Media
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...
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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....
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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)....
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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.”...
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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....
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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....
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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....
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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....
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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 (..)"....
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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....
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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....
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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....
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Mention
04 April 2016
Europe’s failure to share intelligence hampers terror fight
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann is quoted in The Financial Times for his views on the security failures which led to the Brussels attacks on 22 March and what he believes needs to occur to address them....
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Article
04 April 2016
Tareq Suwaidan, the anti-Semitic preacher in Italy. The proof of his extremism.
EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo once more offers a detailed analysis of Tareq Suwaidan, who is scheduled to be in Italy starting this May for a series of conferences and events....
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Mention
03 April 2016
The Italian Professor who has uncovered the plot of the Muslim Brotherhood
EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is quoted in ‘Milano Post’ for having attentively monitored Tareq Suwaidan, the Islamic preacher very closely affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, scheduled to be in Italy for a series of events this May....
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Mention
03 April 2016
Timbuktu Institute calls for Macky Sall for interregional and inclusive initiative (CEDAO-CEEAC) against terrorism
EFD Senior Fellow Dr. Bakary Sambe is quoted by the Senegalese online newspaper Setal on the latest regarding terrorism in the West Africa region....
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Interview
01 April 2016
‘Current File’ (Brussels attacks)
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Murat Seyrek is interviewed on NTV to discuss Salafism and the roots of this ideology in the Gulf region, in light of the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March....
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Interview
01 April 2016
It was to be expected that the threat is increasing
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed about political deficiencies that are hindering an effective strategy to prevent the radicalisation of young people. Mansour argues that while it is important to strengthen security measures after the most recent Islamist terrorist attacks, it is even more important to address the growing issue of radicalisation in schools....
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Article
31 March 2016
Banned from Belgium and the U.S., the preacher of Jihad in Italy
EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo gives a detailed description of Tareq Mouhammed al-Saleh al-Suwaidan, a very controversial and influential Islamic preacher who will be touring in Italy this May....
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Mention
31 March 2016
Why young people become terrorists
An article in Die Welt discusses what makes young people want to become terrorists. EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is mentioned in the article for his position that many Islamists are using religion only as a means to an end and that sudden advancement accompanied by the feeling of belonging to an elite is what the real temptation is....
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Mention
30 March 2016
Brussels on hunt for suspects, as ISIL sends texts to recruit Belgian Muslims
EFD Senior Counsellor John Duhig is quoted in USA Today for his expertise on violent extremism and recruitment, in light of the 22 March Brussels attacks....
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Interview
30 March 2016
Jihad in Europe
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on ZDF zoom to discuss how young people become radicalised to the point of committing a terrorist attack. He explains how years of brainwashing can lead to a narrow worldview which in their mind justifies dehumanising others who do not share the same Islamist ideology....
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Mention
29 March 2016
Dangerous times, and not just because of terrorism
NRC in the Netherlands writes about a policy briefing hosted by EFD and the European Policy Centre on 22 March, only hours after the terrorist attacks in Brussels. The article highlights in particular the contributions during the event of EFD Senior Fellow Bakary Sambe and EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann....
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Mention
29 March 2016
Jihad is strengthened by chaos
EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo comments on the decision of the Belgian authorities to release Faycal Cheffou, one of the main suspects of the terror attacks of March 22....
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Mention
28 March 2016
ISIS uses Palestine as rallying cry in Molenbeek, residents say
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Murat Seyrek has been quoted in an article on Haaretz for his views on the Brussels terrorist attacks on 22 March. In the article, Dr. Seyrek provides his belief that the neighborhood of Molenbeek, where several of the Brussels and Paris plotters lived, was an easy target for radical Islamic movements....
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Article
28 March 2016
The best legacy we can leave Asad Shah is to take sectarian hate crime seriously
EFD Fellow Tehmnina Kazi elaborates on the murder of Asad Shah, a British Muslim killed for belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, considered heretic....
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Interview
26 March 2016
Preventing youths from becoming radicalized
EFD Executive Director Roberta Bonazzi, is interviewed on CNN in the wake of the Brussels attacks that occurred on 22 March. In the interview Bonazzi discusses the role that ideology plays in radicalising youth and vulnerable communities, highlighting that this problem could take a generation to resolve. She also appeals to countries who are either directly or indirectly funding the dissemination of this ideology to immediately cease such support...
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Interview
25 March 2016
Belgium works to fight radical extremism
Following the attacks in Brussels on 22 March, EFD Executive Director Roberta Bonazzi is interviewed on CNN to discuss the multiple failures which culminated and led to the attacks. In the interview, she highlights the incredibly complex governance system of Brussels which played a large factor, making it especially difficult to coordinate and ensure security....
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Mention
25 March 2016
Brussels attacks: Belgian authorities under fire for security failures
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Murat Seyrek is quoted in an article in Parliament Magazine on 22 March attacks in Brussels, in which he discusses the numerous security failures which led to the attacks....
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Mention
25 March 2016
Brussels attacks: The tough questions facing the Belgian authorities in the wake of the bombing
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Murat Seyrek is quoted in The Telegraph for his expertise, in light of the attacks in Brussels on 22 March, on the apparent failures of Belgian and EU authorities....
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Interview
25 March 2016
Primetime News with Nevşin Mengü (on Brussels attacks)
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Murat Seyrek is interviewed on CNN Turkey (@96.05 of the video) to discuss the attacks in Brussels on 22 March that killed over 30 people...
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Interview
25 March 2016
The ideology behind radicalization in Belgium
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Murat Seyrek is interviewed on CNN to discuss the role that the pervasive extremist ideology plays in radicalising susceptible individuals and communities. In light of the Brussels attacks, Dr. Seyrek highlights the dangers of not addressing radicalisation prevention, given that we've seen that radical groups are specifically targeting fragile individuals, particularly those who have a fleeting sense of identity amon...
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Mention
24 March 2016
#BrusselsAttacks: Attacks ‘show the need’ for improved co-operation between Europe’s intelligence agencies
EU Reporter provides an overview of the event, hosted by EFD and the European Policy Centre and supported by the Counter Extremism Project, on 22 March 2016. The article discusses in depth what the speakers discussed during the policy dialogue, including analyses from EFD Executive Director Roberta Bonazzi, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann and EFD Senior Fellow Bakary Sambe....
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Interview
24 March 2016
Europe must tackle the threat of terrorism on a European level, not on a national one
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann is interviewed on Sky News to discuss Europe’s increasing security threat and what measures should be implemented to tackle the problem....
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Mention
24 March 2016
European Commission President Calls for ‘Security Union’
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Ritzmann on the global newsweekly Defense News on the terror attacks that struck Brussels on March 22....
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Interview
24 March 2016
Preventing radicalisation: Silent vigils alone won’t help
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed for an article in Kurier to discuss the necessity for Islamic associations to do more than issue press releases and conduct silent vigils for the victims after Islamist attacks. He argues that as long as they’re not making an effort to take action concerning an inner-Islamic debate, they are part of the problem, rather than the solution....
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