As part of our new “One on One w/ Anushay” series, this month I sit down with Norwegian documentary film director, and human rights activist, Deeyah Khan.
She reflects on growing up feeling caught between worlds and how art, activism, and music became both refuge and resistance. Deeyah shares how her early experiences shaped her Emmy and BAFTA-winning work documenting white supremacy, violent extremism, gender-based violence, and the dangerous rise of authoritarian movements around the world.
We dive into some of the defining issues of our era: Muslim identity in the West, honor-based violence, white supremacy in America, Christian nationalism, media complicity, immigration, and the global backlash against women’s rights and democracy.
Deeyah speaks candidly about embedding herself with neo-Nazis and extremists for her documentaries White Right: Meeting the Enemy and Jihad: A Story of the Others, revealing what she learned about fear, hate, belonging, and the possibility of human connection even in the most divided spaces.
We examine how silence enables oppression — and why hope itself can become an act of resistance. At its core, this episode is a conversation about courage: the courage to speak honestly, confront injustice, reject fear, and build solidarity across borders and differences.
Deeyah offers a powerful reminder that no one is coming to save us — that meaningful change depends on ordinary people choosing compassion, truth, and action. This is one of The Pain Gap’s most timely, provocative, and unforgettable conversations yet. Make sure to tune in, wherever you get your podcasts!
