Semicolons and Teardrops in the Middle East

Nathan Brown, Aviva Gould
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  • Documentary
  • Updated Biweekly

Semicolons and Teardrops in the Middle East is a podcast about living in, and reflecting on, human lives across division. Hosted by Nathan Brown, with support from Aviva Gould, the series explores what it means to inhabit a fractured world without reducing it to headlines, slogans, or sides. Through intimate conversations and oral storytelling, the podcast centers the voices of people whose lives cross borders: political, cultural, generational, and emotional. It lingers in the space between understanding and judgment, much like a semicolon: holding multiple truths at once, pausing before reac

Episodes

  1. May 25

    Belsem, the student who started a school

    Growing up among Philadelphia, Jordan, Pakistan, and now London, Belsem Aljobry has spent much of her life navigating borders, identities, and expectations. In this conversation, she reflects on what it means to belong to many places at once: the daughter of an Iraqi Shi'i father and Pakistani Sunni mother, raised by a fiercely independent single mom she still calls “home.” From building a girls’ school in Pakistan while still a college student to working with the U.S. Embassy in London, Beslem speaks candidly about faith, migration, education, and the power of empathy across political and cultural divides. Her story is one of constant movement, but also of searching for connection, purpose, and a way to bridge worlds that are too often kept apart.

    28 min

  2. May 11

    Vahap, the market-minded philosopher

    Abdelouhab Adjroum (Vahap) joins us from Turkey for a conversation spanning philosophy, language, markets, and life across borders. Born in Morocco, educated in Qatar, and now working in the private sector, Abdelouhab reflects on studying Arabic philosophy and postmodern thought, navigating multiple languages and cultures, and balancing intellectual passion with economic reality. From Ibn Arabi to market economics, this episode explores what it means to think deeply while living practically.

    31 min

  3. Apr 21

    Kris, the actress and rugby player from Amman

    In this episode, Kris Azzeh shares her life in Amman, Jordan, where she balances theater and rugby. A student at the University of Jordan, she works across acting, directing, and writing, exploring complex themes like Palestine, depression, and identity. She reflects on creating art under constraint and how storytelling can express what politics often cannot. Alongside her artistic work, Kris plays on Jordan’s national rugby team, drawn to its intensity and discipline. She discusses the sport’s growth in Jordan, competing across the region, and navigating expectations as a woman in a male-dominated space. From learning English through music to studying and traveling abroad on scholarship, Kris represents a generation that is both rooted locally and connected globally. Her journey highlights persistence, self-definition, and a refusal to be limited by expectations. This conversation explores the intersections of art, sport, and identity—and what it means to claim your voice, whether onstage, on the field, or beyond.

    29 min

  4. Apr 6

    Mohamed, from Al-Azhar to Indiana

    In this episode, we speak with Mohamed Sayed, whose journey spans from a rural village in Egypt to the global world of Islamic scholarship. A graduate of Al-Azhar University, Mohamed shares how his early passion for rethinking religious education led him beyond traditional frameworks and into international academia. From studying at the British Council and traveling to the UK, to earning a Fulbright and pursuing graduate work in the United States, Mohamed reflects on the intellectual and cultural shifts he experienced along the way. He discusses the contrast between studying Islam as a lived faith versus as an academic discipline, and how exposure to diverse perspectives challenged and reshaped his thinking. Now a PhD student in Indiana and a leader at a local Islamic center, Mohamed bridges scholarship and community life—guiding others through complex religious questions while fostering dialogue across cultures, generations, and beliefs. This conversation explores identity, faith, and what it means to think critically while staying grounded in tradition.

    39 min
  5. Alia, from the rubble of Gaza’s Islamic University to a bucolic campus in Cairo

    Mar 23

    Alia, from the rubble of Gaza’s Islamic University to a bucolic campus in Cairo

    In this episode, Alia Khaled Madi joins us from the bucolic campus of the American University in Cairo, reflecting on her journey from Gaza to Egypt and the life she left behind. Raised between Rafah and Gaza City, Alia was a top student of English literature at the Islamic University, where she also found her voice as a storyteller with “We Are Not Numbers,” sharing personal narratives that challenge how Gaza is portrayed in the media. Her studies, and her future, were interrupted by the devastation of 2023. As universities were destroyed and her community scattered, Alia endured months of uncertainty before a sudden, near-miraculous evacuation brought her to Cairo. Now navigating a peaceful academic environment while her father remains in Gaza, she grapples with displacement, grief, and growth. Through it all, Alia holds onto storytelling as both resistance and remembrance; offering a powerful, deeply human perspective on survival, identity, and hope.

    30 min

  6. Mar 9

    Naz, whose tongue speaks first

    In this episode, Naz reflects on living between worlds, as an Iraqi Kurdish woman raised in Germany, and how those layered identities have shaped her academic work and activism. She discusses the complexities of belonging, the role language plays in identity, and how experiences of marginalization influence the questions she asks as a scholar. Now pursuing a PhD, Al-Windi explores how people living through conflict understand and define violence, challenging dominant Western frameworks. She also reflects on Hamburg’s hidden colonial history and on the balance between scholarship and activism in making sense of the world.

    31 min
  7. Mary, Who Practices Law in Three Languages

    Feb 23

    Mary, Who Practices Law in Three Languages

    In this episode, Mary shares her journey from a small Arab village in northern Israel to a career in human rights law. She reflects on navigating multiple identities and how speaking Arabic, Hebrew, and English shapes her sense of comfort, power, and voice in different spaces.

    32 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Semicolons and Teardrops in the Middle East is a podcast about living in, and reflecting on, human lives across division. Hosted by Nathan Brown, with support from Aviva Gould, the series explores what it means to inhabit a fractured world without reducing it to headlines, slogans, or sides. Through intimate conversations and oral storytelling, the podcast centers the voices of people whose lives cross borders: political, cultural, generational, and emotional. It lingers in the space between understanding and judgment, much like a semicolon: holding multiple truths at once, pausing before reac

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