#40-24 Syria Rising (part 1) … Syrian exiles react to the fall of the regime
Afra Jalabi and Mohja Kahf are both Syrian exiles working at universities in North America, who have remained closely connected to their home country. Just days after the dictator Assad fled for Russia, the two of them joined interviewer Kate Raphael (then in Palestine) via Zoom to talk about the complex events, and the history of resistance, especially by women. Part 1 includes sounds of women celebrating, and of women being released from prison. In Part 2 (next week) the guests engage in heated discussion about the complex situation on the ground, about international interference, and about their hopes and fears over whether the next step will be a democracy including all the country’s cultures, or an Islamist dictatorship that oppresses women.