59. Mohamed Hassan - March 15, The Middle East, and How to Be a Bad Muslim

Mohamed is a former NZ Poetry Slam Champion who represented New Zealand in the World Individual Poetry Slam in 2016. Mohamed has also worked in television and radio journalism in New Zealand and abroad over the last decade, and has produced some quality podcast series for Radio New Zealand. Most recently he is the author of the recently released, "How to Be a Bad Muslim, and other Essays".   We talk about the power of words and storytelling. We hear about some of his experiences as a journalist, including time covering the Middle East including the Palestinian/Israel conflict, and his reporting on the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks, when he was connected in so many ways to so many of the victims from the mosques. We talk about Mohamed's book which covers themes of xenophobia, islamophobia, whānau, love, and loss. We also hear about why it was important to Mohamed to share about his mental health journey in a number of his book's essays.    Check out some of Mohamed's poetry and writing on Facebook or YouTube or check out his book "How to Be a Bad Muslim".  ___ Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com or at Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations  Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations Email: [email protected]   Music by Strahan: Spotify: Strahan Facebook: facebook.com/StrahanMusic  or  facebook.com/commonerscommunion Instagram: @strahanmusic  or  @commoners_communion