Race and Rights Podcast

The Race and Rights podcast explores the myriad issues that adversely impact the civil and human rights of America’s diverse Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities here as well as abroad. Host Sahar Aziz (www.saharazizlaw.com) engages with academics and experts that provide critical analysis of law, policy, and politics that center the experiences of under-represented communities in the United States and the Global South. You can learn more about the Rutgers Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) by visiting our website at csrr.rutgers.edu and by following CSRR on Instagram @RutgersCSRR and Twitter @RUCSRR Subscribe to CSRR’s YouTube channel here .

Race and Rights Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 65 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Race and Rights Podcast, a society show with 65 episodes published.

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  Race and Rights Podcast

  Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine Israel Discourse (Episode 65)

  Aug 17, 20261h 11m

  This episode examines the weaponization of antisemitism accusations within Israel-Palestine discourse and its counterproductive impact on combating genuine antisemitism. The discussion centers on a groundbreaking report titled 'Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine-Israel Discourse,' which reveals how accusations of antisemitism have escalated particularly amid recent calls for ceasefire and human rights advocacy in Gaza. The conversation explores the complex political dynamics where legitimate criticism of Israeli policies becomes conflated with antisemitism, creating a chilling effect on free speech and academic discourse. This weaponization not only silences important human rights advocacy but paradoxically undermines authentic efforts to address antisemitism by diluting its meaning and creating confusion about what constitutes genuine anti-Jewish prejudice versus legitimate political criticism. The panel brings together three distinguished experts whose combined scholarship provides comprehensive insight into this contentious intersection of politics, religion, and human rights advocacy. They each contribute specialized knowledge that illuminates how the misapplication of antisemitism perpetuates Islamophobic stereotypes and infringes upon the free speech rights of Muslims and Arabs. This demonstrates how these cross-national dynamics create a destructive cycle where efforts to protect one marginalized community inadvertently harm another, while simultaneously weakening protections for both groups. The panelists' expertise reveals the urgent need for more nuanced approaches to political discourse about the War in Gaza that can distinguish between legitimate criticism of state policies and genuine prejudice. This might offer pathways toward more effective advocacy that will combat both antisemitism and Islamophobia without sacrificing either community's safety or rights. Biography Mitchell Plitnick is the president of ReThinking Foreign Policy, a nonprofit organization focused on U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa. He is co-author, with Professor Sahar Aziz, of the CSRR report “Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine-Israel Discourse” (2023). Previously, he served as Vice President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace and as Director of the U.S. Office of B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization. Jonathan Matz is a board member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), one of the largest Jewish-led organizations in the United States opposing Israeli occupation and advocating for Palestinian rights. He has been active in coalitions linking opposition to antisemitism and Islamophobia, and participated in the launch panel for the CSRR report “Presumptively Antisemitic” in December 2023. Recommended Readings Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine-Israel Discourse , Rutgers Center for Security, Race and Rights (2023) The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom , University of California Press (2022) Rethinking Foreign Policy: US Policy and the Palestine-Israel Conflict , ReThinking Foreign Policy (2023) Support the show Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation: Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbUfYcWGZapBNYvCObiCpp3qtxgH_jFy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr

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  Race and Rights Podcast

  Systemic Racism in U.S. Law with Anthony Farley and Benjamin Davis (Episode 64)

  Aug 4, 20261h 12m

  The intersection of domestic civil rights struggles and international human rights law represents a critical frontier in the fight against systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence. The UN Human Rights Council's historic George Floyd resolution marked a watershed moment, demonstrating how international legal mechanisms can be mobilized to address persistent patterns of racial oppression within the United States. This development reflects broader questions about the relationship between legal systems and liberation, particularly when examining how the rule of law itself may function as a mechanism for perpetuating racial hierarchies rather than dismantling them. Critical race theorists have long argued that legal structures, rather than providing pathways to freedom, may actually constitute sophisticated forms of control that maintain white supremacist power relations through seemingly neutral juridical processes. Join host Professor Sahar Aziz for a powerful dual presentation featuring Professor Benjamin Davis, who examines the international legal implications of the UN Human Rights Council's response to systemic racism in America, and Professor Anthony Farley from Albany Law School, whose groundbreaking work in Critical Race Theory explores how the very foundations of law and property rights emerge from and perpetuate anti-Black violence. Professor Davis analyzes how international human rights mechanisms are finally turning their scrutiny toward American racial injustice, while Professor Farley presents his provocative thesis that legal liberation itself may be an impossibility within current juridical structures. Together, these distinguished scholars challenge listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about whether reform within existing legal frameworks can ever achieve genuine racial justice, or whether more fundamental transformations of law and society are necessary. #Racism #CRT #CriticalRaceTheory #CivilRights Biography Anthony Paul Farley is the James Campbell Matthews Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at Albany Law School, where he specializes in constitutional law, criminal procedure, and legal theory. He is a member of the American Law Institute and has served on the Board of Governors of the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) and the Executive Committee of the Minorities Section of the Association of American Law Schools. Prior to joining Albany Law School, Professor Farley was a tenured faculty member at Boston College Law School for 16 years. Before entering academia, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and practiced law as a Corporate/Securities Associate with Shearman and Sterling in New York City. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia. Benjamin G. Davis is Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Toledo College of Law, where he taught public international law, contracts, and alternative dispute resolution. He holds degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Business School. Before entering academia, Professor Davis served as American Legal Counsel at the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, where he supervised over 1,000 international arbitration and mediation cases. He led the successful effort in the American Society of International Law to pass its Centennial Resolution on Laws of War and Detainee Treatment, only the eighth resolution in that organization’s history. He has written and spoken extensively on accountability for torture, military commissions, and international human rights law. Recommended Readings The Black Body as Fetish Object , Oregon Law Review (1997) Perfecting Slavery , Loyola University Chicago Law Journal (2004) The Colorline as Capitalist Accumulation , Buffalo Law Review (2008) Support the show Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation: Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbUfYcWGZapBNYvCObiCpp3qtxgH_jFy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr

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  Race and Rights Podcast

  Gaza, Genocide, and International Law with Omar Shakir (Episode 63)

  Jul 21, 202652 min

  This episode examines the systematic violations of Palestinian human rights and the international community's failure to hold Israel accountable for breaching its treaty obligations. Accountability is necessary for the documented crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution that Israeli authorities commit against millions of Palestinians, and the broader pattern of human rights abuses across Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. How do these violations persist despite clear international legal frameworks, and the devastating humanitarian consequences for Palestinian civilians who face displacement, restricted access to basic services, and ongoing threats to their survival? We analyze the international community's inconsistent response to these documented abuses and the urgent need for meaningful accountability mechanisms. Join host Sahar Aziz for this critical analysis of international law, state responsibility, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing millions of Palestinians. Our guest is Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, whose groundbreaking documentation of Israeli apartheid and persecution led to his deportation by the Israeli government in 2019. A Stanford Law graduate and former Fulbright Scholar, Shakir has dedicated his career to human rights advocacy, from representing Guantanamo detainees at the Center for Constitutional Rights to investigating the Rab’a massacre in Egypt. His comprehensive reports on crimes against humanity in Israel and Palestine have shaped international discourse on accountability and justice. #Israel #Palestine #Gaza #Genocide #ICC #HumanRights Biography Omar Shakir is the Executive Director of Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN), the organization founded by the late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi that seeks to change US policy in the Middle East and hold human rights abusers in the region accountable. Prior to his current role, Omar served for nearly a decade as the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch. In that capacity, he spearheaded the organization's documentation of the genocide in Gaza and other atrocities across Israel/Palestine and authored several seminal reports, including a 213-page report documenting how Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians, the most widely covered and viewed report in the organization's history. Before that, he was a Bertha Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he worked as part of legal teams that represented men detained at Guantanamo Bay, making frequent visits to the detention facility. Recommended Readings Extermination and Acts of Genocide , Human Rights Watch (2024) Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged , Human Rights Watch (2024) A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution , Human Rights Watch (2021) Support the show Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation: Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbUfYcWGZapBNYvCObiCpp3qtxgH_jFy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr

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  Race and Rights Podcast

  Genealogy of African Islamic Modernity with Wendell Marsh (Episode 60)

  Jun 8, 202629 min

  African Islamic modernity is a complex and ongoing historical project—our guest’s scholarship illuminates the intricate entanglements between African racial identities, Islamic ways of living, and modernity as the dominant global framework for social, economic, and political organization. Using Senegal as a focal point, Professor Wendell Marsh explores how a society with a millennium of Islamic presence and over five centuries of integration into the global economy—shaped sequentially by the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonization, and neoliberal structural adjustment—has consistently escaped both Africanist and Orientalist scholarly constructions. Wendell Marsh's expertise in African-Arabic textuality and the intellectual history of Islam in Africa provides essential insight into how Islamic scholarly traditions in places like Senegal have produced sophisticated theological and political responses to colonial domination and global economic integration. His research on figures like Shaykh Musa Kamara demonstrates how African Muslim intellectuals developed complex theoretical frameworks that simultaneously engaged with global Islamic thought, resisted colonial epistemologies, and articulated distinctly African forms of Islamic modernity. This scholarly approach reveals how African Islamic modernity represents not simply a reaction to Western modernity, but rather an alternative genealogy of modern thought that emerges from the intersection of Islamic intellectual traditions, African social structures, and the historical experience of slavery, colonialism, and contemporary global capitalism. The episode draws on cutting-edge scholarship in Africana Studies that challenges conventional academic boundaries between African Studies, Islamic Studies, and colonial history to reveal how African Islamic societies have created unique pathways to modernity. Biography Wendell Marsh is an Associate Professor of African Humanities at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Ben Guérir, Morocco. He researches and teaches at the intersections of African and diasporic intellectual history, comparative literature, religious studies, and the politics of knowledge production. Professor Marsh’s scholarship foregrounds African contributions to global intellectual traditions—especially through Arabic-language sources—and examines how race, religion, and language shape the humanities and public discourse. Recommended Readings Wendell Marsh, Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities ( Columbia University Press, 2025) #Islam #Africa #IslamicModernity #Muslims #Humanities #Slavery #Colonialism Support the show Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation: Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbUfYcWGZapBNYvCObiCpp3qtxgH_jFy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr

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  Race and Rights Podcast

  Justice For Some: Law and the Question for Palestine with Noura Erakat (Episode 59)

  May 19, 20261h 14m

  How has international law been strategically deployed to shape the Palestinian struggle for freedom across a century-long arc, from the Balfour Declaration in 1917 to present-day wars in Gaza. Join host Sahar Aziz in conversation with Noura Erakat about the promise and risk of international law in the pursuit of Palestinian freedom and the broader relationship between law and liberation. Our discussion examines the concept of "legal work"—the deliberate efforts by powerful actors to bend legal doctrine to their objectives—and how this has transformed international law to advance certain interests over others. We delve into the "sovereign exception" framework that has enabled the creation of exceptional legal categories excluding Palestinians from otherwise applicable protections, from the British Mandate period through Israeli occupation and colonization. Legal strategies have been used to consolidate territorial control, facilitate dispossession, and legitimize military tactics that compromise civilian protections globally, while also exploring moments when weaker actors have leveraged law's emancipatory potential through strategic and tactical ingenuity. Professor Noura Erakat’s groundbreaking work demonstrates that the law's current outcomes were never inevitable—that law is politics, and its meaning depends on political intervention by states and people alike. Through original interviews with principals from Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and comprehensive historical analysis, she reveals how Palestinian leaders gained significant legal victories at the UN before eventually exchanging hard-won international recognition for a bilateral peace process that accelerated their dispossession. Her work shows both the profound limitations of international law when serving the powerful and its counterintuitive utility when mobilized in support of political movements seeking liberation. Biography Noura Erakat is Professor of Africana Studies and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019), which received the Palestine Book Award and the Bronze Medal for the Independent Publishers Book Award in Current Events/Foreign Affairs. She is a legal scholar with research interests in humanitarian law, human rights law, critical race theory, national security law, and Palestinian Studies. She has published over two dozen academic articles and book chapters, including in the American Journal of International Law, American Quarterly, and the Oxford Bibliographies in International Law. Recommended Reading Noura Erakat, Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford 2019) Rashid Khalidi, The One Hundred Years’ War on Palestine (MacMillan 2020) #Israel #Palestine #Gaza #Genocide #ICC #HumanRights #InternationalLaw Support the show Support the Center for Security, Race and Rights by following us and making a donation: Donate: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/csrr-support/20046.html Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbUfYcWGZapBNYvCObiCpp3qtxgH_jFy Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rucsrr Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Threads: https://threads.com/rutgerscsrr Follow us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/rucsrr Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/rucsrr

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