The Side Room

Has America finally had enough of Donald Trump? Or is something much bigger happening?The 2026 US midterms have shaken up American politics, delivering historic firsts, shifting political loyalties and plenty of questions about what comes next.But are voters actually changing their minds, or have they simply had enough of the people in charge?This week, Saf and Zoheb head into the wonderfully confusing world of American politics, where nothing is quite as straightforward as it seems. From Trump's political future to the significance of Muslim representation, the boys get into who holds the power, who deserves it and whether politicians are really listening to the people they represent.And because this is The Side Room, the conversation doesn't stay in America for very long.Expect some strong opinions, uncomfortable questions, a few unexpected detours and the boys discovering that running a country might be considerably harder than they thought.In this episode:The 2026 US midterms and what they could mean for TrumpDemocrats, Republicans and America's changing political loyaltiesCongress, the US Senate and the confusion surrounding American politicsAbdul El-Sayed, Zohran Mamdani and Muslim political representationRace, religion, age and the patterns behind voting behaviourThe cost of living, political influence and campaign spendingImmigration, asylum seekers and the American DreamAmerican gun culture and unexpected shooting-range storiesThe political hypotheticals that put Saf and Zoheb on the spotIs America witnessing a genuine political shift, or is this simply another swing of the political pendulum? Listen in and tell us what you think.The Side Room is hosted by Saf and Zoheb, bringing unfiltered conversations about culture, society, current affairs and everything in between.Watch the full episode on YouTube: @TheSideRoomPodFollow us on Instagram and TikTok.Data source: The demographic voting maps discussed in this episode were published by Dear Data (@deardata1), drawing on AP VoteCast 2026 and 2024, alongside NBC News election results. Some state-level demographic results are estimates where polling data was unavailable or insufficient. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The comment section has been busy, and Saf and Zoheb have a few things to say about it.This week, The Side Room does things a little differently. We're reacting to your comments, messages and stories, from people questioning the boys' manners to the age-old question: "Who are you to judge?"What starts with Bangladesh's banking crisis quickly turns into a conversation about hypocrisy, accountability and uncomfortable truths within the British Bangladeshi and Muslim communities.There's a cancer charity fraud scandal, a debate about parents turning a blind eye to their children's behaviour, religious double standards and some questionable stories about married men travelling abroad.But the real question is: why are we so quick to criticise strangers and so reluctant to call out our own?Expect disagreements, questionable jokes, unexpected tangents and a comment section that's probably about to get even busier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three phones mysteriously stop working on a deserted road. A young woman laughs during Qur'an recitation, repeatedly insisting she wants to fly. And somewhere in rural Bangladesh, a nine-year-old girl looks out into the darkness and sees something she still can't explain.Welcome to The Side Room's Halloween special. And this time, things are getting a little uncomfortable.Saf and Zoheb are joined by Zoheb's wife for an evening of jinn stories, unexplained encounters, alleged possessions, South Asian folklore and some genuinely terrifying childhood memories.And these aren't just stories they've found on the internet. Some of them happened to us.Zoheb recalls two unsettling encounters involving women believed by those around them to be affected by jinn. From uncontrollable laughter during the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha to a ruqyah session that left everyone shaken, he describes what he witnessed and how difficult those experiences were to make sense of.Saf brings his own collection of strange experiences, including a late-night walk through a pitch-black alley where he heard what sounded like a little girl laughing. Needless to say, he didn't stick around to investigate.Then there's Bluebell Hill in Kent, a location surrounded by ghost stories and the legend of a phantom bride.What started as a late-night adventure amongst friends turned into an increasingly bizarre experience. A car drives off, friends are stranded in complete darkness, three mobile phones reportedly stop working simultaneously, and a mysterious hat appears in the road. Years later, some of what happened that night still doesn't quite add up.Meanwhile, Zoheb's wife recalls growing up with the supernatural stories so familiar to many British Bangladeshi households. Amongst them is a childhood memory of glowing, white-clothed figures gathered beneath a tree in rural Bangladesh, and another account involving a seemingly abandoned mosque where the sound of children reciting could be heard.The conversation takes plenty of unexpected turns, from centuries-old Islamic accounts attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah and their strange resemblance to modern technology, to haunted schools, moving objects, the mysteries of East Grinstead and the stories families pass down through generations.But there's an interesting question underneath all the fear and laughter.Why are jinn stories so deeply embedded in South Asian and Muslim family culture?In Islam, jinn are part of belief in the unseen. But does every unexplained event have a supernatural explanation? Could some experiences be coincidences, misremembered details, fear or simply our minds trying to make sense of something unusual?And if you've ever heard a noise in an empty house, misplaced something that mysteriously reappeared, or felt that you weren't quite alone, you'll probably recognise some of these conversations.Expect terrifying recollections, questionable decisions, plenty of laughter and three people who have very different thresholds for being frightened.A note on the stories: This episode brings together personal recollections, second-hand accounts, religious beliefs and folklore. The supernatural explanations discussed are not presented as independently verified facts.Now we want to hear from you.Have you ever experienced something you genuinely couldn't explain? Heard a jinn story that has stayed with you for years? Or grown up in a household where everyone seemed to have their own terrifying encounter?Share your experiences in our YouTube comments or through our social channels. We might feature some of your stories in a future episode.Listen with the lights on. Just in case.The Side Room | Honest conversations, unexpected tangents and absolutely no promises that you'll sleep tonight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whose wedding is it really?When parents are paying, relatives expect invitations, and everyone has an opinion on what the big day should look like, how much control does the couple actually have?This week on The Side Room, Saf and Zoheb get into the world of British Asian weddings, from family expectations and guest-list politics to expensive suppliers, unreliable service and the pressure to put on a celebration that keeps everyone else happy.Having attended and helped organise dozens of weddings, they've seen both sides of the industry. There are suppliers who genuinely care about delivering a good experience, and then there are venues, caterers, clothing businesses and photographers who seem to disappear the moment they've been paid.One wedding venue cancelled just three weeks before the big day. Another supplier turned up with the wrong wedding car. There are stories about catering delays, bridal outfits that arrive late or look nothing like what was ordered, and wedding photography that couples are left chasing long after the celebration.Why does something people spend thousands of pounds on so often require this much chasing?The conversation also turns to the money itself.With some British Asian weddings costing £50,000 or more, is the expense justified when families can afford it? What about couples taking on debt because they feel pressured to impress relatives, meet cultural expectations or keep up with the weddings they see on Instagram?And if parents are funding the celebration, should that give them the right to decide who gets invited?It's an interesting tension in Bengali and wider South Asian wedding culture, where a wedding isn't necessarily viewed as belonging exclusively to the couple. There are family relationships to maintain, invitations to reciprocate and traditions that have been passed down for generations.Saf and Zoheb also discuss the growing emphasis on appearances, the role of wedding content creators, guest behaviour, and whether the industry has become too comfortable charging premium prices without consistently delivering premium service.But it's not all horror stories. They also share experiences of suppliers who went above and beyond, raising another question: why should honesty, reliability and good communication be considered premium services in the first place?From lavish wedding venues and family politics to the uncomfortable reality of spending beyond your means, this is a conversation that anyone who's attended a Bengali, Pakistani, Indian or other South Asian wedding will probably recognise.At the heart of it all is a simple question: are we celebrating a marriage, or paying to meet everyone else's expectations? Listen and tell us where you stand.The Side Room is a conversational podcast exploring society, culture, relationships and the topics that get people talking.Follow us on Instagram and TikTok: @thesideroompod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If people know something is wrong, why does it so rarely get said out loud? And when someone finally does say it publicly, are they holding people accountable, or just fuelling gossip?In this episode of The Side Room, Saf, Zoheb and Zoheb's wife get into the conversations many people in the Bengali and wider South Asian community are already having privately, but often avoid having publicly. Using Affa and her content as the jumping-off point, they unpack the growing role of public call-outs, anonymous warnings, social media accountability and what happens when communities keep protecting the same people despite repeated complaints.The conversation starts with a bigger question. Why do some figures in the community stay on a pedestal no matter how many concerns are raised about them? Why do people whisper in private, but hesitate to speak plainly in public? And when someone does step into that gap and starts naming patterns, posting screenshots and calling things out, why are they so quickly dismissed as messy, dramatic or just “gossiping”?Saf and Zoheb discuss whether Affa is simply saying out loud what others already think, and why that makes people uncomfortable. They get into the tension between receipts and rumours, public warnings and pile-ons, and whether social media has become one of the only places where ordinary people feel they can raise concerns when they believe nobody else will.A major part of the episode looks at influencer accountability, especially when creators promote products or services to a trusting audience. If people in the community lose money, feel misled, or believe harm has been caused, what responsibility does the influencer carry? Is “just scroll on” or “block them” really enough, or does having a public platform come with a duty of care? That leads into a wider discussion around consumer harm, complaints being brushed aside, and the cycle of outrage, silence and business-as-usual that so often follows.The episode also looks at why community call-outs land so differently when religion, reputation, familiarity and social ties are involved. When does protecting people become enabling them? When does staying quiet become part of the problem? And what does real accountability actually look like if we want communities to be safer, fairer and more honest?This is not a takedown episode. It’s a conversation about community standards, influencer culture, public criticism, trust, silence and accountability. It’s also an attempt to ask a harder question: if everybody seems to know, why does nobody want to be the one to say it?As always, we’d love to know what you think.Disclaimer: This episode discusses public online conversations, opinions and allegations. It does not present unverified claims as established fact. The views expressed are those of the hosts and are part of a wider discussion around accountability, community behaviour and influencer culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.