“What I experienced is a glimpse of what Palestinians have to go through.”

Prominent labour activist Chris Smalls speaks out after returning to his home in the United States following his detention in an Israeli prison.

Weeks ago, Smalls decided to join the Handala flotilla, which sailed towards Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s siege.

Now, after Israeli forces intercepted the ship in international waters, Smalls says he was singled out, violently assaulted and racially abused by Israeli forces.

Following his return home, Smalls joined us on Real Talk to open up about what really happened.

Real Talk is hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

“I haven’t worked in a very long time.”

What are the repercussions of speaking out for Gaza in Hollywood?

In this Real Talk interview, US model and actor Indya Moore opens up about the cost of speaking out for Gaza, describing the “devastating” fallout with her former agents at CAA over her use of the word “genocide” and for her support for Palestine.

Indya, who in 2019 was named as one of Time’s 100 most influential people, is now highlighting the hypocrisy in how Gaza advocacy is punished and reveals that she herself has lost job opportunities in the entertainment industry because of it.

We also talk about her upcoming satirical documentary ‘Stealing Sunset’, which confronts illegal Israeli settlements, and the emotional contradictions of filming in the occupied West Bank.

‘These journalistic institutions have done far more to support the genocide than… Starbucks or McDonald’s’

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mona Chalabi joins Real Talk to unpack how mainstream media coverage has enabled Israel’s war on Gaza, and why she’s calling to boycott outlets aiding that effort. She also reflects on how many of these same patterns were present in the run-up to the Iraq War and its aftermath.

Mona shares personal experiences from inside different newsrooms, including moments of racism and Islamophobia, and reflects on what it meant to be asked about her "relation" to Ahmed Chalabi, a controversial Iraqi politician who championed the US invasion of Iraq.

We also talk about the political backlash to Zohran Mamdani’s primary win in New York, and Mona’s work as creative director of #1 Happy Family USA, an animated series exploring the Muslim American experience through humour.

Real Talk is hosted by Mohamed Hashem

“I was sold a lie.”

One of Britain’s most acclaimed historians slams the country’s education system - which he feels has distorted the history of Palestine, portraying it as an “empty desert” before 1948.

In this Real Talk interview, William Dalrymple shares his views on Britain’s historical responsibility towards Palestine, and calls out the UK government’s ongoing cooperation with Israel, including supplying weapons, amid its war on Gaza.

He reflects on what he witnessed in the West Bank while writing his book ‘From the Holy Mountain’, from settler violence to a “concerted drive to Judaise Jerusalem”, and explains why he sees the current crisis in Gaza as “one of the supreme human rights horrors of our time”.

Real Talk is hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

“I have no business with genocidaires.”

That’s how artist, poet and activist Saul Williams describes his refusal to stay silent on Israel’s war on Gaza.

In this Real Talk interview, Williams opens up about witnessing apartheid in Israel-Palestine, losing friends and work for speaking out, and the responsibility artists have in the face of propaganda and empire.

We also explore his critique of US politics as a ‘duopoly’ invested in war, his challenge to mainstream liberalism, and how hip hop has moved from resistance to commercialisation.

Williams also reflects on his powerful role in ‘Sinners’, the blockbuster film directed by Ryan Coogler.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Bilal Hassan is a Pakistani doctor who also happens to be one of the most popular travel storytellers from his country.

He is a content creator whose work captures the people, the cultures, the food and the human connections across Pakistan.

But then, conflict erupts and fighting escalates. Nearly 70 people are killed in a matter of days in India and Pakistan, including civilians in Kashmir on both sides.

The language of dehumanisation and jingoism fills the local newscasts.

In moments like these, what is the role of a content creator? Do you speak or do you stay silent in an effort to preserve your brand?

So, on Real Talk today, we are speaking with Bilal Hassan about war, memory, partition and the role of content creators in times of conflict.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“The point was to make people aware… The world knows now who [Microsoft] truly are, and what they’re doing.”

As Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary with a panel featuring Bill Gates, one employee stood up and disrupted the event. Her message: Microsoft is complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza.

The young software engineer, Vaniya Agrawal, was then fired by Microsoft. Now, she’s speaking out.

In this Real Talk interview, Vaniya is opening up about why she risked her job to protest, what happened behind the scenes, and the harassment she’s received from Hindu nationalists.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

‘The crimes [in Gaza] are so egregious that are being carried out... The attempt to cover them up and whitewash them is failing’

Since 7 October, western media coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza has come under intense scrutiny, particularly for the language and terminology used by many outlets.

As a result, the coverage has been accused of bias against Palestinians effectively providing cover for Israel’s war on Gaza.

To delve into this, we’re speaking to Assal Rad, an Iranian-American scholar of the modern Middle East and fellow at DAWN, who’s also made it her mission to call out and ‘fix’ misleading headlines.

Her widely shared posts earned her the title of ‘headline fixer’, turning this into a trend of its own online.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm