Media - European Foundation for Democracy

Article 03 July 2016

The Quran brandished as a weapon of war

After the terror attacks occurred in Dhaka, at the Holey Artisan Bakery, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the Quran and how it has been instrumentalised to wage a holy war....

Article 02 July 2016

The sad ending of a heroic father and his prodigal son

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the suicide bombings that occurred at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on 28 June....

Article 01 July 2016

Seven Muslims out of ten have voted against Brexit

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo addresses the perspective of Islamic groups in relation to Brexit....

Interview 01 July 2016

Turkey: the expert says, for the Islamic State the peace between Ankara and the Russians is a risk

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek is interviewed by the Italian news agency Adnkronos....

Interview 29 June 2016

Turkey’s new foreign policy

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Demir Murat Seyrek is interviewed by the Italian newspaper Il Foglio in the wake of the terrorist attack in Istanbul of 28 June....

Article 28 June 2016

“Muslim, secular and reformist. This is not how the Democratic Party wants me”

"Dear Matteo Renzi, My name is Maryan Ismail, I am an Italian citizen of Somali origin, registered as a member of the Democratic Party (PD) (..). I am Muslim, secular and progressive. I consider myself as part of an Islam which, in numbers, represents the majority of Muslims, but that is financially unsupported and therefore unheard of"....

Broadcast 27 June 2016

Does Islam belong to Germany?

This interview, broadcasted on German radio station radio eins, is an audio recording from the monthly political discussion series Freitag Salon. EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour speaks about the necessity to differentiate between different understandings of Islam when it comes to the question of whether this religion belongs to Germany. It doesn’t help that the political left prevents discussions about Islam in the name of political correc...

Article 26 June 2016

Portrait of Rachid Al- Gannouchi, the biggest threat to the future of Tunisia

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the latest Ennahdha Congress, where the slogan of the event read: "Abandonment of political Islam and separation between politics and the practice of preaching"....

Article 24 June 2016

How Russia reacted to Orlando

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya writes about Russia's reaction after the Orlando shooting, where 50 people lost their lives....

Article 18 June 2016

Islam needs to reform

In this guest contribution for Tagesspiegel about the Islamist terror attack on a night club in Orlando on 12th June, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour writes about the necessity of being allowed to criticise religion. “The tabooing of sexual issues is a problem in all patriarchic societies, also in Muslim ones” says Mansour as he pleads for a reform within Islam regarding sexuality, violence, authority, homophobia and anti-Semitism....

Mention 17 June 2016

EU puts schools at center of counter-radicalisation

EFD Senior Policy Advisor and member of the RAN’s counter-narrative working group Alexander Ritzmann is mentioned by EuranetPlus on radicalisation: “So, someone who says ‘I went to Syria, it’s not like they say - they’re lying to you, they’re killing Muslims, it’s a corrupt organisation. It’s not a big adventure where you can be a hero defending your faith,'” Ritzmann suggests....

Broadcast 16 June 2016

“Eins zu Eins. The talk Ahmad Mansour: Psychologist”

In this radio broadcast on Bayern 2, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour talks about his own personal background as a former Islamist back in Israel, his time as a student of psychology in Berlin and the multiple projects he is currently involved in....

Op-Ed 16 June 2016

Can Turkey’s ‘Iron Lady’ thwart Erdogan’s game plan?

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Demir Murat Seyrek gives his opinion on the possibility of Turkish politician Meral Aksener taking over leadership of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party and thus threatening Erdogan’s plans of changing the current political system into an executive presidency....

Article 16 June 2016

The pervasive shadow of suicide for salvation

The Orlando shooting, which saw the massacre of 50 homosexuals, has re-opened the debate on the relationship between Isis and Islam, homosexuals and Islam and many other questions. EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo, professor of geopolitics in the Islamic world, has much to say about this incident....

Interview 15 June 2016

7 Things you need to know about jihadists in the United States

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is interviewed by POLITICO in the wake of the terrorist attack in Orlando of June 12. He dispells myths on radicalisation and elaborates on key characteristics of jihadism that are posing problems for intelligence agencies....

Op-Ed 15 June 2016

The fall-out from the Brussels terrorist attacks

EFD Visiting Fellow Pieter Van Ostaeyen gives his opinion on the next steps to take following the terrorist attacks on Brussels of March 22. These include "analysing the work carried out by security and intelligence forces nationally and transnationally, in order to properly determined were the weak spots were, along with re-evaluating integration policies in Europe, which have, to large extent, failed."...

Broadcast 09 June 2016

Talking Turkey

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek joined the Global Markets Forum on live broadcast to provide insights on Turkey's political and economic outlook....

Mention 06 June 2016

I am underway to win over Muslims

This article, from the Swiss magazine aufbruch, reports on EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour’s speech regarding the issue of radicalisation amongst German youth. Mansour spoke at the 2016 Symposium on Intergation in Basel....

Article 06 June 2016

What lies behind the veil of the charming Emira of Qatar

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo comments the recent encounter between the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, second of three wives of the former Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani....

Article 03 June 2016

Al Jazeera’s Crusades. Relaunching jihad

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo comments on the imminent release of a new documentary produced by the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel on the Crusades. The aim is to present this period from an Arab perspective, as the Director of the channel, Ahmed Mahfouz, explains....

Interview 02 June 2016

“The handshake-debate in Switzerland: far from a frivolous issue”

In this interview with Swiss Tages Woche, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour talks about the enforcement of handshakes in Swiss schools as a reaction to the handshake-debate in Therwil. For the boys it wasn’t about rebellion or an act of defiance, Mansour says; behaviour of this sort is a sign of exposure to ideology. That’s why it’s important to have a debate and to underline that disregarding the founding principles of democracy and gen...

Article 02 June 2016

Banning and negotiating are not contradictory

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann writes about Hezbollah’s status within Germany and the EU after the group’s recent classification as a terrorist organisation by the League of the Arab States. The European Member States should send a clear signal by jointly banning Hezbollah, Ritzmann argues, thus prompting the group to change its behaviour....

Article 01 June 2016

Milions of euros from Qatar for mosques and quranic schools. Mayors (DP) and churches approve

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the recent investments of the Qatar Charity directed towards Islamic centres in various cities in the north of Italy....

Broadcast 30 May 2016

“Ahmad Mansour: ‘It’s not about the bomb’”

This contribution broadcasted by Swiss tv channel telebasel reports on the 4th Basel Symposium on Integration, where EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour took a stand on the Swiss handshake-debate (referring to the refusal of two Muslim students to shake their female teacher’s hand). “We mustn’t settle for those who want to teach us that this doesn’t have anything to do with Islam, with religion”, Mansour says, “we need an honest, bra...

Article 27 May 2016

Don’t ban the burqa- challenge the modesty doctrine instead

EFD Fellow Tehmina Kazi voices her opinion regarding the use of niqabis in the UK and the political and ideological dilemmas that comes with banning the use of such garments....

Press Release 25 May 2016

Making sense of foreign policy in the “new” Turkey

The European Policy Centre (EPC) held an event to discuss Turkey's foreign policy; EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek was one of the main speakers....

Mention 23 May 2016

Ahmad Mansour is honoured as ambassador for democracy and tolerance

During a ceremonial act, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour was honoured as a 2016 ambassador for democracy and tolerance by the Bündnis für Demokratie und Toleranz – Gegen Extremismus und Gewalt (BfDT) for his longtime commitment to fighting extremism....

Article 20 May 2016

The Muslim Brotherhood slips their candidate in the Democratic Party

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the arrival of Tariq Ramadan to Milan, schedule for June 3....

Broadcast 12 May 2016

Between disco and jihad

This TV report by German station Phoenix examines the deficiencies of European societies which create the preconditions for the recruitment of young people by Islamist organisations. In the course of the segment, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on issues regarding the prevention and countering of this threat....

Article 11 May 2016

Jihad, what lies behind the arrests in Italy

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the recent events that lead to the arrest of four people in the Italian city of Lecco, accused of plotting a terror attack in Italy. Two of the four individuals had direct ties to the Islamic State....

Mention 07 May 2016

Bakary Sambe, Director of Timbuktu Institute: “confraternities will constitute a protection against Jihadism only if…”

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Bakary Sambe is quoted in the daily online Senegalese news paper Dakaractu....

Interview 05 May 2016

Enough with foreign funding of Islam

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is interviewed by the Italian daily newspaper Libero on how Italy can better prevent the spread of Islamic radicalization in its mosques around the country....

Mention 05 May 2016

No obstacles on the way to Europe

This article by the Wiener Zeitung reports on Turkey’s progress concerning the fulfillment of the EU’s conditions to acquire visa exemptions for its citizens....

Mention 03 May 2016

A dream come true for Ahmad Mansour

This article by Nordwest Zeitung reports on the award presentation of the Carl-von-Ossietzky award to Ahmad Mansour on 3 May 2016. In his acceptance speech Mansour stressed that violence begins in people's minds, referring to the large number of hostilities he receives on a daily basis and declaring that this award re-affirms his continuous efforts for the promotion of democracy....

Mention 03 May 2016

Ahmad Mansour: A conversation with his laudator, former German Interior Minister Gerhart Baum

In this radio interview, hosted by radio bremen, former German Interior Minister Gerhart Baum speaks about the decision to award EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour with the Carl-von-Ossietzky award. Baum stresses the importance of the role Mansour has played over the years as a point of reference for the German Muslim community during times of rising Islamophobia in Germany and the importance of the preventative work that he has been doing for...

Op-Ed 03 May 2016

EU visa-liberalisation for Turks: just around the corner?

At the 18 March EU-Turkey Summit, EU leaders pledged to lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens travelling to the Schengen zone by the end of June 2016, if Ankara met the required 72 benchmarks....