Media - European Foundation for Democracy

Article 18 October 2016

Terrorism: Islam expert warns of high radicalisation risk in Italy

Following a press briefing held by the European Foundation for Democracy on preventing radicalisation in Italy, with EFD Senior Fellow Dr Valentina Colombo as the main speaker, the Italian news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italiana (AGI) issued a press release with Colombo's statements....

Interview 18 October 2016

The ideology is stronger than a pseudo-state

In this interview with jetzt.de, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour cautions that the recent chalking up of military victories against Isis should not be equated with progress in the battle against the groups’ extremist ideology. We must continue all the more to fight Islamist radicalisation, Mansour urges, as followers of the ideology are increasingly prevented from leaving the country, raising the potential for attacks in Germany....

Interview 13 October 2016

“If you want to commit a suicide bombing operation, you’re not going to kill yourself”

In an interview with Die Welt, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour comments on the suicide of suspected Isis terrorist Dschaber al-Bakr in a German prison....

Interview 11 October 2016

Syria: the PYD is an existential threat for Ankara, nonetheless there will be no direct attack

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Demir Murat Seyrek is interviewed by Aki-Adnkronos International on the threat that the Syrian Democratic Union Party poses to Anakara....

Interview 10 October 2016

Ahmad Mansour: “A child with a headscarf is abuse”

In this interview with Der Standard, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour criticises the lack of a clear communication of societal values by the German government. He condemns the prevalent cultural relativism that prevents open debate about certain Islamic belief systems and explains why headscarfs should be banned from elementary schools....

Op-Ed 05 October 2016

New report recommends collective response in fight against jihadist radicalism

"In a recent report, the European Foundation for Democracy and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies ( ISPI ) analysed some of the key hotbeds of jihadist radicalisation, in a bid to better understand the root-causes, triggers and dynamics of the phenomenon, and to suggest strategies to counter it."...

Article 04 October 2016

No Daesh in Algeria: What’s the secret?

EFD's latest publication, Jihadist Hotbeds – Understanding Local Radicalisation Processes, is mentioned in a blog post by by Democracy Digest....

Interview 27 September 2016

Muslims themselves must form German Islam

In this interview with Zeit Online, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour evaluates the achievements as well as the weaknesses of the German Islam Conference, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary....

Article 27 September 2016

Those cartoons on Allah that will cost you your life

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the assassination of Nahid Hattar, a Jordanian writer charged with offending Islam after allegedly sharing a satirical cartoon on his Facebook page....

Mention 22 September 2016

Analysts: Expect visa liberalisation for Turkey by early 2017

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Demir Murat Seyrek is mentioned by EurActive on the issue concerning visa liberalisation for Turkey....

Interview 20 September 2016

USA, the expert explains: ‘behind lone wolf attacks lies a very strong jihadist call’

EFD Executive Director Roberta Bonazzi is interviewed by the Italian newspaper Adnkronos....

Mention 18 September 2016

Manhattan, the Jihadist propaganda is silent on the instant messaging app ‘Telegram’

EFD Executive Director Roberta Bonazzi is interviewed by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on the recent wave of violence that New York and Manhattan have witnessed....

Interview 16 September 2016

In dialogue: Ahmad Mansour in a conversation with Michael Krons

In this interview with German tv station Phoenix, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour explains why suppressed sexuality is one of the key reasons for radicalisation. "When kissing or cuddling in public is regarded as sinful, it makes normal social interaction between the sexes impossible”....

Mention 14 September 2016

Could Germany learn from Israel’s diversity?

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is mentioned by the American weekly newspaper The Jewish News Press....

Interview 12 September 2016

EU- Turkey relations are normalising

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek is interviewed by DW on EU-Turkey relations in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt and the subsequent visit of the High Representative of the European Union Federica Mogherini to Turkey....

Interview 08 September 2016

“Rome”, Isis’ new magasine to attract new followers

EFD Sernior Fellow Valentina Colombo is interviewed by Il Giornale di Sicilia on 'Rumiyah', the latest version of the Islamic State's magazine....

Mention 08 September 2016

Who thinks for himself won’t be radicalised

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour gave a keynote speech at an event hosted by the business association Unternehmerverbände Niedersachsen e.V.,which aimed at suggesting ways of integrating refugees into German society....

Mention 07 September 2016

Not being laughed at

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is mentioned by the German taz on his laudatory speech for this year’s recipient of the Moses-Mendelssohn-Prize, Jérôme Boateng....

Article 07 September 2016

Rumiyah, ISIS’ magazine to conquer Rome

In her latest article on the so-called 'Islamic State' , EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo explains the differences between Dabiq, the magazine used bu IS to spread their ideology all over the world, and Rumiyah, the latest version of the magazine...

Mention 04 September 2016

UK courts should be able to issue Islamic divorces, sharia expert says

EFD Senior Fellow Elham Manea is mentioned by the British newspaper The Guardian on her efforts to ban Sharia courts in the UK....

Mention 02 September 2016

George Washington University hires former al-Qaeda recruiter

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is mentioned by The News....

Mention 01 September 2016

George Washington University hires a former al-Qaeda recruiter

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is interviewed by the Washington Post....

Mention 01 September 2016

Islam Expert: The Central Council of Muslims in Germany is complicit in radicalisation

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is mentioned by The Huffington Post on his holding the Muslim associations co-responsible for the radicalisation of Muslims in Germany....

Mention 01 September 2016

Turkey’s Fight Against Kurds in Syria Possible Due to Deal With Russia

“Turkish jets were not even allowed in Syria after the downing of the Russian jet in 2015,” said EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek in an interview to the Epoch Times regarding Turkey's military operations in Syria....

Mention 31 August 2016

“We’re not being clear on which values we want to convey”

Only if we engage in a dialogue about the values of our society will we be able to convey to immigrants what behaviour our society can tolerate, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour notes in this interview with Deutschlandfunk....

Interview 31 August 2016

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek on HaberTurk TV

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek is interviewed by HaberTurk TV on the latest developments regarding Turkey-EU relations after the Turkey coup attempt....

Mention 31 August 2016

Former Al Qaeda extremist will join George Washington University’s program studying terrorism

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is interviewed by the Daily News....

Mention 30 August 2016

Dr Bakary Sambe on the double citizenship debate – a debate made of policy strategies

During the preparations of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, which will be held in Mali next September, EFD Senior Fellow Bakary Sambe has described as regrettable and nonsense the controversy about the double citizenship of the candidates in Senegal’s presidential election....

Article 28 August 2016

What we can demand from immigrants

In this contribution for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour and co-chair of the German Green party Cem Özdemir claim that the German government is not prepared to tackle radical Islam. Integrating the refugees in Germany is already a gigantic task and it is time to learn from the mistakes that have been made in the past, they urge....

Article 26 August 2016

The Islamic NGO, that has raised many suspicions in the past, is also among the volunteers

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo is mentioned by the well known Italian newspaper Il Giornale....

Article 25 August 2016

The Burkini Trap

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo writes for the Italian magazine Grazia on the controversial decision of the French authorities to ban 'burkinis', the full bathing suit Muslim women wear on the beach if they want to cover their bodies....

Article 24 August 2016

UCOII’s ‘global terrorist’ imams will fool Alfano

Through the online newspaper Informazione Corretta, EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo gives a detailed explanation regarding the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Italy....

Article 21 August 2016

Headscarves and burkinis limit women’s freedom – it is not always a matter of free choice

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo is interviewed by Il Giornale di Sicilia on the latest bans imposed by the French authorities on Muslim women wearing 'burkinis'....

Article 11 August 2016

Behind polygamy is the [Italian law] ‘8×1000’

EFD Senior Fellow Dr Valentina Colombo expresses her concerns regarding a petition launched and signed by many within the Muslim community in Italy, a petition that Dr. Colombo claims to raise many issues....

Article 04 August 2016

‘Misleaded Christians’: the most controversial surah recited by Imams during a Sunday prayer

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo explains that many Quranic verses can be misinterpreted and misleading....

Mention 03 August 2016

Conference: evolving shades of jihadism – ISIS in Europe

At the conference 'ISIS in Europe' a panel of scholars and security experts tackled the interlinked issues of jihadi radicalization and terrorism in Europe from both a sociological and security perspective....