UNAPOLOGETIC with Ashfaaq Carim

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UNAPOLOGETIC is a show that unapologetically looks at the life, times and views of some unapologetic and not so unapologetic humans. Hosted by Ashfaaq Carim

  1. Episode 64 - Retired UK major general on Israel, duplicity and past wars | Charlie Herbert | UNAPOLOGETIC

    FEB 10

    Episode 64 - Retired UK major general on Israel, duplicity and past wars | Charlie Herbert | UNAPOLOGETIC

    In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, retired UK major general Charlie Herbert reflects on 34 years of military service, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and explains how those experiences shaped his views on Israel, Western power, and why he now calls Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:30 Military Silence Explained 11:30 Gaza And Genocide 22:00 Strategic Failure Israel 33:00 Iraq And Afghanistan 44:30 Western Intervention Hubris 55:30 Power Hypocrisy West 1:06:30 Why Wars Fail 1:17:30 What Justice Requires

    1h 24m
  2. Episode 63 - What does the Saudi-Emirati cold war mean for Israel, Trump and Iran? | Andreas Krieg |

    JAN 27

    Episode 63 - What does the Saudi-Emirati cold war mean for Israel, Trump and Iran? | Andreas Krieg |

    Andreas Krieg - a leading Gulf security expert - joined the UNAPOLOGETIC episode once again. This time, Andreas tried to unpack for us just how impactful the Saudi-UAE cold war is, why it is occurring and what and where are the fault lines of their differences. And what this cold war means for the USA, Israel, Iran and other actors in the region. UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:00 Iran Pressure Politics 11:00 Trump And Iran 21:00 Israel Chaos Strategy 30:00 Emirati Iran Calculus 39:00 Emirati Regional Project 49:00 Saudi Strategic Pushback 59:00 Cold War Fault lines 1:09:00 Israel Strategic Exposure 1:20:00 Regional Order Ahead

    1h 32m
  3. Episode 62 - Inside Israel’s detention of the Gaza flotilla activists | Thiago Avila | UNAPOLOGETIC

    JAN 22

    Episode 62 - Inside Israel’s detention of the Gaza flotilla activists | Thiago Avila | UNAPOLOGETIC

    Brazilian activist and one of the organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla Thiago Avila joins UNAPOLOGETIC. He recounts his detention by Israeli forces after being aboard one of the flotilla boats intercepted by Israel in international waters while en route to break the siege of Gaza. Avila describes the moments leading up to the interception at sea and his arrest, and details the conditions he and other activists faced while held in Israeli detention. He reflects on nightly raids inside prison cells, the use of intimidation and fear, and the psychological tactics used against the activists. UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:10 The Gaza flotilla mission 06:45 Interception at sea and arrest 13:30 First hours in Israeli detention 20:10 Prison conditions & interrogations 28:40 Shotguns, lasers & psychological warfare 34:20 The moment fear broke 38:50 Solidarity & resistance inside prison 43:30 Chanting “Free Palestine” after raids 48:40 'Nothing compared to what Palestinians endure'

    57 min
  4. Episode 61 - The story of Omar Suleiman and why his faith compels him to speak out | UNAPOLOGETIC

    JAN 20

    Episode 61 - The story of Omar Suleiman and why his faith compels him to speak out | UNAPOLOGETIC

    In this conversation with UNAPOLOGETIC, Imam Omar Suleiman reflects on two decades of global politics, the Palestinian struggle, Islamophobia in America, and the meaning of justice in a collapsing world order. Through personal stories of exile, family history, racism, 9/11, and spiritual grounding, he offers a deeply human account of how identity, faith, and political reality have shaped his life. This episode moves between the intimate and the global - from his parents’ journey through displacement, to the trauma and resilience of Palestinians and Syrians, to the shifting political landscape in the US and the rising generational support for Palestine. Omar Suleiman argues that despite oppression, people power is growing, Zionist propaganda is weakening, and justice - while it may take a while - in his view remains inevitable. Chapters 0:00 Intro & Soundbites 2:03 Gaza & Global Indifference 8:11 Childhood & Exile 13:05 Media After 9/11 16:40 Family & Diaspora Roots 23:28 Homeland & Entry Denied 27:03 Syria’s Turning Point 36:42 U.S. Politics & Islamophobia 41:34 Final Reflections

    43 min
  5. Episode 60 - Ottoman exiles, a billionaire and the plot for an Indian caliphate | Imran Mulla | UNAPOLOGETIC

    JAN 14

    Episode 60 - Ottoman exiles, a billionaire and the plot for an Indian caliphate | Imran Mulla | UNAPOLOGETIC

    In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak with journalist and historian Imran Mulla about his gripping new book The Indian Caliphate: Exiled Ottomans and the Billionaire Prince. The conversation uncovers a forgotten plot to relocate the Ottoman caliphate to India after its abolition in 1924 — a story involving exiled Ottoman royalty, the fabulously wealthy but austere Nizam of Hyderabad, British imperial paranoia, and an audacious vision for a modern, post-imperial caliphate rooted in the subcontinent. Imran walks us through the hidden alliances between Ottoman exiles and Indian Muslim thinkers, the astonishing marriage engineered to fuse two royal houses, the political stakes of Hyderabad’s autonomy under the British, and how the dream of an Indian-centred caliphate was ultimately crushed by partition and rising nationalism. This episode is a sweeping look at empire, modernity, loss, cosmopolitanism, and the forgotten place of India at the centre of the Islamic world — and why recovering this history matters today. UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim Chapters 0:00 Intro & Soundbites 2:00 Tomb in Rural India 9:00 How This Story Began 18:00 Reinventing the Caliphate 27:00 Hyderabad, Empire and Wealth 36:00 Archives, Travel and Tomb 45:00 Partition, Federation and Palestine 54:00 Empire, Freedom and Violence 1:03:00 Princes, Princesses and Exile 1:12:00 Modernist Pan-Islamic Politics 1:21:00 Anglicised Radicals at Oxford 1:30:00 What History Taught Imran 1:39:00 Writing the Book, Closing

    1h 41m
  6. Episode 59 - Israel commits genocide while demanding its neighbours demilitarise | Jeremy Scahill | UNAPOLOGETIC

    12/18/2025

    Episode 59 - Israel commits genocide while demanding its neighbours demilitarise | Jeremy Scahill | UNAPOLOGETIC

    In this UNAPOLOGETIC episode from the Doha Forum, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill examines how Israel has carried out a campaign that many experts believe meets the legal and moral definitions of genocide in Gaza, while simultaneously insisting that Palestinians must not resist and that neighbouring states must demilitarise. Scahill situates Israel’s assault within a wider history of US militarism, privatised warfare, and the global security industry, showing how Gaza has become a testing ground for surveillance, weapons and siege tactics. We also discuss the collapse of the 2025 cease-fire, the regional implications of Syria’s political shift, and the contrasting strategies of Gulf states as the war reshapes regional power. Jeremy Scahill is co-founder of The Intercept and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army and Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield.

    1h 1m
  7. Episode 58 - For how long will Syria be able to allow Israel to continue bombing it? | Omar Ashour | UNAPOLOGETIC

    12/16/2025

    Episode 58 - For how long will Syria be able to allow Israel to continue bombing it? | Omar Ashour | UNAPOLOGETIC

    Recorded at the Doha Forum, this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC is in conversation with political scientist Dr. Omar Ashour examines the shifting landscape of the Middle East through three major developments: Syria’s transformation under Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the widening regional divide illustrated by the UAE’s military support for separatist groups versus Qatar’s increasingly active diplomatic strategy. Ashour breaks down how these dynamics are reshaping alliances, security calculations, and narratives of power across the region. We explore for how long Syria’s new leadership scan continue to allow Israel to bomb it with impunity, how the genocide in Gaza has redrawn regional moral and political lines, and why Gulf states are pursuing sharply divergent approaches to influence. Dr. Omar Ashour is the author of The De-Radicalization of Jihadists, Bullets to Ballots and How ISIS Fights and is a leading expert on military behaviour, armed groups, and security studies.

    52 min
  8. Episode 57 - The story of the Muslim Brotherhood and why they can’t be banned | Anas Altikriti | UNAPOLOGETIC

    12/09/2025

    Episode 57 - The story of the Muslim Brotherhood and why they can’t be banned | Anas Altikriti | UNAPOLOGETIC

    In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, political strategist and CEO and founder of the Cordoba Foundation, Anas Altikriti speaks to us about the history of the Muslim Brotherhood and why Trump is looking to now proscribe the organisation in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. We examine how the Brotherhood evolved, why authoritarian governments frame it as a threat, and how Western policymakers adopted those narratives. Altikriti discusses Britain’s review of the organisation, the limits of proscription laws, and why banning political movements often strengthens regional dictatorships rather than weakening them. The conversation also explores wider issues: political Islam, public misconceptions, the role of civil society, and how counter-extremism frameworks shape policy. A clear, structured look at an organisation widely debated but rarely understood. Chapters: 00:00 Opening and introduction 07:40 What is the Muslim Brotherhood 15:20 Why regimes fear it 22:55 UK review and findings 31:10 Misconceptions about Islamism 39:05 Authoritarian influence abroad 47:00 Proscription laws explained 55:10 Counter-extremism as politics 1:03:00 Public narratives and bias 1:10:55 Civil society and power 1:18:20 Western policy contradictions 1:26:15 Future of the movement 1:34:30 Final reflections and outro

    1h 57m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

UNAPOLOGETIC is a show that unapologetically looks at the life, times and views of some unapologetic and not so unapologetic humans. Hosted by Ashfaaq Carim

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