The Politics of Armageddon: Crusades of the End Times | Ismail Arafa

About this episode

The episode features a discussion with Ismail Arafa on the intersection of religion and politics, exploring themes of faith, power, and the implications of historical narratives like the Crusades in modern contexts.

Help us expand our Muslim media project here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membership Donate to our charity partner Baitulmaal here: http://btml.us/thinkingmuslim In this episode of The Thinking Muslim, we are joined by Ismail Arafa for a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation on religion, power, and global politics. Together, we explore the complex relationship between faith and statecraft, beginning with discussion of crusader undertones in modern U.S. policy and what this reveals about the role of religious language in shaping political agendas. The discussion then broadens to examine both right- and left-wing trends in the West, questioning whether hostility toward Islam is rooted in belief - or driven by strategy, power, and economic interests. As the conversation deepens, Ismail Arafa reflects on how religion continues to be instrumentalised in an increasingly secular Western world, and why it remains such a potent force despite declining religious affiliation. We also unpack the important distinction between mainstream Christianity and its more extreme expressions, while critically engaging with historical narratives like the Crusades and their relevance to…

People in this episode

Host: Muhammad Jalal

Guest: Ismail Arafa

Topics covered

• religion
• politics
• Islam
• Western discourse
• Crusades
• faith and statecraft

Keywords

• Armageddon
• crusader undertones
• hostility toward Islam
• secular Western world
• dehumanisation
• Muslims and non-Muslims

Sponsors

Baitulmaal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Thinking Muslim

Places: U.S.

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