Episode 34: My life in Al-Qaeda, a conversation with Aimen Dean

Episode 34: My life in Al-Qaeda, a conversation with Aimen Dean

Aimen Dean was once a fervent young jihadi fighter, a passionate believer in radical Sunni Islam who had memorized the Quran by 12 and was fighting in the Bosnian jihad by 16.


Haviv talked to Aimen about the religious and psychological journey of a young jihadi, his experiences in the wars in Bosnia and Chechnya, his recruitment by Bin Laden himself in the mountains of Afghanistan, and his sudden and powerful disillusionment, both political and religious, that led him to become an MI6 spy in Al Qaeda's ranks.


They talked about present-day Islam, the "deradicalization" that Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa underwent in recent years, possible better futures for Gaza and whether Israeli-Palestinian peace was still possible. We also talked about why he thinks it's time to end Western experiments in reforming Middle Eastern governance and fall back on what he sees as the most natural and inclusive form of government for the region: The paternalistic monarchy.


This episode was sponsored by David and Karen Divine, who asked to dedicate it to someone we lost on October 7. This episode, we remember Abed Rahman Ziyadne, 26 of Rahat, part of Israel's Bedouin Arab community, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists on the Zikim beach, north of Gaza, on October 7, 2023, along with his girlfriend, Yulia Chaban.


Please join me on Patreon to support this project: ⁠www.patreon.com/AskHavivAnything⁠.


If you would like to sponsor an episode, please email us at haviv@askhavivanything.com⁠.


Musical intro by Adam Ben Amitai.

Jaksot(106)

101: Will Trump finish the job in Iran? With Prof. Dan Schueftan

101: Will Trump finish the job in Iran? With Prof. Dan Schueftan

Trump says a deal may be coming to end the Iran war. Netanyahu says it could protect Israel’s interests. Iran’s regime says little that can be trusted. So what is really happening? Prof. Dan Schueftan...

25 Maalis 1h 5min

100: They escaped Europe — then parachuted back in, with Matti Friedman

100: They escaped Europe — then parachuted back in, with Matti Friedman

In 1944, as the gears of the Holocaust turned toward Hungary, 32 young Jewish volunteers did the unthinkable: they parachuted into the genocide. They were a motley bunch, including a celebrated poet a...

22 Maalis 47min

Episode 99: Are we winning?

Episode 99: Are we winning?

The rules of engagement just shattered. From the death of Ali Khamenei to the elimination of wartime mastermind Ali Larijani, Iran’s leadership hasn't just been eroded—it’s been erased. As the regime ...

18 Maalis 38min

Episode 98: What Israel’s founding fathers knew about terrorism, with Dr. Bruce Hoffman

Episode 98: What Israel’s founding fathers knew about terrorism, with Dr. Bruce Hoffman

Terrorism scholar Dr. Bruce Hoffman joins the podcast to guide us through one of the most morally explosive chapters in Zionist and Israeli history: the Irgun, Lehi, the British Mandate, and the viole...

15 Maalis 1h 16min

Episode 97: Can America and Israel finish the job? A conversation with John Spencer.

Episode 97: Can America and Israel finish the job? A conversation with John Spencer.

What is this war really about, and how does it end? We sit down with warfare scholar John Spencer to explore not just the military campaign itself, but the larger stakes of this war: Whether the US, I...

11 Maalis 57min

Episode 96: The first war Israel fought in English, with Yaakov Katz

Episode 96: The first war Israel fought in English, with Yaakov Katz

Military analyst Yaakov Katz joins the show to break down the "first Israeli war fought in English" -- a total merger of Israeli and American military might against Iran. From the high-stakes testing ...

9 Maalis 56min

Episode 95: The idea that broke the Middle East, with Dr. Micah Goodman

Episode 95: The idea that broke the Middle East, with Dr. Micah Goodman

In the middle of war sirens and missile attacks, Haviv Gur sits down with Israeli philosopher Micah Goodman for a sweeping conversation about one of the biggest questions of our time: Why have some so...

5 Maalis 1h 6min

Episode 94: America's war, not Israel's

Episode 94: America's war, not Israel's

As missile sirens wail over Jerusalem and families crowd into bomb shelters on the eve of Purim, this episode steps back from the noise and the slogans to ask a harder question: What war are we actual...

2 Maalis 36min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
rss-ikiuni
totuus-vai-salaliitto
konginkangas
tsunami
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rouva-diktaattori
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-peter-peter
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
apinan-vuosi
rss-kikka-forever
historian-nurkkapoyta
rss-outoja-uutisia-pohjois-suomesta