In the Middle: A Podcast on Christianity in the Middle East

About In the Middle: A Podcast on Christianity in the Middle East

The Middle East is the crossroad of civilizations and the birthplace of Christianity. This region and its people have witnessed history's most consequential triumphs and tragedies. The ancient and richly diverse Christian communities native to the Middle East are characterized by their rich tapestry of traditions and nuanced histories. They've played a central role in shaping, and enriching, world civilization—eastern and western—through centuries of religious, cultural and intellectual contributions. Unfortunately, in recent centuries—and most notably the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—these native Christian communities have been persecuted and pushed to the brink of extinction. Who are these Christians? What's their origin story? Where are they headed? What are the stakes? What can be done to interrupt this destructive historical course? And how can their rich legacy be preserved, invigorated, and shared with the world? We'll tackle these questions, and more, on In the Middle: A Podcast on Christianity in the Middle East, presented by In Defense of Christians. I'm your host, Richard Ghazal, and I invite you to join me on this contemplative endeavor, as we dive deep in discussion on a broad spectrum of issues touching Christianity in the Middle East, yesterday and today. We'll ask the tough questions and engage in candid, thought-provoking discussions with some of the world's foremost experts spanning a variety of fields, including religion, history, U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East. In the Middle will hit all major podcast platforms—including Spotify, Apple, Android, Google Podcasts, and on YouTube—beginning in January 2023, with new episodes dropping monthly. We look forward to having you join us In the Middle.

Publisher

Richard Ghazal

Category

religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Feb 2023

Latest episode

24 Dec 2024

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   24 Dec 2024

   Episode #15 — Listening to the Voice of Coptic Christians

   Richard sits down with Joshua Benjamin and Elaria Essak of Coptic Orphans, a US-based advocacy and charity organization whose mission is to serve Coptic Christian orphans in Egypt. We discussed the history, legacy, and trials of Egypt’s Coptic Christians… and got a glimpse into the important work and impact of Coptic Orphans.

2. 

   17 Dec 2024

   Episode #14 — An Olympic Heart of Gold

   Richard sits down with Mr. Thomas Abraham, a Lebanese-American business leader, philanthropist and humanitarian. Mr. Abraham also serves as Chairman of the Board at the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, and Advisory Board Member at In Defense of Christians. Together, they discussed the Christian heritage of Lebanon, and got a glimpse into the important work and impact of the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation.

3. 

   8 May 2024

   Episode #13 - Preserving the Ancient Christian Tradition in Ethiopia

   Richard sits down with Betty Tekeste, a human rights advocate for Ethiopia’s ancient Christians, to discuss the history, heritage and legacy of Ethiopia’s ancient Christian community, and the challenges they face today.

4. 

   22 Apr 2024

   Episode #12 - Preserving Syriac Culture in Northern Iraq

   IDC's Richard Ghazal sat down with Mr. Kaldo Ramzi, Director General of the Syriac Culture and Arts Directorate of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq.  Mr. Ramzi shared details on the background and mission of the Syriac Culture and Arts Directorate, and the Syriac Heritage Museum, and how they stand to preserve and develop the endangered Christian heritage of Iraq.

5. 

   22 Apr 2024

   Episode #11 - A Conversation with Habib Afram

   IDC's Richard Ghazal sat down with Mr. Habib Afram, President of the Syriac League of Lebanon, and Secretary General of the Levantine Christian Congress to discuss the history and trials of Christians in Lebanon and the Levant. They also discussed Mr. Afram’s long career fighting for religious freedom, for Christians in the Middle East.

6. 

   18 Apr 2024

   Episode #10 - A Christian's View from the Cabinet

   IDC's Richard Ghazal sat down with Mr. Ano Abdulmaseeh Abdoka, Minister of Transportation and Communication in the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq.  As the only Christian member of the KRG Cabinet, Mr. Abdoka provides a very unique and enlightening perspective on the situation of Christians in Iraq a decade following the ISIS Genocide.  How has the situation of Christins in northern Iraq changed over the past decade, and what is their current situation?

7. 

   13 Nov 2023

   Episode #9 - Looking Back at a Century of the Mid-East Christian Diaspora in the USA

   Richard Ghazal sits down with Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. George Kiraz of The Syriac Institute, and Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America to take a critical look back at the last century of the Mid-East Christian Diaspora in the USA, challenges and opportunities.

8. 

   31 Oct 2023

   Episode #8 - Looking Beyond Sayfo

   Richard Ghazal sits down with Dr. Michael Wingert of Agora University, and Dr. Sofia Mutlu-Numansen of the University of Twente (Netherlands) to look beyond “Sayfo” (the Syriac Genocide).  Over the last century, much has been written and discussed about the events of Sayfo itself.  However, this conversation seeks to ask the next-level meta-questions that have presented themselves as a consequence of Sayfo in the diaspora a century later (including moral, psychological, philosophical, and national questions).

9. 

   1 Sept 2023

   Episode #7 - What's an "Arab Christian?"

   Richard sits down with Dr. Franck Salameh, Professor of Middle East history, culture, and political thought at Boston College to discuss the rich ethno-religious-linguistic diversity that comprises the Middle Eastern mosaic. They discussed the ultimate question, “What is an Arab Christian?”

10. 

    1 Aug 2023

    Episode #6 - Copts & The Suffering of the Saints

    Richard sits down with Dr. Samuel Tadros of the Hudson Institute and Mariam Wahba of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (formerly of the Philos Project).  They discussed the history, legacy, and trials of Egypt’s Coptic Christians.

11. 

    30 May 2023

    Episode #5 - Lebanon's Message

    Richard sits down with Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, NY, and Ambassador Edward Gabriel, President of the American Task Force on Lebanon.  They discussed Lebanon’s Christian character, its unique “message” bridging East and West, and the challenges it has faced historically, and continues to face.

12. 

    30 May 2023

    Episode #4 - Trials of the First Christian Nation

    Richard and William sit down with Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America, and member of the In Defense of Christians Board of Advisors.  They discussed the history and trials of the Armenian people, church and nation. Just days after our conversation, in December 2022, Azerbaijan imposed an illegal blockade on the Lachin Corridor, a critical lifeline which sustains the Armenian Christians in the Republic of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh).   As of the date of this recording, the blockade has been in place upwards of three months, and counting…and continues to inflict untold suffering on over 120,000 native Armenian Christians in Artsakh.

13. 

    1 May 2023

    Episode #1 - Gia’s March for the Martyrs

    Richard sits down with Gia Chacón, founder of “For the Martyrs” and the woman behind the annual “March for the Martyrs.”  For the Martyrs is a national movement of Christians to bring awareness to the worldwide plight of Christians.

14. 

    1 May 2023

    Episode #3 - The Early Church & Eastern Christianity

    Richard sits down with Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, NY, and Professor Gene-Nicole Saint-Laurent, a professor of Syriac Studies and Early Christianity at Marquette University. They discussed the Early Church, the unique characteristics of Syriac Christianity, and the contributions and legacies of the early Church Fathers. In the course of this conversation, Richard and his guests shared the hope to, one day, witness the cooperation and unification of the Syriac family of Churches. On Dec 16, 2022, one day after the recording of this conversation, Patriarch Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church hosted the patriarchs of the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Maronite Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Chaldean Catholic Church in a historic meeting of the Patriarchs. This “Pan-Syriac conference” was the first meeting of its kind in over 1500 years. Following the meeting, the patriarchs issued a joint statement reflecting a shared purpose and commitment to the Syriac heritage and language.

15. 

    1 May 2023

    Episode #2 - One-on-One with Enes FREEDOM

    Richard sits down with former NBA star Enes Freedom. Enes is a former NBA basketball star, whose decade-long NBA career was spent with such teams as the Utah Jazz, New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics (just to name a few). But in addition to playing basketball, Enes is also an outspoken advocate for human rights. But, as you’ll find out, his advocacy didn’t come cheap.

16. 

    27 Feb 2023

    Welcome to “In the Middle: A Podcast on Christianity in the Middle East”

    The Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity.  The ancient Christian communities native to the Middle East have played a central role in shaping and enriching world civilization, but are persecuted and being pushed to the brink of extinction. Who are these Christians?  What can be done to interrupt this destructive historical course?  And how can their rich legacy be preserved, invigorated, and shared with the world? We’ll tackle these questions, and more, on “In the Middle: A Podcast on Christianity in the Middle East.”  Join us as we tackle the tough questions and engage in candid, thought-provoking discussions with a roster full of interesting and engaging experts and activists. In the Middle can be found on all major podcast platforms, and on YouTube, with new episodes dropping monthly.  We look forward to having you join us In the Middle.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings