On Choosing Love (No Matter What) | Deeyah Khan

Two time Emmy and Peabody Award winning Documentary Filmmaker 

Deeyah Khan has dedicated over a decade of her life to making empathetic and unflinching films which deal with some of the most important and polarizing issues confronting our world today; 

extremism, violence against women, inequality, racism and social exclusion.

Deeyah has filmed with:

battle-hardened jihadis, 

members of armed militia groups, 

American domestic terrorists and white supremacists, 

And through these encounters she’s had illuminating and often surprising results. 

After spending a number of months filming with members of the United States’ largest neo-Nazi organization, 

three high-ranking figures, including the leader, left the movement and rejected its white supremacist ideology. 

All of them crediting their encounters with Deeyah as the catalyst for them to leave.

Today we’ll engage in a deep and moving discussion about what Deeyah has learned from her unique and extraordinary experiences. 

Learnings that in essence come back to the power and potential of:

• Radical curiosity,
• Deep listening,
• Choosing Love,
• And having a fierce and unwavering commitment to center the inherent dignity of all human beings.

This is the final conversation in our mini series on Love. 

A four letter word that is perhaps one of the most complicated in our culture,

and yet simultaneously may be the most important practice for our time. 

This series, which has been years in the making ultimately brought together some of the world’s leading:

• Peace and reconciliation workers, 
• Conflict transformation experts,
• Scholars on compassion, altruism, and generosity,
• Storytellers,
• Writers, 
• Filmmakers
• And spiritual teachers 

To unpack how Love, 

as Deeyah so beautifully puts it,

"Is, and has always been, the great interrupter." 

Love is what can help to break cycles of violence, hatred, and polarization.

Love is what connects us.

Love is what liberates.

Love is what heals.

Love is what brings us back to each other. 

And Choosing Love is exactly what these times are calling for. 

For more on Deeyah, her films, music, and other offerings please visit deeyah.com 

Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations from our mini-series on Love:

• On the Possibility of Meeting Hate with Love | Dr. Barbara Tint
• On Love and the Illusion of Separateness | Elias Amidon
• On Awakening, Belonging, and Love | Henry Shukman
• On Love, Storytelling, and Radical Curiosity | Baktash Ahadi
• On the Power of Love | Stephen G. Post

Enjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Thanks for listening!