logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
26m 29s

Heart and Soul: The human shield

Bbc World Service
About this episode

At the age of 34, Donna Mulhearn – a committed Christian - had grown disillusioned with her career as a journalist and political adviser. When she heard someone on the radio seeking volunteers to serve as human shields in Iraq, Donna - already opposed to the war and a staunch advocate of non-violent action - immediately knew what she had to do. Despite the objections of concerned family and friends, she travelled to Baghdad to join hundreds of other volunteers from around the world. But all too soon things got complicated. The Iraqi authorities had their own ideas about where the human shields should be deployed – and then Donna, along with other volunteers, witnessed scenes of carnage. Despite all this, Mike Wooldridge, asks, does she feel with hindsight that she did the right thing?

Up next
Today
Global dancefloor: Saigon
Frank McWeeny heads to the dancefloors of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to uncover what Vietnamese alternative culture looks and sounds like today. With 70% of the country under 35, young people are the driving force behind a different image of Vietnam, far away from poverty and war. ... Show More
36m 35s
Yesterday
The biker gang ‘securing’ deadly Gaza aid sites
We have identified seven members of an anti-Islamic biker gang who oversaw security teams at aid sites for starving Palestinians, run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Correspondent Andy Verity unearths who they are, what they believe and how their ideology may h ... Show More
22m 25s
Oct 7
Bolivia’s Cholitas – From Outcasts to Icons
With their pleated skirts and bowler hats the “cholita” women are a common sight in Bolivia’s administrative capital La Paz. They’re often from indigenous Aymara and Quechua cultures. Until recently cholita was used as a derogatory term to talk about their distinctive traditional ... Show More
27m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Dr. Mary Walker's True North
Dr. Mary Walker was the first and only woman to have been awarded the Medal of Honor. She worked as a surgeon during the Civil War, saving the lives of Union soldiers. She crossed into dangerous enemy territory to take care of civilians in need. She was a prisoner of war. But her ... Show More
31m 48s
Sep 2020
Five Month War
Leaving behind everything he'd ever known to help people struggling in his community wasn't something Abubakar (Abs) expected to do in his early twenties. But when war broke out in his hometown he had no other choice."It was a mixed emotion," says Abubakar Basman of the decision ... Show More
25m 18s
Jan 2025
Volunteering for Freedom
As a young man, Mohammed, AKA MFA Zaman, arrived in Britain from Bangladesh with a working visa, a patron and a job lined up as a chef. On arrival though, the promises of a bright future turned to ashes when he became a victim of modern slavery. But at this lowest of low ebbs in ... Show More
28m 49s
Sep 2024
From Kidnapping to Empowering Youth with Hanin Al Qoreishy
Today, we share the incredible journey of Hanin Al Qoreishy, whose life story unfolds like a tapestry of courage and determination.  Born into a politically and religiously influential family in Iraq, Baghdad, Hanin's early years were shattered by conflict and personal tragedy, i ... Show More
1s
Apr 2021
Something Far Greater Than This
How do we search for something we've never seen? The last episode of the series sees the Arif whānau reflect on their years in Aotearoa and dream of a better future.How do we search for something we've never seen? The last episode of the series sees the Arif whānau reflect on the ... Show More
43m 48s
Jul 2024
Austin Knuppe, "Surviving the Islamic State: Contention, Cooperation, and Neutrality in Wartime Iraq" (Columbia UP, 2024)
How did ordinary Iraqis survive the occupation of their communities by the Islamic State? How did they decide whether to stay or flee, to cooperate or resist? Based on an original survey from Baghdad alongside key interviews in the field Surviving the Islamic State: Contention, C ... Show More
53m 49s
May 2024
11. Women in War with Donia Ashour
The death and destruction, wrought by Israel's bloody war in Gaza has been highly publicised and discussed, rightly so. But what about the day to day lives of those who survive? How do women manage menstrual cycles when fleeing bombardment and living in refugee camps with tens of ... Show More
37m 35s
Apr 2024
“Civil War” ’s Unsettling Images
“Civil War,” Alex Garland’s divisive new action flick, borrows iconography—and actual footage—from the America of today as set dressing for a hypothetical, fractured future. Though we know that the President is in his third term, and that Texas and California have formed an unlik ... Show More
46m 10s
Aug 2024
Ayelet - Learning how to pray for freedom
Ayelet is an opera singer, prayer leader, and full-spectrum doula - which is a care worker who offers support to people during the full spectrum of pregnancy and the different gates of life in a holistic manner – from menstruation through preconception, to birth to abortion to mi ... Show More
1h 54m
Jun 2024
Hotel Talk with Farah Shammas: Episode 108 with Rita El-Mounayer - CEO of Sat-7
Rita El-Mounayer is the CEO of Sat-7 which has a mission to see a growing Church in the Middle East and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the community and contributing to the good of society and culture. She talks about her own unbelievable start in ... Show More
39m 8s