10-9: The Company

The Assassination of Caliph Walid II serves as the violent climax to an era of mounting tension, marking the definitive start of the Third Fitna civil war. This episode explores the roots of this collapse, beginning with the Early History and Passive Protest of Sufism, where figu ...  Show more

Host Majid and guest Muttaqi Ismail discuss recent US enforcement actions—ICE and Border Patrol raids, the killing in Minneapolis, and community reactions—placing these events in the context of immigrant communities, politics, and public protest. They also cover how social media, ...  Show more

Over 400 years ago, a bold commercial venture was established to allow an ambitious group of English merchants to send ships halfway around the world in search of spices, skills, and profit. It was known as The East India Company. Over the next 250 years, the Company grew into on ...  Show more

In March 1739, the Persian warlord Nader Shah laid siege to Delhi. He destroyed and plundered the city. Among his ‘Delhi loot’ was the famous Jeweled or Peacock Throne of the Mughal Empire. It took seven years to make, and seven elephants to cart it away forever - and it's been l ...  Show more

Ilen Madhavji sits down with the 2023 winner of the HJD Book Award, Dr. Rohan Mukherjee, to discuss how rising powers seek status from the established international order, to reserve their seat at the table of power. Inspired by Dr. Mukherjee's award-winning book 'Ascending Order ...  Show more

The inculcation of Buddhism from India as the state religion in China was enabled by the violent rise of China’s only ever woman Emperor. Raised by pious Buddhist parents, Wu Zetian left a trail of bodies in her wake as she charted a path to absolute power. From a lowly ranked co ...  Show more