Media - European Foundation for Democracy

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....

Mention 03 May 2016

From being friends with the anti-Semitic Imam, to (almost) a candidate. The Democratic Party in Milan is in total chaos on fundamentalism and political Islam

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is mentioned by the well-known Italian newspaper Il Foglio regarding the candidacy of Sameh Meligy for the municipal elections of Milan, an Italian originally from Egypt and member of the Alleanza Islamica d’Italia (Islamic Alliance of Italy)....

Interview 03 May 2016

Psychologist Ahmad Mansour: “We need a German Islam”

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed by Deutsche Welle about the recent demand raised by the leader of the German Christian Democratic Union party, Volker Kauder, on government control over local mosques. Instead of a general surveillance system, we need a European Islam that universally supports human rights, says Mansour. This is not the responsibility of the German politicians, argues Mansour, it must come from within the Muslim...

Interview 03 May 2016

This is not my war

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed by the Weser Kurier about his commitment to democracy. He comments on the hostilities he experienced from within the Muslim community following the publication of his book Generation Allah and why he continues to make an effort to fight for what he believes in, despite animosity and threats. „Only if democracy is steadily fought for, can it be preserved.”...

Article 01 May 2016

Countering propaganda with facts

In this article, published in the German Council on Foreign Relations’ IP magazine, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann argues that exposing the downright falsehoods of the propaganda of the so-called “Islamic State” (Isis) through targeted counter narratives will obstruct their recruiting efforts....

Mention 01 May 2016

EU- Iran relations after the nuclear deal

The signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and global powers on 14 July 2015 was a major turning point in the emerging strategic landscape of the Middle East. The ‘nuclear deal’ led to the lifting by the EU and the US of nuclear-related sanctions and is now operational....

Mention 29 April 2016

From proselytism on the web to the enrolment of families. Now they are more dangerous

EFD Senior Counsellor John Duhig and EFD Senior Policy Advisor Demir Murat Seyrek are mentioned in the centre-left Italian newspaper La Stampa in an article entitled: 'How is Islamic radicalisation spreading so quickly in Europe today? What tools are terrorist organisations using to spread their ideology?'...

Article 28 April 2016

Egypt at a crossroad between the Mediterranean and the Saudi finance

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes about the recent visit of the King of Saudi Arabia to Egypt, which resulted in a series of investment agreements between the two countries....

Article 28 April 2016

From the Muslim Brotherhood to Sala: Parisi accuses the Islamic candidate

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is quoted in the well-known Italian newspaper Il Giorno on the recent decision of the Italian Democratic Party (PD) to candidate as councilor Sumaya Abdel Qader for the upcoming municipal elections of Milan...

Mention 27 April 2016

Two candidates for the Democratic Party of Milan, due different versions of the Islamic world

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is quoted by the prominent Italian newspaper Il Foglio when commenting the recent decision of the Italian Democratic Party to candidate Sumaya Abdel Qader as councilwoman for the upcoming municipal elections of Milan...

Mention 26 April 2016

How real is the threat from dormant Isis cells in Italy?

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is quoted by The Local (It) on the realistic threat Italy is facing today when it comes to terrorism....

Article 26 April 2016

The Muslim Brotherhood is silently carrying out its invasion even in Milan’s local election

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo compares two Muslim female candidates for the center-left in Milan's local elections, namely Maryan Ismail e Sumaya Abdel Qader....

Mention 26 April 2016

Turkey discriminates against Alevi faith, ECHR rules

" annual budget, for example for 2016, is 2 billion euros ($2.25 billion), but they're only serving the Sunni community in Turkey, no single euro goes to the Alevi community," EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr Demir Murat Seyrek told the Deutsche Welle....

Mention 21 April 2016

Report: German Refugee Program Money Given to Hezbollah Operatives

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann is quoted in the Jewish New York-based newspaper The Algemeiner: "In 2014, Germany closed down the Lebanon Orphan Children Project for providing money to the al-Shahid (“The Martyr”) Association in Lebanon. Al-Shahid was “disguised as a humanitarian organization” and “promotes violence and terrorism in the Middle East using donations collected in Germany and elsewhere,” German security expe...

Mention 21 April 2016

We Muslims are not a protected animal species

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour spoke to Die Welt about the refusal of a Swedish Green Party Politician to shake a female journalist’s hand. When a man refuses to shake a woman’s hand, it happens for certain religious reasons, Mansour explains....

Article 20 April 2016

Journalists are required to act responsibly

EFD Senior Fellow Bakary Sambe is mentioned in an article published by Sud Quotiden on the relationship between media and terrorism. According to Sambe journalists should use a more accurate terminology when referring to the threat of terrorism in order to avoid creating panic among readers....

Mention 19 April 2016

Dr Bakary Sambe: “The strategies implemented by the U.N. and by the Francophonie should not be competitive, but complementary and coordinated!’

FD Senior Fellow Dr. Bakary Sambe is mentioned by the online Senegalese newspaper Dakaractu, where he gives his personal opinion on terrorism and how it can be tackled on a global level. “The strategies implemented by the U.N. and by the Francophonie should not be competitive, but complementary and coordinated!"....

Interview 18 April 2016

The fight against terrorism: former police officers are brandishing their weapons

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Bakary Sambe is interviewed by Le Quotidien on the recent decision of the Union Nationale des Retraités de la Police (The National Union of Pensioners of the Police) to come forth and work together to prevent the spread of terrorism, while Dr. Sambe incites the local population to be more involved....

Interview 15 April 2016

#BrusselsAttacks Media Coverage, March 22

Following the Brussels attacks on 22 March at Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station, our experts quickly responded by conducting interviews with mainstream media outlets such as CNN, BBC, MSNBC and SkyNews, providing analyses and guidance for how Belgium and the rest of Europe should respond...

Mention 15 April 2016

Anti-Semitism is widespread in Molenbeek

Following last week’s policy briefing on the Brussels’ terror attacks: lessons learned and challenges ahead of Europe, the European Foundation for Democracy, that organised the event alongside the European Policy Center and the Counter Extremism Project, is mentioned by the European Jewish Press....

Mention 13 April 2016

Criticism and propaganda: stories of rights and (auto)inflicted restrictions

EFD Fellow and Director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy Tehmina Kazi's piece on Quillette Magazine "Why Charlie Hebdo was right to address the Brussels Attacks" is mentioned in an article published by the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR)....

Mention 13 April 2016

Islamic State Claims Khalid and Ibrahim El-Bakraoui Were Organizers of Paris and Brussels Attacks

EFD Visiting Fellow Pieter Van Ostaeyen is mentioned in an article published by The Wall Street Journal on the organizers of the Brussels and Paris attacks. According to Van Ostaeyen it is unlikely that "the Bakraoui brothers had the operational knowledge.”...

Interview 11 April 2016

Europe at a crossroad: Civil society efforts to counter religious hatred and bigotry in Europe

USCIRF held an event at the National Press Club on April 11, 2016 on countering religious hatred in Europe. The event featured a keynote address by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, a panel of European civil society leaders on the situation on the ground, their work, and best practices from their experiences, and remarks by USCIRF Commissioners....

Article 11 April 2016

If Italian Islamists defend the extremist Suwaidan

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo once more writes about the extreme Islamic preacher, Tareq al- Suwaidan, after Italian authorities have denied him from entering Italy for his tour scheduled this May....

Interview 08 April 2016

Mosques, schools, hospitals: the money from Qatar arriving to Italy

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is mentioned in the well-known Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: she discusses the on-going issue regarding investments in the non profit area from Arab countries and the effect this may have in fostering a radical interpretation of Islam among the local population....

Article 08 April 2016

Why Charlie Hebdo was right to address the Brussels Attacks

Tehmina Kazi, Fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy and director of the British Muslims for Secular Democracy, comments on the latest Charlie Hebdo article concerning the Brussels Attacks of March 22nd....

Article 07 April 2016

No permits granted to the anti-Semitic imam

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is mentioned by the Corriere dell'Alto Adige on the dispute regarding Tareq al-Suwaidan's entry in Italy, scheduled for this May. "We cannot permit that such characters are able to enter freely to spread hatred in a moment like this. It is unacceptable that the training of the Italian imams is left to people such as Suwaidan (..)"....

Article 07 April 2016

Suwaidan is no longer scheduled to be in Italy

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo once more writes about the extremist imam Tareq al-Suwaidan, this time to inform her public that he will no longer be touring Italy as was scheduled for this May. This has been confirmed by the Italian foreign minister, Angelino Alfano....

Article 06 April 2016

All the ambiguities on the Muslim Brotherhood in Milan

EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Valentina Colombo helps clarify all the ambiguities surrounding the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, with the Municipal elections of Milan just about to end, where the favored Democratic Party listed Sumaya Abdel Qader as one of its nominees....

Mention 05 April 2016

How to fix Belgium

EFD Executive Director and Director of CEP Europe Roberta Bonazzi is quoted in an article in POLITICO, along with other experts, analysts and politicians, for their views on how Belgium should reflect and react following the Brussels attacks on 22 March....