MBN show

Founding Encounters

Founding Encounters is a podcast series about the lesser known stories of the relationship between the Middle East and America in its earliest years. To mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this show will focus on unexpected and overlooked details of the founding years, taking listeners through the harbors of Morocco, the narrow bazaars of Tunis, the tobacco fields of Virginia, the naval battles in the distant seas, and much more.

Latest episode

Thomas Jefferson's Quran | Founding Encounters

July 2, 2026

episodes

Host

Hosted by

Roya Hakakian

Roya Hakakian is an Iranian American author and essayist. Her books include Assassins of the Turquoise Palace, a 2011 New York Times Notable Book, and A Beginner’s Guide to America for the Immigrant and the Curious. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The Atlantic. She is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in nonfiction writing.