Asad Haider was a singular presence on the U.S. left: rigorous, optimistic, and relentlessly focused on the problem of political thinking. He died in November at 38.

When did “community” come to mean “a service you subscribe to”? For Muftah’s latest issue, Jamal Mehmood takes on the hollowing of “community” in tech and corporate culture to show how subscription platforms co-opt a term of real human connection by turning it into a “pay-to-say” product.

Interesting essay by Moshik Temkin "In an era of rising authoritarianism meant to destroy democracy, FDR knew that a certain degree of authoritarianism was necessary to protect democracy, since it couldn’t just save itself."

Unilateral demands for “disarmament” seem to have little to do with achieving peace. In fact, they actively avoid the politics that make actual peace possible. Militant movements can’t be disarmed by force; mutual political arrangements must make their weapons unnecessary and even counterproductive.

Democracy survived the 1930s because of (not despite) authoritarian and populist tactics, argues Moshik Temkin. Procedural restraint alone is never enough to preserve democratic life. Restoring material security and public faith matter, even at the cost of elite consensus and institutional decorum.

Muftah Magazine’s final issue of 2025, “Community & Crisis,” is here. Our first two essays—on the challenges of disarming groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, and the curious history of rescuing American democracy by “authoritarian” means—are now available, with the rest to follow soon.

William Barylo recently sat down with us to talk about neoliberalism, its effects on Muslims in the West, his experience being homeless as a graduate student, the folly of the "hijra industry," and more. This is our 12th and final episode of 2025. See you for more in 2026 ✌️

Pleased to share Episode 12 of the Protean View podcast: The Burdens of Neoliberalism, in which @alarian.muftah.org and I speak with sociologist William Barylo. Other URLs in the replies. www.muftah.org/the-burdens-...

On @muftah.org: www.muftah.org/p/dilemmas-o...

It’s easy to publish something loud. It’s much harder to publish something that lasts. If you’ve followed Muftah Magazine, you know we care about great writing that earns your attention and holds up under scrutiny. 🧵

It’s been less than a year since Bashar al-Assad was deposed, and much is still in flux, but I think the arguments @mesbushra.muftah.org and I made in June about Syria’s present condition and possible future continue to hold 👇

Very pleased to announce the latest from @proteanview.muftah.org Episode 10: On the Politics of Analytic Philosophy, in which @alarian.muftah.org and I speak with @schuringa.bsky.social. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube URLs in replies. www.muftah.org/the-politics...

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Don’t miss this—the recent response of philosophy departments to the Gaza genocide is also discussed. Other topics include Rawls’ early religious & political influences, the meaning of the analytic-continental divide, & how philosophy has historically reinforced the status quo.

With Syria back in the news, here’s our article from June in which @alarian.muftah.org and @mesbushra.muftah.org reflect on the condition of the new Syrian state and where it’s headed in the future. Full, un-paywalled article 👇

This is an interesting piece, but I think the authors underestimate the depth of the new Syrian leaders' adhesion to neoliberal economics, which was already patent when they were ruling over Idlib.

For Muftah Magazine's latest issue, Zaid Adhami asks: What does it mean to hold commitments 'in the gray'? Though our culture often extols the critical virtues of 'being skeptical,' with Gaza, it can often be an excuse to waver and mask moral evasion.

Is the new Syrian state revolutionary? In Muftah Magazine's new issue, @alarian.muftah.org & @mesbushra.muftah.org argue that while post-Assad Syria seemed, in theory, a blank canvas for revolutionary change, its inherited conditions narrowed the horizon of possibility.

Muftah Magazine’s new issue is out. We explore the theme of ‘authenticity,’ with essays on revolution and the state, capitalism and self, activism, democracy, and more. Articles are being released weekly, and the first two are available now.

Religion and the American Border with @bethhurd.bsky.social F'19 on @proteanview.muftah.org podcast: www.muftah.org/p/religion-a...

Such a pleasure to speak with the @muftah.org crew about my new book. 👇

Our conversation with @bethhurd.bsky.social is out now wherever you podcast. We discuss the American border, its religious meanings, and 'AmericaIsrael' as a single entity. Check out her new book: Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders, and the Global United States. muftah.org/p/religion-a...

Had a great time talking with Muftah for their new podcast series. Discussing the role of policing "superstition" and the secular, the history of magic-religion-science, my more recent work on critical history. If that sounds like your kind of thing, give it a listen: www.muftah.org/p/superstiti...

Please consider supporting our work, either by subscribing on the @muftah.org website www.muftah.org

Very excited to share our latest episode of @proteanview.muftah.org, in which we interview Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm on Superstition and the Secular. On @muftah.org: www.muftah.org/p/superstiti...

If you’re a writer, editor, or digital strategist and want to work with an amazing and dedicated team producing content on the cultural and political frictions of our time, Muftah Magazine is the place for you. Details below.

This was a really fun interview. If you have any interest in religious or gender studies (and their intersection), this is an episode you won't want to miss. Many interesting points to the discussion, including a great back-and-forth re: the late Saba Mahmood's work on piety.

Pleased to share the latest episode of @proteanview.muftah.org, in which @alarian.muftah.org and I interview Professors Karen Bauer and Feras Hamza on their new book, Women, Households, and the Hereafter in the Qur'an: A Patronage of Piety (OUP, 2024). On @muftah.org: www.muftah.org/p/women-in-t...

The right’s shift from “we need to protect free speech before the snowflakes destroy it” to “we will use state power to punish free speech” isn’t mere hypocrisy, it’s part of a longstanding history. The right has always feigned concern over free speech while in fact squashing it.

Really hope Bluesky takes off, because X is a dumpster fire. But finding a community feels harder here.

If you haven't explored @proteanview.muftah.org yet, what are you waiting for? We have six great episodes out (on our website and wherever you podcast) featuring Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Salman Sayyid, Sherman Jackson, Daniel Tutt, Nader Hashemi, and Norman Finkelstein. Much more soon––follow us!

If you haven't explored @proteanview.muftah.org yet, what are you waiting for? We have six great episodes out (on our website and wherever you podcast) featuring Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Salman Sayyid, Sherman Jackson, Daniel Tutt, Nader Hashemi, and Norman Finkelstein. Much more soon––follow us!

“Nah dude due process is only for Americans/citizens”

Aaron Bushnell didn’t self-immolate to “raise awareness” or call us to action, argues @alarian.muftah.org. Responding to the limits of protest and the fact that the truth about Gaza means nothing to the ruling elite, Bushnell’s message was arguably: watch this—nothing will change.

Alex Odeh is probably not a name you've ever heard before, even though his murder in 1985 remains one of the most bizarre, unresolved mysteries of our time. Read this incredible piece about Odeh's murder and its ongoing implications by William Lafi Youmans.

The ruling elite love to proclaim concern for the weak, powerless, and forgotten in our society. But as Daniel Tutt powerfully and correctly argues here, they perpetuate a cynical winner-loser logic that reverberates in the most destructive ways.

In this excellent essay, @profstorm.bsky.social asks: What happens when the grand narratives of modernity and critical insights of postmodern thought discordantly converge? On the cusp of new unknowns, unfamiliar questions emerge that a familiar world can't answer.

We have some really, really great stuff in the ol’ archive. Not just ‘blast from the past’ stuff, but genuinely thought-provoking, well-written essays that remain highly relevant. We haven’t been the best at making that known, so here’s a thread with some examples:

For @thenation.com, I reflect on Aaron Bushnell’s death & the limits of protest. I deny that he self-immolated to raise awareness, or because he thought he could quell the Gaza genocide, & I claim that part of his message was: watch this, nothing will change. www.thenation.com/article/acti...

New episode! Sectarianization and Gaza with Nader Hashemi is out now. Apple: tinyurl.com/3s8jh8wj Spotify: tinyurl.com/2s4x7b98 YouTube: tinyurl.com/2223fp7 This episode was released early on Patreon last week. Follow and support us there for exclusive content!

The viking has become an object of cultural fetishization today––but why? For our Misfits issue, Ahmed Elbenni argues that viking culture "is being rehabilitated as one alternative to Hellenized Christianity" in response to "a Western crisis of faith and identity." tinyurl.com/y7xmdby7

The grand narratives of modernity and the critical insights of postmodern thought seem to be discordantly converging. On the cusp of new unknowns, unfamiliar questions emerge that a familiar world can't answer. Protean View emerged in response––to probe the metamodern. 🧵1/9

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What this report doesn’t mention is that the two survivors blamed antisemitism for what happened to them and then called for “death to the Arabs.”

Really great conversation on Nietzsche

We glorify rebels but punish real ones. Society loves to celebrate the trickster after they’ve won—but when they’re actually challenging the system? They’re cast out, mocked, exiled, erased. Misfits aren’t loved until they’re useful. 🧵👇

Artificial Intelligence promises to eliminate human limitations and offers personal optimization assistants to replace the pain of thinking. But at what cost? Are we sacrificing our humanity for the sake of convenience and efficiency? 🧵👇

🔥 WAKE UP LOSER! The world is run by winners—and you’re not one of them. The system is rigged so that a tiny elite hoards power while the rest of us are trapped in a permanent loser class. But what if I told you that even the so-called “left” is in on the scam? 🧵👇