Our hosts explore Hulu's reality dating show "Muslim Matchmaker," discussing how it portrays Muslim dating culture and the matchmakers' "rules of three" hook. Learn about the diverse representation of the Muslim community, and hear Hazem Jamal and Najwa's personal connections to cast members. In a world where DEI is criminalized, a show with representation is cutting through while providing a refreshing alternative to mainstream dating reality TV.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

In this very personal episode of Arabs in Media, I return to Iraq, the country of my heritage, from the home in Baghdad where my father grew up, to sit down with my cousin Ahmed for a conversation that is was as unplanned as it was inspiring. Together, we unpack a story that intertwines family, grief, and acts of service in the midst of bombing.

In 2003, on the cusp of the US-led invasion on Iraq, Ahmed’s life was forever changed, not only from the drums of war beating louder each day, but with a tragedy born from efforts to protect his family.

Hours later, with a satellite phone in hand, Ahmed became an unintentional lifeline for countless families around the world who had been passed his number as one of the only ways to check to see if their family was dead or alive.

Steeped in the history of our family home, the Tigris River, and of Baghdad itself—we reflect on the legacy left by our ancestors. It's a story about the weight of loss, the resilience of the Iraqi people, and the power of human connection among family and strangers alike.

Echoes of Baghdad marks the beginning of Season Two of Arabs in Media, with an intimate look at Iraq through the lens of family, history, and resilience. Listen on all podcast platforms, and subscribe to Arabs in Media on Substack to comment and learn more about Ahmed's story.

📸 Learn more about the home, now a center for art, culture, music and more: @AlWattar.Heritage.House

📩 Subscribe to Arabs in Media to comment, engage, and learn more about Ahmed's story and the A.I.M. community.

Share this episode, leave a review, and join the conversation. Support independent content creation and the stories you won't hear anywhere else.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

In Part 2 of our conversation with comic and content creator Reem Edan, Arabs in Media unpacks some of Reem's upbringing, her temporary move to Iraq, and how to show up to help others when you feel your mental health won't allow you.

In probably the first-ever Iraqi-manned tri-lingual podcast of mostly English sprinkled with some Arabic words and a couple of entire phrases in Spanish, enjoy some of our topics:

- How a "fart spray" video launched her father into stardom and the video series of expressions in Iraqi Arabic
- How her baba's videos led to a pseudo-rivalry of videos with her mom.
- What is "75 Hard," how has it changed Reem and if there should be an age cap for host Hazem Jamal
- The joys and benefits of fake Kraft cheese in a can imported from Arab countries
- Test the quality of your headphones to see if you can hear Reem's stomach growl while we talk about food
- Reem's history with her weight condition, and how Iraqis being famous comedy roasters affected her
- Saddam sightings and the Saddam Mustache comeback
- Iraqi generational trauma, unrelated to weight struggles or being roasted by your family, or Saddam mustache sightings, and how it connects to optimism
- The difference between finding opportunities and having the courage to admit what you want

It was a joy to share a conversation with Reem Edan, generous in spirit, laughs and kindness. She has a gift to make you feel happy. I hope you enjoy it too.

PS: This episode is dropping on my birthday, and if you enjoyed this episode, but even if you didn't, I'm asking you for a donation to the PCRF, helping children in Palestine and across the Middle East throughout this genocide. The PCRF created the first pediatric cancer department in Palestine and need all the help they can get to help the most devastated population of children we’ve seen in my lifetime. Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AeuKW118z/

Our Shoutout Links from this episode:

https://www.npr.org/2024/11/21/nx-s1-5154097/documentary-no-other-land-looks-at-palestinians-forced-from-homes-in-the-west-bank

Reem's Shoutout:

https://www.betweeneast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/betweeneast/

Thanks for supporting independently produced content with Arabs in Media, find us on Substack to stay connected.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

You know Reem Edan from her viral videos with her Iraqi baba (father), later her mother, but also a from her exceptional Stand-Up comedy career. In this episode of Arabs in Media, we meet one of the funny fresh voices in media, while we explore the nuances of Iraqi culture and identity, and the role of humor in bridging cultural gaps.

Reem and host Hazem Jamal delve into Iraqi heritage, exploring the cultural significance of food and family expectations. Hear about Reem's journey to discovering her purpose, and how making people laugh wasn't the original path she followed when she moved to LA to work in entertainment.

In the first of two episodes with Reem Edan, we'll test Reem to see how Iraqi is she, and hear where the notion of confidence factored in to pivotal moments of decision, and what "networking" really means. Hope you enjoy the fun time we had, and if you're Iraqi, or a child of immigrants, that you find the relatability of our special struggles is what you needed for a break today.

About our guest:

Reem Edan is an Iraqi-American comedian, content creator, award-winning writer and actress based in Los Angeles. Her performances have captivated audiences globally, performing in nine countries across four continents, while amassing tens of millions of views online for her character-driven sketches and culture-bending commentary.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reemedan/

All her links: https://linktr.ee/reemedan

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

The co-founder of the National Arab Institute and the author of the upcoming book “The History We Carry,” Mariam Sallam tells us the story of how one journalist in Gaza sat with Mona, a young girl who had just witnessed her mother being killed by the IDF. The journalist gave the child some crayons and paper, and the trauma and depiction of her mother's killing came out on the makeshift canvas.

From there, the Bulletproof Dreams Exhibit was a mission to bring the most traumatized humans on the planet today, Palestinian children; their art and drawings of their experience under an active genocide, to light. After an exhibit in Turkey, the goal has been to show their stories to American audiences.

Mariam discusses the viral video of the imagined genocide Remembrance Day in 2040, how it impacted social media and what came of it, and how Mariam as a data scientist could no longer pursue 9-5 work amidst the atrocities on these children, and her focus on bringing their stories to light.

Our conversation is wide-ranging, including Mariam's advice for Arabs on how to best serve their culture and roots.

Our links this week:

See the art from Bulletproof Dreams:
https://www.kursungecirmezdusler.com/en/

Help support bringing Bulletproof Dreams to the US and tell the childrens' stories:
https://www.launchgood.com/v4/campaign/bulletproof_dreams_gaza_child_painters_exhibit?src=3055904

Our guest Mariam Sallam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msallam227/

Thanks for listening to Arabs in Media, and independent podcast and Substack, and remember, habibi, genocide is always wrong.

-Hazem Jamal

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

What can possibly go wrong when you tell Arab voters "Trump will be worse, so STFU"?

Arabs in Media interviews Abdelhalim Abdelrahman, a Palestinian political analyst and journalist who covers Palestinian affairs and the broader Middle East. Based in Dearborn, the epicenter of Arab politics, culture and Arab life in Michigan, the podcast discusses the polls and visceral mood of Arab voters in Michigan - pretty much the most crucial swing state that could decide the election.

It could all come down to the 200,000+ Arab voters in SouthEast Michigan, a margin larger than Biden's win in 2020.

Polls aside, we discuss with Abdel the mood, where he sees outcomes in Michigan, and the realities on the ground regardless of who wins.

Abdel shares the dynamics of the Palestinian cause, the significant addition of Lebanon to the list of countries Israel is bombing, and how that and the affects the political landscape in Michigan of a diverse population led by the largest Iraqi community in the US. (Fans of the Cheneys, they aren't).

Does Kamala Harris have any wherewithal or time left to save Michigan? What does that need to look like, or is it too late?

We share the critiques of Kamala Harris's campaign and the Democratic Party's policy toward Arab and Muslim American voters. How much of this has been an OWN GOAL, and avoidable?

Join us for a fascinating discussion you won't hear in corporate media. And the "shout out" segment at the end is so heartfelt and impactful, it must be shared.

About our guest:

Abdelhalim Abdelrahman is a Palestinian political analyst and journalist who covers Palestinian affairs and the broader Middle East. His work has been featured in Foreign Policy Magazine, The Hill, The New Arab, Responsible Statecraft, and Antiwar. Abdelhalim is a graduate from Michigan State University where he double-majored in International Relations and Political Theory. He obtained a Master's Degree in International Relations from American University.

Abdelhalim's X/Twitter:

https://x.com/AbdelA1924

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

Arabs in Media explores the controversy surrounding acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates and his interview on CBS This Morning to discuss his new book The Messenger.

The episode exposes the bias of institutional media outlets, which, in the past, often went unchallenged for their narratives, style, and side swipes on figures like Coates.

Coates, known for his thought-provoking books like Between the World and Me and The Water Dancer, has often challenged the narratives around race, history, and identity in America. We discuss the roots of the controversy of the interview with CBS based on Coates experience witnessing apartheid in the occupied territories of Palestine and Israel, and we unpack the internal fallout at CBS, and the political and racial factors a part of that interview.

Thanks for supporting independent media, join the conversation at the Arabs in Media Substack.

Special thanks to co-host on this episode to Najwa Jamal

Remember, habibi, genocide is always wrong.

Hazem Jamal

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

"How can our electorate be informed if we are blocking - intentionally blocking access to information about such a crucial issue?" - Lesley Williams

Just north of Chicago, in Evanston Illinois, 20-year veteran librarian Lesley Williams became the center of a controversy that involved an invitation to Palestinian author and scholar Ali Abunimeh to speak at a series at the Evanston Public Library. Lesley was then told to "postpone" the reading by her boss. What ensued was a series of public-facing PR gaffes and political maneuvers that eventually brought the author to the library for an engagement, but not before the damage had been done.

In the current world of censorship and job separations based on the genocide in Gaza and suppression of Palestinian voices, this might come across your feed as something as a sad "new normal," but the Evanston library incident happened in 2014, and culminated with Lesley's departure from the library three years later.

Ten years later, Lesley joins Arabs in Media to share not only the personal side and timeline of what happened at the Evanston Public Library, but exposes in a fascinating talk how the "innocent ol' library" - the original medium for accessing knowledge intellectual freedom - are not just hotspots for book banning the ways we may or may not understand it, but are places where open discussions and knowledge exchanges are also being essentially doxxed.

If you followed the story when it first happened, you'll get more depth and perspective on the details surrounding the controversy from that time.

As an active member of Jewish Voices for Peace and champion for justice, Leslie shares great insights on everything from the library ethos and Bill of Rights, to why it's so hard to find books about Palestine by Palestinian authors, to how big chain bookstores do a disservice on how they hide the few Palestinian stories they do carry.

How are your books placed? How are your community programs programmed? How does this relate to library censorship, the one place you expect information to be accessible? How can you re-think what free-thinking is in this world where people get fired for standing up against genocide?

Finally, if you are a book lover and/or someone interested in reading some recommended works, you can't miss this episode.

Here are some links from the podcast, as promised in the recording:

We Refuse : A Forceful History of Black Resistance, by Kellie Carter Jackson

https://www.kelliecarterjackson.com/we-refuse

A radical reframing of the past and present of Black resistanc

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

About the host:

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years.

Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer an independent platform for new stories, information and entertainment missing in corporate media.

Support independent media: To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch