Blood Brothers

Roshan Salih | 5Pillars: The good, the bad and the ugly | BB #38

In this very special episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain hosts his good friend, business partner and the Editor in Chief of 5Pillars, Roshan Muhammed Salih. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #RoshanSalih​ #5Pillars​

Since the inception of 5Pillars in 2013, this is only the third time both Dilly and Roshan have appeared on screen together. In this episode, both editors ask each other burning and unanswered questions about each other's personal lives.

After addressing popular assumptions and rumours about themselves, both Dilly and Roshan respond to the main criticisms and misconceptions about 5Pillars - from allegations of being sensationalist to claims of intentionally witch-hunting and discrediting the UK Muslim charity sector.

Lowkey | Racism, Islamophobia and Zionism | BB #37

In this much anticipated episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain speaks with political rapper and activist Lowkey. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #Lowkey​ #Palestine​

Lowkey, real name Kareem Dennis, explains the complex nature of how institutional racism practically manifests in the U.S. and in the UK in light of the murder of African American man George Floyd by white police officer Derek Chauvin.

The British Iraqi rapper also describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected BAME (black and minority ethnic) communities in the UK, and how draconian coronavirus laws will also indiscriminately target Muslims and people of colour.

Dilly also questions Lowkey about the current state of Palestine and whether Arab governments have abandoned the Palestinian cause by normalising relations with Israel.

Topics of discussion also include the prison and military industry complex, the validity of the two-state solution, and the global Islamophobia industry.

Zahid Akhtar | Documenting Oppression Against Muslims | BB #36

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain speaks with the founder and editor-in-chief of DOAM (Documenting Oppression against Muslims), Zahid Akhtar. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #DOAM​ #ZahidAkhtar​

Zahid explains how he manages DOAM across various social media platforms and in five different languages, and the challenges he has faced with bans, closures and censorship.

The content states how nationalism and weak leadership has resulted in the current state of the Ummah. Both Dilly and Zahid briefly go over the different groups of Muslims who are being persecuted around the world: the Rohingya (Myanmar), Uyghurs (China), Palestinians, Syrians, Kashmiris, India among others.

Topics of discussion also include whether Uyghur Muslims should seek help from the U.S. against China, the role of Muslims in the west in standing up for the oppressed, and collaborating with other media outlets who we may differ with on some areas for the sake of unity.

One-Year Anniversary | Eid Mubarak! | BB #35

In this very special episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly and Aki Hussain reflect over their first year as podcasters on Eid ul-Fitr. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #Eid​ #Anniversary​

On Friday 24th May 2019, 5Pillars in collaboration with The Mad Mamluks released the first episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast.

On the day of Eid ul-Fitr, which also happens to be the one-year anniversary of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly and Aki review the good, the bad, and at times the ugly highlights of 34 episodes.

Dr Abdul Wahid | COVID-19 panic in Muslim communities | BB #34

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain speaks with the chairman of Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, Dr Abdul Wahid. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #Coronavirus​ #COVID19​

Dr Wahid who is a frontline GP in London describes how work has been for him since the UK officially went into lockdown last month. They discuss the mental impact of social distancing for the elderly and the steps Dr Wahid has personally taken while caring for his mother who lives with him.

Dr Wahid also explains why the NHS has been working to maximum capacity and what preventative measures the UK government could have taken to avoid this huge strain on the healthcare service, as well as exploring the values and policies a hypothetical Islamic government or polity would have implemented during such a crisis.

The crux of the podcast covers the various responses and reactions from Muslim communities in the UK and beyond to the pandemic, from panic buying, hoarding food and toiletries, shopkeepers overpricing, debates pertaining to the closure of mosques and whether COVID-19 is a punishment or test from Allah.

CJ Werleman | COVID-19 and global Islamophobia | BB #33

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain speaks with journalist, author and anti-Islamophobia activist CJ Werleman. #COVID19​ #Coronavirus​ #Islamophobia​

The Australian columnist explains why China's entire handling of COVID-19 and the "statistics" it is sharing with the international community cannot be trusted, as well as how the pandemic has affected the persecuted Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang.

CJ also discusses how Muslims in India are being boycotted, lynched and blamed for spreading COVID-19 due to Islamophobic propaganda spread by pro-BJP and Hindutva media outlets and politicians.

Topics of conversation also include the situation of Palestinians during the pandemic under Israeli occupation, consistency in opposing oppression, and CJ's personal journey from someone who held Islamophobic views to now advocating for persecuted Muslims around the world.

Kate Shemirani | Read the description | BB #32

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Aki Hussain speaks with natural nurse Kate Shemirani. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #KateShemirani​ #NaturalNurse​

Dr Jason Kindrachuk | Debunking COVID-19 conspiracies | BB #31

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain speaks with assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, Dr Jason Kindrachuk. #Coronavirus​ #5G​ #COVID19​

Dr Kindrachuk, who is a virologist at the Canada Research Chair, addresses various claims and theories that have gained widespread traction regarding 5G telecommunications and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He highlights the important principle that "correlation does not equate to causation" - referring to the many coincidences that have been cited between the timing of particular events and the outbreak of epidemics.

The Canadian scientist shares his personal experiences when working in West Africa during the Ebola crisis, and the dangers of peddling anti-vaccination theories that will have life-and-death implications in developing nations.

Topics of discussion also include the possibility of COVID-19 being used for biological warfare, whether the source of COVID-19 virus was an animal or engineered in a laboratory, and the timescale of a mass vaccine.

Dr Billal Patel | COVID-19: The invisible killer | BB #30

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Aki Hussain hosts consultant cardiologist Dr Billal Patel from Blackpool. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #Coronavirus​ #COVID19​

Dr Patel, who is a frontline consultant cardiologist at Blackpool Hospital, describes how work has been after he returned from 2 weeks of self-isolation due to experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

He also simplifies the way in which COVID-19 spreads, incubates and attacks the body, and explains why people really need to start taking the virus seriously.

Topics of discussion also include why the Muslim community are specifically vulnerable to contracting Coronavirus, the cultural barriers that prevent BME communities from accessing information about COVID-19, and what state Dr Patel thinks the UK will be in the coming months.

Dr Siema Iqbal | COVID-19 and NHS breaking point | BB #29

In this episode of the Blood Brothers Podcast, Dilly Hussain speaks with frontline GP Dr Siema Iqbal from Manchester about the Coronavirus pandemic. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #COVID19​ #Coronavirus​

Dr Iqbal explains why the UK's National Health Service (NHS) is reaching a breaking point due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what that actually means in real-life terms.

She also shares her thoughts on how the UK government has handled the virus from initially proposing "herd immunity" to now opting for a partial lockdown with less than two weeks away from the expected peak of the pandemic.

Topics of discussion also includes the timescale for mass testing kits to be made available, the theory behind social distancing and isolation, and why Muslim communities are more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19.