوم وتعليم العلوم والتكنولوجيا والهندسة والرياضيات، مع تعريف الطلاب بتقنيات المستقبل، مثل الطباعة ثلاثية الأبعاد، من خلال تاريخ العلوم، وذلك عبر تطوير نسخ مطابقة من الاختراعات القديمة باستخدام الطباعة ثلاثية الأبعاد. من أحدث مشاريعه لمكتبة الرئاسة التركية معرض بعنوان "تاريخ العلوم الإسلامية في 100 قطعة"، والذي يضم 100 قطعة، منها 87 نسخة طبق الأصل و13 مخطوطة علمية أصلية من العصور الوسطى. افتتح المعرض في أبريل 2021، وهو مستمر كمعرض متنقل منذ ذلك الحين. يتلقى د. شِن طلبات منتظمة لتحليل ووصف وتقييم الأدوات والمخطوطات العلمية العربية/الإسلامية من العصور الوسطى

Connect with Professor Hüseyin Şen 👉 https://instagram.com/takiyuddinrasid

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How Technology Is Changing the Arabic Language Forever | Prof. Nizar Habash Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

Language serves as the vital intersection of cultural identity and technological innovation, yet the rapid rise of AI reveals a significant representation gap for the nearly many million ways the Arab world communicates. Professor Nizar Habash, a computer science professor and director of the CAMEL Lab at NYU Abu Dhabi, explores the historical anxieties surrounding technological shifts, drawing a direct parallel between the 150-year delay of the Arabic printing press and contemporary concerns regarding data bias in large language models. The conversation navigates the inherent challenges of modeling a language characterized by immense dialectal variety and non-standardized orthography, shifting the focus from perceived linguistic complexity to the practical need for bespoke, regional data sets. As the field transitions from rigid, rule-based systems to sophisticated neural models capable of abstract meaning through embeddings, the dialogue underscores the urgency of building localized, open-source tools like JAIS and FAMAR to ensure the Arab world's history and diverse voices are accurately represented in the digital age.

00:00 Introduction

02:15 How AI Models Understand Diverse Arabic Dialects

05:48 Debunking Myths About Arabic’s Linguistic Complexity

08:21 The Historical Construction of Modern Standard Arabic

11:00 Impact of Technology on Arabic Script and Printing

15:19 The Journey into Computational Linguistics

17:35 The Evolution of Machine Translation and LLMs

23:51 Explaining Hallucinations in Statistical Language Models

31:14 Cultural Representation and Bias in Image Generation

38:13 Dialect Support and Limitations in Translation Tools

50:02 Camel Lab's Mission for Open-Source Arabic NLP

01:03:42 Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Views of Arabic

Nizar Habash is a Professor of Computer Science at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), and the director of the Computational Approaches to Modeling Language (CAMeL) Lab. Professor Habash specializes in natural language processing and computational linguistics. He received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Maryland College Park in 2003. He has two bachelors degrees, one in Computer Engineering and one in Linguistics and Languages from Old Dominion University. His research includes extensive work on machine translation, morphological analysis, and computational modeling of Arabic and its dialects. Professor Habash has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on over 25 research grants. And he has over 250 publications including a book entitled "Introduction to Arabic Natural Language Processing". Professor Habash is one of the recipients of the King Salman Academy for Arabic Language Award (2022); and he is the recipient of the Antonio Zampolli Prize (2024). His website is www.nizarhabash.com.

Connect with Nizar Habash 👉 https://www.instagram.com/nizarhabash/

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History of the British Raj in the Arabian Gulf | Prof. James Onley Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

Imperialism was a masterclass in maintaining the fiction of autonomy while quietly acquiring the assets of an empire. Professor James Onley, chair of Gulf and Arab Studies at the American University of Sharjah, dissects the sophisticated loopholes used by colonial powers to exert influence without the liabilities of formal control. This conversation highlights the deep-seated socioeconomic connections between India and the Gulf, a relationship far older than the modern state system. Dr. Onley provides a nuanced look at the collaborative nature of empire on the cheap, where local elites often navigated British protection to secure their own regional interests. From the arrival of Arab nationalism to the digital preservation of over two million archival pages in the Qatar Digital Library, this dialogue reveals the shifting layers of identity and power that have shaped the Arabian Peninsula.

0:00 Introduction

5:11 Distinctive Traits of British Presence in the Gulf

9:05 Millennia of Deep-seated Indo-Gulf Ties

13:17 Divergent Theories on Imperial Motivations

15:40 Indigenous Collaboration and the Native Agent Network

18:49 Transitioning from Formal Control to Security Guarantees

19:57 The Enduring Economic Gravity of India

23:01 Navigating the Administrative Hierarchies of Empire

24:45 Legal Fictions and the Optics ofinfluence

28:04 Shared sovereignty and empire on the Cheap

32:55 Friction and Resistance Across the Regional Map

36:40 Shifting Layers of Identity Before Nationalism

41:40 Reorienting from the Indian Ocean to the Arab World

54:36 Digital Preservation and the Democratizing of Archives

James Onley is the Ahmed Seddiqi Chair in Gulf & Arab Studies and Professor of History. He specializes in the history and heritage of the Gulf region, the Gulf's historical connections with South Asia, archives and archival digitization, and digital humanities. He is Founding Editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies (est. 2011). Before joining AUS, he was Director of Historical Research at Qatar National Library, responsible for digitizing historical records for the Qatar Digital Library (www.QDL.qa), and Director of the Centre for Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter.

Connect with James Onley 👉 https://instagram.com/@james_onley

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How Egypt Used Theater to Fight British Occupation | Prof. Carmen Gitre Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

Theatrical stages often mirror the intricate evolution of the societies that build them. Professor Carmen Gitre explores the burgeoning performance culture of Cairo between 1867 and 1930. This era witnessed a shift from street storytelling and shadow plays to formal theater houses designed for an emerging class of Western-educated intellectuals. The discussion traverses the grand spectacle of the Suez Canal’s opening to the subversive nationalist songs of performers like Mounira al-Mahdiyya. Through this historical lens, the stage appears as a critical site for negotiating modernity, colonial influence, and Egyptian identity.

00:00 Introduction

01:28 The Evolution of Performance

03:56 Commissioning an Operatic Staple for a Global Stage

07:35 Street Storytelling & the Shadows of Earlier Traditions

12:02 Urban Redesign Mirroring a Parisian Vision of Modernity

18:46 Defensive Developmentalism & the Weight of Sovereign Debt

27:21 Syrian Practitioners & the Burgeoning Role of the Press

32:31 Efendi vs. Basha

39:01 Vernacular Choices for an Elevated Public Education

44:31 Satirical Observations through a Modernist Lens

51:14 The nuances of the women's movement

57:04 Disembodied Voices in the Era of Early Recording

58:00 Performances Spilling into the Nationalist Fervor of 1919

01:03:02 Cinematic Transitions and Legacies for the Everyman

Carmen Gitre is an Associate Professor of Middle East History and Associate Chair of History at Virginia Tech University. She earned her Ph.D. at Rutgers University in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, she taught in the International Studies and History Departments at Seattle University. Her academic interests include cultural history, imperialism, and the relationship between performance, identity, and modernity in Egypt. Her book, Acting Egyptian: Theater, Identity, and Political Culture in Cairo, 1867-1930, was published by the University of Texas Press in 2019. Other publications include 'The Dramatic Middle East: Performance as History in Egypt and Beyond,' and 'Nonsense and Morality: Comedy in Interwar Egypt.' Her current work delves more deeply into interwar art, performance, and cultural influence in Egypt.

Connect with Carmen Gitre 👉 https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-history/faculty/carmen-gitre.html

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The Legacy of Science & Faith in the Arab Muslim World | Prof. Nidhal Guessoum Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

For centuries, the Arab and Muslim worlds led humanity in scientific discovery, establishing a culture where faith served as an inspiration rather than an obstacle to empirical research. The conversation with astrophysicist Dr. Nidhal Guessoum explores that profound intellectual legacy, from the systematization of algebra and breakthroughs in optics to the creation of the world's first dedicated astronomical observatories. Dr. Guessoum bridges the gap between this historical Golden Age and the challenges facing modern science education in the region. He addresses the perceived friction between contemporary scientific theories, such as evolution and cosmology, and religious tradition, advocating for a complementary framework that distinguishes the how of the physical world from the why of human meaning. By befriending modern science and returning it to a central place in culture, the discussion outlines a path for a qualitative new renaissance in Arab and Muslim scientific production.
0:00 Introduction

1:39 Diagnosing Science Education in the Arab World

4:07 Quantitative Growth vs Qualitative Challenges

8:41 The Importance of the Scientific Process

10:20 Reconciling Islam and Science

11:59 Understanding the Nature of Science and Religion

13:17 Inspiration from Historical Figures

15:22 Navigating Friction in Evolution and Cosmology

20:51 The Harmonization of Reason and Revelation

22:24 Distinguishing the How from the Why

23:58 The Role of the Human Subject in Science and Faith

25:58 Secular Ethics and the Islamic Intellectual Tradition

29:21 The Peak and Decline of Arab Muslim Scientific Production

30:33 Major Contributions: Algebra, Optics, and Medicine

34:55 History of Astronomical Observatories

38:38 Stagnation vs the European Scientific Revolution

45:51 Prospect of a New Arab Scientific Renaissance

49:30 Measuring Scientific Productivity

52:15 Befriending Modern Science for the Youth

57:31 Recommendations for Life-Long Learning

Nidhal Guessoum is an Algerian astrophysicist and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the American University of Sharjah, UAE. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at San Diego, and spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. His research spans gamma-ray astrophysics, positron-electron annihilation, gamma-ray bursts, and crescent visibility and the Islamic calendar. He has published many articles and several books on science, education, and Islam, including Islam's Quantum Question (IB Tauris, 2011) and The Young Muslim's Guide to Modern Science. He has lectured at Cambridge, Oxford, Cornell, and Wisconsin-Madison, and has appeared on Al-Jazeera, BBC, NPR, France 2, and Le Monde. In 2020, he was named among the Top 100 most influential leaders in space exploration by Richtopia, and in 2018 was ranked 22nd among top Arab thought leaders by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute.

Connect with Nidhal Guessoum 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@NidhalG

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Masculine Aesthetics & Sports in the Ottoman Empire | Professor Murat Yildiz Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Modern sports did not just change how people played; they fundamentally rewired how they lived, looked, and identified within a rapidly transforming world. The conversation with Murat Yildiz, an assosciate professor of history at Skidmore College, explores the high-stakes intersection of physical culture, social status, and the 19th-century quest for a new global aesthetic. Elite educational and military institutions utilized gymnastics and disciplined exercise to mold an upwardly mobile generation, using sports to reconfigure traditional social hierarchies. Meanwhile, the rise of photography helped normalize and spread a uniform corporal aesthetic, allowing young men from diverse backgrounds to adopt a standardized look of proper modern masculinity. Tracing a vibrant athletic awakening, the discussion follows how sporting culture rippled across urban centers, from Istanbul to Cairo, Beirut, and Jerusalem, signaling a deeper transformation in community, selfhood, and the shift from indigenous traditions to professionalized international play.

0:00 Introduction

1:39 Misconceptions of Athletics and Modernity

4:07 Professionalism vs. Amateurism in Regional Sporting Culture

8:41 Sports as a Tool for Capturing Urban Diversity

9:17 Educational Reformers and the Significance of Gymnastics

12:47 Sports as a New Modern Technology

18:53 Photography and the Global Corporal Aesthetic

21:56 Visual Normalization of Ethnic and Religious Identities

23:14 Sports and the Creation of New Militaries

26:13 Reconfiguring Class Hierarchies in Elite Schools

30:41 Spreading Western Sports: From Baseball to Soccer

32:21 Tension with Indigenous Traditions: The Case of Wrestling

36:40 Gendering the Ottoman World of Sports

41:04 Tracing the Regional Sports Nahda beyond the Capital

48:07 History as a Creative Conversation with the Past

52:02 Al Abtal Magazine and the Egyptian Physical Culture

56:53 Further Recommendations: Football, Books, and Film

1:01:56 Future Directions for Archival Research

Murat C. Yildiz is Associate Professor of History at Skidmore College. He specializes in the cultural and social history of the modern Middle East. In particular, his research examines the intersections of sports, identity, the body, gender, and intercommunality in the late Ottoman Empire. His book, "The Ottoman World of Sports: Refashioning Bodies, Men, and Communities in Late Imperial Istanbul" (The University of Texas Press), examines how Istanbul's Muslim, Christian, and Jewish denizens created a shared sports culture during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is an assistant editor for the Arab Studies Journal and serves as an editorial board member of the International Journal of the History of Sport. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and served as a Manoogian Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Michigan.

Connect with Murat C. Yildiz 👉 https://instagram.com/abu.sami.ali

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