Media - European Foundation for Democracy

Op-Ed 03 June 2015

Turkey’s 7 June parliamentary elections – Part I – A pivotal moment for Turkey’s future

On 7 June, Turks will head to the polls to elect a new parliament. This election is a pivotal moment for Turkey’s future, with two battles being played out. EFD Senior Policy Advisor, Dr. Demir Murat Seyrek and Amanda Paul of the European Policy Centre have released a commentary on the many facts of Turkey's parliamentary election....

Interview 22 May 2015

ISIS destroys our heritage. Our culture is ignorance for them.

In an interview with Italian newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo comments on the attack on the Syrian city of Palmyra by the militant group Islamic State. She highlights that, despite the general disapproval of IS, many Islamic groups would be opposed to Western intervention....

Article 21 May 2015

Put a Saudi Arabian at the Book Fair

In light of recent human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo comments on the presence of this country at the International Book Fair that will be hold next year in Turin....

Article 17 May 2015

The death penalty does not stop Islamists

"On 16th May, Cairo Criminal Court sentenced the former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and 106 members of the Muslim brotherhood to death". EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo analyses the consequences of this decision and stresses the need for reform at the basis of the Egyptian society and economy....

Interview 03 May 2015

“Islamists often plan attacks together with family members”

Following a foiled terror attack in the German town of Oberursel, EFD Programme Director is interviewed in Die Welt newspaper on the radicalisation process and the urgent requirement for greater State level support in the prevention work....

Article 30 April 2015

Between religion and tradition: Gender roles, sexuality and honour

An article by EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour on gender roles, sexuality and the concept of honour is published in the current edition of Germany’s Der Bürger im Staat....

Mention 23 April 2015

Counter-radicalisation symposium in Vienna

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is among a number of international experts invited to take part in today’s counter-radicalisation conference at the Austrian Ministry of Justice....

Mention 23 April 2015

Islamists spread fear in prisons

Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung reports on a symposium held by the Austrian Ministry of Justice to address the phenomenon of Islamic radicalization in state prisons....

Mention 23 April 2015

Prevention ‘has to move faster than the Salafists’

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is quoted in a report in Austrian newspaper Die Presse on how to combat Islamic radiclisation in state prisons....

Interview 23 April 2015

Psychologist on Islamism

Following a symposium at the Austrian Ministry of Justice on preventing Islamism in state prisons, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour appears on Austrian national news to discuss the radicalisation process, and what needs be done both in the Muslim community and in mainstream society to safeguard young people from the violent ideology....

Mention 23 April 2015

Rising number of Islamists in Austria’s prisons

Austrian newspaper Der Standard reports on a symposium held by the Austrian Ministry of Justice to address the phenomenon of Islamic radicalization in state prisons. EFD Programme Director, who was among the international experts invited to take part in the conference, is quoted in the article: “in many cases, the Salafists prove to be the better social workers.”...

Article 14 April 2015

Don’t play it down! Trivialising the threat of radical Islam hinders effective prevention work

In an article published by Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour calls for German policy makers to ensure that the debate about radicalisation is conducted carefully and thoroughly, without stoking hate or inciting fear....

Interview 13 April 2015

Islam does not justify the massacre or the destruction

In an interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale di Sicilia, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo highlights the absence of Islamic religious authorities as the major cause of misinterpretation of the Koran....

Broadcast 11 April 2015

What are you posting online?

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is featured on German radio in a piece which looks at ways to curb online radicalisation....

Interview 08 April 2015

The youngsters who are waging Jihad are just the tip of the iceberg

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour states that the fact that youth from all social classes are vulnerable to radicalisation, and that the propaganda proliferated by ISIS is sophisticated and tailored to the interests and concerns of young people....

Press Release 03 April 2015

Garissa University (Kenya) students have been killed by the indifference of the West

“The deafening silence of intellectuals, universities, professors and scholars about the Garissa University College massacre fills us with dismay” Alberto Gambino, Director of the Department of Human Sciences at the European University of Rome and Valentina Colombo, Professor of Culture and Geopolitics of Islam and Senior Fellow at Brussels-based European Foundation for Democracy say in a press release issued on the 3rd April 2015....

Interview 26 March 2015

ISIS and Foreign Fighters

EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino elaborates on the wave of violent radicalisation among European youth. He identifies the cause of this phenomenon as an identity issue rather than economic and social hardship. He analyses the consequences of radicalisation, as well as the solutions implemented by the United Kingdom since the 2005 attacks....

Mention 26 March 2015

Leading author calls for ‘attack on all fronts’ against Islamic fundamentalism

The Brussels-based EU Reporter features a report on the public briefing organised by the European Foundation for Democracy and hosted by Julie Ward MEP (UK S&D) on 25th March 2015, "How to deconstruct the radical narrative? An alternative discourse of Academics and Activists of Muslim Heritage." The article presents an overview of the discussion as well as the views outlined by Karima Bennoune, Professor of international law at the University of...

Mention 26 March 2015

Muslim academics praised for “tireless” work tackling radical Islamist narratives

The Brussels-based EU Today features a detailed report on the public briefing organised by the European Foundation for Democracy and hosted by Julie Ward MEP (UK S&D) on 25th March 2015, "How to deconstruct the radical narrative? An alternative discourse of Academics and Activists of Muslim Heritage." The article presents an overview of the discussion as well as the views outlined by Karima Bennoune, Professor of international law at the Universi...

Mention 25 March 2015

Terrorism and the answer of universities

The Italian Brescia Oggi features a report on the public briefing organised by the European Law Students' Association (Brescia) in collaboration with the European Foundation for Democracy and Amnesty International on 24th March 2015, “International terrorism: new approaches and new strategies”....

Broadcast 24 March 2015

Jihad on their minds

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is featured in a documentary broadcast on German television about the biographies of young Muslims who have become radicalised and, in some case, travelled to Syria in the name of jihad....

Mention 24 March 2015

Terrorism: new approaches

The Italian Teletutto features a report on the public briefing organised by the European Law Students’ Association (Brescia) in collaboration with the European Foundation for Democracy and Amnesty International on 24th March 2015, “International terrorism: new approaches and new strategies”....

Interview 22 March 2015

Interview with EFD’s Valentina Colombo on the Islamic State

In an interview with Commodities Trading, an Italian media outlet focusing on international business and finance issues, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo explains what the so-called Islamic State (IS) is and how it is able maintain its power base in the Middle East....

Article 19 March 2015

A blow to the heart of Tunisia

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo discusses the consequences of the Bardo National Museum attack in Tunisia. “È un momento critico per la nostra storia, è un momento che deciderà il nostro futuro”, queste le parole del Primo Ministro tunisino Habib Essid dopo l’attentato al Museo del Bardo, nel cuore della capitale tunisina, che ha causato una ventina di morti tra turisti e cittadini tunisini....

Interview 18 March 2015

Terror in Tunisia

In an interview on Italy's Rai Radio 1, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo analyses the current situation in Tunisia, where political instability combined with weak economy creates a breeding ground for Islamist extremism....

Interview 18 March 2015

Terrorists want to destabilise Tunisia

In an interview with Italian online newspaper Affaritaliani.it, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo stresses the urge to agree on a strategy for tackling the issue of migration in the European Union and explains why the Bardo National Museum attack can be considered as an attack to Tunisia's economy....

Article 14 March 2015

Moral clarity is needed in countering anti-Western propaganda

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya calls on the Western policy-makers to be more committed to countering anti-Western propaganda....

Article 12 March 2015

How Russia views the Iran nuclear talks

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya discusses the potential implications of the ever closer Russo-Iranian ties for the negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme....

Mention 11 March 2015

Islam and Islamism: A discussion at our school about how we express our values

A large, inner-city secondary school in Berlin reports on a visit from EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour who held a discussion for pupils about Islam and Islamism. The aim of the session was to engage pupils in a critical discussion about their values, as well as to raise awareness of radicalisation and fundamentalist strains of Islam....

Article 10 March 2015

Ahead of Egypt investment conference, cautious optimism for economic reforms

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya assesses the state of the Egyptian economy and calls on the US administration to support Sisi's economic reform agenda despite his undemocratic credentials....

Article 10 March 2015

Sharia law comes first. So Islam whips and condemns

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo analyses the case of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi and highlights the chasm between the universal human rights and the Islamic law....

Op-Ed 02 March 2015

Internet “Freedom” in Turkey

Fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey have been in decline for the last few years, including internet freedom, with Turkey hardly meeting the EU’s Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression. EFD Senior Policy Advisor Dr Demir Murat Seyrek and Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst at the European POlicy Center, comment on the use of social media by the Turkish youth and on restrictions on internet freedom by the government....

Article 01 March 2015

Dear Minister Alfano, regarding Islam: Italy is making a big mistake

In an open letter to Italian Minister of the Interior, Angelino Alfano, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo calls for an urgent re-think on Italian policy as regards Islam. She warns against Muslims being referred to as an "abstract entity", and calls for radicalisation to be addressed by working with young Muslims on a personal level and in secure environments such as schools. She also questions the extent to which "leaders from Italy's Islamic...

Broadcast 27 February 2015

Anti-Semitism — daily life for Jews in Germany

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on German news show heute-journal on the issue of anti-Semitism among young Muslims in Germany. In order to eliminate prejudice, Ahmad emphasises the importance of personal encounters and dialogue between Muslims and Jews....

Broadcast 24 February 2015

How radical Salafists lure young Muslims

Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on German television about the ways in which young Muslims can be influenced by radical Salafists and the Islamist ideology....

Article 20 February 2015

Anti-Semitism among Muslims

Following the terror attacks in Paris, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour highlights the growing issue of anti-Semitism among young Muslims in Europe, and calls for urgent responses and prevention approaches to be developed. He states that the phenomenon is more widespread than many realise, and that current school curricula are not adapted to the needs of many pupils with migrant backgrounds. He also emphasises the need for topics such as the...