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CONFLICTED

CONFLICTED

By: Message Heard
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 An ex-Al Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 spy and a former monk turned filmmaker, have been embedded at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East. Together Aimen Dean and Thomas Small unpack the realities of war, fundamentalism and their global implications through first-hand experience.Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Spirituality World
Episodes
  • The Syrian Civil War Pt.9: Aimen’s Nephew Answers the Call to Jihad

    The Syrian Civil War Pt.9: Aimen’s Nephew Answers the Call to Jihad
    Jul 9 2025
    Conflicted reaches the final episode of Season 5! We've journeyed from Africa to the historic toppling of the Assad regime in Syria, and now, to bring the season to a close, Thomas is joined once again by Aimen to reassess all the topics we’ve discussed this season. In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Aimen and Thomas discuss the state of Syria following 14 years of civil war, exploring the new complexities for Al-Sharaa’s regime. As with our previous Syria episodes, Aimen then shares a truly moving and tragic story about his nephew, Ibrahim, who, at just 19, traveled to Syria to fight. Aimen reflects on Ibrahim's motivations, the difficult conversations they had, and the profound impact of his nephew's death on him, especially in light of the recent fall of Damascus. The conversation then shifts to the challenges facing President Ahmad Al-Sharaa's new government in Syria. Aimen provides an insider's view on the internal threats and opportunities for stabilisation, highlighting key areas like food security, electricity, and telecommunications infrastructure. Finally, Thomas and Aimen broaden their scope to discuss the wider regional implications - from the war in Gaza, to a survey of Africa’s role in the multipolar world. While season 5 has come to a close, if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you’ll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ And be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled for Conflicted season 6, coming soon… Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you’d like to find out how we can help get your organisation’s message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • 7/7: The Inside Story – A Thursday in July • Episode 1

    7/7: The Inside Story – A Thursday in July • Episode 1
    Jul 3 2025
    On a regular Thursday in July 2005, the peaceful morning air was shattered as four bombs ripped through the underground in central London. 52 people were killed, over 700 others were injured. London had never seen bombings of this magnitude before, never with this coordination. In the first episode of this special series of Conflicted, we hear from survivors, emergency workers and a former Al Qaeda spy as we recount the heart-pounding and tumultuous events of that fateful Thursday in July. It sets up a series where we will investigate the last two decades of terrorism and counter terrorism in the UK. How did it develop? What were the motivations behind? And why did terrorism, and the perceived threat of it, change the way in which the UK thinks about its own citizens? You can binge all episodes of 7/7: The Inside Story exclusively and ad-free, right now on Wondery+. Start your free trial in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or by visiting ⁠Wondery.fm/insidestory⁠ To listen to more bonus episodes like this one, subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don’t forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you’d like to find out how we can help get your organisation’s message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
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The most interesting podcast out there. Ex jihadist turned spy and a monk talk about religion and history. What’s not to like?

Incredible insight into modern day geopolitics in the Middle East.

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