Yasmine Mohammed Podcast

Yasmine Mohammed

#44 in Religion & Spirituality this week

This podcast is an opportunity for you to join me in conversation with inspirational people from restrictive religious backgrounds who have fought and who have overcome. You know some names already: you know Malala Yousufzai, you know Ayaan Hirsi Ali. But there are countless others who have survived insurmountable odds, overcoming the most vicious of obstacles, and whose names you will not recognize. They are the unsung heroes. The warriors hidden in the shadows. Come meet them on the Yasmine Mohammed Podcast.

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S3 · E27
August 26 · 1 hr 21 min
Islam Y Occidente | Episodio 4: Cómo Catar Compró A Occidente
Jay Solomon, autor de *Las guerras de Irán: Juegos de espionaje, batallas bancarias y los acuerdos secretos que transformaron Oriente Medio* y coautor del reportaje de The Free Press *Cómo Qatar compró Estados Unidos*, se une a Yasmine en el episodio 4 de *El Islam y Occidente* para analizar cómo gobiernos islamistas como Qatar e Irán han gastado miles de millones de dólares infiltrándose en los medios de comunicación, la educación y los gobiernos occidentales para controlar la narrativa y difundir su ideología. Jay Solomon es uno de los periodistas y escritores de investigación más destacados de Estados Unidos, con una trayectoria internacional de casi 30 años. Fue corresponsal jefe de asuntos exteriores de The Wall Street Journal durante más de una década, periodo en el que reveló algunas de las noticias más importantes de Washington, como los envíos secretos de dinero en efectivo de la administración Obama a Irán. También trabajó en Oriente Medio, India y Asia Oriental. Es experto en sanciones internacionales, finanzas ilícitas, proliferación nuclear y guerra cibernética. Jay en X: https://x.com/jaysolomon Las obras de Jay:Las guerras de Irán: https://a.co/d/hoNi9nrCómo Catar compró a America: https://www.thefp.com/p/how-qatar-bought-america?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
S3 · E26
August 3 · 1 hr 7 min
ISLAM Y OCCIDENTE EPISODIO 3: LA HERMANDAD MUSULMANA Y OTROS ISLAMISTAS
Dalia Ziada, coordinadora en Washington, D.C. del Instituto para el Estudio del Antisemitismo Global y la Política (ISGAP), se une a Yasmine en el Episodio 3 de «El Islam y Occidente» para analizar la misión de los Hermanos Musulmanes y otros grupos islamistas en Occidente en la actualidad. Dalia Ziada es una escritora y analista política egipcia musulmana. Se especializa en gobernanza, geopolítica y seguridad regional en Oriente Medio. Ocupó altos cargos en centros de investigación y organizaciones de la sociedad civil regionales e internacionales en Egipto, Israel y Estados Unidos. Ha liderado proyectos, asesorado a responsables políticos y publicado artículos, informes y libros que analizan los conflictos geopolíticos y las relaciones de poder en Oriente Medio y el Mediterráneo Oriental. Desde mayo de 2024, Dalia visita campus universitarios estadounidenses, en colaboración con Hillel International, impartiendo conferencias sobre la cambiante geopolítica de Oriente Medio tras los atentados del 7 de octubre. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daliaziada X/Twitter: https://x.com/daliaziada
S3 · E25
June 30 · 1 hr 27 min
Islam and the West - Episode 6: Democracy and Islam
Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) and the author of the book The Arab Case for Israel. He champions immediate, unconditional, and comprehensive peace between every Arab nation and the Jewish state. Hussain joins Yasmine to discuss his book and to share with us why he believes peace with Israel is the only path to progress. They will also ponder questions around Islam and Democracy. Is Islam compatible with democracy? Does Popper's Paradox perfectly encapsulate the issue with immigration of Islamists to western nations? How can democracy defend itself? Is democracy inherently vulnerable to ideologies like Islamism? Raised in Beirut, Baghdad, and Baalbek, cities that have repeatedly served as epicenters of the Middle East’s most seismic conflicts, Hussain’s research focuses on Arab affairs, spanning Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan. His career launched as a reporter, and later managing editor, at Beirut’s The Daily Star. In Washington, he helped launch and manage the congressionally funded Arabic satellite network Alhurra Iraq before leading the Washington bureau of the Kuwaiti daily Alrai. He has also served as a Visiting Fellow at London’s Chatham House. Hussain’s articles in English have appeared in several outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. He also publishes regularly in Arabic media. He holds a degree in history and archaeology from the American University of Beirut and is fluent in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abdulhussainhussain Twitter: https://x.com/hahussain Explore more of Hussain’s latest policy research and analysis at https://www.fdd.org/
S3 · E24
June 16 · 1 hr 12 min
Islam and the West - Episode 5: The Roots of Islamic Anti-Semitism
Loay Alshareef is an Arab Muslim peace advocate, historian, and social media influencer whose mission is to bridge divides between Muslims and Jews and to champion peace in the Middle East. He will be joining Yasmine to discuss how antisemitic Muslims are spreading their hate to the west and how that hate is leveraged in the conflicts with Israel and Iran. Born and raised in Saudi Arabia to a Saudi Egyptian family that once held many radical views, Loay experienced a turning point in 2010 after living with a Jewish family in France. That experience reshaped his worldview and inspired his lifelong commitment to peace. He began his media career in Saudi Arabia, working across fields such as language education, history and tourism before dedicating himself fully to peace advocacy and promoting the Abraham Accords. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lalshareef Twitter: https://x.com/lalshareef
S3 · E23
June 2 · 1 hr 27 min
Hamas Tortured Me. Now I'm Fighting for Peace | with Hamza Abu Howidy
Hamza Abu Howidy is a Palestinian activist, writer, and educator from Gaza. He works to challenge extremism and promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews. A former political prisoner under Hamas, Hamza’s personal journey took him from radicalization to peace advocacy, leading him to dedicate his work to exposing the human cost of ideological warfare. His writings and social media activism combine lived experience with sharp political analysis, focusing on Palestine-Israel, antisemitism, and the future of coexistence. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamzahowidyy Twitter/X: https://x.com/HowidyHamza
S3 · E22
May 6 · 1 hr 21 min
Escaping from an Islamic home in the UK
Salima was born in the UK to a strict Bangladeshi Muslim family. Her parents forced her to memorize the Quran, attend mosque, and wear the hijab from a very young age. She and her siblings were physically abused by their mother and kept isolated from other children their age. When her parents began discussing a marriage to a cousin, she decided to run away with her sister. Because Salima was under 18, social services became involved and helped the two sisters escape safely. Unfortunately, the abuse continued in the foster system, and she had to leave her foster home to protect herself. Today, Salima lives a life she once only dreamed of, sharing a home with her partner and their two dogs. She now speaks out about the abuse she endured to shed light on the realities faced by women with backgrounds like hers. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salima_alam
S3 · E21
April 29 · 1 hr 36 min
“I Have 90 seconds…” Running to a Bomb Shelter Mid-Interview | with Sarit Gad
Sarit Gad grew up in a Jewish home in Miami, Florida, always drawn to the nostalgia of her ancestors who came from Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon. Her family did not pass down stories, but she always knew they had left the region and she carried that quiet history with her. The old warnings about Jewish hatred felt like distant echoes from another time, shadows she believed the world had already outgrown. She believed deeply in coexistence and peace. It was not until October 7th, while interning at the United Nations in New York, that the full complexity of reality became impossible to ignore. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saritmedia/
S3 · E20
February 10 · 1 hr 38 min
Why I decided to become a Jihadi.
Magomyed was born in Saudi Arabia during a time of profound darkness. The morality police controlled the population through roadside checkpoints. They would halt vehicles and demand identification while aggressively interrogating passengers: “Who is this woman beside you?” Clerics cited ‘honour’ in their sermons, urging men to tighten their control over the women of their families, warning that otherwise they would be “forced” to commit violence to safeguard familial honor. Teachings such as these, repeated endlessly, propelled thousands of young men into the ranks of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and similar groups. At seventeen, Magomyed was on the way to answer the call for jihad in Syria. Only 50 kilometers from the Saudi–Iraqi border, he turned back, deciding he wanted to find a different way to serve the ummah. Over the next two years he completely deradicalized, and later moved to Canada to pursue an engineering degree. Mogamyed will join Yasmine to discuss the normalization of radicalization in Islamic countries, how quickly that radicalization can lead to giving up your life in the name of Allah, and discuss the difficulty of deradicalization and all of the obstacles and risks involved with making that decision.
January 13 · 1 hr 37 min
Still Fighting the Court of Public Opinion | with Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox is an exoneree, journalist, public speaker, author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Waiting to Be Heard and FREE: My Search for Meaning. She is the host of the podcast Hard Knox. Between 2007 and 2015, Amanda spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit. She was finally acquitted of murder in 2015. She has since become an advocate for criminal justice reform and media ethics. Amanda is an Executive Producer of the 2025 mini-series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox available on Hulu/Disney+. Amanda will be joining Yasmine to ponder the questions: What does resilience actually look like? What does it mean to be free? How do we live with what we can’t undo? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amamaknox/ X: https://x.com/amandaknox Website: https://www.amandaknox.com Waiting to be Heard: https://www.amandaknox.com/waiting-to-be-heard.htmlFREE: My Search for Meaning: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/
January 6 · 1 hr 14 min
Islam and the West - Episode 4: How Qatar Bought the West
Jay Solomon, author of The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East and co-author of The Free Press report How Qatar Bought America joins Yasmine in Episode 4 of Islam and the West to discuss how Islamist governments like Qatar and Iran have spent billions of dollars infiltrating the media, education and governments in the West to control the narrative and spread their ideology. Jay Solomon is one of the U.S.’s premier investigative journalists and writers, with a global track record that goes back nearly 30 years. He was The Wall Street Journal’s chief foreign affairs correspondent for over a decade, during which he broke some of Washington’s largest stories, such as the Obama administration’s secret cash shipments to Iran. He also served tours in the Middle East, India, and East Asia. He’s an expert on international sanctions, illicit finance, nuclear proliferation, and cyber warfare. Jay on X: https://x.com/jaysolomon Jay’s works: The Iran Wars: https://a.co/d/hoNi9nr How Qatar Bought America: https://www.thefp.com/p/how-qatar-bought-america?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Dec 2, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Islam and the West - Episode 3: The Muslim Brotherhood and Other Islamists
In a new special series called Islam and the West, Yasmine is inviting the most brilliant minds of our time to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. These conversations help us understand the goals of Islamists in the West, who are infiltrating our governments, media and academic institutions. They also examine strategies to battle the overwhelming antisemitism and Islamism in the West. Dalia Ziada, who serves as the Washington, D.C. Coordinator for the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), joins Yasmine in Episode 3 of Islam and the West to discuss the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists’ mission in the West today. Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian Muslim writer and political analyst. She specializes in governance, geopolitics, and regional security in the Middle East. Dalia held senior positions at regional and international think tanks and civil society organizations, in Egypt, Israel, and the United States. She has led projects, advised policymakers, and authored articles, papers, and books analyzing the geopolitical conflicts and power relations in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Since May 2024, Dalia has been visiting American university campuses, in partnership with Hillel International, lecturing on the changing geopolitics of the Middle East in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daliaziada X/Twitter: https://x.com/daliaziada
Nov 25, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
Islam and the West - Episode 2: What is 'Islamism'
In a new special series called Islam and the West, Yasmine is inviting the most brilliant minds of our time to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. These conversations help us understand the goals of Islamists in the West, who are infiltrating our governments, media and academic institutions. They also examine strategies to battle the overwhelming antisemitism and Islamism in the West. Hamed Abdel-Samad, author of Islamic Fascism, joins Yasmine in Episode 2 of Islam and the West to shed light on the Muslim Brotherhood. They will discuss their origin in Egypt, how they perfected their ideological tactics through the Middle East, and how they are using those tactics on the West today. Hamed was born in Egypt to a Sunni Muslim Imam and became a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in his university days. A stay in a summer camp run by the Muslim Brotherhood triggered doubts, causing him to become skeptical, and eventually an atheist. He studied multiple languages as well as political science in Germany, and has worked as a scholar for most of his life. Following the publication of his book Mein Abschied vom Himmel (My Farewell from Heaven, 2009) in Egypt, a group issued a fatwa threatening Abdel-Samad and he was put under police protection. Hamed has called for an "Islam light" in Europe without sharia, jihad, "gender apartheid", proselytism, and "entitlement mentality", and has received multiple fatwas calling for his killing as he is accused of heresy in Egypt. In his latest book, Islamic Fascism (Der islamische Faschismus, 2014), Abdel-Samad describes Islam as a fascist ideology under the cover of a religion. X: https://x.com/hamed_samad
Nov 4, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Finding Self-Acceptance | with Dr Sara Glass
Sara is the author of a personal memoir Kissing Girls on Shabbat recounting her courageous journey of self-acceptance as a queer woman navigating life within and beyond the constraints of a Hasidic Jewish community. This poignant exploration of identity, resilience, and love resonates deeply with readers and shines a light on the universal struggle to embrace one’s true self. Sara is a therapist, writer, and speaker who helps members of the queer community and individuals who have survived trauma to live bold, honest, and proud lives. She also serves as a Clinical Supervisor for Jewish Lesbian Youth, a non-profit organization that supports and empowers LGBTQ youth. Website: https://www.drsaraglass.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/drsaraglass/ X: https://x.com/DrSaraGlass
S3 · E17
Oct 21, 2025 · 1 hr 39 min
From “Free Palestine” to Free Thinker | with Michael Gamal
Michael was born in the US into a Coptic Orthodox family, but he’d drifted in and out of Agnosticism since he was a teenager. Michael converted to Islam because he hated Jews so much. For nearly 20 years, he sympathized and advocated for the Palestinians until he felt like he had to choose between his humanity and continuing to support a cause he increasingly saw as morally bankrupt and depraved. That is when he started creating content that focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After spending nearly 20 years supporting a cause that would have gladly murdered every Israeli, Michael believes he owes it to the Jewish community to tell his story and share his knowledge, to fight the propaganda machine and hopefully pull people out of the "free Palestine" death cult. Leaning heavily into books and recollections of history for information, Michael tries to raise awareness about the problems with the Palestinian leadership, to uplift and showcase Jewish voices and opinions, and to defend Zionism to a world that has a very poor understanding of what Zionism is. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koptickaparah0548/
S3 · E16
Sep 30, 2025 · 2 hr 3 min
The Unheard History of the Yezidi People | with Sheikh Mirza Ismail
Sheikh Mirza Ismail is a Yezidi religious leader who was forced to flee Iraq because of religious persecution. Spending over two years as a refugee in Syria and Turkey, Sheikh Mirza made his way to Canada where he received a degree in Social Service Work from Medix College in 2010. As a Sheikh, Mirza Ismail holds a portion of leadership among the Yezidi people and is the Founder and President of the Yezidi Human Rights Organization-International: www.yezidihumanrights.org Mirza was born in Shingal, the Yezidi region of Iraq that was over-run by ISIS in August of 2014. He has travelled all over the world speaking with government officials, media, and organizations about the plight of the Yezidi people and other minorities suffering at the hands of ISIS. Since September 2014, Sheikh Mirza has been visiting Iraq frequently; meeting and interviewing the IDPs (Internationally Displaced People), especially the Yezidi women and girls who lived under the law of the ISIS and escaped the humanitarian crisis that saw the Yezidi genocide and enslavement. Yezidi Human Rights Organization-International (YHROI): www.yezidihumanrights.org info@yezidihumanrights.org 1-416-843-7973
S3 · E15
Sep 16, 2025 · 2 hr 7 min
Celebrate Yasmine’s Birthday With Her Community and Friends!
In this very special episode, we celebrate my birthday by catching up with my wonderful friends, guests, and community. I’m honored, privileged and delighted to have these brave, strong, wonderful people in my life, who fill it with meaning and purpose, and who valiantly stand with me in the bold pursuit of human connection, mutual support, and critical thinking in a world often divided by ideology and prejudice. A big thank you to my entire community of listeners and guests for making these past 4 years matter! Listen to Mün’s beautiful and powerful gift to me - her song, “Opening doors” - here: https://youtu.be/OjT0qE-8D7k?si=5iPxiy6eyoa-bGAZ
S3 · E14
Sep 2, 2025 · 1 hr 30 min
An Inside Look: Why Canada’s Leaders Fail to Combat Rising Antisemitism | with Selina Robinson
Selina Robinson is a Canadian politician and author of Truth be Told. After a webinar in early 2024, in which Robinson referred to the territory on which Israel was founded as “a crappy piece of land,” she became the centre of a political firestorm, in which activists and a group of Muslim clergy demanded her resignation. She was subjected to online harassment, including a credible death threat, and her constituency office was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. Selina was consequently fired from BC’s cabinet and was told she could not continue with her responsibilities due to the “depth of work” she had to do to repair the harm caused by her comments. X: https://x.com/SelinaMRobinson BluSky: https://bsky.app/profile/selinarobinson.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinson.selina
S3 · E13
Aug 26, 2025 · 1 hr 16 min
A Gay ExMuslim's Journey From Self-Hatred to Authenticity
Magan Magan is a Somali writer who was born in Yemen. He migrated to Australia with his family at the age of four. Years later, he left Islam - having wrestled with his sexuality while enduring a narcissistic mother. Islam had permitted both her abuse and the teachings dehumanised him for being a homosexual. Magan is the author of Stop All The Clocks, a poetry collection, which represents a point of healing and serves as a reclamation of his humanity against the apostasy and anti-gay laws in Islam. He is the co-managing editor of Verity La La, a creative arts journal and the host of the Inner Self Rising Podcast, a show for freethinkers focused on self-development and living authentically. Twitter: https://x.com/maganmagan9 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innerselfrising/ Email: maganmagan9@gmail.com
S3 · E12
Aug 12, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
Islam and the West - Episode 1: How Did Islam Start?
In a new special series called Islam and the West, Yasmine is inviting the most brilliant minds of our time to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. These conversations help us understand the goals of Islamists in the West, who are infiltrating our governments, media and academic institutions. They also examine strategies to battle the overwhelming antisemitism and Islamism in the West. The first guest on the Islam and the West limited series is Raymond Ibrahim, an expert on Islamic history and doctrine, and a widely published expert on the Middle East and Islam. He is the author of multiple books including Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam (2022) and Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West (2018). He has appeared on C-SPAN, Al-Jazeera, CNN, NPR, and PBS and has been published by a variety of publications. Formerly an Arabic linguist at the Library of Congress, Ibrahim has guest lectured at many universities. Ibrahim’s dual-background—born and raised in the U.S. by Egyptian parents from the Middle East—has provided him with unique advantages, from equal fluency in English and Arabic, to an equal understanding of the Western and Middle Eastern mindsets. Twitter: https://x.com/RaymondIbrahim5 Website: https://www.raymondibrahim.com/ Raymond’s books: - Defenders of the West: https://a.co/d/41mqcQk - Sword and Scimitar: https://a.co/d/hYFnKRI
S3 · E11
Jul 22, 2025 · 1 hr 30 min
Inside Hasidism: The Misogynism Within Ultra-Orthodox Judaism.
Goldie Hoffman grew up as one of 10 kids in a Hasidic family in an insular community in Brooklyn, New York. She endured strict gender roles, dress codes, and food laws. Her education was also limited as she was a girl in a Hasidic community. From a very early age, she was already acutely aware of and hated her restrictive second-class status. She knew what sexism was before she knew the word. While obtaining a degree in History and Middle East Studies, Goldie learned that anything countering the current neo-'progressive' viewpoint was not accepted, denigrated as 'Orientalist' and therefore racist and uneducated. She has experienced life within different societies and cultures -- which can make her feel like everywhere's home and yet nowhere is all at the same time. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoldieloxzone/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/agoldieloxzone

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