Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Featured in The Independent 's 'Critics Choice', 22 September 2006 Hisham Matar , a Libyan living in the UK, speaks about his experience as a writer and his first novel In the Country of Men (Viking, July 2006). "I would have liked to write a book that had nothing to do with politics," he says. "I think ultimately I am a sensualist and an aesthete. I'm not really interested in politics, but politics was part of the canvas. I had to say something about it, otherwise all the different forces that are shaping these characters would be abstract," said Matar. >> Listen here Interview with Alan Woods , a leading founder of the International Marxist Tendency and editor of In Defence of Marxism website. Alan will be speaking about the Middle East (from Israel-Palestine to Pakistan and Afghanistan). “The situation in the Mi...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Interview with Yoel Cohen , a British-born academic currently living in Jerusalem, where he is Senior Lecturer at the School of Communications, Netanya Academic College; and The Holon Academic Institute of Technology and at Holon Institute of Technology, Israel. He has written several books and articles concerning the news media and the Middle East, including The Whistleblower of Dimona: Israel, Vanunu and the Bomb (Holmes and Meier, 2003) and Nuclear Ambiguity (Sinclair Stevenson, 1992), Whistleblowers and the Bomb: Vanunu, Israel and Nuclear Secrecy (Pluto Books, new edition, 2005). >> Listen here 9/11 - 'The War on Terror'. We asked some people to comment on the following statement: “Capitalism and the ‘war on terror’ not only help to sustain one another but they have this in common: they worship success but are nourished by failure.” (David...

Nadim Mahjoub Monday, 11 September 2006 Note: Much of the information in this article, including research, citations, and source material is based on information found in  Endless War , by David Keen. "I shall give a propagandist reason for starting the war, no matter whether it is plausible or not. The victor will not be asked afterwards whether he told the truth or not. When starting and waging a war it is not right that matters, but victory."  Adolf Hitler, speech to Wehrmacht commanders-in-chief, 22 August 1939 It has been said that September 11 th  portends something new; that the terrorist attacks carried out on September 11, 2001 against the USA have changed the world. "It stands to reason that 19 men cannot change history. But they did." ( The Economist , 31 August 2006) The so-called ‘war on terror', a continuum of the 1980s Reagan's war, has been designed to end ‘terror'. To achieve this it will require years of ‘counter-terroris...

Interview with a representative from Pakistan Trade Union Campaign in Pakistan about the ban of the Sindh Teachers' Union, the protests against the ban and the Musharef regime. Coverage of a Conference on Lebanon organised by The British Muslim Initiative (BMI) and the Lebanese Muslim League (LML), School of Oriental and African Studies, London. The confernce covers the humanitarian, environmental and health crisis and the Media and politics of the current situation in Lebanon. >> Terry Waite (former hostage in Lebanon) >> September 11 terrorist attacks, the "Hidden Functions of the 'War on Terror'".

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) "The U.S. views Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Yet, to the great surprise of many, Hamas swept to victory in the 2006 Palestinian Authority elections. Hamas is now a democractically elected political party." Khaled Hroub is a Palestinian, born into a refugee camp in Bethlehem, and now part of the diaspora of educated intellectuals. Joins Middle East Panorama to give A Beginner's Guide to Hamas . Hroub is currently director of the Arab Media Project at Cambridge University, hosts a weekly book review programme for Al-Jazeera TV, and has written three previous books. The show was featured in the Independent newspaper (UK), 25 August 2006 ("Another of Nadim Mahjoub's takes on life in the Middle East. Here, he interviews Khaled Hrub about his new book, 'Hamas - A Beginner's Guide'.) >> Listen here Lebanon : Omar Na...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Mai Ghoussoub on "music as a healing element, as a universal language in time of war." Mai is from Freemuse - the World Forum on Music and Censorship . Mai is a Lebanese artist living in the UK and she is the founder of London's Alsaqi Books . >> Listen here Bahrain: This small island in the Persian Gulf in unknown to many people. Rauf, a Bahraini, from Bahrain Freedom Movement joins MIddle East Panorama to reveal a hidden side of the Kingdom. The officla spokesman for the National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture and the General Secretary of the Movement of Liberties and Democracy in Bahrain join Middle East Panorama to reveal a hidden side Bahrain. >> Listen here From the heart of the Arab world four young writers on tour. Through performance-readings and live discussions, poets Joumana Haddad from Lebanon and Abed...

" Whether the Western world wishes to acknowledge them or not, Hezbollah and Hamas are resistance movements, no different to that of the French resistance, " says Ishmahil Blagrove . While the American historian Howard Zinn argues that "Terrorism' is used the way 'communism' was used all through the Cold War," Ishmahil Blagrove argues that " The so-called 'Red Scare', or threat of Communism, has conveniently been replaced by the irrational fear of Islam. Muslims have now become enemy No.1." >> Listen

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Interview with Zeina Abou Al-Hosn , a Lebanese living in London. Zeina works at a production company called Out There News and trying to make some radio/video stories from Lebanon and the area to make up for the lack of coverage in the news. Interview with Roni Ben Efrat from the Organisation for Democratic Action, Tel Aviv, Israel. Ben Efrat argues that "When Israel seeks to effect political changes, it relies on military might. The logic of force has always been the central factor in determining its policy." Ben Efrat speaks of two hidden strategic goals of two Israeli withdrawals: south Lebanon in May 2000 and Gaza in August 2005. >> Listen Sounds from the 22 July demo in London. Interview with two evacuees who arrived in the UK from Beirut, via Cyprus, on 20 July 2006. Middle East Panorama met them in a Lebanese restaurant in Lond...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Starry Night by Mazen Kerbaj, a musican, a comic and blogger from Beirut. Israel-Gaza- Lebanon and beyond: The ReaL Aim . Interview with Yossi Schwartz from Haifa. Listen here Eurabian Nightmare by Matt Carr, journalist and author of the forthcoming Unknown Soldiers: How Terrorism Transformed the Modern World . Matt Carr is one of the first thinkers to explore and explode the myths underpinning the dangerous concept of Eurabia - being popularised by a range of authors including Melanie Phillips (in Britain) and Oriana Fallaci (in Italy). The speech derives from an article on Eurabia in the current issue of Race & Class (vol. 48, issue 1, July 2006). To order click here >> Listen to the speech

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) "Endless War? Hidden Functions of the 'War on Terror'" (Pluto Books 2006) by David Keen. A Live interview. David Keen explores how winning war is rarely an end in itself; rather, war tends to be part of a wider political and economic game that is consistent with strengthening the enemy. Keen devises a radical framework for analysing an unending war project, where the "war on terror" is an extension of the Cold War. >> Listen “There is a different and progressive voice and a promising alternative to both the US occupation and political Islam in Iraq” says Samir Adil a co-founder and the president of The Iraq Freedom Congress - IFC. >> Listen Iraqi Tradional Music Revisited in a War Era .

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Interview with Greg Palast "He is the best journalist in North America", according to Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Invistigative reporter for the BBC, Media Channel advisor, journalist for the British newspaper the Observer. He went undercover for the British newspaper and worked his way inside the Prime Minister's inner circle and busted open Toni Blair's biggest scandal 'Lobbygate' . He is also known for his New York Times bestseller "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" published in 2003. The book deals with corporate corruption, finance, globalization, political corruption, and the 'stolen' United States presidential election of 2000. His recent articles include: "Unreported: the Zarqawi Invitation", "The Assassniation of Hugo Chavez", "Was the Invasion of Iraq a Jewish Consp...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) In The West Bank Wall , Dolphin explores the Palestinian experience of the Wall and places the debate in its international context. Dolphin's writing is informed by his work for the UN, where for three years he monitored and compiled reports on the Wall's impact on the humanitarian conditions in refugee camps, towns and villages. What are the real intentions behind the Israeli security argument? Is it a means of securing territory permanently through an illegal annexation of East Jerusalem? Ray Dolphin provides some answers, offering a unique critical account of the impact of the wall and how it affects plans for a Palestinian state and for future peace in the Middle East. >> Listen World Cup 2006: "German hotel removes alcohol, porn for Saudi team", "Islamists denounce 'evil' world cup" and "Iranian film directo...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104 or www.resonancefm.com Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) On June 02, 2006, two events took place. They were very similar. The first was in Forest Gate, East London, in Engalnd. The second was in Canada. In both cases the police raided Muslim places claimimg attacks by terrorists were in preparation. In both cases no evidence of chemical weapons or illegal or suspicious activity of any kind has been found.Marjaleena Repo: "A galloping police state is emerging, in a fashion, familiar to those who know their history, of 1930’s Germany." The Observer newspaper 11 June 2006: "Better a bungled raid than aother terrorist outrage." Alex Grant: "It is vitally important for the imperialists to create an enemy to justify their wars against the poor of the world and they do this by creating racism and fear at home." Mike Marqusee: "That democratic vision is profoundly at odds with the ideology being...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104.4 http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Campaign for Peace and Democracy: "Neither US Aggression not Theocratic Repression." Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran: "Opposing Theocratic Repression in Iran or Playing into Hands of US Warmongers?" >> Listen to the debate. Blood and Religion - The Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic State (Pluto Press 2006). Interview with Jonathan Cook, a former staff journalist of the Guardian and Observer newspapers, from Nazareth, Israel. >> Listen to Jonathan Cook . Direct from a picket in front of the BBC, London, in support of the Iranian women .

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104.4 http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) ' Le Cirque du Paradis ' is a parody. The play is set in a circus after a new circus master (the CM) has taken over. The whole play was broadcast as Clear Spot show on Resonance FM on 26 April 2006.It is written and produced by Noel Macken.This part is selected by Middle East Panorama show on Resonance FM, London 09 June 2006. >> Listen Part from 02 June 2006 meeting at Friends Meeting House, London. A speech by Shirin Ebadi , an Iranian activist who was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in October 2003. Listen >> In Persian >> In English >> Some attendants and protesters' views .

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104.4 http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Interview with Michael Schwartz , Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of the Undergraduate College of Global Studies at Stony Brook University, has written extensively on popular protest and insurgency, and on American business and government dynamics. His work on Iraq has appeared at numerous internet sites, including Tomdispatch, Asia Times, MotherJones.com, and ZNet; and in print in Contexts, Against the Current, and Z Magazine. His books include Radical Protest and Social Structure, and Social Policy and the Conservative Agenda (edited, with Clarence Lo). >> Listen Interview with Alon Lessel from Israel . Boycotting the Israeli academe, what is behind Fatah-Hamas clash, 'are the US and Israel provoking a civil war?', 'true peace under certain conditions', 'a nuclear armed Iran is an intolerable threat' A. Lesel, a rev...

Interview with Dahr Jamail, an independent US reporter and photographer. US media to accurately report on the realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people and US soldiers, Dahr Jamail went to Iraq to report on the war himself. His dispatches were quickly recognized as an important media resource and he is now writing for the Inter Press Service , The Asia Times and many other outlets. His reports have also been published with The Nation , The Sunday Herald , Islam Online , the Guardian and the Independent to name just a few. On radio as well as television, Dahr reports for Democracy Now!, the BBC, and numerous other stations around the globe. Dahr is also special correspondent for Flashpoints. Dahr has spent a total of 8 months in occupied Iraq as one of only a few independent US journalists in the country. Dahr uses the DahrJamailIraq.com website and his popular mailing list to disseminate his dispatches. >> Listen David Shayler and Annie Machon, former MI5 officers, joi...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104.4 http://www.resonancefm.com Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) He defends 'Zionism', but he is anti-neo-zionist, he 'asserts the moral right of the Palestinians to their terrorism'. The charitable organization Oxfam refused to accept a donation of £5,000 accrued in royalties from sales of his book, 'After the Terror'. The director of the Holocaust museum in Frankfort, Micha Brumlik, called him an anti-Semite. When the Palestine Society at SOAS realized that he was a Zionist, an invitation to a meeting of the Palestine Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies, a college of the University of London, was dropped from the list of speakers. His last book, 'Humanity, Terrorism, Terrorist War: Palestine, 9-11, Iraq, 7-7' is to be released in September 2006. 'In the context of the Middle East violence is usually referred to as "terrorism", but the actions of the American an...

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104.4 http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Music 1: The Art of the Santoor , Hossein Ferjami, traditional folk music from Iran. 'Hossein Farjami is one of the big names amongst Iranians around the world, known as a virtuoso player of the santoor, one of the oldest oriental instruments. Apart from the santoor this CD ( The Art of the Santoor , August 2000) presents other traditional Iranian instruments such as the tar, setar (string instruments), ney (reed flute), zarb, and daf (drums).' Music 2: The Bridge (2002), Marcel Khalife, Lebanon. Any bridge, in Arabic communication, most often signifies "the bridge back to the Palestinian homeland."

Middle East Panorama radio show on Resonance FM 104.4 http://www.resonancefm.com/ Every Friday 14.00 - 15.00 London time (GMT) Interview with Munthir al-Kawther, lecturer of philosophy, TV presenter, human rights activist and chairman of Shuhud - the International Organisation to Confront Extremism, and Ibtisam al-Yusuf, an Iraqi political writer and activist living in London. >> Listen