CONFLICTED

The state of Yemen in 2023 is precarious. After the Arab Spring revolution descended into civil war, the Houthis have cemented their power over large swathes of Northern Yemen, while the traditional ruling parties have fractured and, in many cases, disintegrated. In this final episode of our mammoth exploration of the history of Yemen - and indeed season 4 of Conflicted - we bring things up to the modern day, stepping back from historical narrative to try and make sense of what has happened and what it means for the country and the region. Over the course of this season, we've taken listeners through all the historical antecedents to modern Salafi Jihadism from Ahmad Bin Hanbal in the eighth century to Sayyid Qutb in the 1960s. We've looked at the Muslim Brotherhood, President Erdogan of Turkey, Iran, and their proxies across the region like Hezbollah. And now, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues, we can see so many of the themes and ideas that we've talked about this series playing out in real time. This final episode, which sees us joined for the final time by Yemeni political activist Baraa Shaiban, attempts to make sense of current events in Yemen and beyond in the context of  Salafi and Shia jihadism. We ask what the future holds for the Middle East, and what we can learn from the tumultuous history of the region as the world attempts to bring peace to the geopolitical situation of today. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Arab Spring of 2011 may have brought with it hope for a new dawn in Yemen, one of democracy and liberal reforms outside the rule of strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh. But the years that followed saw this quickly undone. The GCC Initiative brokered by Gulf States quickly broke down due to an intense culture of mistrust between all the parties within it. And with the insurgent Houthis growing ever more confident in the north, their malign influence ensured that this move for democracy was doomed to failure. In this penultimate episode of our Yemen series, and indeed season 4 of Conflicted, we look at Yemen’s road from revolution to civil war. It’s something that our returning guest, Yemeni political activist Baraa Shaiban, witnessed first hand as a member of the GCC initiative. He tells us about the role he played in trying to keep the peace as his country fell into conflict, and how the delicate art of Yemeni politics - dancing on the heads of snakes - was one which soon became too difficult for all involved. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2011 was a pivotal year for Yemen, and indeed the entire Middle East. After years of wars against the insurgent Houthis in the North, and with years of protests against President Ali Abdullah Selah’s attempts at radical constitutional changes, the Arab Spring which engulfed so many Muslim countries came to Yemen, too. It saw a bottom up revolution take hold in Sanaa, quickly filtering out across the country. It was a cry for democracy from a people fed up with their strongman ruler’s increasingly authoritarian rule. But would it lead to a new constitution for the Yemeni people, or political chaos which radical groups could exploit for their own gains? In this episode of Conflicted, the third part of our series on Yemen, we welcome back Yemeni journalist and political activist, Baraa Shaiban. He wasn’t just there during the Arab Spring, he played a really significant part in leading it. He tells us his story of leading protests in Sanaa, and all the hope he and his fellow liberal activists had for a new dawn in their country. But was it a dream that could ever be fulfilled? Or would the many other complex factions in Yemeni politics have other ideas? Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president of Yemen from 1990 - 2012, described the process of governing Yemen as akin to “Dancing on the heads of snakes”. Such were the profound splits in Yemeni society, and with other strongmen, tribes and insurgent groups vying for their own power, Saleh knew that to keep his newly unified country together from the 1990s onwards would take a dance of real precision. In this second episode of our five part series on the history of Yemen, we find out if Saleh was nimble enough to hold onto power as the vipers beneath him began to show their force. From the civil war of the 1990s to the rise of the insurgent Houthis in the 2000s, we cover the period from 1990-2010, to see how these divisions in Yemeni society would ultimately lead to the civil war which continues to ravage the country today. And to help us on our way, we welcome back our first ever guest Baraa Shaiban, a Yemeni journalist and political activist, who this week tells us about his extraordinary first hand account of growing up alongside the growing Houthi insurgency in northern Yemen. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask anyone from the Middle East about Yemen, that country on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula, and they’ll tell you tales about the Queen of Sheba, Frankincense and Myrrh. It’s a place steeped in ancient history and paints a vivid picture in the imagination. But it’s also a place currently riven by conflict, engulfed in a civil war which has now been raging since 2014. But how did it get there? And what can the country’s history tell us about the bleak current state of affairs? For the next five episodes, Conflicted tells the country’s story. We begin in the 20th century, with two Yemeni states - one in the North and one in the South - at odds with each other. With chaos caused by interventions from Nasser in the North, and the British Empire usurped by a Marxist regime in the South, for decades it seemed they could never be united. But with the rise of a certain strongman, Ali Abdullah Saleh, by the late 20th century this seemed possible. To help Thomas and Aimen find out more about this quest for unification, today Conflicted welcomes our first ever guest, Baraa Shaiban. Baraa is a Yemeni journalist and political activist who was previously the advisor to the Yemeni Embassy London and has done some amazing work in bringing the crisis of the past decade to the world. He’ll be bringing his extraordinary first hand account of many of the recent events in Yemen’s political history to the table as we seek to unwrap this riddle of a country. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the last episode of Conflicted, we saw Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia terror group, grow in power in the midst of the brutal Lebanese civil war of the 1980s. But after a precarious peace came to the country, an Israeli occupation of the south remained throughout the 1990s. This allowed Hezbollah to remain an active and armed militia, a fact which would come to haunt the country over the following decades until today. In this second part of our two episode exploration of Hezbollah, we look at the destabilising effect the group have had on the politics of Lebanon and the security of their southern neighbour, Israel. We’ll see how Hezbollah’s leader, Hasan Nasrallah, has held the country to ransom in the never ending game of political poker Lebanon is stuck playing. And with Hezbollah now poised to join the 2023 Israel-Gaza conflict from the north, we’ll take you through what their long term motivations for such a move would be, and why their Iranian puppet masters would be keen for them to do so. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emergency Episode: On Saturday October 7th 2023, Hamas terrorists broke through the border of the Gaza Strip and carried out a brutal assault on Southern Israel. As of publication, the death toll stands at some 1,200 Israelis, 900 citizens in Gaza, and some 1,500 Hamas fighters have been found dead inside Israel. It is the most deadly attack on Jewish civilians since the holocaust. As the world reels from these horrific events, we recorded an emergency episode to explain how this happened, the motivations of Hamas and what the likely repercussions will be from Israel, and for the region as a whole. It ties together many of the larger forces we’ve described across this season and previous ones. Be sure to listen to previous episodes on the Israel/Palestine conflict to discover more about how we got here. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s always difficult to know exactly what is going on in Iran - that isolated, Shia theocracy that dominates so much of the Middle Eastern land mass. It's a diverse and divisive state, ruled with an iron fist by Ayatollah Khamenei, whose supreme power means he can dictate what the country does and how it is run, at home and abroad. But in recent years, protests against the regime have been growing, leading to many people hoping that an end to the Islamic Republic and its Islamic Revolution could be on the horizon. In this episode of Conflicted, we move away from looking at the world of Sunni Islam to focus again on the Shia minority, who still retain a real influence over the region’s geopolitics. After getting the state of play in Persia, we’ll try to analyse how the Iranian system actually works, before looking ahead to what a future outside of Khamenei’s despotic regime could look like.  Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Erdogan’s time in power has been a fascinating period for Turkey - at once nodding to the liberal West, while simultaneously winking at the more Conservative East. It’s his country in a nutshell, and his policies in economics, social welfare, secularisation and his relationship with the EU all prove it. But one thing has always haunted him: the army, and their historical proclivity towards coups. In this second episode on the life and times of Erdogan, we analyse his time at the top of Turkish politics. We’ll see him saying one thing while doing another, and securing Turkey’s status as one of the globe’s most significant geopolitical players. And finally, we’ll show how he overcame an underground opposition that tried to force him from power, allowing him to consolidate his own. Could this be the thing which let his mask slip, revealing his Muslim Brotherhood credentials? Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the past couple of episodes we explained the inner workings of the Muslim Brotherhood - that mysterious organisation based in Cairo who have their sights set on a new Caliphate for the Muslim world. But who are their allies across the region? Is there a figure who is simultaneously working to further their aims? Well, many people point to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, as just that figure. In this first of our two episode exploration of Erdoğan life we focus on his rise to power - one filled with genius politics and classic Islamist moves to cement his hold on the country. We’ll follow him from a poor boy growing up in Istanbul, to eventually becoming the city’s mayor, and after that, the country’s leader. But how did this enigma of a man gain such control over the geostrategically vital country of Turkey? And could he be a kind of Muslim Brotherhood sleeper agent in disguise? Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In last week’s discussion of the Muslim Brotherhood, we told you how this clandestine group are structured - headed in Egypt, but with chapters across the globe. But we tip-toed around their ideology, and we didn’t discover what the Muslim Brotherhood actually want. On the one hand, people claim they are an organisation promising peace and charity across the Muslim World. On the other, they are seen as the sinister puppet masters of various Islamic governments. So what are they trying to achieve with their international organisation? In this second part of two episodes on the Muslim Brotherhood we’ll dig deep into the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology, attempting to get to the bottom of the question: are the Muslim Brotherhood radical, or moderate? Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After finishing our extensive exploration into some of the most colourful and fascinating characters in Islamic History - figures who influenced modern Salafi jihadism as we know it today - Conflicted aims its sights on a modern group with an equally significant position in the Muslim world. This is a group whose nebulous, clandestine structure makes them tricky to unravel. A group based in Egypt but with tentacles across the Middle East and beyond. A group who once boasted our previous subject, Sayyid Qutb, as a member. The Muslim Brotherhood. But who are they really? How are they structured? And are they the radical Islamists that many claim, or in fact a moderate group with relatively modest aims? In this first of two episodes on the Muslim Brotherhood, we try to unlock their structure, discovering how they function in countries across the Muslim world, to answer these questions and more. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab gained the patronage of Muhammad Ibn Saud, it was a fusing of ideology with power on the Arabian peninsula. This was the time when Wahhabism really took shape, and the militancy of Ibn Abdul Wahhab’s mission became clear. As the Emirate of Diriyah expanded, war and conquest against the Ottomans came with it, as they sought to dominate Arabia with their new radical doctrine. Join us as we explore the second half of Ibn Abdul Wahhab’s life, to discover how these thrilling events of the 18th century with secured the legacy of Ibn Abdul Wahhab as a militant mujaddid whose teachings would live on through the centuries, still held onto by salafi jihadists to this day. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The later part of Ibn Taymiyyah’s life saw continued invasions from Mongol Hordes from the outside, and a battle against Sufi mystics in his own society. And for the man himself, it was defined by a continuation of one thing more than any other: a zeal against irreligion. While confronting the Mamluk Sultan and preaching anti-Mongol fatwas, he cemented himself as the great mediaeval scholar and warrior he is now remembered as. And he set an ideological precedent which modern Salafi jihadists continue to follow to this day. This week’s episode of Conflicted sees us delve into the latter part of Ibn Taymiyyah’s thrilling life to understand what it can tell us about the Middle East today, and how the ripples of his fundamentalist ideology continue to influence the thought of so many radical Muslims. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ibn Taymiyyah is known as the “Sheikh of Islam” to his admirers, and to his detractors, one of the most significant antecedents of modern Salafi Jihadism. Simultaneously a genius scholar, brutal warrior and unflinching polemicist, he is one of the most important pioneers of a militant form of Sunni Islam, and is now quoted more than any other scholar by Islamist terrorists today. Continuing our series exploring the historical forebears of modern Salafi Jihadism, this week sees us begin two episodes on Ibn Taymiyyah, the great mediaeval Islamic scholar. We’ll explore the world in which he grew up, with Mongol invasions constantly at the gates, alongside the many contradictions that defined his life and how he rose to prominence in the 13th century Middle East. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s Conflicted sees the second episode of our deep dive into the thrilling life of 7/8th century Muslim scholar, Ahmad bin Hanbal, founder of the Hanbali school of jurisprudence. Continuing our series looking at the historic Islamic thinkers who have inspired modern Salafi Jihadists today, we look at the fascinating and drama-filled second half of the life of the first fundamentalist. Expect more battles with Abbasid Caliphs, more stubborn refusals to renounce his teachings, floggings, dancing, and the infamous mihna. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week’s episode of Conflicted, we begin a multi episode exploration into the historical figures who function as antecedents to the modern jihadi movement, beginning with two episodes on one of its earliest examples: Ahmad Bin Hanbal. When Islamic fundamentalists today look back in history, one of the earliest figures they will mention for inspiration is the 7th/8th century scholar, Ahmad Bin Hanbal. His writings, hadith collecting and ascetic life are used as an example for many in the modern salafi jihadist movement. Join Thomas and Aimen for part one to explore his early life filled with drama, determination and defiance, as we take you on a rollercoaster ride through Byzantine border wars, fights with Caliphs and more, to see why he is so significant for Muslims today. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Islamic radicals have been a scourge on countries across the Middle East for decades, but what drives the person who commits terrorist acts? What causes some Muslims to adopt a fundamentalist ideology? And what do these terms even mean in practice? On this week’s episode of Conflicted, we explore the socio-political and psychological causes of Islamic radicalism. We’ll discover why certain countries end up fostering these ideologies, while also exploring the lives and psyches of Thomas and Aimen to understand what drove them down their different paths of fundamental religiosity. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first episode of season 4 of Conflicted, hosts Thomas Small and Aimen Dean attempt to get to the bottom of the current state of play with Islamic terrorism, asking: where have all the terrorists gone? In 2023, it feels like there has been a kind of stasis in terms of Islamic terrorism, with other geopolitical issues taking their place on the global stage. But is this a sign that it’s gone for good? Or is the cycle of terror forged by our old friends Isis and Al-Qaeda about to come back around the corner? And if so, where will the potential future hotspots for instability in the Muslim world be? Find out on this episode of Conflicted, now coming to your podcast feeds every week. Join our FB Discussion group to get exclusive updates:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/450486135832418 Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Islamic scholar Thomas Small and ex-jihadi turned spy Aimen Dean as they explore the fascinating chains of events that have created the patchwork of the Muslim world today, and how the region’s history has impacted the story of the entire world. Expect answers to questions like: What do Turkey’s 2023 election results mean for the future stability of the region? What role will the Middle East play in the new multipolar world? And is Islamist Terrorism still a thing in 2023? We’ll be coming to you every week from June 28th - subscribe to Conflicted wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode. Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link: http://www.levellr.com/conflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices