Sumud Podcast: Inspired by Palestine

In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan sits down with filmmaker Colette Ghunim and actress, producer, and Palestine advocate Melissa Barrera to discuss ‘Traces of Home,’ Ghunim’s deeply personal documentary tracing her family’s roots in Palestine and Mexico. Together, they explore forced migration, intergenerational trauma, identity, family, and the difficult process of returning to the places their families were forced to leave. Barrera also reflects on her advocacy for Palestinian freedom and dignity, while Ghunim shares how making the film transformed her relationship with her parents and her understanding of home. At the heart of the conversation is Sumud: the resilience, dignity, and determination to remain rooted in who you are.

As a documentary filmmaker and nonprofit co-founder, Colette Ghunim’s soul purpose is to use the power of film and storytelling for those oppressed around the world to be seen, to be heard, and to heal. Her first documentary, The People’s Girls (2016), received over 2 million views and won Best Short Documentary at the Arab Film Festival for its bold spotlight on street harassment in Egypt. In co-production with Kartemquin Films and funded by Latino Public Broadcasting, she is directing Traces of Home, her first feature-length film documenting her inner quest to find home through unearthing her parent’s forced migrations from Mexico and Palestine. Colette is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective, a nonprofit organization aimed to cultivate a thriving landscape for over 700 women and non-binary filmmakers of color in Chicago. Her work has been highlighted on international outlets such as Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, Univision, and TEDx. Colette was selected as a 2023 Obama Foundation USA Leader, 2024 Sundance Institute x ISF Fellow, and was featured on Arab America’s “30 Under 30” list.

Melissa Barrera is a Mexican actress, singer, and producer known for her roles in Vida, In the Heights, Scream, Scream VI, and Abigail. She also serves as an executive producer of Traces of Home. Beyond her work on screen, Barrera has been outspoken in support of Palestinians and calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. In 2023, she said she would “continue to speak out” and “continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom.” She is also listed among the signatories of Artists4Ceasefire, a collective calling for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian aid to Gaza, the return of hostages, and a just and lasting peace.

In this conversation, we explore

→ The journey behind Traces of Home and Colette Ghunim’s search for home in Mexico and Palestine

→ Intergenerational trauma, family silence, and healing

→ Colette’s father returning to Palestine decades after the Nakba

→ Why Melissa Barrera joined the film and continued speaking out for Palestinian freedom and dignity

→ The cultural and emotional connections between Mexico and Palestine

→ How Colette came to understand home as something found within

→ The power of art, vulnerability, and Sumud to reclaim identity and heal across generations
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In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan sits down with Palestinian singer-songwriter Mona Miari and legendary musician Roger Waters to discuss their powerful reimagining of Comfortably Numb and the story behind its creation. Mona and Roger reflect on the year-long creative process, the grief and inspiration behind the song, Palestinian history and culture, and how music can challenge indifference and keep people from becoming numb to human suffering. They also discuss the emotional story behind the song’s Palestinian lullaby, the making of its accompanying film, and the responsibility artists have to speak out for freedom, justice, and human rights.

Watch 'Roger Waters & Mona Miari – Comfortably Numb Re-Imagined (Official Music Video)':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBmrT3uqmeM

Mona Miari is an internationally acclaimed Palestinian singer-songwriter and artistic director based in New York City, whose work bridges global audiences while rooted in Arabic traditions. The first Arab singer to perform at Boston’s Hatch Memorial Shell with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, she has headlined major venues including Lincoln Center, BAM, and The Public Theater, and performed internationally across Europe, the Arab world, and South Africa. She is the Artistic Director of the New York Arab Chorus and a recipient of residencies from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and La Maison de Beaumont. Her debut album, releasing in 2026, showcases a bold body of original work grounded in storytelling and cross-cultural influence.

Roger Waters, founding member and principal lyricist of Pink Floyd, is one of the most influential figures in modern music history. As the creative force behind landmark albums including The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, his work has shaped generations of listeners through its political consciousness and emotional depth. A lifelong activist, Waters’ connection to Palestine traces back to his childhood, when his father worked as a teacher in the region, shaping his early awareness of its realities. In this project, Waters revisits Comfortably Numb not as nostalgia, but as a living work - reframed through collaboration as a response to the present moment.

In this conversation, we explore

→ The story behind Comfortably Numb Reimagined

→ How Roger Waters and Mona Miari began collaborating

→ Roger Waters’ response and the year-long creative collaboration

→ Hind Rajab, the Palestinian lullaby, and the story behind the rising sun

→ Palestinian musical traditions and the meaning of “Falastin”

→ Centering Palestinian humanity, culture, memory, and everyday life

→ How music and artists can challenge propaganda, injustice, and indifference

→ The meaning of Sumud, resilience, and remaining human through resistance

Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

Full episode on https://sumudpod.com

Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @monamiari | @rogerwaters | @empire.wana
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In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Eman Mabrouk for a powerful conversation about injustice, identity, humanitarian work, anti-Blackness, and the responsibility to speak up. Eman shares her experience fighting for hijab rights, witnessing the treatment of African migrant women, and confronting the racism, exploitation, and silence she encountered across the region. She also discusses how these experiences shaped her understanding of advocacy and solidarity. The conversation explores the kafala system, the treatment of migrant workers, the humanitarian crises affecting vulnerable communities, and the importance of looking beyond the issues most visible to the public. Eman also explains her work with the Rammun Foundation, how to responsibly vet humanitarian organizations, and why real change requires organizing, accountability, and solidarity across communities.

Eman Mabrouk, formerly known as Eman B. Fendi has built her career around one instinct: taking care of people. First through fashion. Now through humanitarian relief. Mabrouk built her styling career, working shows, athletes, and influencers, while simultaneously pursuing her degrees in neuropsychology. The two ran in parallel: a passion for people and a background in the mind shaping how she worked with clients, on set and off. Her talent for styling the body was matched by an ethos for styling the mind. Today Mabrouk leads Rammun Foundation, a humanitarian nonprofit delivering relief across Gaza, Sudan, and Egypt. She also runs Amaanah & Co, a strategic creative consultancy, and Collective Souk, a community and product platform.Three ventures. One throughline: seeing people, and showing up for them.

In this conversation, we explore

→ Eman’s experience with arrest, discrimination, and the fight for hijab rights

→ How a painful experience at 19 became a case that helped protect other Muslim women

→ Eman’s experiences witnessing the treatment of African migrant women and racial hierarchies

→ The kafala system, exploitation of migrant workers, and vulnerability during times of conflict

→ The culture of denial surrounding injustice and the need for humanitarian accountability

→ Eman’s work with the Rammun Foundation, humanitarian relief, and responsible giving

→ Why meaningful solidarity requires organizing, building coalitions, and taking action

Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @ms.emanmabrouk | @theemanmabroukshow
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🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan sits down with American doctors Thaer Ahmad, Feroze Sidhwa, and Mark Perlmutter to discuss what they witnessed while working inside Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals, and what happened when they returned home and tried to make the world listen. The doctors share firsthand accounts of treating patients amid shortages, destroyed medical infrastructure, hunger, displacement, and widespread injuries. They discuss the ethics of documenting suffering, the responsibility of becoming witnesses, and the challenges of bringing these stories to American media and political leaders. The conversation also explores U.S. involvement, growing public awareness, grassroots organizing, the future of healthcare in Gaza, and what ordinary Americans can do to advocate for change.

🌍 Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and humanitarian who has provided medical relief in conflict zones including Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Kenya. He has conducted five medical missions to Gaza, most recently in early 2024, and has since been denied entry four times by Israeli authorities due to his Palestinian heritage. He is an attending physician at Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he serves as assistant program director for the Emergency Medicine Residency Program and Global Health Director for the emergency department. He also holds faculty appointments at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and sits on the board of the Palestinian American Medical Association.

🌍 Dr. Mark Perlmutter is an orthopedic hand surgeon in rural North Carolina and past President of the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgery, the International College of Surgeons, and the World Surgical Foundation. He has completed 40 overseas surgical mission trips across four continents, and responded to Ground Zero on 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and Port-au-Prince within six hours of Haiti's 2010 earthquake. In 2024 and 2025, he volunteered in three Gaza hospitals.

🌍 Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is a general, trauma, and critical care surgeon in California. He has worked on humanitarian deployments in Gaza, Ukraine, the West Bank, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Burkina Faso.

🌍Poh Si Teng is the producer of the Oscar®-nominated ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN and Emmy® Award–winning executive producer of PATRICE: THE MOVIE. She is a former creative executive for ABC/Disney, documentary commissioner for Al Jazeera, IDA grants director, and New York Times journalist. She is the founder of Tiny Boxer Films, which produces non-fiction feature docs, and docu- and unscripted-series for the US and global majority markets. AMERICAN DOCTOR marks her debut as a feature documentary director.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore

→ American doctors’ firsthand experiences inside Gaza’s hospitals

→ The collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system and humanitarian crisis

→ The ethics of documenting war and bearing witness

→ U.S. media, politics, and public understanding of Gaza

→ Advocacy, organizing, and humanitarian efforts in the United States

→ Palestinian healthcare workers and the importance of centering Palestinian voices

→ Rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare system and training the next generation of doctors

Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @thaerahmadmd | @fsidhwa | @markperlmuttermd
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🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan speaks with Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman about political organizing, coalition building, and the challenges of representing her community during the ongoing crisis in Palestine. Ruwa reflects on navigating public criticism, advocating for Palestinian human rights, and balancing principle with political strategy. Together, they discuss why lasting change depends on local organizing, long-term movement building, and grassroots action, not just election cycles or viral moments, and what it takes to remain hopeful and accountable in the fight for justice.

🌍 Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman is not only a Georgia legislator—she is also an organizer, a policy strategist, and a bridge builder. Born in Jordan and the granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, Ruwa moved to Georgia with her family when she was just eight years old. Growing up as a Muslim girl in post-9/11 America, she learned early on what it meant to be misunderstood—and what it would take to be heard. She’s carried that lesson with her into every aspect of her work. Ruwa has volunteered in every election cycle since 2014 to help flip Georgia blue. Whether she was organizing at the grassroots level, informing thousands of Georgians on how to vote in 2020, or helping launch the Georgia Volunteer Hub to mobilize thousands of national and local volunteers, Ruwa has been laser-focused on empowering communities to take ownership of their civic power. Ruwa served as a field organizer for the Georgia Muslim Voter Project and the Asian American Advocacy Fund, communications director for CAIR Georgia, and a trusted strategy and operations expert in both the public and private sectors. Ruwa deeply believes in fighting for a state that we can afford and where we belong. In 2022, Ruwa made history as the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia State House and the first Palestinian American elected to any office in the state. And from day one, she’s fought to take homes back from corporate landlords, lower utility costs, raise the minimum wage, support EMS services, and pushed for a more inclusive, people-powered democracy. She leads with compassion, conviction, and clarity—and she’s a fierce example of what’s possible when you stay rooted in your values and strive for systemic change. Ruwa is now running for State Senate District 7 because the old playbook has failed too many times. At a moment of fear and uncertainty, Ruwa deeply believes that when we all collectively organize, we can build a better future.

🔑 In this conversation, we explore

Ruwa Romman's journey as one of the first Palestinian-American state legislators

The backlash she faced after the Democratic National Convention

Why she rejected accusations of "selling out" her community

Organizing on the ground vs. online activism

Why local elections and long-term political infrastructure matter

Coalition building, political strategy, and lasting civic engagement

The emotional toll of representation and showing up for your community

Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @ruwaromman
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