Boys In The Cave

In this unreal episode, we were joined by Kaleem Bullivant, who spoke to us while literally being on the flotilla boat.
This was not a normal studio conversation.
Kaleem joined us from the sea, in the middle of a real journey, giving us a raw and personal insight into what it is like to be part of the flotilla, why he chose to be there, and what the experience meant to him on a human, spiritual and emotional level. 
We discuss the reality of life onboard, the motivation behind the mission, the emotions that come with being part of something bigger than yourself, and the courage it takes to physically put yourself in that position.
A truly unique conversation, recorded in a moment that felt bigger than just a podcast.
Kaleem was not just talking about the flotilla. He was on it.
Follow his journey at sea here:
 https://globalsumudflotilla.org/tracker/
Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe for more deep conversations.

We sit down with Dr Yakoob Ahmed for a deep conversation on how modernity quietly reshaped the Muslim mind, and why so much of what we call "modern history" is built on myths, assumptions, and power.
We explore how colonisation and the nation state rewired Muslim memory, identity, and imagination, how the idea of "objective history" can become a trap, and what it takes to recover a more honest, grounded way of understanding our past without nostalgia, propaganda, or performative outrage.
We discuss:
- How modernity changed the way Muslims see themselves and their history
- The nation state, colonisation, and the editing of collective memory
- The myth of "neutral" history, and who gets to define what is true
- Why progress narratives can distort the Muslim past
- How to study history with adab, humility, and intellectual honesty
- Practical ways to rebuild historical consciousness today
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:10 Welcome, meeting Dr Yakoob Ahmed
01:23 Why this conversation matters, Muslim historians, background
04:15 Studying history in the West, "leaving God outside the classroom"
09:39 "History from above", centering Allah, hidden assumptions in academia
15:37 What is history, memory, identity, lived experience
23:14 Man orientated vs iman orientated history, nuance, darkness, realism
26:49 Romantic visions of the past, hero narratives, Salahuddin, Mahdi
29:32 Can we write history about recent events, Palestine and living memory
32:41 Erased local Muslim histories, Far East examples (Philippines etc)
35:12 Fiction, film, propaganda, and myth making (Padmavati example)
41:47 Moral lesson stories vs history, how we read Umar narratives
43:20 The trap of "objective" modern history
45:52 Gatekeepers, language, and how historians judge sources
51:14 How Muslims tend to read history, moral lessons vs fiqh vs patterns
54:15 Progress myths and teleology, Rasulullah as the compass
56:58 Modernity and time, clocks, industrial time vs sacred time
1:12:07 Can Muslims imagine again, beyond inferiority and apology
1:17:03 "The human" category, who counts as human in modern narratives
1:21:29 Linking stories across the Ummah, Ottoman, Mughal connections
1:29:49 Japanese "fake Muslims", spies, and forgotten interconnections
1:41:48 Colonial apologetics, language barriers, and modern history framing
1:45:05 The internet changed everything, publishing outside the academy
1:52:47 Writing the book post Gazza, emotion, hope, agency
1:57:59 Ottoman archery, craft, discipline, lived tradition
2:07:08 The cave question, 3 people you would hang out with
2:12:13 Wrap up and outro

Habeeb Akande, British-Nigerian writer, historian, and sex educator, joins us to unpack topics many Muslims argue about loudly, but rarely discuss with depth, nuance, and real principles.
We talk about the modern crisis of masculinity in Muslim spaces, why "Red Pill vs feminist" has become a rigid false binary, and how figures like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson slot into a deeper identity struggle for some Muslim men.
We also explore how Islamic terms get weaponised in online discourse, including misusing concepts like fitrah to baptise personal opinions as "Islam", and flattening ghayrah into coercive control rather than principled, loving boundaries.
Throughout the conversation, we return to a core theme, prophetic masculinity is not a performance, it is integrity, responsibility, and protecting the vulnerable, not exploiting religious language to justify manipulation or abuse.
Topics that we cover:
- The "tribal" pull of sport, and why it bonds men so intensely
- Why the manosphere appeals to Muslim men, identity, insecurity, and performative masculinity 
- "Red Pill vs feminist" as a trap, and how Islam pushes a more mature middle path
- Ghayrah, translation, boundaries, and how language can mislead
- Fitrah being used like a debate weapon, and why that's dangerous
- Intimacy in the Islamic tradition, and why we turned it into a taboo topic
Timestamps:
0:00 Football banter, sports as the male soap opera
11:42 Intimacy in Islam, why it became a taboo topic
15:20 Polygyny, ethics, and exploitation
36:13 Calling out hypocrisy, double standards with women vs men
37:17 Who we "expose" vs who we excuse 
39:26 Platforming "reformed" gangsters, ignoring sisters
49:24 Minivan drug dealers debating aqeedah, the problem is control
58:00 Prophetic sexual ethics, the cave hadith, and euphemisms
1:05:51 "Protective jealousy" translation, what ghayrah actually means
1:08:14 Fitrah in manosphere debates, why it gets weaponised
1:10:10 Polygamy and fitrah claims, where the logic goes wrong
1:13:32 Haya and translation problems, how language traps people
1:14:34 "Sexual discipline" vs desire, framing that resonates today
1:19:58 Ramadan clarity, food, drink, and intercourse (not vague euphemisms)
1:24:27 What traits define healthy masculinity
1:26:15 Hijab, beard, and optics vs real akhlaq
1:40:12 Red pill thinking, religious language used as loopholes
1:44:09 Tarbiyah gap, knowledge without character formation
1:46:50 Protector and provider, stepping up not posturing
1:51:11 "Dawah bros" image, culture war performance, self branding
1:55:31 Dayuth and ghayrah, meaning vs misuse
1:56:26 "Providing" as status aesthetics, entitlement, control
2:02:56 Marriage "expertise", divorce rates, and what wisdom actually is
2:23:23 Final reflections, wrap up

In this deep-dive conversation, Professor Joel Hayward returns to unpack one of the most misunderstood periods of the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ life, the politics of Medina under pressure.
We explore the Ghatafān confederation and their leader ʿUyaynah ibn Ḥiṣn, how tribal power actually worked in the Ḥijāz, and why the Prophet ﷺ practiced diplomacy even with deeply unreliable figures.
The discussion moves through the Battle of the Trench, coalition warfare, and how the Prophet deliberately fractured enemy alliances without unnecessary bloodshed.
A major focus is the Sawiq raid, a small but decisive event after Badr that exposed internal vulnerabilities within Medina.
Professor Hayward explains why Banū al-Naḍīr's role in the raid marked a permanent rupture, how insider knowledge mattered more than battlefield force, and why this episode leads directly into their later expulsion.
The episode also challenges common assumptions about "polytheists," Jews, and alliances in early Islam.
Drawing on sīrah criticism, archaeology, and comparative history, Professor Hayward shows why later narratives often oversimplified seventh-century belief, tribal identity, and treaty structures.
This is a conversation about statecraft, realism, and moral restraint, and why the Prophet ﷺ governed with strategy rather than slogans.
If you want a serious rethinking of Medina's covenants, treaties, and power dynamics, this episode is essential listening.
Professor Joel Hayward is the Dean of the Sycamore Leadership Academy in Istanbul, and repeatedly listed in The Muslim 500. Al Khaleej called him a world authority on conflict and strategy, and Kirkus says he is one of academia's most visible Islamic thinkers.
He has ijazat in Islamic sciences, focuses on ʿaqidah and sirah, and has led major programs at King's College London and the Royal Air Force College, as well as serving as chief executive of Cambridge Muslim College.
His 18 books include The Leadership of Muhammad, which won the 2021 Sharjah award, and The Warrior Prophet.
Timestamps 
00:00:00 Introduction, framing the episode
00:19:46 Ghatafan at the Trench, Uyaynah, the date deal discussion
00:39:59 Ghatafan and Jews around Khaybar, identity and alliances
00:59:48 Sawiq raid setup, Abu Sufyan's motive and the raid begins
01:19:57 Sahifat al Madinah, why key tribes are not named, what that implies
01:39:57 Kaab ibn al Ashraf, poetry as propaganda, security and statecraft
01:59:59 Transition to Banu Qurayza, why this is the most controversial section
02:19:33 The sentence and execution reports, reading the sources carefully
02:38:49 Closing remarks and sign off

In this episode of Boys in the Cave, we sit down with Haroon Raza, a Dutch criminal defence lawyer and human rights advocate based in Rotterdam.
We unpack the legal strategy behind pursuing accountability for Gaza, the rise of state overreach across Europe, and how activism shifts when the "rules" stop protecting people.
Haroon shares how investigators gathered open source evidence and compiled an indictment covering 1,000 IDF soldiers across multiple nationalities, based largely on what was posted publicly online, and how that work fed into efforts taken toward international accountability.
We also discuss a major "first" moment, the arrest and interrogation of two IDF soldiers in Belgium and what it reveals about the shifting legal landscape in Europe.
Plus, we get into the darker side of modern "rule of law", secret evidence, surveillance, infiltration, profiling Muslims in local municipalities, and why Haroon warns that if law fails to protect legitimate advocacy, societies head into dangerous territory.
Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Human Appeal Australia, supporting Palestinians with hot meals and vegetable baskets:
https://my.humanappeal.org.au/donate
Timestamps
0:00 Sponsor, Human Appeal Australia
1:04 Who is Haroon Raza, and what this episode is about
3:55 Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, activism roots (and the first wake up calls)
9:49 Netherlands Islamophobia, politics, and early racism
16:06 Protest crackdowns in Europe, policing, intimidation
20:31 Protest bans, "terror" labels, civil disobedience
30:34 Secret evidence, surveillance, and the limits of "rule of law"
38:24 Profiling Muslims, infiltration, municipality databases, legal pushback
43:20 Adversity, faith, and staying firm under pressure
47:48 Tomorrowland (Belgium), the detention story, what happened
54:26 Investigative unit, turning open source content into case files
55:30 The "1,000 soldiers" indictment, Instagram as evidence
56:17 ICC and embassies, long game, ripple effects beyond Europe
1:06:43 Why "Hind Rajab", impunity, impact, backlash
1:29:44 Closing reflections and duas