Essential Middle East

Slavery was prevalent in many parts of the world and it left scars to this very day. The Middle East had its own share of enslavement that was fueled by superiority, greed and power. In this episode:  Eve Trout Powell, Professor of History and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Khaled Soltan and Salem Al Yafiei. Sound design was by George Al Wer. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and head of audio is Ney Alvarez. Our host is Sami Zeidan.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The World Health Organization is warning that obesity is on the rise, not just in the Middle East but around the world. The WHO says obesity in children and adults is a public health concern in almost all regions of the world. An estimated 38.9 million children under five years old are moderately or severely overweight.  In this episode:  Joyce Moawad, teaching assistant of human nutrition at Qatar University Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Khaled Soltan and by our interns Nada Shakir and Reyan Al Jaafri. Sound design was by George Al Wer. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and head of audio is Ney Alvarez. Our host is Sami Zeidan.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

From the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters, vilifying depictions of Arabs and Muslims have persisted in Western cinema, unchallenged. Yet, with the rise of streaming services, filmmakers of different ethnicities are now being afforded a chance to represent their own stories. In this episode:  Anne Sobel (@slicepassion), screenwriter, writer for Netflix's The Exchange Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. The sound design was by George Al Wer. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our Executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

As deadly tremors continue to shake Turkey and Syria, international aid has been slow to reach Syria, where decades of civil war have hindered efforts to reach survivors. According to the United Nations, close to nine million people have been affected by the earthquake, and humanitarian needs are at their highest levels. The head of the UN emergency relief operations, Martin Griffiths, said the international community has failed the people of northwest Syria. In this episode:  Dr. Ubeyd Sakin (@ubeydsakin), Country Director of Human Appeal in Turkey Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Khaled Soltan and our intern Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Michel Bou Dagher. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our Executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Turkey nearly two weeks after two deadly earthquakes rocked the country and left a trail of destruction. The death toll is already staggering, while the desperate hunt for more survivors continues in freezing temperatures. Thousands of buildings have collapsed and millions of people have been displaced. Despite receiving humanitarian assistance from countries around the globe, Turkey faces enormous recovery challenges ahead.  In this episode:  Didem Demircan, Deputy Executive Director of Oxfam Turkey Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Khaled Soltan and our intern Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our Executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

As India undertakes a vast digitisation push across the country, the government is now planning to roll out new digital IDs in Indian-administered Kashmir. While authorities say the new database would improve access to social welfare benefits, many Muslim Kashmiris see it as an attempt to exert further control over their lives. In this episode:  Farhan Mujahid Chak (@fchak), Chairperson of Kashmir Civitas, a Canadian NGO and associate professor of political science and international relations at Qatar University Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Salem Alyafei and our intern Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Adam Abou-Gad. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and the head of audio is Ney Alvarez. Our show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up his visit to ease tensions in the Middle East after pledging an “ironclad” US support for Israel. His trip came amid violence between Israelis and Palestinians, with the Israeli military carrying out deadly raids in the occupied West Bank. Israel has also announced punitive measures against Palestinians after a gunman killed seven Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem. The attack came a week after Israel’s deadly military raid in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and the killing of 10 Palestinians. In this episode:  Dr. Mustafa Barghouti (@MustafaBarghoti), Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and our intern Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik, and assistant engagement producer, Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and head of audio is Ney Al Varez. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Iran has recently executed a British-Iranian national, Alireza Akbari, a former deputy defence minister, on charges of spying for Britain. Akbari’s execution comes as Iranian authorities have crushed anti-government protests and carried out four other executions. Western countries, including the US and the EU, have denounced Iran’s death sentences and trials as flawed.  Nationwide anti-government demonstrations erupted in Iran in September after the death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who morality police had detained for violating the country’s dress code.  In this episode:  Tara Sepehri Far (@sepehrifar), Iran and Kuwait Senior Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch Episode credit: This episode was produced by our intern, Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik, and assistant engagement producer, Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and head of audio is Ney Al Varez. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

In recent weeks, the United States Navy intercepted a fishing vessel smuggling more than 2,000 assault rifles in the Gulf of Oman on a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. Reports suggest the weapons were bound for the Houthi rebels who have controlled most of Yemen since 2014. Iran has long supported the Houthis in their conflict in Yemen and abroad but has denied supplying the group with arms. Meanwhile, Oxfam said that United Kingdom and US weapons provided to Saudi Arabia were directly used in attacks on civilians in Yemen. In this episode:  Abubakr Al-Shamahi (@ShamahiAbubakr), Al Jazeera English Digital’s Middle East and North Africa editor Episode credits: This episode was produced by our intern Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. The lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh. Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook