Over a decade later, we’re revisiting Not Quite White because the political landscape of 2026 continues to wield “whiteness” as both shield and sword: protecting privileges for some, drawing boundaries for others, and mutating in response to new waves of migration, economic insecurity, and social anxiety. The conversations about racial justice, political solidarity, and cultural belonging have deepened—but so have the harms that whiteness produces and feeds upon.

Not Quite White was and remains a call to grapple with whiteness, not as an identity to celebrate or condemn, but as a system—historical, adaptable, and capable of change through collective reimagining. As more Americans confront the legacies of colonialism and imperialism and the realities of economic inequality, the film invites us to consider a redefinition of whiteness that is anti-racist and economically just—one that dismantles hierarchy instead of perpetuating it, a world in which we are linked, not ranked.

Below is the original description from the film, which captures its essence and the challenges it levels:

Silk Road Rising’s Not Quite White: Arabs, Slavs, and the Contours of Contested Whiteness is a documentary film that explores the complicated relationship of Arab and Slavic immigrants to American notions of whiteness.

Not Quite White expands the American conversation on race by zeroing in on whiteness as a constructed social and political category, a slippery slope that historically played favorites, advantaging Northern and Western European immigrants over immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe and the Middle East. Inspired by Jamil Khoury’s short play WASP: White Arab Slovak Pole, Not Quite White integrates scenes from WASP alongside interviews with Arab American and Polish American academics who reflect upon contested and probationary categories of whiteness and the use of anti-Black racism as a “whitening” dye.

In Not Quite White, director Jamil Khoury draws upon his own Arab (Syrian) and Slavic (Polish and Slovak) heritage as the lens through which to investigate the broader issue of immigrants achieving whiteness and hence qualifying as “fully American.” The film advances ongoing conversations about the meanings of whiteness and efforts aimed at redefining whiteness.

Not Quite White: Arabs, Slavs, and the Contours of Contested Whiteness is dedicated to a vision of whiteness that is anti-racist and rooted in economic justice.

As we continue the work of the Polycultural Institute and our Evolve podcast, my hope is that Not Quite White can spark dialogue—between immigrants and their descendants, and between those who identify as white, not-quite-white, and BIPOC. How do we build coalitions across these inherited, sometimes arbitrary lines? For whiteness to evolve toward justice, it must relinquish its gatekeeping power and embody collaboration, accountability, and humanity. May the struggle continue.

You can watch the documentary here:
🎥 Not Quite White: Arabs, Slavs, and the Contours of Contested Whiteness

Creative Team

Directed by

• Jamil Khoury

• Stephen Combs

Executive Producer

• Malik Gillani

Director of Photography & Editor

• Stephen Combs

Music Director

• Peter J. Storms

Featured Experts

• Roxane Assaf

• Ann Hetzel Gunkel

• John Tofik Karam

• Dominic A. Pacyga

Featured Experts

• Roxane Assaf

• Ann Hetzel Gunkel

• John Tofik Karam

• Dominic A. Pacyga

Watch on YouTube

For years, I’ve said that Silk Road Rising (now Silk Road Cultural Center and its digital media arm, Polycultural Institute) was born of a multicultural politics and quickly migrated to a polycultural aesthetic. In many respects, Multi and Poly, the plays' two featured characters, are the embodiment of that journey: one is focused on defending and dignifying distinct cultural communities, and the other insists on unleashing the messy, transformative traffic between communities. Their “date” is essentially a discursive battle over how culture works, how power operates, and the tensions and complexities that complicate conversations about diversity, inclusion, authenticity, and belonging.

Multi Meets Poly is what I call pedagogidrama—drama as a teaching and learning tool, a theatricalized intellectual workout, more lean-forward than lean‑back. The ideas at hand aren’t camouflaged in subtext; the ideas are the story. Multi and Poly debate definitions of culture, argue over cultural relativism, racism, and essentialism, tussle over metaphors such as the mosaic and the melting pot, and test each other’s comfort with hybridity, elasticity, continuity, and change. In doing so, they also expose the limits of our favorite frameworks and the tendency of institutions to commodify “diversity” rather than redistribute power.

Why share this now, with the Polycultural Institute community? Because so many of the fault lines that undergird this story have only sharpened. We’re living through overlapping crises—authoritarian and exclusionary politics, wars and displacement, normalization of genocide, manufacturing and stoking of cultural chasms, and renewed battles over whose stories count and whose don’t. Multiculturalism continues to do the important work of protecting the integrity of communities under threat and reminding us all that representation truly matters; simultaneously, polyculturalism invites us to participate in the transformation of people, cultures, and communities through dynamic interchange, shared struggle, and coalitional politics. That tension—between preserving and evolving—sits at the heart of our ongoing "Rebuilding Syria" and "The Re-Churching of America" podcast collections, and demonstrates our commitment to polyculturalism as a life practice, not simply a theory.

I’m returning to this piece now because Americans are wrestling with these very questions in classrooms, organizing spaces, faith communities, arts venues, digital publics, and around kitchen tables. If you’ve ever felt grateful for multicultural inclusion and expansion while suspicious of its reductiveness and constraints, this conversation between Multi and Poly might offer language for your discomfort—and tangible tools for thinking beyond it. My hope is that you won’t just watch passively, but that you'll pause, argue with the characters, and ask yourself where, in your own work, are you operating within a multicultural mindset, where are you engaging with polycultural possibilities, and what becomes viable when your inner Multi and Poly actually work together?

Whether revisiting Multi Meets Poly or watching for the first time, I hope you enjoy the first date!

Our tag line for the collection is “Reviving Religious Life With the Knowledge We’ve Gained.” There is no denying that over the past century, Americans have gained inordinate knowledge from science, technology, and cultural interchange. We’ve acquired wisdom and understanding from movements for economic and racial justice, women’s and gay liberation, environmental stewardship, and collective struggles against war, imperialism, and colonialism, both at home and abroad.

Although the series is rooted in a specifically Christian context, the goal of re-churching extends to mosques, synagogues, temples, gurdwaras, jamatkhanas, prayer halls, etc. We argue that a flourishing religious mosaic is vital not only to America’s soul but also to its security and success, and that any re-churching worthy of the name must reject fear and control in favor of love and healing.

This new Evolve collection, “The Re-Churching of America,” begins with a seemingly simple question: Is America re-churching, or are our religious communities and institutions continuing to decline? Surely there are indicators that point in both directions.

If there is a resurgence—and that is what this collection is rooting for—what do we want the resurgence to look like, and not look like? How do we ensure that a re-churching of America doesn’t benefit fundamentalists, extremists, grifters, and those who appropriate faith to “sanctify” prejudice and inflict real harm on the people they tell you to hate?

Our tag line for the collection is “Reviving Religious Life With the Knowledge We’ve Gained.” There is no denying that over the past century, Americans have gained inordinate knowledge from science, technology, and cultural interchange. We’ve acquired wisdom and understanding from movements for economic and racial justice, women’s and gay liberation, environmental stewardship, and collective struggles against war, imperialism, and colonialism, both at home and abroad.

Although the series is rooted in a specifically Christian context, the goal of re-churching extends to mosques, synagogues, temples, gurdwaras, jamatkhanas, prayer halls, etc. We argue that a flourishing religious mosaic is vital not only to America’s soul but also to its security and success, and that any re-churching worthy of the name must reject fear and control in favor of love and healing.

In Part One, “Taking It To The Pews,” host Jamil Khoury reflects on the steep decline of religious participation in the United States. He asks what a healthier and more just resurgence of religious life could look like.

He posits that America’s passage toward building a more perfect union must also include a more perfect church. In “perfection,” he sees an aspirational, ever-advancing goalpost. He also insists that church is not an arm of the state or a partisan project, but a “hospital for the soul,” a big tent where people seek God and one another beyond left–right labels.

“Taking It To The Pews” is both a cautionary tale and an invitation: it names the trauma many have endured in religious institutions and affirms the right to leave any abusive community. At the same time, it urges listeners to consider seeking—or even building—houses of worship grounded in love, compassion, and belonging.

From the House of Assad Falls to A United Syrian Federation

Our journey began with the dramatic fall of Assad, capturing the hopes—and tough realities—of Syria’s post-authoritarian moment. In “A Litany of No’s,” we explored the principles that powered Syria’s revolution: no to dictatorship, no to sectarian division, no to false moderation.

Part 1: The House Of Assad Falls (Released on May 3rd, running time 12:28)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

Part 2: A Litany Of No’s (Released on May 24th, running time 11:30)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

“In Defense of the Mosaic” moved us through reflection and renewal, spotlighting Syria’s diverse communities. We then examined the treacherous terrain of transitional leadership in “The New Guy In Charge.” The podcast confronted the ambiguities of change—how new power can still echo old wounds, and how only deep coalition-building can break the cycle.

Part 3: In Defense Of The Mosaic (Released on June 21st, running time 15:12)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

Part 4: The New Guy In Charge (Released on July 19th, running time 24:11)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

We probed sectarian violence and the myth of moderation in “Al Sharaa and Company Must Go,” and dove into the enduring legacy and promise of Eastern Christians in “A Cradle of Christianity”—not for nostalgia, but as essential to any future that is built on pluralism.

Part 5: Al-Sharaa & Company Must Go (Released on August 16th, running time 31:30)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

Part 6: A Cradle Of Christianity (Released on September 13th, running time 40:13)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

And finally, in the seventh episode, “United Syrian Federation,” we asked: what will it really take for Syrians to live together as equals, in a unified and free nation? This episode elevated visions of federal governance—a structure where communities safeguard their identities while binding together for the common good. It challenged listeners to imagine practical pluralism: coalition politics, local autonomy, and constitutional frames that make real coexistence possible, not just rhetorical.

Part 7: United Syrian Federation (Released on October 26th, running time 45:57)
Substack - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - YouTube

This first collection is rooted in the Institute’s mission: generating ideas to promote polyculturalism and coalition-building. It is also deeply rooted in Jamil’s Syrian American experience and personal commitment to rebuilding Syria’s mosaic.

What’s Next?

While Syria’s future remains uncertain, Collection One carries a message of constructive realism and hope: rebuilding begins with acknowledging the artistry and resilience within Syria’s diverse communities. The journey ahead demands sober clarity, coalitional vision, and a commitment to polyculturalism, heritage, and continuity.

But the highlight: Rebuilding Syria is not over!

We absolutely plan on continuing our conversations about Syria, but are currently moving towards establishing our second collection, The Re-Churching of America. But that doesn’t mean our Syrian story is anywhere near being done.

Thank you for listening, reflecting, and sharing questions about Syria’s new chapter post-Assad. We welcome your thoughts and look forward to continuing this evolving conversation.

Collection 1: Rebuilding Syria is produced by Polycultural Institute, the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center.

Subscribe to keep up with our next series, updates, and community events.

Listen to the full collection on Substack, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify. Share your reflections in the comments or email us directly to help shape Syria’s narrative.

After fourteen years of war, Syrians are pushing for a future that is post-Assad, post-Al Sharaa, post-sectarian—and definitively post-autocracy. In this episode, we lay out a distinctly Syrian path forward: a United Syrian Federation built on federalism, localism, and the right of historic communities to shape their own destinies free of coercion and domination.

The United Syrian Federation explores one of the most contentious and consequential proposals in Syria’s reconstruction debate—federalism. While interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa champions centralization and national unity under a single authority, Alawite, Druze, and Kurdish communities, alongside regional actors, push for decentralized governance that recognizes Syria’s mosaic. The tension between these visions isn’t merely political theater; it’s a fundamental reckoning with Syria’s identity, its future, and whether repeating the mistakes of the Assad era can truly be avoided.

United Syrian Federation makes the case for a federal Syria in language that is direct and decisive—what it is, what it isn’t, and why a robust but accountable central government can coexist with genuine regional self-rule. We consider the three regions demanding broad autonomy (Rojava; the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartous; and the province of Sweida), the role of Syria’s great metropolitan “spine” (Aleppo–Hama–Homs–Damascus), and why centralized strongman politics have already proven catastrophic.

Pointed, unsentimental, forward-looking. If you care about Syria’s future—and the difference between unity and uniformity—this episode is for you.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

After fourteen years of war, Syrians are pushing for a future that is post-Assad, post-Al Sharaa, post-sectarian—and definitively post-autocracy. In this episode, we lay out a distinctly Syrian path forward: a United Syrian Federation built on federalism, localism, and the right of historic communities to shape their own destinies free of coercion and domination.

The United Syrian Federation explores one of the most contentious and consequential proposals in Syria’s reconstruction debate—federalism. While interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa champions centralization and national unity under a single authority, Alawite, Druze, and Kurdish communities, alongside regional actors, push for decentralized governance that recognizes Syria’s mosaic. The tension between these visions isn’t merely political theater; it’s a fundamental reckoning with Syria’s identity, its future, and whether repeating the mistakes of the Assad era can truly be avoided.

United Syrian Federation makes the case for a federal Syria in language that is direct and decisive—what it is, what it isn’t, and why a robust but accountable central government can coexist with genuine regional self-rule. We consider the three regions demanding broad autonomy (Rojava; the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartous; and the province of Sweida), the role of Syria’s great metropolitan “spine” (Aleppo–Hama–Homs–Damascus), and why centralized strongman politics have already proven catastrophic.

Pointed, unsentimental, forward-looking. If you care about Syria’s future—and the difference between unity and uniformity—this episode is for you.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

Host Jamil Khoury—Founder and Director of Polycultural Institute at Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center—threads personal history and deep scholarship to map a faith that took root in Damascus and Antioch and never stopped shaping the world. From St. Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus to the rich mosaic of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Eastern and Roman Catholic, Protestant, Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, and Syriac traditions, Syria’s churches emerge as both ancient wellspring and modern bellwether.

Khoury speaks passionately about persecution, the dhimmi legacy, and the staggering post-2011 exodus of Syrian Christians. He refuses eulogies. Instead, he argues for equal citizenship, constitutional guarantees, and a coalition of Christian and Muslim allies to stabilize communities and open pathways for return migration—permanent or periodic. The vision is unapologetically ambitious: a renaissance of Christians of the East that strengthens Syria’s pluralism, benefits all Syrians, and recommits the region to genuine coexistence. No euphemisms, no nostalgia—just a clear case for renewal, responsibility, and a Christian faith that still breathes in Arabic.

Along the way, Khoury draws hard lessons from the near-total exile of Syrian Jewry, insisting that Syria’s future must welcome back the very communities that made its culture cosmopolitan. If you care about heritage, human dignity, and the rebuilding of a country’s moral architecture, start here.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

Host Jamil Khoury—Founder and Director of Polycultural Institute at Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center—threads personal history and deep scholarship to map a faith that took root in Damascus and Antioch and never stopped shaping the world. From St. Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus to the rich mosaic of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Eastern and Roman Catholic, Protestant, Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, and Syriac traditions, Syria’s churches emerge as both ancient wellspring and modern bellwether.

Khoury speaks passionately about persecution, the dhimmi legacy, and the staggering post-2011 exodus of Syrian Christians. He refuses eulogies. Instead, he argues for equal citizenship, constitutional guarantees, and a coalition of Christian and Muslim allies to stabilize communities and open pathways for return migration—permanent or periodic. The vision is unapologetically ambitious: a renaissance of Christians of the East that strengthens Syria’s pluralism, benefits all Syrians, and recommits the region to genuine coexistence. No euphemisms, no nostalgia—just a clear case for renewal, responsibility, and a Christian faith that still breathes in Arabic.

Along the way, Khoury draws hard lessons from the near-total exile of Syrian Jewry, insisting that Syria’s future must welcome back the very communities that made its culture cosmopolitan. If you care about heritage, human dignity, and the rebuilding of a country’s moral architecture, start here.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

This episode of Evolve marks Part Five of the Rebuilding Syria collection. It examines the role of Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Al Sharaa, in recent sectarian massacres targeting Alawite, Druze, and Christian communities. The episode details documented attacks in Lattakia, Tartus, Damascus, and Sweida—including the killing of civilians, sexual violence, religious persecution, and the destruction of homes, hospitals, and houses of worship.

The episode challenges claims that Al Sharaa represents a pragmatic turn from jihadist violence. It cites his 2014 statements endorsing a Sunni Islamist theocracy. Evidence of regime-directed or sanctioned violence - or at best, a total disregard for the lives of Syria’s diverse communities - is highlighted and condemned. This includes Al Sharaa's response to the massacres on Syria’s coast, in Sweida province, and at Saint Elias Orthodox Church in Damascus. The manipulation of state media to dehumanize and persecute those deemed infidels, and the constant disconnect between Al Sharaa's moderate statements and the actions of his fighters, are all explored.

The podcast argues that Al Sharaa’s regime represents a continuation of Syria’s cycle of extremist governance—this time under the banner of Sunni supremacist ideology. It explores how religious and ethnic communities are being driven out, kidnapped, and killed, how gender-based violence is being utilized as a weapon of war, how Sunni Muslim diversity of thought is being suppressed, and how the international response has largely failed to reckon with the regime’s actions.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

This episode of Evolve marks Part Five of the Rebuilding Syria collection. It examines the role of Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Al Sharaa, in recent sectarian massacres targeting Alawite, Druze, and Christian communities. The episode details documented attacks in Lattakia, Tartus, Damascus, and Sweida—including the killing of civilians, sexual violence, religious persecution, and the destruction of homes, hospitals, and houses of worship.

The episode challenges claims that Al Sharaa represents a pragmatic turn from jihadist violence. It cites his 2014 statements endorsing a Sunni Islamist theocracy. Evidence of regime-directed or sanctioned violence - or at best, a total disregard for the lives of Syria’s diverse communities - is highlighted and condemned. This includes Al Sharaa’s response to the massacres on Syria’s coast, in Sweida province, and at Saint Elias Orthodox Church in Damascus. The manipulation of state media to dehumanize and persecute those deemed infidels, and the constant disconnect between Al Sharaa’s moderate statements and the actions of his fighters, are all explored.

The podcast argues that Al Sharaa’s regime represents a continuation of Syria’s cycle of extremist governance—this time under the banner of Sunni supremacist ideology. It explores how religious and ethnic communities are being driven out, kidnapped, and killed, how gender-based violence is being utilized as a weapon of war, how Sunni Muslim diversity of thought is being suppressed, and how the international response has largely failed to reckon with the regime’s actions.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

For the first time in decades, Syrians are speaking freely. In coffee shops, classrooms, and village squares, voices once silenced by tyranny are rising—bold, unscripted, and full of possibility. The fall of Assad has cracked open the door to something Syrians haven’t tasted in generations: hope.

But who’s standing in that doorway?

The New Guy in Charge, the fourth installment in the Rebuilding Syria collection, takes us into the heart of that question. Interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa—once Abu Mohammed Al Jolani, jihadist commander and globally-designated terrorist—now wears a tailored suit and speaks the language of democracy, economic growth, and pluralism. A man with a deeply violent past is suddenly being cast as the architect of Syria’s rebirth.

Can a country so deeply wounded afford to believe in such a dramatic transformation? Or is Al Sharaa simply a wolf in reformer’s clothing?

This episode wrestles with the beautiful and dangerous thing that is hope—how it lives in the bones of a battered people, how it conjures mosaics where extremists see only monoliths, and how the intrinsic need for hope can be exploited by those who talk a good game. And, perhaps most importantly, it explores Ahmed Al Sharaa’s past and why we should not take him only by his current, cosmopolitan appearance.

Listen in as the dream of a freer Syria collides with the shadows surrounding its new leader. An uncertain future hangs in the balance.

his episode invites listeners to see not just the shards—but the artistry—in a country often viewed only through the lens of conflict.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

Subscribe now

For the first time in decades, Syrians are speaking freely. In coffee shops, classrooms, and village squares, voices once silenced by tyranny are rising—bold, unscripted, and full of possibility. The fall of Assad has cracked open the door to something Syrians haven’t tasted in generations: hope.But who’s standing in that doorway?

The New Guy in Charge, the fourth installment in the Rebuilding Syria collection, takes us into the heart of that question. Interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa—once Abu Mohammed Al Jolani, jihadist commander and globally-designated terrorist—now wears a tailored suit and speaks the language of democracy, economic growth, and pluralism. A man with a deeply violent past is suddenly being cast as the architect of Syria’s rebirth.Can a country so deeply wounded afford to believe in such a dramatic transformation? Or is Al Sharaa simply a wolf in reformer’s clothing?This episode wrestles with the beautiful and dangerous thing that is hope—how it lives in the bones of a battered people, how it conjures mosaics where extremists see only monoliths, and how the intrinsic need for hope can be exploited by those who talk a good game. And, perhaps most importantly, it explores Ahmed Al Sharaa’s past and why we should not take him only by his current, cosmopolitan appearance.Listen in as the dream of a freer Syria collides with the shadows surrounding its new leader. An uncertain future hangs in the balance.

This episode invites listeners to see not just the shards—but the artistry—in a country often viewed only through the lens of conflict.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.polyculturalinstitute.org

What does it mean to rebuild a country without erasing its ethnic and religious DNA?

In Part 3 of Evolve’s Rebuilding Syria collection, host Jamil Khoury explores the powerful metaphor of the Syrian mosaic—a symbol of coexistence, complexity, and contested meanings. Through vivid reflections, he unpacks Syria’s rich patchwork of ethnic and religious communities—how they’ve been portrayed, politicized, and preserved across centuries.

But the mosaic isn’t just a symbol of beauty—it’s also a battleground of interpretation. While some celebrate it as proof of pluralism, others view it as a colonial tool that fractures unity.

Khoury, founder and director of the Polycultural Institute at Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center, dives into these tensions with both passion and precision. Whether you’re new to Syria’s story or returning to it with fresh eyes, Part 3 offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity and resilience.

Topics include:

• The mosaic vs. the melting pot

• Syria’s pluralistic heritage and its myriad challenges

• How history shapes national narratives

• The role of colonialism in cultural framing

This episode invites listeners to see not just the shards—but the artistry—in a country often viewed only through the lens of conflict.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

What does it mean to rebuild a country without erasing its ethnic and religious DNA?

In Part 3 of Evolve’s Rebuilding Syria collection, host Jamil Khoury explores the powerful metaphor of the Syrian mosaic—a symbol of coexistence, complexity, and contested meanings. Through vivid reflections, he unpacks Syria’s rich patchwork of ethnic and religious communities—how they’ve been portrayed, politicized, and preserved across centuries.

But the mosaic isn’t just a symbol of beauty—it’s also a battleground of interpretation. While some celebrate it as proof of pluralism, others view it as a colonial tool that fractures unity.

Khoury, founder and director of the Polycultural Institute at Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center, dives into these tensions with both passion and precision. Whether you’re new to Syria’s story or returning to it with fresh eyes, Part 3 offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity and resilience.

Topics include:

• The mosaic vs. the melting pot

• Syria’s pluralistic heritage and its myriad challenges

• How history shapes national narratives

• The role of colonialism in cultural framing

This episode invites listeners to see not just the shards—but the artistry—in a country often viewed only through the lens of conflict.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.polyculturalinstitute.org

Syrians never accepted dictatorship as destiny, but what did they explicitly reject when they rose up against the Assad regime? In Part 2 of Rebuilding Syria, we examine the litany of no’s articulated by the Syrian people, which ultimately led to the regime's demise. The no’s include:

1. No to an all-powerful strongman

2. No to a cult of personality

3. No to a one-party state

4. No to torture and rape as tools of statecraft

5. No to killing protestors, criminalizing dissent, imprisoning opposition, policing speech, controlling thought, and censoring art

6. No to a surveillance state where even the walls have ears

7. No to a particularly vicious police state

8. No to a state led by and for a mafioso family

9. No to state propaganda and disinformation posing as journalism

10. No to the politics of deflection, distraction, and projection

11. No to stoking ethnic and religious tensions as a means to divide, conquer, and rule.

12. No to an army of informants and spies that normalized distrust and institutionalized insecurity.

And there's more,

1. No to a thoroughly corrupt kleptocracy

2. No to a regime elite who pillage, plunder, and barter away national assets, resources, and wealth

3. No to an economic system where the rich get richer and everyone else gets poorer (not just a Syrian problem)

4. No to the humiliation and collective punishment of electricity cuts, water cuts, food shortages, environmental neglect, and bans on foreign currency transactions.

Today, in this period of transition, the chorus of voices is only expanding, adding to the litany of no’s:

1. No to a sectarian state

2. No an Islamist state

3. No to a state that offers anything less than full citizenship and full equality to all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity and religion, within collectively agreed upon constitutional and legal frameworks.

4. No to any government scenario that fails to honor the enormous pain, trauma, and loss, endured over 50 years of dictatorship

5. No to a state that doesn’t prioritize and serve the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the Syrian people.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

Syrians never accepted dictatorship as destiny, but what did they explicitly reject when they rose up against the Assad regime? In Part 2 of Rebuilding Syria, we examine the litany of no’s articulated by the Syrian people, which ultimately led to the regime's demise. The no’s include:

* No to an all-powerful strongman

* No to a cult of personality

* No to a one-party state

* No to torture and rape as tools of statecraft

* No to killing protestors, criminalizing dissent, imprisoning opposition, policing speech, controlling thought, and censoring art

* No to a surveillance state where even the walls have ears

* No to a particularly vicious police state

* No to a state led by and for a mafioso family

* No to state propaganda and disinformation posing as journalism

* No to the politics of deflection, distraction, and projection

* No to stoking ethnic and religious tensions as a means to divide, conquer, and rule.

* No to an army of informants and spies that normalized distrust and institutionalized insecurity.

And there's more,

* No to a thoroughly corrupt kleptocracy

* No to a regime elite who pillage, plunder, and barter away national assets, resources, and wealth

* No to an economic system where the rich get richer and everyone else gets poorer (not just a Syrian problem)

* No to the humiliation and collective punishment of electricity cuts, water cuts, food shortages, environmental neglect, and bans on foreign currency transactions.

Today, in this period of transition, the chorus of voices is only expanding, adding to the litany of no’s:

* No to a sectarian state

* No an Islamist state

* No to a state that offers anything less than full citizenship and full equality to all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity and religion, within collectively agreed upon constitutional and legal frameworks.

* No to any government scenario that fails to honor the enormous pain, trauma, and loss, endured over 50 years of dictatorship

* No to a state that doesn’t prioritize and serve the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the Syrian people.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.polyculturalinstitute.org

EVOLVE

Polycultural Institute, the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center, is proud to launch its first-ever podcast series, Evolve. Hosted by Polycultural Institute’s Founder and Director, Jamil Khoury, Evolve is a mix of spoken essays and conversations with interesting and exciting thinkers, changemakers, innovators, and disruptors.

Building upon our ethics of artmaking and curation, Evolve poses open-ended questions and avoids soliciting closed-ended answers. It is polycultural, not ideological. Opinionated, not heavy-handed. We strive to get it right, but sometimes get it wrong, and are always willing to correct ourselves.

Collection 1: Rebuilding Syria

Rebuilding Syria focuses on the dramatic changes happening in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. It begins with a series of reflections that draw upon Khoury’s Syrian American heritage, background in Middle East Studies, decades of cultural and political activism, and experiences of both Syria and the Syrian diaspora. Khoury offers a candid and subjective analysis of a country on the precipice of profound recovery and renewal or continued conflict and despair. Further down the line, he hopes to interview scholars, artists, and activists with ties to Syria.

In that vein, Rebuilding Syria is guided by insight and hope, cautious optimism, and win-win pragmatism. It is, in many respects, a love letter to Syria and the Syrian people, but doesn’t omit painful truths and sobering assessments. It is intended to support visions of a new Syria that are just, pluralistic, and free.

In this introductory episode, we look at the dramatic fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad, ending a 54-year brutal and genocidal regime instituted by his father before him. Syria now faces a challenging and complicated period of rebuilding, but one thing is crystal clear: The Syrian people demanded the fall of the regime, and they succeeded.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

Donate

EVOLVE

Polycultural Institute, the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center, is proud to launch its first-ever podcast series, Evolve. Hosted by Polycultural Institute’s Founder and Director, Jamil Khoury, Evolve is a mix of spoken essays and conversations with interesting and exciting thinkers, changemakers, innovators, and disruptors.

Building upon our ethics of artmaking and curation, Evolve poses open-ended questions and avoids soliciting closed-ended answers. It is polycultural, not ideological. Opinionated, not heavy-handed. We strive to get it right, but sometimes get it wrong, and are always willing to correct ourselves.

Collection 1: Rebuilding Syria

Rebuilding Syria focuses on the dramatic changes happening in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. It begins with a series of reflections that draw upon Khoury’s Syrian American heritage, background in Middle East Studies, decades of cultural and political activism, and experiences of both Syria and the Syrian diaspora. Khoury offers a candid and subjective analysis of a country on the precipice of profound recovery and renewal or continued conflict and despair. Further down the line, he hopes to interview scholars, artists, and activists with ties to Syria.

In that vein, Rebuilding Syria is guided by insight and hope, cautious optimism, and win-win pragmatism. It is, in many respects, a love letter to Syria and the Syrian people, but doesn’t omit painful truths and sobering assessments. It is intended to support visions of a new Syria that are just, pluralistic, and free.

In this introductory episode, we look at the dramatic fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad, ending a 54-year brutal and genocidal regime instituted by his father before him. Syria now faces a challenging and complicated period of rebuilding, but one thing is crystal clear: The Syrian people demanded the fall of the regime, and they succeeded.

Polycultural Institute is the Think-and-Create Tank of Chicago’s Silk Road Cultural Center. We generate art and ideas that promote polyculturalism and connect people, cultures, and communities.

Polyculturalism is the theory that cultures continuously evolve and transform through dynamic interchange. It assumes that cultures are fluid and flexible, not static and fixed, and that as cultures interact, they redefine themselves.

Silk Road Cultural Center is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary arts organization rooted in the modern communities of the historic Silk Roads, including our diaspora communities. We embrace the arts as a catalyst for connecting people, places, histories, and futures.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.polyculturalinstitute.org