Semicolons and Teardrops in the Middle East is a podcast about living in, and reflecting on, human lives across division. Hosted by Nathan Brown, with support from Aviva Gould, the series explores what it means to inhabit a fractured world without reducing it to headlines, slogans, or sides.
Through intimate conversations and oral storytelling, the podcast centers the voices of people whose lives cross borders: political, cultural, generational, and emotional. It lingers in the space between understanding and judgment, much like a semicolon: holding multiple truths at once, pausing before reac
Aktham Alwany was born in Saudi Arabia, but returned to his homeland of Syria as a child. Through his life in Syria he lived under the Assad Dynasty and ISIS control, before leaving for France where he still resides. He describes his time in Syria as a researcher and journalist, as well as his experience as a newcomer to France. His story is one of perseverance and survival, above all.
4 Sept 2026
Aya, to whom engineering is simple when life is hard
In this episode, Nathan speaks with Aya Almadhon, a 22-year-old computer systems engineering student and full-stack developer at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Aya shares what it means to pursue an education and career while living through war, describing the challenges of studying without reliable electricity, internet, or classrooms, walking long distances to find charging stations and internet access, and navigating displacement and ongoing violence. Despite repeatedly losing hope and facing professional barriers because she lives in Gaza, Aya continues to study, build her career, and push forward. At the heart of her story is a simple hope: to have safety, stability, and one normal day for herself, her family, and her community.
17 Aug 2026
Manal, the Moroccan from Amsterdam
Manal Daddah has spent her life in Amsterdam but her summers in Morocco. In this episode, she reflects on her Moroccan-Dutch identity and how she - and the people she meets - understand the many parts of who she is. She takes us through her travels to Morocco and her semester studying in the United States, weaving these experiences into a deeper exploration of identity, belonging, and the ways we understand the world around us. She opens and closes the episode with poems, offering a glimpse into her creativity, depth, and unique perspective.
3 Aug 2026
Saeede, an Iranian human rights scholar in Galway
Saeede Mokhtarzade studied law in her native Iran before moving to Europe in 2019. Living in Germany and Ireland, she has added two degrees, and is onto the third, a PHD on Human Rights. In this episode, she explains her PHD topic of marriage and divorce contradictions across religious and secular legal systems. She also addresses Islamic Feminism, authoritarian regimes, separating people from their government, and how media coverage is unproportional. She conveys her understanding thoughtful and delicately, without hiding how she feels.
20 Jul 2026
Aviva, the producer
In this special episode, the microphone turns to the person usually behind the scenes. Producer Aviva Gould joins host Nathan Brown to reflect on the experiences that shaped her understanding of Israel, Palestine, and Jewish identity: from a gap year in Tel Aviv and studying Arabic in Jordan to navigating campus after October 7th and finding community through social justice work in New York. Together, they explore what it means to hold complexity, resist easy labels, and keep asking difficult questions. It's an honest conversation about belonging, curiosity, and why listening across divides still matters.
6 Jul 2026
Yitzok, the Haredi on the outskirts
Yitzchok Horowith was raised in Jerusalem's Haredi community but now lives on its outskirts, balancing tradition with a life that defies expectations. In this episode, he explains what it means to be Haredi, why he chose to serve in the Israeli military, and how he navigates religious, cultural, and political divides. Nathan and Yitzchok also discuss the changing role of the Haredi community in Israeli society and what its future may look like.
22 Jun 2026
Laila Shadid, who made her father's path her own
Laila Shadid has spent much of her twenties exploring the Arab world. In this episode, she reflects on how living in Palestine, Jordan, and now Egypt has helped her reconnect with her Arab identity. Laila and Nathan explore the ways language shapes who we are, discussing how speaking Arabic can transform relationships and reveal different parts of ourselves. They also share memories of Laila’s late father, whose legacy continues to inspire her commitment to meaningful work and journalism.
10 Jun 2026
Obayda of Syria, from exile to public service
Obayda Ghadban was “born into politics.” Raised in exile from Syria, he pursued careers in journalism, translation, and political science, united by a passion for research. During the 2011 Syrian uprising, his digital activism placed him at the heart of the revolution from afar, helping document and amplify events unfolding on the ground. After the fall of the Assad regime and the end of the civil war, Obayda moved to Syria in 2024. Today, he serves in the country's new government, drawing on the same research and analytical skills that shaped his career to help rebuild Syria's relationship with the world.
25 May 2026
Belsem, the student who started a school
Growing up among Philadelphia, Jordan, Pakistan, and now London, Belsem Aljobry has spent much of her life navigating borders, identities, and expectations. In this conversation, she reflects on what it means to belong to many places at once: the daughter of an Iraqi Shi'i father and Pakistani Sunni mother, raised by a fiercely independent single mom she still calls “home.” From building a girls’ school in Pakistan while still a college student to working with the U.S. Embassy in London, Beslem speaks candidly about faith, migration, education, and the power of empathy across political and cultural divides. Her story is one of constant movement, but also of searching for connection, purpose, and a way to bridge worlds that are too often kept apart.
11 May 2026
Vahap, the market-minded philosopher
Abdelouhab Adjroum (Vahap) joins us from Turkey for a conversation spanning philosophy, language, markets, and life across borders. Born in Morocco, educated in Qatar, and now working in the private sector, Abdelouhab reflects on studying Arabic philosophy and postmodern thought, navigating multiple languages and cultures, and balancing intellectual passion with economic reality. From Ibn Arabi to market economics, this episode explores what it means to think deeply while living practically.
21 Apr 2026
Kris, the actress and rugby player from Amman
In this episode, Kris Azzeh shares her life in Amman, Jordan, where she balances theater and rugby. A student at the University of Jordan, she works across acting, directing, and writing, exploring complex themes like Palestine, depression, and identity. She reflects on creating art under constraint and how storytelling can express what politics often cannot.
Alongside her artistic work, Kris plays on Jordan’s national rugby team, drawn to its intensity and discipline. She discusses the sport’s growth in Jordan, competing across the region, and navigating expectations as a woman in a male-dominated space.
From learning English through music to studying and traveling abroad on scholarship, Kris represents a generation that is both rooted locally and connected globally. Her journey highlights persistence, self-definition, and a refusal to be limited by expectations.
This conversation explores the intersections of art, sport, and identity—and what it means to claim your voice, whether onstage, on the field, or beyond.
6 Apr 2026
Mohamed, from Al-Azhar to Indiana
In this episode, we speak with Mohamed Sayed, whose journey spans from a rural village in Egypt to the global world of Islamic scholarship. A graduate of Al-Azhar University, Mohamed shares how his early passion for rethinking religious education led him beyond traditional frameworks and into international academia.
From studying at the British Council and traveling to the UK, to earning a Fulbright and pursuing graduate work in the United States, Mohamed reflects on the intellectual and cultural shifts he experienced along the way. He discusses the contrast between studying Islam as a lived faith versus as an academic discipline, and how exposure to diverse perspectives challenged and reshaped his thinking.
Now a PhD student in Indiana and a leader at a local Islamic center, Mohamed bridges scholarship and community life—guiding others through complex religious questions while fostering dialogue across cultures, generations, and beliefs.
This conversation explores identity, faith, and what it means to think critically while staying grounded in tradition.
23 Mar 2026
Alia, from the rubble of Gaza’s Islamic University to a bucolic campus in Cairo
In this episode, Alia Khaled Madi joins us from the bucolic campus of the American University in Cairo, reflecting on her journey from Gaza to Egypt and the life she left behind. Raised between Rafah and Gaza City, Alia was a top student of English literature at the Islamic University, where she also found her voice as a storyteller with “We Are Not Numbers,” sharing personal narratives that challenge how Gaza is portrayed in the media.
Her studies, and her future, were interrupted by the devastation of 2023. As universities were destroyed and her community scattered, Alia endured months of uncertainty before a sudden, near-miraculous evacuation brought her to Cairo. Now navigating a peaceful academic environment while her father remains in Gaza, she grapples with displacement, grief, and growth.
Through it all, Alia holds onto storytelling as both resistance and remembrance; offering a powerful, deeply human perspective on survival, identity, and hope.
9 Mar 2026
Naz, whose tongue speaks first
In this episode, Naz reflects on living between worlds, as an Iraqi Kurdish woman raised in Germany, and how those layered identities have shaped her academic work and activism. She discusses the complexities of belonging, the role language plays in identity, and how experiences of marginalization influence the questions she asks as a scholar. Now pursuing a PhD, Al-Windi explores how people living through conflict understand and define violence, challenging dominant Western frameworks. She also reflects on Hamburg’s hidden colonial history and on the balance between scholarship and activism in making sense of the world.
23 Feb 2026
Mary, Who Practices Law in Three Languages
In this episode, Mary shares her journey from a small Arab village in northern Israel to a career in human rights law.
She reflects on navigating multiple identities and how speaking Arabic, Hebrew, and English shapes her sense of comfort, power, and voice in different spaces.
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