Interviews
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....
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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....
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Interview
07 February 2015
Honour killings are just the tip of the iceberg
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the 'honour killing' of Hatun Sürücü in Berlin, EFD's Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on what has changed in the last ten years. Ahmad states that the authorities now have an increased awareness of honour-based violence, but that it needs to be recognised that -- thankfully -- honour killings happen in only the most extreme cases, and that much more needs to be done to safeguard women and girls against...
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Interview
05 February 2015
Not the first controversial sermon
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed following the publication on the Internet of a misogynistic sermon held at Berlin's Al Nur Mosque. Ahmad calls for speeches such as this to be clearly condemned from within the Muslim community....
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Interview
28 January 2015
Disoriented, sexually frustrated, and waging Jihad
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on German radio about the radicalisation process, and the motivations which drive young people to join jihadist groups. Ahmad calls for radicalisation to be recognised not just in terms of security concerns, but also as a threat to civil society and democratic values....
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Interview
16 January 2015
Terrorism, the expert: ‘Threats by attacks. The mosques? It is right to build them, but the problem is who manages them’
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino, in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Giorno, explains how even if the terror threat in Italy is low compared to other European countries, it must keep its guard up. The construction of Mosques in Italy does not pose a direct threat of Islamic terrorist attacks, Vidino says, however he warns that they should be run by Islamic communities with “correct ideologies” that protect human rights....
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Interview
15 January 2015
Europe’s porous borders pose problems in hunt for terrorists
The attacks in Paris last week and yesterday's raids against militants in Belgium highlight the trend of European Muslims travelling to Syria and Iraq to fight. EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino speaks to PBS Newshour about Europe's porous borders and the challenge of monitoring possible suspects....
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Interview
13 January 2015
Integration ‘not an antidote’ to Islamic extremism
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino discusses the challenges Switzerland faces with regard to Islamic radicalization, refuting the notion that a higher level of integration is a safeguard against attacks such as the ones which took place in Paris....
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Interview
13 January 2015
We are not actually doing anything, we are just reacting
Following the terror attacks in Paris, EFD's Ahmad Mansour speaks in Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper about his renewed determination to instigate a meaningful debate on issues relating to Islam. Ahmad calls for long-term prevention approaches to radicalisation instead of reactionary measures....
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Interview
10 January 2015
Muslims have no answers to radicalisation
The day after the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed in Switzerland's Berner Zeitung on the challenges we face regarding Islamic radicalisation....
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Interview
23 October 2014
Giving up is not an option
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed in Germany's Stern magazine on the current challenges we face regarding Islamic radicalisation. Ahmad discusses the various reasons why a strictly regulated Salafi way of life can be attractive to young people, describes what the radicalisation process can look like, and stresses the danger of Jihad as an ideological legitimisation of violence. He calls for more to be done to prevent radicalisat...
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Interview
18 October 2014
Nigeria: agreement with Boko Haram. On Monday they will release the girls
In an interview on Radio Vaticana, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo discusses the potential agreement that would see the release of the 219 girls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Valentina remains slightly sceptical about this development, stating that any agreement with would imply some form of payment....
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Interview
15 October 2014
There is no alternative to a reform of Islam
In an interview in Germany's Deutsche Welle, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour speaks about the urgent need for a reform of Islam and for a culture of debate and critical questioning within the Islamic community. Ahmad stresses the importance of showing young people "an Islam that has nothing to do with radicalism", and calls for the religion to be "freed from fear and the idea of a vengeful God."...
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Interview
29 September 2014
The president’s right to war
Are air strikes in Syria legal? What is the likelihood of air war with ISIS succeeding? EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya is interviewed on Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty....
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Interview
26 September 2014
ISIS supporters are very active in Germany
Ahmad Mansour is interviewed in Germany's Pforzheimer Zeitung on the growing number of young Germans who have joined the militant Islamist group ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He warns that ISIS supporters and sympathisers are rife in Germany, and calls for more to be done in schools and society on the whole to prevent vulnerable young people from being drawn into radical groups....
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Interview
26 September 2014
They are like a ticking bomb
Ahmad Mansour is interviewed in Germany's Nordsee Zeitung on the radicalisation process, the reasons why Islamist groups can be appealing to young people, and what can be done to prevent this tendency....
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Interview
25 September 2014
Interview with Ahmad Mansour
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed by tip Berlin on the process of radicalisation. He describes the work he does with families of youths who are becoming radicalised, and calls for a constructive debate within Islam to confront radicalisation....
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Interview
17 September 2014
Salafism is a youth culture
In an interview in Switzerland's Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour states that we need to start seeing reform from moderate Islam, or else we will continue to play into the hands of radicals. Ahmad also points out that Islamism appeals particularly to young Muslims as it offers a form of youth culture and an identity. He calls for youth programmes and a stronger debate culture to counter the damaging narratives of rad...
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Interview
13 September 2014
We need to start arguing, even with God
Two days before he is awarded Berlin's Moses Mendelssohn Prize for promoting tolerance, Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on his work to prevent radicalisation and anti-Semitism in Germany's Muslim community....
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Interview
05 September 2014
The content which IS is using can also be found in mainstream Islam
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed in Germany's Zeit newspaper on why the Islamic State militant group attracts German Muslims, what we might expect from those who return from the conflict, and how we can work to prevent radicalisation....
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Interview
05 September 2014
Those who can think for themselves are immune to radicalisation
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour was interviewed on German radio on radicalisation of youths in Germany. He speaks about how young people are drawn to jihad because they are looking for structure and meaning in their lives, and that psychological factors contribute to their radicalisation. Furthermore, he expresses regret that the issue of radicalisation has not been brought up in the German Senate....
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Interview
05 September 2014
Those who can think for themselves are immune to radicalisation
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on German radio about the reasons why radical groups can be appealing to young Muslims, and what can be done to discourage this trend....
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Interview
01 September 2014
Problems need to be clearly addressed
Ahmad Mansour talk about the intercultural (in)tolerance and how there is still a lot left to do. He also addresses the issue of radicalisation and the role that groups like “The True Religion” and Muslim organisations actually play and the one they should play....
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Interview
01 September 2014
Problems need to be clearly addressed
Ahead of the Moses Mendelssohn award ceremony, EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed on his work with numerous projects in Germany to foster integration, tolerance and gender equality, and to prevent anti-Semitism, radicalisation and honour-based oppression in the Muslim community....
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Interview
28 August 2014
Vidino: youths are radicalised on the Internet
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino, in an interview published in Avvenire, explains how "keyboard jihadis" are on the rise. Whilst in the 90s it was in the mosque that radicalisaion occurred, today youths learn about jihadism online....
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Interview
28 August 2014
We must strengthen the liberal forces in the Muslim world
Following his appearance on Germany's Log-in television programme, Ahmad Mansour takes part in a webchat with viewers on a number of issues relating to the social challenges posed by fundamentalist interpretations of Islam....
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Interview
26 August 2014
Mare Nostrum was the best response to Islamist propaganda
The Mare Nostrum Project, a project funded by the EU that explores new ways to protect the Mediterranean Sea, saved the lives of 3500 refugees wanting to reach the shores of Southern Italy this summer. In an interview published on L'Occidentale, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino calls for for the West to use these success stories to counter the negative narratives that attract young people to jihad....
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Interview
25 August 2014
Immigration is not terrorism, but beware of the Italian ‘Beatles’
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino discusses the threats posed by Islamic extremism and “online jihadism” in Italy. He explains that in Italy, contrary to popular belief, immigration is not connected to terrorism or the threat posed by the “Islamic State”....
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Interview
20 August 2014
Is it a British hand that killed Foley? Interview to Vidino: who are the European jihadists
In an interview featured on Rai News, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino delves into the issue of European foreign fighters and explains what role they play in Iraq and Syria....
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Interview
03 August 2014
The war is being fought on social media
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour speaks with journalist Teresa Eder about anti-Semitism among young people with migrant backgrounds in Austria – a phenomenon which has become increasingly pronounced amid the renewed conflict in the Middle East....
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Interview
31 July 2014
Women in Islam
In an interview on Servizio Informazione Religiosa, EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo discusses the role of women in Islam, explaining how the perceived subordination of women is being defended by Koranic interpretation. She says that women are the key to the advancement of Islam and explains that is especially the case because there are as many Islamic women as there are “Islams”....
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Interview
23 July 2014
The hatred is completely out of control
Amid rising tensions in Germany due to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, EFD's Ahmad Mansour voices his concern about the increasingly pronounced anti-Semitism among Germany's young Muslims....
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Interview
03 July 2014
The Muslim Brotherhood: Really moderate?
EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo states that The Arab Spring has led to the ‘legitimisation’ of the Muslim Brotherhood and urges Europe to remain cautious....
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Interview
07 May 2014
The phenomenon of Boko Haram
EFD Senior Fellow Valentina Colombo is interviewed on Italian web-based radio station oltreradio.it about the Islamist group Boko Haram. Her analysis covers group's history; previous attacks it has carried out; its heightened fundamentalism following the Arab Spring; the increasing use of media as a communication vehicle; attempts to prevent the education of women and girls; and the necessity of Nigeria's government to act against this Islamist...
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Interview
05 February 2014
It is difficult to differentiate neo-democratic Islamists from the supporters of violent extremism
In an interview with the Tunisian newspaper Al-Maghreb, EFD Senior Fellow Bakary Sambe says that the Libyan crisis has contributed to the spread of jihadist groups in northern Mali and in the region of southern Algeria....
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Interview
05 June 2013
The dictator’s candidates
EFD Senior Fellow Wahied Wahdat-Hagh talks to Austria's Der Standard about the choice of candidates in Iran's presidential elections....
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