Articles

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....

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....

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

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

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....

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....

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...

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...

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo discusses the implications of Islamic adoption or 'Kafala', which is set to be legalised by the Italian Senate....

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchkevskaya discusses what the West must do following extensive negotiations and the announcement of a ceasefire in Minsk....

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo discusses Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood. She states that the organisations each have different priorities but the same ultimate goal of establishing a Caliphate. She also writes that, while the Muslim Brotherhood does not call for armed jihad, it does nurture the breeding ground for the radical ideology....

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchkevskaya urges the US to stop distancing itself from Egypt as an ally, and to stop ignoring Egypt's security and energy needs....

Ahead of talks to discuss an end the crisis in Ukraine, EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya calls for Western leaders to reach a consensus on how to help Ukraine become integrated into the West....

On February 9th - 10th, Russian president Vladimir Putin will travel to Egypt for a bilateral meeting at President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's invitation. EFD Fellow Anna Borshchkevskaya discusses how to judge this meeting....

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo urges the European Parliament to exercise caution when dealing with representatives from the Muslim Brotherhood, stating that the image some individuals present in the English speaking world is notably different to that which is presented in the Arab speaking world: "The West should aim to maintain a balanced approach in their official statements intended to safeguard freedom of expression but also protect the...

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya considers what we can expect from upcoming Syria peace talks in Moscow. She states that, while the talks are unlikely to produce immediate results, Moscow could use them to gain leverage to shape its preferred outcome in Syria....

The French newspaper Le Monde published on 10 January 2015 a list of 500 signatures of Arab Muslims who condemn the attacks to satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and to the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris. EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo writes that this is an efficient and concrete response to the generalisations surrounding Islam and Muslims, and to those who question the presence of moderate Muslim voices....

EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour participates in the New York Times' "Room for Debate" series on the question of how Western governments should handle citizens who return to their countries having joined militant Islamist groups abroad....

In an article on I Tempi EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo describes how Saudi Arabia, a country which condemns the attacks to satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, is at the same time flogging liberal blogger Raif Badawi. Valentina writes that the West should understand that to fight Islamic terrorism it must first tackle the ideologies that fuel it....

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo reflects upon the words of Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed who has openly spoken out against those within Islam who preach hate and violence, who are also responsible for the growing sentiments of Isalmophobia in Europe. She urges institutions and communications and media outlets to give voice to the plurality of Muslims in Europe, especially those who are victims of Islamic extremism....

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo highlights that abusing the accusation of "Islamophobia" against whoever criticises Islam brings about a fertile ground for violent actions against alleged "islamophobes". This is what tragically happened with the terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo...

EFD researcher Tommaso Virgili reviews the European partnership with Egypt under the European Neighbourhood Policy, in order to assess the effectiveness of the EU policy in the promotion of democratisation and human rights, hinged on the use of positive and negative conditionality....

EFD Researcher Tommaso Virgili writes about the sensitive issue of apostasy in Islamic law....

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya discusses how even as the Russian economic crisis continues to worsen, inflation rises and the ruble continues to plummet, and Putin’s approval ratings remain high, it is ever more likely that protests will break out caused by recent economic troubles....

EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo explains how a controversy regarding the construction of a mosque in Milan represents a broader issue: the existing close ties between the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic organisations in Milan....

Despite a recent announcement from Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee stating that Russia saw a significant decline in terrorist acts in 2014, EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya states that there are a number of reasons to remain sceptical about how successfully Russia is handling its broader battle with terrorism and radical Islam....

In an article published in The Telegraph, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino discusses the British government’s recent review of the Muslim Brotherhood, disputing some claims that the delayed publication of the review is connected with a failure to uncover links to terrorist activity. Lorenzo states that the review was, in fact, “a genuine effort to better understand the group” which, he writes, “advocates a bottom-up, gradual Islam...

EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya explains how Putin blames the West for Russia's problems and his authoritarian suppression is justified by the need to protect Russia from perceived external enemies....

Anna Borshchevskaya discusses the necessity of US military presence in Afghanistan, stating that the hard-won peace remains fragile. The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between the two countries signed on 30th September ensures that a small contingent of troops will remain to advise the Afghan government, while the drawdown continues....

In a monthly Operational Environment Watch commentary, EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya looks back at the Beslan siege, and compares two contrasting Russian views of the event – the public view and that of the Russian authorities....

In a monthly Operational Environment Watch commentary, EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya writes that Russia has specific motivations for providing Iraq with military resources, including geopolitical and gas-related interests....

Anna Borshchevskaya reviews Russian scholar Karen Dawisha’s new book, Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who owns Russia?...

In an article published on La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo exposes how Qatar is investing in Sicily. She explains that the Qatari government has been supporting the Muslim Brotherhood by financing projects such as the construction of mosques and Islamic centres, as is happening in Sicily. Those in the West who accept investments from Qatar should remember the emirate's ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Valentina w...

In a bid to take a clear stance against the actions of the militant Islamist group IS, the Coordinating Council of Muslims in Germany (KRM) has announced plans for peace rallies in seven German cities on 19th September. However, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour states that prominent Islamic groups must do more than distance themselves from the violence. He states these groups must be willing to call into question some of the content which is...

In Germany's prominent Spiegel magazine, Ahmad Mansour calls for Muslims to make urgent reforms to Islam. He states that aspects of moderate Islam bear too much resemblance to the content which we are seeing utilised by radical groups such as ISIS....

In her article, Anna Borshchevskaya argues that, thanks to the distorted public support to Putin's intervention in Ukraine, this crisis may prolong his stay in power. Yet, she believes that in the end he will crash, just like the soviet Union before him. Nonetheless, she advocates for tougher actions from western leaders against him without delay, “because the longer they wait, the more damage Putin will do”....