2012 events summary

At EFD, we transform ideas into action by informing European policymakers and thought leaders about the critical security issues related to our mission. In 2012, EFD and our fellows participated in over 55 events throughout Europe where we advanced our policy goals.

January

• Two recruitment meetings took place in Germany to recruit potential members for the Network for a New European Generation. Cologne 16 January, Berlin 25 – 27 January 2012, R Bonazzi, N Judge
• Network member Sara Mohammad and her organisation ‘Glöm Aldrig Pela och Fadime’ (‘Never forget Pela and Fadime’) organised a series of events in Sweden to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the honour killing of Fadime. The commemorations began with an opening event in Stockholm Central Station with Swedish politicians and activists. Stockholm, 19 January 2012, J Duhig
• Conference on ‘Forced Marriages and honour related violence – how can politicians, the police and grassroots activists work more effectively to addressing this EU-wide phenomena?’, City Hall, Stockholm, with Network members Jasvinder Sanghera, Ahmad Mansour and Nadir Ioulain also attending. Stockholm, 19 January 2012, J Duhig
• Naming ceremony of Fadime Park in Uppsala, commemorating the 10^th anniversary of the death of Fadime Sahindal plus a series of cultural events in Uppsala, Sweden. Network members Jasvinder Sanghera, Ahmad Mansour and Nadir Ioulain also attended. Uppsala, 20 January 2012, J Duhig

February

• A recruitment meeting took place in Bonn to expand the German arm of the Network for a New European Generation. Bonn, 1 February 2012, R Bonazzi, N Judge
• Lecture by EFD Senior Fellow, Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, entitled “Political Islam and the new form of totalitarian rule” at an event organised by the Research Centre of Social Movements and held on the premises of the Association of Iranian Refugees. Berlin, Germany, 5 February 2012, W Wahdat-Hagh
• Following the success of the exhibition in Brussels in 2011, EFD and the Mission of Afghanistan to the EU again co-hosted the photojournalism exhibition “Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News” which was inaugurated in the Grand Hall of the Antwerp Central Station. The keynote speech was delivered by the Mayor of Antwerp, Mr. Patrick Janssens. Antwerp, 7 February 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge, E Rees
• The inaugural German Network Meeting took place in Berlin that brought together nine new Network members from Germany, as well as three existing German members. UK Network member, Maqsood Ahmed travelled to Berlin to speak about the current situation on radicalisation in the UK.  Berlin, 10-12 February 2012
• Meeting of the UK group of the Network for a New European Generation. This meeting functioned as a recruitment meeting to expand the wider European Network, where two new members Rashad Ali and Tehmina Kazi and existing members Houriya Ahmed and Maqsood Ahmed attended. London, 29 February 2012, J Duhig

March

• Network members met for the Fifth Empowerment workshop to welcome new members to discuss progress on Network governance issues.  Members of the Network decided on roles and responsibilities, Network objectives and the series of national activities.  Berlin, 23 – 25 March 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge, E Gordon
• Speaking tour on radicalisation, immigration and integration in five high schools in Sweden by Network members Nima Dervish and Ahmad Mansour, and reaching 350 students. Stockholm, Malmö, Gothenburg, 7-9 March 2012, J Duhig
• Briefing by three Network activists of the British Prime Minister’s senior advisors at No. 10 Downing Street in relation to the criminalisation of forced marriage in the UK. London, 1 March 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig

April

• Meeting with Bichara Jean Bechara, a German-based businessman with a Syrian background to discuss how EFD could support the Syrian Opposition groups. Antwerp, 16 April 2012, R Bonazzi, N Judge
• EFD introduced British barrister, writer and forced marriage expert Charlotte Proudman to Network member Sara Mohammad, who organised a seminar at the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament, at which Charlotte Proudman spoke. Other speakers included the Supreme Court Judge Göran Lambertz and Minister for Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni to coincide with the publication of an expert report recommending that the Swedish government criminalise forced marriage. Stockholm, 24 April 2012

May

• German publishing house Peter Lang published Wahdat-Hagh’s latest book “The Islamist Totalitarianism”. The book deals with anti-Semitism, anti-Baha’ism, the persecution of Christians and gender-specific Apartheid in Iran.
• Follow-up meeting at No. 10 Downing Street with senior advisors to Prime Minister David Cameron on forced marriage. A decision was announced at the beginning of June that the UK government would indeed criminalise forced marriage in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. London, 24 May 2012, J Duhig
• Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, EFD Senior Fellow in Germany and a leading expert on Iran was a keynote speaker at a conference on the nuclear crisis in Iran, organized by The Middle East Forum Berlin and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. Berlin, 24 May 2012
• Valentina Colombo, EFD’s Italian Fellow launched Islam-s Newsletter. The first edition focussed on first round results of the presidential elections in Egyptian where Mohammed Morsi, official candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood and the secular candidate Ahmed Shafiq, former Air Force officer who served a brief stint as Prime Minister, will face off in the final vote on 16th and 17th June.

June

• Press breakfast briefing organised by EFD with journalists from the European media. Prominent member of the Syrian Opposition, Kamal al-Labwani[1], informed them on the state of the Opposition, how he saw developments within and outside Syria in relation to the conflict and what the West could do to help. Brussels, 6 June 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge
• Closed-door lunch briefing with European diplomats and European Union officials. A discussion took place with member of the Syrian Opposition, Kamal al-Labwani, on what European governments and the European Union could do to help the Syrian Opposition and defend themselves against the Assad regime. Brussels, 6 June 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge
• Panel discussion at the European Parliament hosted by Franziska Brantner MEP (Greens/Germany) and Ana Gomes MEP (S&D/Portugal) at which Kamal al-Labwani put forward his views for discussion on what the European Parliament could do in relation to the Syria crisis. Brussels, 6 June 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge
• Dinner briefing with a number of prominent Brussels think tanks, with Kamal al-Labwani as special guest, to discuss potential ways out of the Syria crisis and what would come after the fall of the regime. Brussels, 6 June 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge
• EFD organised a meeting between leading Syrian Opposition figure, Kamal al-Labwani, and officials from the European Commission’s Development service to explore possibilities to support Opposition groups. Brussels, 7 June 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig
• Meeting with a member of the Syrian National Council to learn about plans for governance post the Assad regime and discussion on how EFD could assist these efforts. Brussels,12 June 2012, R Bonazzi, N Judge
• Meeting with European Commission officials in DG EuropeAid with a concept for funding proposal to help support the main opposition groups in Syria with material needs and with training support. Brussels, 14 June 2012, R Bonazzi, J.Duhig
• EFD organised for Haitham Maleh, Syrian opposition leader and Valentina Colombo, EFD Senior Fellow to speak at a conference jointly hosted by Paulo Rangel MEP (EPP/Portugal) and NATO. Brussels, 19 June 2012, J Duhig, N Judge
• EFD organised for the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee to have Kamal al-Labwani and Haitham Maleh address the Members of Parliament on the capacity of the Syrian Opposition to coalesce and unite in a post-Assad Syria. Brussels, 19 June 2012, J Duhig, N Judge
• EFD arranged for Kamal al Labwani to address the MASHREQ delegation of the European Parliament responsible for relations with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Brussels, 20June 2012, J Duhig, N Judge
• EFD arranged for the hosting of the photojournalist exhibition ‘Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News’, in conjunction with the US Embassy, in The Hague, at City Hall. The exhibition runs to 6^th July. Guest speakers at the opening included Chargé d’Affaires, Edwin R. Nolan senior US state department official, Julie R. Moyes, as well as John Duhig of EFD. The Hague, 20 June 2012, J Duhig, N Judge

July

• Fact-finding mission to Turkey, led and organised by EFD, with European and US experts to meet with Syrian opposition groups, activists, rebel groups and Free Syrian Army representatives and individuals. Meetings took place in Istanbul and in the southern Turkish city of Antakya. Istanbul and Antakya, Turkey, 10-15 July 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig

• Bakary Sambe, EFD Senior Fellow, took part in a conference entitled ‘Workshop for a regional dialogue on humanitarian security in the Sahel’ and joined the working group for ‘Terrorism and Drug Trafficking’. The conference was organised by the Institute for Security Studies and African Centre for Peace and Security Training. Senegal, 18-19 July 2012, B Sambe

August

• Fact-finding mission to Jordan to meet with Syrian opposition groups, activists, rebel groups and Free Syrian Army representatives and individuals. Amman, Jordan, 1-3 August 2012, R Bonazzi
• Lecture by EFD Senior Fellow, Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, on the History of Al-Quds-Day organised by Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft and the Anti-Al-Quds-Initiative at the Haus der Demokratie. Berlin, Germany, 13 August 2012, W Wahdat-Hagh.

September

• Lecture given by EFD Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh on entitled “About the ideology of a dictatorship and its policy in the times of ‘Arabellions’”, organised by the Initiative Against Anti-Semitism at the University of Freiburg. Freiburg, Germany, 20 September 2012, W Wahdat-Hagh
• University speaking event Islam and Secular Democracy, hosted by the Network for a New European Generation. Queen Mary University, London, UK, 21 September 2012

October

• EFD Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh gave a lecture on “Israel’s Perspective on Iran: How can Israel protect itself?” at a seminar on security policy organised by the city of Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf, Germany, 7 October 2012, W Wahdat-Hagh
• Panel discussion and lecture by EFD Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh on Human rights violations in Iran organised in and by the University of the German Federal Armed Forces Hamburg. Hamburg, Germany, 12 October 2012, W Wahdat-Hagh
• Conference ‘Gender and Women in Islam’, Université La Sagesse. Beirut, Lebanon, 19 October 2012, V Colombo

November

• Conference in Bonn entitled “Salafism in Germany – Young Muslims in Danger?”, co-organised by EFD Network members Ahmad Mansour, Wael El-Gayar and Ridwan Bauknecht and co-organised
• Seminar ‘Women’s rights after the Arab Spring’, Italian parliament. Rome, Italy, 12 November 2012, V Colombo
• Media briefing on Radicalisation in Schools and Universities arranged by EFD with members of the Brussels press. EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino chaired the briefing, at which Network members Ahmad Mansour and Rashad Ali, and Rupert Sutton of Student Rights in the UK spoke. Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge, L Vidino
• EFD-organised closed-door briefing Radicalisation in Schools and Universities with European Commission officials and diplomats from the UK, Sweden, Greece, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Belgium. Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge, L Vidino
• Public event in the European Parliament organised by EFD and hosted by Swedish Member of the European Parliament Olle Schmidt, highlighting issues with addressing Radicalisation in Schools and Universities. Brussels, Belgium, 13 November 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge, L Vidino
• Fact-finding and supervisory mission to Turkey to ensure five ambulances funded by EFD as part of its humanitarian diplomacy efforts successfully reached Syria. Meetings included those from Syrian opposition groups, activists, rebel groups and Free Syrian Army representatives and individuals. Istanbul and Antakya, Turkey, 19-24 November 2012, R Bonazzi, J Duhig, N Judge
• Lecture by EFD Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh called “No change with trade” organised by the Nahost Friedens Forum. Berlin, Germany, 25 November 2012, W Wahdat-Hagh
• Conference ‘Minorities in the Islamic World’, European University Rome. Rome, Italy, 28 November 2012, V Colombo
• University event Islam and Interfaith Relations. Open University, London, UK, 29 November 2012

December

• Briefing with officials in the European External Action Service (EU foreign service) by Syrian opposition figures. Brussels, Belgium, 3 December 2012, R Bonazzi
• Briefing with French foreign ministry officials by Syrian opposition figures. Paris, France, 4 December 2012, R Bonazzi
• Briefing with Bulgarian foreign Ministry officials by Syrian opposition figures. Sofia, Bulgaria, 7 – 8 December 2012, R Bonazzi
• Seminar ‘A future of war or peace, after the Arab Spring’, Bolsena Rotary Club. Bolsena, Italy, 14 December 2012, V Colombo
• Conference ‘Human rights, religion and Islam’, European University Rome. Rome, Italy, 18 December 2012, V Colombo
• Seminar on Persecution of Christians in the Middle East, in collaboration with the European University of Rome. Rome, Italy, 18 December 2012
• Conference Human rights, Religion and Islam, European University Rome. Rome, Italy, 18 December 2012

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