Mehdi Hasan
Mehdi Hasan (born 10 July 1979) is a British journalist, author, and podcast host. He regularly contributes to The Intercept,[1] Al Jazeera English,[2] and The Guardian,[3]
Contents
Career
Mehdi Hasan began his career working for various British news outlets before becoming the senior politics editor at the New Statesman between 2009 and 2012.[4]
Before his current positions at Al Jazeera English and the Intercept, Hasan was the political director of Huffington Post UK[5]
Hasan's Head to Head series for Al Jazeera English consists of long-form interviews where Hasan delves into "the big issues of our time"[6] with guests such as former Blackwater CEO and founder Eric Prince, prominent atheist and biologist Richard Dawkins, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and many others. Topics discussed include, among others, economics, feminism, foreign policy, human rights, religion and terrorism.[7]
In 2014, he moved to Washington D.C. in preparation for Al Jazeera's show Upfront, which began in 2015.[8]
His Intercept-affiliated podcast, Deconstructed, first aired on March 23, 2018. Its self-described aim is to cut "through all the political drivel and media misinformation to give you a straight take on one big news story of the week."[9]
News and Controversy
After a March 2019 white supremacist terror attack killed over 50 Muslim worshipers at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Hasan appeared on a Cable News Network (CNN) panel debating U.S. President Trump's role in inspiring White Nationalist Terrorism.[10]
In a November 2018 tweet, Hasan shared a video of himself questioning Trump 2020 campaign adviser Steven Rodgers with the caption "Hey US media folks, here, I would argue immodestly, is how you interview a Trump supporter on Trump's lies:"[11] The video garnered immense popularity on Twitter, receiving over 185,000 "likes".
In a May 2013 piece, Hasan apologized for his past beliefs about homosexuality, saying "I’m a progressive who supports a secular society in which you don’t impose your faith on others... but I am also (to Richard Dawkins’s continuing disappointment) a believing Muslim. And, as a result, I really do struggle with this issue of homosexuality. As a supporter of secularism, I am willing to accept same-sex weddings in a state-sanctioned register office, on grounds of equity. As a believer in Islam, however, I insist that no mosque be forced to hold one against its wishes."[12]
Books
- Ed: The Milibands and the Re-Making of the Labour Party (2011, Biteback Publishing) ISBN 1849541027
- Summer of Unrest: The Debt Delusion (2011, Vintage Digital) ISBN 1446483851
Contact and Social Media
External Links
Podcasts
Deconstructed has featured many prominent guests, including several Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls, such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, and Julian Castro as well as rising progressive stars Ihlan Omar and Rashida Tlaib and anti-establishment heroes Cornell West and Edward Snowden.
2019
- Cornel West on Bernie, Trump, and Racism, Intercepted, March 3, 2019.
- When Do We “Impeach the Motherfucker”? (with Rashida Tlaib), Intercepted, January 17, 2019.
2018
- Race or Class: What Will Drive Trump Voters in the Midterms?, Intercepted, November 1, 2018.
- Is Ilhan Omar Donald Trump’s Worst Nightmare?, Intercepted, September 20, 2018.
- The White Supremacy Court Upholds the Muslim Ban, Intercepted, June 26, 2018.
- Confronting the Consequences of Obama’s Foreign Policy, Intercepted, June 22, 2018.
- Elizabeth Warren v. the District of Corruption, Intercepted, June 8, 2018.
- Edward Snowden on Privacy in the Age of Trump and Facebook, Intercepted, May 25, 2018.
- We Need to Talk About Inequality (with Bernie Sanders), Intercepted, March 23, 2018.
Written Articles
Hasan's articles for The Intercept and The Guardian have discussed a wide variety of topics: from internal conflict within the Democratic Party to 2020 electoral politics to racism and xenophobia to criticism of the U.S.'s close relationship with Israel and Saudi Arabia.
2019
- Nancy Pelosi Has Chosen Her War, and It’s With Her Own Party’s Future, Intercept, July 7, 2019.
- Republican Justin Amash Gets What Top Democrats Don’t — It’s Time to Impeach Trump, Intercept, May 20, 2019.
- Muslims and Jews face a common threat from white supremacists. We must fight it together (with Jonathan Freedland), Guardian, April 3, 2019.
- Joe Biden Is Hillary Clinton 2.0 — Democrats Would Be Mad to Nominate Him, Intercept, March 21, 2019.
- AOC, Sanders, and Warren Are the Real Centrists Because They Speak for Most Americans, Intercept, February 26, 2019.
- There Is a Taboo Against Criticizing AIPAC — and Ilhan Omar Just Destroyed It, Intercept, February 12, 2019.
2018
- Chuck Schumer Caved to Facebook and Donald Trump. He Shouldn’t Lead Senate Democrats., Intercept, November 11, 2018.
- Killing Journalists Is Wrong When the Saudis Do It — and When the United States Does It, Too, Intercept, October 26, 2018.
- Dear Saudi Crown Prince Supporters: Your Hero May Allow Women to Drive, but He’s Also a War Criminal, Intercept, April 24, 2018.
- Israel Kills Palestinians and Western Liberals Shrug. Their Humanitarianism Is a Sham., Intercept, April 2, 2018.
2017
- Steve Bannon Is Gone, But His Bigotry Stays in the White House, Intercept, August 18, 2017.
- Reactions to Manchester Bombing Show How Anti-Muslim Bigots Are “Useful Idiots” for ISIS, Intercept, May 24, 2017.
- Top Democrats Are Wrong: Trump Supporters Were More Motivated by Racism Than Economic Issues, Intercept, April 6, 2017.
Other articles & commentary
- Deborah Avant On how Mehdi Hasan caught Erik Prince in a lie, Al-Jazeera, March 16, 2019.
References
- ↑ Mehdi Hassan, "Intercept", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan, "Al Jazeera English", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan, "Guardian", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan, "New Statesman", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan, "Huffington Post UK", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Head to Head | Interviews with Attitude, "Youtube", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Head to Head, "Al Jazeera English", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan to host new weekly show on Al Jazeera, "Al Jazeera English", accessed August 22,2019.
- ↑ Deconstructed, "Intercept", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan debates trump's role on white nationalist terrorism on CNN after new zealand attck, "Youtube", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan 1062706401804455937, "Twitter", accessed August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Mehdi Hasan As a Muslim, I struggle with the idea of homosexuality – but I oppose homophobia, "New Statesman America", accessed August 22, 2019.
