Event

EFD EVENTS 2009

01.01.2009 - 31.12.2009

In 2009, EFD fellows participated in over 65 events throughout Europe.

January

  • Moral Courage Conversations premier with host Irshad Manji and special guest Salman Rushdie on the future of freedom of expression in an increasingly fragile world. Hosted by 92 and Y, New York, 18 January (Irshad Manji)
  • Meetings with officials from the German Ministry of Interior responsible for the banning of Hezbollah’s TV station Al-Manar, Berlin, 20 January (Alexander Ritzmann, Daniel Trautvetter)

February

  • Closed-doors, high-profile discussion organized and facilitated by EFD between Syrian opposition and democracy activists with European officials and policy-makers, Brussels, February 4 (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Moral Courage Conversations with host Irshad Manji and special guest Christianne Amanpour, New York, February 18 (Irshad Manji)
  • Briefing with Marina Schuster, MP and Deputy Chairwomen of the Germany-Egypt Parliamentary Friendship Group, on Hezbollah´s TV Station Al-Manar and the broadcasting by Egypt’s satellite provider Nilesat into Germany, Berlin, February 19 (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing with Dr. Ursula Eid, MP and Chairwomen of the Germany-Egypt Parliamentary Friendship Group, on Hezbollah´s TV Station Al-Manar and the broadcasting by Egypt’s satellite provider Nilesat into Germany, Berlin, February 20 (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing to Bradford D. Belzak, Professional Staff Member on the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hezbollah in Europe, Washington, February 26 (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Speech at the Friedrich-Naumann Foundation in Washington D.C. on “What Europeans are expecting from President Obama in the fight against terrorism”, Washington, February 27 (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing at the Cato Institute in Washington DC on civil liberties and the fight against terrorism in Europe, February, Washington, February 27 (Alexander Ritzmann)

March

  • Presentation at the European Values Network, a platform of young European scholars and professionals, on the threat of terrorist media and their violation of European law, Brussels, March 2. (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)
  • EFD Senior Fellow Irshad Manji addressed the conference India Today Conclave 2009 on “Does Terror Have a Religion?” She outlined that “Terror has no particular religion, but it always has a dogma. Just ask Robespierre, luminary of the French Revolution, who hated institutional Christianity but embraced terror.”, New Dehli, March 7. (Irshad Manji)
  • Closed-door lunch briefing on “Hezbollah: A Threat to Europe?” with European counter-terrorism officials from the EU member states missions, Brussels, March 17 (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing with Timothy Jones, Adviser to the EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator, on Hezbollah’s activities in Europe as well as Al-Manar, Brussels, March 18 (Alexander Ritzmann, Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Legacy Heritage Fellowship Brussels Conference, Presentation on Radical Islam in Europe, Brussels, March 18 (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing at the 4th European Commission – Israel Conference on “The Fight Against Hate Speech – An NGO Perspective”, Brussels, March 16 (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Speeches at the Conference “Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah: Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial”, Berlin, 26 March (Alexander Ritzmann, Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • Speech at the Conference “30 Years of Islamic Revolution”, Berlin, March 28 (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)

April

  • Conversations via phone with German intelligence officials regarding Hezbollah in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing with Andrea Detjen, Liaison Officer to German Federal Interior Ministry on Hezbollah in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing with Dirk Niebel, MP and Secretary General of Germany´s Free Democratic Party on the Hezbollah fundraiser “Orphans project Lebanon e.V” in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing with Wolfgang Wieland, MP and the Green´s ranking member on the homeland security committee in the German Bundestag on the Hezbollah fundraiser “Orphans project Lebanon e.V” in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Presentation at the NGO “Germany Close Up” on radical Islam in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Phone and Email exchanges on the inclusion of Nilesat’s broadcast of Al-Manar in the EU’s official position before the 5th EU-Egypt Association Council (subsequently successful) with diplomats, the adviser to the EU Counter-terrorism coordinator and members of the European and German Parliament, Brussels and Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann, Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Cooperation with Ms Schuster, MP, to post an article by her in the Egyptian Press on Nilesat’s broadcasting of Al-Manar after the arrest of the Hezbollah cell in Egypt, Berlin and Brussels (Alexander Ritzmann, Daniel Trautvetter)

May

  • Briefing with Gisela Piltz, MP the Free democratic parties ranking member on the homeland security committee in the German Bundestag on the Hezbollah fundraiser “Orphans project Lebanon e.V” in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing via email and phone with officials of the German Federal Interior Ministry regarding the Hezbollah fundraiser “Orphans project Lebanon e.V” in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Briefing with Iris Exo from the NGO “Muslimische Stimmen” (Muslim Voices) on Islamist activities in Germany with a focus on Berlin, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Meetings with German Afghan NGO’s and German-Afghan university programmes in view of potential partnerships for EFD’s Afghanistan Awareness Programme (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)

June

  • Briefings via email and phone with officials of the German Federal Interior Ministry and the Intelligence Community regarding the Hezbollah fundraiser “Orphans project Lebanon e.V” in Germany, Berlin (Alexander Ritzmann)
  • Irshad Manji spoke at the conference “Global Forum of Freedom of Expression Conference”. Manji spoke publicly about the future of free expression in a fragile and fractured world, Oslo, June 1-6 (Irshad Manji)
  • Irshad Manji screened her documentary “Faith Without Fear” at the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford follwed by a Q &A’s session, Oxford (UK), June 6 (Irshad Manji).
  • Briefing at the British House of Commons: “Afghan Women in a Post-Taliban Society: Challenges Ahead” with Shukria Barakzai, Member of the Afghan Parliament and
  • Editor of "Aina-e Zan" (Mirror on Women) Magazine. The event was organized jointly with the Henry Jackson Society. London, June 8. (Roberta Bonazzi)
  • Film screening “Faith Without Fear”, Irshad Manji screened her documentary follwed by a Q&A session hosted by Free Tank at the Swedish Film Festival, Stockholm, June 10 (Irshad Manji)
  • Irshad Manji spoke at “Heroism Re-considered,” a conference hosted by the Einstein Forum. Manji presented her views about whether suicide bombers and their advocates can be seen as “courageous.” She outlined three conditions for achieving moral courage, and concluded that violent jihadis fail all three tests. Potsdam (Germany), June 12 (Irshad Manji)
  • Speech at conference on “Solidarity with the Iranian People”, Berlin, 24 June 2009 (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)

July

  • Lunch Debate: “Between freedom and the threat of the Taleban: Women’s Perspectives on Progress and Challenges in Afghanistan.” The event, part of EFD’s Afghan Awareness Programme, was organized jointly by the European Foundation for Democracy, Independent Afghan Women Association e.V., Kalima News, and Afghanischer Frauenverein” (Afghan Women Society), July 6, Berlin
  • Preparation and delivery of fact sheet on Al-Manar to EU Commission for EU-Egypt subcommittee meeting on 6-7 July. During the meeting the issue of Al-Manar was directly raised with the Egyptian authorities (Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Lunch Debate: “Women’s Perspectives on Progress and Challenges in Afghanistan.” The event, part of EFD’s Afghan Awareness Programme, was organized jointly by the European Foundation for Democracy, Afghanaid and Afghan Connection, London, July 14
  • Briefing with Judith Pierscher, Chief of Staff of the Northrein-Wesphalia Minister of the Interior on Hezbollah in Germany (Alexander Ritzmann)

August

  • EFD staff selected as Working Group Coordinator “Radicalisation and Terrorism” for the one-year student and young professional programme of the European Values Network (EVN), 14 October 2009 (Daniel Trautvetter)

September

  • Initiating of parliamentary oral question to the European Commission and the Council of the European Union concerning the broadcasting of Al-Manar by the Egyptian satellite provider Nilesat and how EU plans to follow-up the subcommittee meeting in July 2009 where Al-Manar was raised, 1 September (Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Speech at conference "The current situation in Iran", 14 September (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • Speech at the prestigous "10th Mühlheimer Near East Conference", organised by Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 19 September (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • Providing information and input for EP Parliament resolution concerning human rights situation in Syria and imprisonment of Syrian human rights activists, (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)

October

  • Initiating of parliamentary oral question to the European Commission and the Council of the European Union concerning the broadcasting of Al-Aqsa by the French satellite provider Eutelsat. The Commission is seriously considering to open an infringement procedure against France in case Al-Aqsa’s broadcasting via Eutelsat continues to violated European legislation, 13 October (Roberta Bonazzi)
  • Individual Briefings with MEPs and parliamentary group advisers (Kurt Lechner, Raimon Obiols, Richard Howitt, Glenis Willmot, Frieda Brepoels, Said El Khadraoui, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Zoltan Simon, Jorge Soutullo) from the Foreign Affairs and Human Right Committee on violation of human rights in Syria and the case of Kamal Labwani in anticipation of the conclusion of the EU-Syria Association Agreement, October/November 2009 (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)
  • Individual Briefings with MEPs (Sabine Verheyen, Boguslaw Sonik, Barbara Lochbihler, Alexander Alvaro, Isabell Durant, Antonyia Parvanova) of the Iran Delegation on violation of human rights in Iran and the Iranian people’s uprising, October/November 2009 (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter)

November

  • Briefing with French regulatory authority CSA on Al-Aqsa TV’s ongoing violation of French and European legislation, 2 November (Roberta Bonazzi, Daniel Trautvetter, Khairi Abaza).
  • Event in  the European Parliament on “Persecution of the Bahai minority in Iran”, hosted by Members of the European Parliament Sabine Verheyen and Marietje Schaake, 4 November.  (Roberta Bonazzi, Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • Expert panel discussion “Iran between religious dictatorship and revolt” with Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh at the University of Muenster (Germany), 6 November. (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • University campus round-table discussion with Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh and students on the “Current Situation in Iran” at the University of Goettingen (Germany), 20 November. (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • London screening of “Afghan Star: The Documentary” in cooperation with Afghan Connection and the School of Oriental and African Studies, 24 November (Roberta Bonazzi, Alba Xhixho)
  • Paris screening of “Afghan Star: The Documentary” in cooperation with Le Cercle at Science-Po University, 26 November (Roberta Bonazzi, Alba Xhixho)
  • Berlin screening of “Afghan Star: The Documentary” in cooperation with the international student organisation AIESEC at Humboldt University, 31 September (Roberta Bonazzi, Alexander Ritzmann).

December

  • Berlin screening of “Afghan Star: The Documentary” in cooperation with the Youth organisation of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), 1 December (Roberta Bonazzi, Alexander Ritzmann).
  • Event in the European Parliament “The Future of Human Rights Activism and Civil Society in Iran” in cooperation with Radio Free Europe, hosted by Member of Parliament Boguslaw Sonik, 3 December (Roberta Bonazzi, Joshua Goodman)
  • Expert Panel Discussion with Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh at the “Forum Foreign and Security Policy” of the Christian Social Union Party of Bavaria (CSU), 4 December (Wahied Wahdat-Hagh)
  • Rome screening of “Afghan Star: The Documentary” in cooperation with the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) at the Italian Foreign Ministry, 10 December (Roberta Bonazzi, Alba Xhixho)

 Publications

  • Free Speech Monitor
  • Iran Monitor (monthly)
  • EFD Media Update (monthly)
  • Afghanistan Monitor (monthly)
  • Press Releases: NEW EFD REPORT: Hezbollah fundraising in Germany tax-deductible.
  • Valentina Colombo book. Islam: Manual for use (February 2009).

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