The Enlightenment Podcast

In this episode of The Enlightenment Podcast, we speak with Dima AbuSbaitan, Palestinian filmmaker, artist, and founder of Casa Palestina, the first Palestinian cultural house in Portugal.Born to a Palestinian family from Jerusalem and raised across different places, Dima shares how stories of displacement, family, food, language and memory shaped her connection to Palestine.She tells us how Casa Palestina came to life in Lisbon, why its location in Alcântara, meaning “the bridge,” carries such powerful symbolism, and how a group of nine Palestinian and Portuguese women came together to build a space for Palestinian culture, community and solidarity.We also discuss:• Why Palestinian culture is itself a form of resistance• Why Casa Palestina is a place not only to celebrate, but also to grieve• The importance of Palestinian music, food, art, tatreez, dabke and collective memory• How Dima's work with Seeds of Hope supports children in Gaza• Her Red Zone art installation honoring Palestinian journalists• Why beauty can be an act of resistance• How cultural resistance connects with BDS and economic solidarity• Dima's vision of a just, democratic and decolonized Palestine• The meaning of Al-Awda, the right of return• What people around the world can do to support PalestineDima reminds us that Palestinians are not simply numbers, victims or a humanitarian problem to be managed. They are people with history, land, culture, humor, love and an extraordinary capacity to create and celebrate life.Learn more about Casa Palestina and support Palestinian-led cultural work through their website and social media.Works:Casa Palestina: Founded in 2024, opened to the public on March 27, 2026, in Alcântara, Lisbon (Rua Gilberto Rola 24) — a 1700s building restored by an all-female team of Palestinian and Portuguese co-founders, including Carolina, Tanya, Aladena (art restoration), and Patricia. Registered as a Palestinian-led nonprofit. Programming includes talks, film screenings, concerts, workshops, a book club, dabke and tatreez workshops, and a bookshop/market space.Seeds of Hope: An educational initiative Dima co-founded with a Gaza-based teacher, providing schooling, meals, and psychosocial support to children in Gaza; reportedly reached 650+ students in the past year despite the kitchen being bombed.Red Zone Arts Gallery: A Lisbon-based collective art project (organized by artist João, referred to as "Tipos" in the transcript) set in an abandoned factory, involving 50+ artists in solidarity with Gaza. Dima contributed an immersive installation mapping Israeli "red zone" evacuation orders, alongside a wall of photos of over 230 Palestinian journalists killed, sensory elements (blood, za'atar, sand, olive branch), and recorded sounds of bombing.Socials:Website: casapalestina.ptInstagram: @casapalestina.ptThe Enlightenment Podcast Social Media: https://linktr.ee/enlightenmentpodcast#Palestine #CasaPalestina #DimaAbuSbaitan #PalestinianCulture #PalestinianResistance #Gaza #PalestineSolidarity #PalestinianDiaspora #AlAwda #BDS #Lisbon #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #DimaAkram

Journalist and academic Dr. Marwa Osman (Lebanese International University, Al-Ma'arif University, MidEast Stream) joins Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan for a raw conversation on the Gaza genocide, the war on Lebanon, and the media war fought alongside it. From the 1996 Qana massacre that shaped her childhood to the 2024 pager attacks and the "Greater Israel" map stitched onto IDF uniforms, Dr. Osman lays out the history, the propaganda, and why she believes speaking — and resisting — is no longer optional. In this episode: 👉The map on the Israeli soldier's patch, and what "Greater Israel" actually means 👉Why 207+ journalists have been killed in Gaza — and what it's done to war reporting 👉The September 2024 pager attacks, called "the biggest terrorist attack in modern history" 👉The generational cost of occupation in South Lebanon, from 1978 to today 👉How the boycott (BDS) movement is reshaping everyday consumer choices 👉The censorship Western academics and public figures face for saying "Palestine" 👉Why she calls armed resistance "the only way out" — and how she defines it 👉Surveillance, AI, and the digital control she says is expanding across the region 🎧 Watch now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OnwDN2PGRfgDr. Marwa Osman’s Social Media: Instagram → @Marwa__Osman1 - https://www.instagram.com/Marwa_Osman1 X → @Marwa__Osman - https://x.com/Marwa__Osman Telegram → @Marwa_OsmanLB - https://t.me/Marwa_OsmanLB MidEaStream X → @MIDEASTREAM1 - https://x.com/MIDEASTREAM1 Exposé X → @ExposePTV - https://x.com/ExposePTV Dr. Marwa Osman’s Works: The MidEaStream - She hosts and produces The MidEaStream, a political program focused on developments across West Asia. Press TV identifies her as the show's host/producer. Exposé - Osman is also the producer and presenter of Exposé, a weekly political magazine/fact-checking/monitoring program on Press TV. Exposé won "Best TV Magazine Show" at the 2024 Sobh International Media Festival. The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media: https://linktr.ee/enlightenmentpodcast #FreePalestine #Lebanon #Gaza #GreaterIsrael #DrMarwaOsman #WestAsia #BDS #TheEnlightenmentPodcast

Simon Dixon, former British investment banker and Bitcoin OG, breaks down how the global financial system doesn't just fund the genocide in Gaza, it profits from it.In Episode 83 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan sit down with Simon Dixon for a hard-hitting conversation on how banking, debt, and technology work together to sustain the occupation of Palestine. Simon draws on more than two decades inside investment banking to lay out what he calls the "Proof of Weapons Network" — how the Financial, Military, and Technological Industrial Complexes (FIC, MIC, TIC) interlock to turn war into a business model. Simon explains how Gaza has become what he calls a "genocide as a service" and "occupation as a service" laboratory — where surveillance and AI targeting technology is tested on a captive population before being sold worldwide and deployed back home under the banner of "border security." He traces how this same model was used to destroy the Palestinian Central Bank, cut off Palestinians from their own money, and — in Lebanon — how Israel targeted an interest-free, jewelry-backed lending system that had let millions function outside the traditional banking system.The conversation also covers: Why Simon believes voting can't fix a captured system and what actually can How Bitcoin and decentralized finance offer a real alternative to a debt-based, interest-driven (Riba) economy The Balfour Declaration, Operation Gladio, and the covert-operations playbook behind modern warfare What a genuinely free Palestine could look like, and why a sovereign wealth fund, not just a ceasefire, may determine whether Palestine ends up like Singapore or Hong Kong Simon's personal journey: losing his father to the dot-com crash, years spent trying (and failing) to reform the banking system, and his eventual reversion to Islam This is a conversation about money, power, faith, and resistance — and why Simon believes following the money is the clearest way to understand what's really happening in Palestine, and what it will take to end it.🎧 Watch now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qqmOVQh8qdc🎙 Or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1INSNWLZAizfnv0nmUcW53?si=svAbAwK-Ro6Z2hwTfqjqFgSimon Dixon’s Social Media:Facebook → facebook.com/SimonDixonBTCInstagram → instagram.com/simondixontwittX → x.com/simondixontwittWebsite → simondixon.comLinked In → linkedin.com/in/simondixon21Youtube → youtube.com/@SimonDixon21Simon Dixon’s Work:Bank to the Future: Protect your Future before Governments Go Bust → bit.ly/4honb5xThe Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#FreePalestine #Gaza #SimonDixon #Bitcoin #GenocideAsAService #FollowTheMoney #Palestine #Zionism #EnlightenmentPodcast

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory, joins Shamim and Hanan on Episode 82 of The Enlightenment Podcast for a powerful conversation about Gaza, genocide, international law, corporate complicity, and the struggle for justice in Palestine.Since her appointment in May 2022, Albanese has documented human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory through her work as a UN Special Rapporteur. Her report Anatomy of a Genocide, published in March 2024, examined the legal framework surrounding genocide in Gaza. In her later report, From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide, she named 48 companies that she says are profiting from or facilitating Israel’s occupation and actions in the Palestinian territory.In this episode, Francesca explains what she witnessed during her years working with UNRWA and why her understanding of Palestine changed after seeing the realities of occupation on the ground. She discusses international law, the legal definition of genocide, apartheid, colonisation, Palestinian refugees, and why she believes the violence against Palestinians cannot be understood without its historical and political context.Watch the full conversation and hear Francesca Albanese explain Palestine through the lens of international law, human rights and the lived experiences of Palestinians.If you found this episode valuable, like, subscribe and share it with someone who needs to hear this conversation.🎧 Watch now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OjJWUZxcB-k 🎙 Or listen on Spotify: Francesca Albanese’s Social Media:Instagram → instagram.com/francesca.albanese.unsr.opt X → x.com/FranceskAlbs Website → ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-palestine/francesca-albanese Franchesca Albanese’s Work:J’accuse → https://bit.ly/3RLrm0T When the World Sleeps → https://bit.ly/3Ttu5N3 Palestinian Refugees in International Law →  https://bit.ly/4w7qJN0 The Anatomy of a Genocide → https://bit.ly/45LId6Q From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide → https://bit.ly/4g9RUCd Read More → linktr.ee/sropt.mediaThe Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#FrancescaAlbanese #Palestine #Gaza #IsraelPalestine #InternationalLaw #Genocide #HumanRights #UN #PalestinianRights #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #Apartheid #BDS #PalestinePodcast #TheEnlightenmentPodcast

What does it mean to be a Palestinian Christian living under occupation? How has Christian Zionism shaped Western support for Israel? And why did Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac's sermon Christ in the Rubble resonate with millions around the world?In Episode 78 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Hanan and Shamim speak with Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Palestinian Christian theologian, pastor, author of Christ in the Rubble, Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and founder of the Christ at the Checkpoint movement.Born and raised in Bethlehem, Rev. Isaac offers a powerful perspective on Palestinian Christianity, Christian Zionism, Gaza, faith, justice, and the ongoing struggle for Palestinian freedom.This is an essential conversation for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Palestine, Christianity, and the role faith plays in the struggle for justice.Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian theologian, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College, and Director of the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice.Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac’s Work:Christ in the Rubble → https://bit.ly/3QpVnCLFrom Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centred Biblical Theology of the Promised Land → https://bit.ly/4vU7zKRChrist at the Checkpoint: Blessed are the Peacemakers → https://bit.ly/4ejbWt9Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac’s Social Media:Instagram → instagram.com/munther.isaac X (Twitter) → x.com/MuntherIsaacFacebook → facebook.com/munther.isaac Website → Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice https://bipj.infoThe Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#Palestine #MuntherIsaac #ChristianZionism #ChristInTheRubble #Gaza #PalestinianChristians #Bethlehem #PalestinePodcast #IsraelPalestine #TheEnlightenmentPodcast

For decades, Palestine has been erased—not only from maps, but from history itself.In Episode 81 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan are joined by Carol Hage, a Palestinian-Christian storyteller, guide, and creator of Discover Palestine, a unique walking tour through London that uncovers the hidden Palestinian history woven into Britain's streets, museums, churches, and institutions.Born into a family displaced from Jaffa during the Nakba of 1948, Carol shares her deeply personal journey from hiding her Palestinian identity while raising her children in England to becoming one of the UK's most passionate advocates for preserving Palestinian history and confronting its ongoing erasure.Together, they explore how Palestine is systematically removed from museums, maps, and public memory, why the Palestinian Christian story matters, and how ordinary people can challenge decades of historical distortion through education, storytelling, and action.This conversation is about much more than a walking tour—it's about identity, memory, resistance, and ensuring that Palestine can never be erased.Carol's tour doesn't simply tell Palestinian history—it invites people to see London through a completely different lens, revealing Britain's historical role in Palestine while celebrating Palestinian culture, resilience, and identity.If you've ever wondered how Palestine can be found in the heart of London, this conversation is for you.Carol Hage’s Social Media:Website → discoverpalestine.orgFacebook → facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057194395972# The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#Palestine #DiscoverPalestine #CarolHage #Nakba #PalestinianHistory #Jaffa #PalestinianChristians #JesusWasPalestinian #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #HananKattan #ShamimSarif #BritishMuseum #LondonWalkingTour #History #MiddleEast #Decolonization #PalestineRevealed #FreePalestine #Storytelling #PalestinianCulture

In Episode 80 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Hala Sabbah—a London-based Palestinian of Gazan origin and co-founder of The Sameer Project, alongside Lena Dajani and Translating Falasteen.After losing her uncle, Samir Abu Salim, in an Israeli bombing in Gaza, Hala transformed unimaginable grief into action. Just four weeks later, she helped establish The Sameer Project, a grassroots humanitarian initiative that has since raised more than $21 million, distributed over 60 million litres of clean water, and established Refaat Alareer, providing shelter and care for displaced families with critically ill and injured children.In this powerful conversation, Hala shares the personal story behind one of the largest grassroots humanitarian efforts supporting Palestinians in Gaza. She reflects on loss, resilience, community-led aid, and why ordinary people around the world have become essential in keeping families alive during one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history.This episode offers a rare, first-hand perspective on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza through the eyes of someone leading life-saving relief efforts every day. It is an essential conversation about solidarity, resilience, and the power of ordinary people to make an extraordinary impact.If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and Share. Your support helps amplify Palestinian voices and enables more people to discover these important conversations.The Sameer Project’s Social Media:Website → thesameerproject.org Instagram → instagram.com/thesameerproject Substack → tr.ee/CQmEF4GgZW Donations → linktr.ee/thesameerproject The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#Palestine #Gaza #TheSameerProject #HalaSabbah #HumanitarianAid #GazaCrisis #CleanWater #PalestinianVoices #FreePalestine #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #Podcast #HumanRights #MiddleEast #ChildrenOfGaza #GrassrootsAid

What happens when speaking out for Palestine makes you a target?In Episode 79 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Randa Abdel-Fattah—Palestinian-Australian writer, sociologist, lawyer, Future Fellow at Macquarie University, and the multi-award-winning author of more than 12 books.Randa shares her remarkable journey growing up as a Palestinian in Australia, becoming one of the world's most influential Muslim authors, and why storytelling has always been an act of resistance.The conversation also explores the extraordinary events that followed her disinvitation from Adelaide Writers' Week, where more than 180 writers—including Zadie Smith and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern—withdrew in solidarity, leading to the resignation of the festival board and the cancellation of the event.Together, they examine anti-Palestinian racism, academic censorship, media narratives, decolonization, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), freedom of expression, and why defending Palestinian rights is inseparable from defending human rights everywhere.If you're looking for thoughtful conversations that go beyond mainstream media coverage of Palestine, you've come to the right place.Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Work:Does My Head Look Big in This? → https://bit.ly/4xRmEi2 Discipline → https://bit.ly/4vDry0W Ceasefire Now: A Zine About Action for Palestine → https://bit.ly/4gHpbVW Eleven Words for Love → https://bit.ly/43XqB7q Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Social Media:Website → randaabdelfattah.comInstagram → instagram.com/randaafattahX → https://x.com/RandaAFattah The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#Palestine #RandaAbdelFattah #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #FreePalestine #Gaza #AcademicFreedom #Decolonization #PalestinianVoices #BDS #HumanRights #Censorship #Australia #Podcast #MiddleEast #JusticeForPalestine

Noura Erakat joins Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan on Episode 77 of The Enlightenment Podcast.A Palestinian-American human rights lawyer, Rutgers University professor, author of Justice for Some, and co-author of Confronting Zionism, Noura Erakat has become one of the most influential voices explaining Palestine, international law, and decolonisation.In this conversation, Noura examines why international law has failed to stop Israel's assault on Gaza, the growing gap between legal rulings and enforcement, and how Palestine has become a test case for the future of global justice.She discusses the ICC arrest warrants, the ICJ genocide case, Project Esther, attacks on free speech and academic freedom, and why the suppression of Palestinian solidarity movements is reshaping civil liberties across the West.Noura also reflects on Palestinian futurism, decolonisation, accountability after genocide, and why she believes Palestine sits at the centre of a much larger struggle over democracy, power, and the future of the international order.Noura Erakat’s Work:Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine → bit.ly/4e8dnJy Confronting Zionism: Decolonizing Palestine and Building the World Anew → Available on 2026 NovemberNoura Erakat’s Social Media:Instagram → instagram.com/nouraerakat/ X (Twitter) → x.com/4noura Facebook → facebook.com/noura.erakat/ Website → www.nouraerakat.comThe Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#NouraErakat #Palestine #Gaza #InternationalLaw #ProjectEsther #ICC #ICJ #FreePalestine #PalestinianVoices #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #HumanRights #MiddleEast #Decolonisation #PoliticalPodcast #PalestinePodcast

Steve Cutts, CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), joins Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan in Episode 76 of The Enlightenment Podcast to discuss why MAP refused Israel’s demand to hand over the names of its Palestinian staff — a decision that led to Israel deregistering the organisation in 2025 after more than 40 years of medical and humanitarian work supporting Palestinians.Drawing on his experience inside the UN and international institutions, Steve examines the systematic targeting of Palestinian healthcare, the weaponisation of humanitarian aid, the silencing of medical witnesses from Gaza, and the wider failure of the international system to enforce accountability despite overwhelming evidence of war crimes and collective punishment.Steve Cutts also reflects on hope, solidarity, international justice, and why silence in the face of atrocities becomes complicity.📚 Hanan Kattan’s new book Palestine Revealed supports Palestinian charities including MAP.Get the book at www.palestinerevealed.com👇 WATCH, SHARE & SUBSCRIBE to help amplify Palestinian voices and independent journalism.Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) Social Media:Steve Cutts Linked In→ linkedin.com/in/stevejohncuttsInstagram → instagram.com/medicalaidpal X (Twitter) → x.com/MedicalAidPal Facebook → facebook.com/MedicalAidforPalestinians Website → map.org.ukDonate Here → linktr.ee/MedicalAidforPalestinians The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#Palestine #Gaza #MedicalAidForPalestinians #MAP #SteveCutts #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #PalestinianVoices #IsraelPalestine #HumanRights #ICJ #ICC #UN #HealthcareUnderAttack #PalestinianRights #MiddleEast #Podcast #PoliticalPodcast #PalestineRevealed