Has the world abandoned the Uighur Muslims?

We speak to a Uighur refugee, and debate if data theft, interference and illegal spending tainted the Brexit referendum.

Since April 2017, Chinese authorities have arrested at least 800,000 and possibly more than two million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other members of Muslim minorities in so-called "re-education camps", according to testimony from the United States State Department official, Scott Busby, before Congress on December 4.

The Chinese government initially denied these camps exist. However, they've now legalised them and say these are merely vocational, educational training centres intended to "combat extremism" - despite the fact that some of those arrested are reportedly university presidents or other Communist Party officials. Some say this is one of the world's most ignored human rights crisis.

What happened to ISIL? An UpFront special

We discuss the group's past, present, and future.

Four years after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) seized large areas in Iraq and Syria, it appears the group has been defeated militarily, and has now lost 99 percent of the territory it once controlled.

According to a University of Maryland study, 2017 was the third consecutive year in which the number of "terrorist" attacks around the world went down.

In this special UpFront discussion, we look at the current status of ISIL, why the media have generally decreased its reporting on it, and whether the group still poses a risk.

Can Malaysia's opposition win?

We speak to Malaysia's opposition leader Wan Azizah, and debate Hassan Rouhani’s chances for re-election.

Headliner - Is Malaysia's opposition too weak to win?

As Malaysians prepare for elections, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, leader of the opposition and wife to imprisoned former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, is hoping to lead her coalition into power.

In an unlikely partnership aimed at strengthening the opposition, Wan Azizah joined forces with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, the man who previously backed her husband's criminal prosecution.

UpFront: Highlights from 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, in this UpFront year-end special, we take a look back at the past 12 months with a compilation of some of our interviews and debates.

Highlights: Headliners

Over the past year, UpFront guests have included foreign ministers, ambassadors and former presidents.

In a February interview, Mehdi Hasan pressed Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely on whether she supported a Palestinian state.

In March, we asked the Saudi ambassador to the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, why his government supported the idea of a democratically elected government in Syria, but not at home.

Does the Israeli occupation fuel 'extremism'?

We speak to Israeli Deputy FM Tzipi Hotovely, and ask a Syrian opposition political adviser about the UN peace talks

Ban Ki-moon and the Israeli government are at odds after the United Nations secretary-general criticised the Israeli occupation in an address to the Security Council last week.

Ban said it was "human nature" for Palestinians to react to the occupation, specifically pointing to settlement building as a "provocative" action. The remarks elicited strong criticism from the Israeli government, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing the UN chief of "encouraging terror".

In this week's UpFront, Mehdi Hasan speaks to Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's deputy foreign minister, the country's top diplomat, about Ban's remarks.

The Reality Check points to US President Barack Obama's national security record as proof that despite many criticisms, he is more of a hawk than a dove.

In Arena, we ask a senior political adviser to the Syrian opposition about the collapse of UN-sponsored talks and what it will take to bring peace to the country.

Reality Check: What do we know about North Korea?

Mehdi Hasan debunks the most sensational stories about the "hermit kingdom" and its leader.




From stories about Kim Jong-un's uncle being fed to dogs to the more recent Sony hack, it is safe to say the media are quick to sensationalise news about North Korea and its totalitarian leader.

But what, if any, of these stories are actually true? And does the focus on the often bizarre stories take away from the true horrific crimes being committed by the government?

Why do people join ISIL?

Leading US Muslim scholar Sheikh Hamza Yusuf has been at the forefront of efforts to counter the narrative of ISIL.

As the cofounder of the only Muslim liberal arts college in the US, Yusuf has worked to stop young Muslims in the West from going to fight for ISIL.

In an interview recorded prior to the recent attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, Mehdi Hasan asks Yusuf about what is behind the allure of the group for some people and why some young people join them.