Sumud Podcast: Inspired by Palestine

In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Mahmoud Khalil for a powerful conversation about identity, displacement, free speech, and the fight for Palestinian rights. Mahmoud shares his personal journey from growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria to becoming a prominent voice for Palestine at Columbia University, and the experiences that led to his detention and ongoing legal battle. He reflects on his family's history of displacement, the generations of Palestinians living without a place to call home, and why his story extends far beyond his own experience. Mahmoud also discusses his newly released book, ‘No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention’, explaining why he chose to tell his story in his own words and why he refused to separate his experience from the Palestinian cause. The conversation explores the student movement at Columbia, institutional pressure, the importance of speaking out, and the consequences of challenging powerful institutions. Mahmoud also reflects on solidarity, personal responsibility, and why meaningful change requires people to stand together, even when doing so comes with a cost. Mahmoud Khalil is a New York Times bestselling author, a Palestinian born in a refugee camp in Syria, and a Columbia University graduate, where he became a prominent figure during the student protests against the war on Gaza. Mahmoud lives in New York, where he continues to fight against the threat of deportation. No Land to Stand On is his first book. In this conversation, we explore → Mahmoud's journey from a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria to Columbia University → His family's history of displacement and the meaning behind No Land to Stand On → His detention, the fight for free speech, and his ongoing legal battle → Why he refused to separate his personal story from the Palestinian cause → The Columbia student movement, institutional pressure, and academic freedom → Edward Said's influence and the importance of Palestinians telling their own stories → Courage, solidarity, and the responsibility to speak out against injustice Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @justice4mahmoud Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Dr. William Youmans and Jason Osder, co-directors of the documentary Who Killed Alex Odeh?, for a powerful conversation about Palestinian American history, political violence, unanswered questions, and the fight for justice. Alex Odeh was a Palestinian American activist and community organizer whose life was cut short by a bombing in 1985. More than four decades later, his killing remains officially unresolved, leaving his family and community without the answers and accountability they deserve. William and Jason discuss the investigation behind their documentary, the evidence uncovered over years of research, and the unanswered questions surrounding the case. They examine the history of attacks against Arab American activists, the role of political extremism, and how political interests, institutional bias, and unequal treatment can shape the pursuit of justice. The conversation also explores how Alex's story connects to the broader history of Palestinian advocacy, the pressure activists face when speaking out, and the importance of preserving stories that have been overlooked or forgotten. Who killed Alex Odeh? And what does the failure to resolve his case reveal about whose lives are valued, whose stories are remembered, and whose families are left waiting for justice? 🌍William Lafi Youmans is an associate professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar. He is broadly interested in questions of transnationalism, power and communication, with his primary research interests focusing on global news, media industries, technology, law, and politics. His other areas of research interest include media law, Middle East politics, and Arab American studies. Youmans is the author of Unlikely Audience: Al Jazeera's Struggle in America (Oxford UP), which examines Al Jazeera’s efforts to gain a share of the news market in the United States. He has been quoted in articles in Salon, Washington Post, Newsweek, Variety, and The New York Times, among others. He was a guest on radio and television programs, such as NPR, Headline News, Al Jazeera English, and ARD. He has published in the Washington Post, Middle East Report, and Nieman Journalism Lab. He is currently working on two long-term projects. The first is a documentary film about Alex Odeh, a Palestinian American activist who was assassinated in Orange County, CA, in 1985. The crime is unsolved and still haunts the local community to this day. The second is a major video archive he is building of Arab American TV, a program that ran out of Los Angeles from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. 🌍Jason is a long-time media educator, producer, and instructional author with a background in documentary, social sciences, and education theory. He joined the faculty of the School of Media and Public Affairs in January 2007 to teach Introduction to Digital Media, a required course for journalism and political communications majors. His teaching also includes documentary theory and production and online journalism techniques. Jason Osder is the director of the award-winning documentary LET THE FIRE BURN about the 1985 confrontation between the group MOVE and the Philadelphia police that claimed the lives of eleven people. Supported in part by the Sundance Institute, LET THE FIRE BURN premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival where it won the best editing in a documentary award and a jury special mention for best new documentary director. The film went on to play over fifty film festivals around the world and be nominated for over a dozen awards. It won the best editing prize at the Montreal International Documentary Festival, the International Documentary Association Creative Recognition Prize in Editing, the Cinema Eye Honor for Editing, and the Independent Spirit Truer than Fiction Award. Currently, Jason is working on films supported by PBS and The Sundance Institute. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Who Alex Odeh was and his legacy as a Palestinian American activist and community organizer → The 1985 bombing that took Alex's life and why the case remains unresolved → The making of Who Killed Alex Odeh? and the evidence uncovered through years of research → The history of political extremism and attacks targeting Arab American activists → How political interests, institutional bias, and unequal treatment can obstruct accountability → The connection between Alex's story, Palestinian advocacy, and the pressure to remain silent → Why preserving overlooked histories matters in the ongoing fight for justice Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @willlafi | @jasonosder | @whokilledalexodeh | @watermelonpictures | @watermelonplusco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Noura Erakat for a powerful conversation about Palestinian liberation, international law, colonialism, and the importance of building solidarity across communities. A Palestinian American human rights attorney, legal scholar, and professor, Noura discusses her new book, Confronting Zionism: Decolonizing Palestine and Building the World Anew, co-authored with John Reynolds, and explains how history, law, and political ideology shape the realities Palestinians face today. The conversation explores her experience being arrested while advocating for divestment, the connections between Black and Palestinian liberation movements, and the role of international institutions in shaping political outcomes. Noura also discusses the history of Zionism, the relationship between racism and colonialism, and why understanding these systems is essential to imagining a different future. Through reflections on generations of Palestinian thinkers, grassroots organizing, and collective action, she emphasizes the importance of learning from history, challenging dominant narratives, and building meaningful coalitions across communities. Noura Erakat is Professor of Africana Studies and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019), which received the Palestine Book Award and the Bronze Medal for the Independent Publishers Book Award in Current Events/Foreign Affairs. Her forthcoming book, Confronting Zionism: Decolonizing Palestine and Building the World Anew co-authored with John Reynolds will be out with Haymarket in November 2025. In 2023, Noura co-chaired an Independent Task Force on the Application of National Security Memorandum-20 to Israel, a report documenting how U.S. arms to Israel have been used in violation of U.S. and international law and which was submitted to the White House. She is co-founding editor of Jadaliyya and an editorial board member of the Journal of Palestine Studies as well as Human Geography. She is a co-founding board member of the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival. She has served as Legal Counsel for a Congressional Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives, as Legal Advocate for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights, and as National Organizer and Legal Advocate of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Noura has also produced video documentaries, including "Gaza In Context" and "Black Palestinian Solidarity.” Noura completed a non-resident fellowship of the Religious Literacy Project at Harvard Divinity School as well as a Mahmoud Darwish Visiting Professorship at Brown University.  In 2022, she was selected as a Freedom Fellow by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. In 2025, the University of Ghent awarded the Amnesty International Chair in recognition of her contribution to human rights and scholarship. In 2026, the University of Antwerp awarded her an honorary doctorate for her scholarship and advocacy.  In this conversation, we explore → Noura Erakat’s arrest while advocating for divestment and the importance of protecting the right to speak → Her new book, Confronting Zionism: Decolonizing Palestine and Building the World Anew → The connections between colonialism, racism, and systems of power → The history of Zionism and how political narratives shape public understanding → The deep-rooted connections between Black and Palestinian liberation movements → The role of international law, the United Nations, and grassroots organizing in the struggle for justice Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @nouraerakat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Miko Peled for a powerful conversation about identity, family, history, and his journey toward standing with the Palestinian people. Born into one of Israel’s most prominent military and political families, Miko grew up surrounded by Zionism, military culture, and influential figures who shaped the country’s history. He reflects on his father, an Israeli general, his grandfather’s role in Israel’s founding, and the stories he heard growing up that shaped his understanding of the region. Miko also shares the experiences that challenged those beliefs, from his time in the Israeli military and the war in Lebanon to the death of his 13-year-old niece and the conversations that ultimately pushed him to reconsider everything he had been taught. The conversation also explores his book The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine, the importance of confronting difficult histories, and why Miko believes standing up for what is right is a responsibility rather than an act of courage. 🌍 Miko Peled is the founder and President of Palestine House of Freedom, in Washington, DC. Born in Jerusalem in 1961, he is the author of “The General’s Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine,” and “Injustice, the Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.” For close to three decades Miko has been a public speaker, and human rights activist focusing on Palestine. He is considered by many to be one of the clearest voices calling for justice in Palestine, and the creation of a single democracy with equal rights for all, on all historic Palestine. Educated in Jerusalem, Japan and the United States, Peled is also a professional martial artist. For 23 years, Peled ran a martial arts school that was dedicated to teaching leadership skills and non-violent conflict resolution through martial arts. Peled has been working along with other, mostly Palestinian activists towards dismantling the apartheid regime in Palestine and transforming Palestine into a single democratic state with equal rights for all. Driven by the death of his 12-year-old niece Smadar in 1997, Peled embarked on a journey to explore Palestine, its people and their narratives. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Miko’s upbringing inside Israel’s political and military establishment → His father’s role as an Israeli general and his grandfather’s place in Israel’s founding → His mother’s decision to refuse a Palestinian family’s home in Jerusalem → How military service and the war in Lebanon challenged his worldview → The death of his niece and the moment that pushed him to confront what he had been taught → How meeting Palestinians and learning their history transformed Miko’s understanding of Palestine → His journey from a two-state framework toward advocating for equal rights and a shared future Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @mikopeled Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Salah Sarsour for a powerful conversation about immigration, free speech, advocacy, and the personal consequences of speaking out. Salah shares his experience spending 81 days in ICE detention, his work as a Palestinian community leader and president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, and the events that led to his detention and ongoing legal case. Salah and his attorney, Patrick Taurel, discuss the legal process surrounding his case, conditions inside detention, the impact on Salah’s family and community, and broader questions surrounding advocacy and protected speech. The conversation also explores Salah’s decades of community work, his experiences with detention in the past, and why he continues to speak publicly about issues affecting his community. 🌍 Salah Sarsour is a longtime Palestinian community leader and green card holder who faces deportation for his advocacy against Israeli apartheid and genocide. He is a successful small business owner, community leader, father of six, and caretaker for his elderly mother. On March 30, 2026, Salah Sarsour was taken into custody by ICE because of his advocacy for Palestinian rights; he is one of many Palestinian Americans permanent residents who have been targeted by the Trump Administration for speaking out against the genocide of Palestinians, but his case represents an escalation in the administration’s attempts to shut down activists and organizations opposed to the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza. 🌍 Patrick Taurel is Salah Sarsour's lead immigration attorney and a Partner at Grossman Young & Hammond. Ranked a top lawyer in the field of immigration law by Washingtonian magazine, he has over a decade of experience as an advocate for immigrants. He has worked for leading immigration firms and impactful non-profit immigrant rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Immigration Council. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Salah Sarsour’s 81 days in ICE detention and his ongoing legal case  → His leadership in the Milwaukee Muslim community and work with young people  → His advocacy and organizing around Palestinian issues  → The circumstances surrounding his arrest and the immigration process  → Conditions inside detention and Salah’s experiences supporting other detainees  → Free speech, advocacy, and the broader debate surrounding pro-Palestinian activism  → Salah’s commitment to his community, his family, and continuing to speak out Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices