Mentions
Mention
15 September 2014
Ahmad Mansour – from Salafist to prize winner
The Berliner Morgenpost features an article on EFD's Ahmad Mansour who has been awarded the prestigious Moses-Mendelssohn Prize for his work to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence in Germany....
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15 September 2014
Ahmad Mansour is awarded prize
Germany's Jüdische Allgemeine newspaper features an article on EFD's Ahmad Mansour who has been awarded the prestigious Moses-Mendelssohn Prize for his work to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence....
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11 September 2014
Germany sees rising anti-Semitism among Muslims
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is quoted in an article from the Wall Street Journal on increasing anti-Semitism among Muslims in Germany. As in other European countries, Germany has seen a surge in anti-Semitic abuse in connection with the recent conflict in Gaza. However, Ahmad states that the issue is not a new one, "The protests got a lot of attention, but 'Jew' has been used as an insult by young Muslims in schoolyards, on sports ground...
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Mention
04 September 2014
ISIS recruits ‘converted’ Europeans
Westerners fighting in Iraq and Syria are estimated to be 3000, with 20 to 25 per cent of those being recently converted to Islam. In an article featured in the leading Italian newspaper La Stampa, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino reveals that this phenomenon could be explained by a shift to "online Islamic fundamentalism" which appeals to younger Western generations who feel closer to Islamic fundamentalism than their national identity....
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Mention
01 September 2014
A Ukraine Peace Plan That Excludes Ukrainians Is Unacceptable
Following a meeting between American and Russian experts and former officials in the Finnish island of Boistö that aimed to find a solution to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, EFD Fellow Anna Borshchevskaya co-signed a letter with American and European experts that denounces the exclusion of Ukrainians from the summit in Finland as it "disqualifies this initiative from any serious consideration"....
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Mention
29 August 2014
Are there jihadi groups in Varese?
The North of Italy is becoming host to jihadi groups hoping to branch out to other parts of Europe. In the Italian newspaper La Provincia di Varese, EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino discusses that this phenomenon is a serious threat and reports that even towards the end of the 1990s jihadists were present in Italian cities....
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Mention
24 July 2014
Misleading images are being circulated online
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is quoted by journalist Katharina Pfannkuch in an article on misleading images which are circulating on social media in connection with the conflict in Gaza. Ahmad points out that highly emotive or graphic images -- which sometimes originate from Iraq or Syria -- are being shared particularly by young people, who are less likely to check or question the source....
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11 July 2014
Iraq: watch out for jihadists with a European passport
Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino warns of the potential security threat posed by ISIS militants who hold European passports. He urges us to be cautious of individuals who have gained military training in Syria and Iraq, and have easy access to Europe...
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Mention
23 June 2014
Actively countering Islamic fundamentalism
Following the announcement that he is to be awarded the prestigious Moses Mendelssohn Prize, Germany's Jüdische Allgemeine features a report on EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour. The report includes a quote from Ahmad who says, “I am incredibly proud to receive this recognition; I see it as a reminder of my obligation to continue to work for tolerance and human rights, and to fight against anti-Semitism.”...
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Mention
20 June 2014
Ahmad Mansour to be awarded the Moses Mendelssohn Prize
The prestigious Moses Mendelssohn Prize is to be awarded to EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour for his tireless work to promote tolerance in Germany. As reported widely in German newspapers such as Die Welt and the Berliner Zeitung, Ahmad has been described as “an exceptionally engaged and courageous individual” who makes a significant contribution to making German society more tolerant and inclusive....
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Mention
16 June 2014
Encouraging the ‘macho’ youths to reflect on their beliefs
Journalist Katja Hanke reports on the work of EFD's Ahmad Mansour and his colleagues at Heroes Berlin to support school teachers who are faced with sexism or misogyny from pupils with migrant backgrounds....
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Mention
16 June 2014
Swedish expert confirms that Polisario combatants are involved with AQIM
In an article on Sarara News, Magnus Norell is featured giving expert evidence on the recruitment of Polisario combatants by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)....
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16 June 2014
Swedish expert: AQIM is recruiting members from Polisario
In an article published by Moroccan source Medias 24, Magnus Norell warns that Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is recruiting new members from Polisario groups based in the camps of Tindouf, in Algeria....
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15 June 2014
Norell: AQIM recruits members from Polisario
Moroccan Internet portal Menara features an article about the militant organization AQIM. AQIM seems not only to recruit Polisario combatants, but also to cooperate with other Islamist terrorist groups.
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Magnus Norell is quoted in the article....
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Mention
16 May 2014
Islamists returning to Germany from Syria are ‘ticking bombs’
Following heightened security concerns in Germany, EFD's Ahmad Mansour emphasises the importance of counter-radicalisation work, and states that the most effective time to carry out this work is during the school years....
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Mention
21 April 2014
The “Holy War” enlists terrorists
An increasing number of Islamic Italian fighters are using Internet to spread the “Holy War”. EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is interviewed by the Italian daily newspaper La Padania on the radicalisation dynamics in Italy....
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Mention
14 April 2014
Italians fighting for Islam: the network is growing
Italian daily La Stampa features a detailed report on Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy, a new publication from EFD's Lorzono Vidino....
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Mention
13 April 2014
Very well-connected and rappers: these are the Italian jihadists
Following the publication of Lorenzo Vidino's Homegrown Jihadism in Italy, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera features a report on the profiles of young Italians who are drawn to radical groups, and their possible motives for joining Syria's civil war....
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Mention
10 April 2014
We will never completely eliminate the danger
Following the return from Syria of one of Switzerland's foreign fighters, EFD's Lorenzo Vidino speaks to Swiss daily 20 Minuten about how these individuals can be reintegrated into society....
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Mention
08 April 2014
Hezbollah fundraisers banned
In one of its articles on the German ban of a Hezbollah’s support group, the German news Tagesschau quoted EFD Senior Policy Advisor Alezander Ritzmann.
In 2009, EFD had already expressed its concerns as regards the linkage between the Lebanese Islamic militant group and “Orphans Project Lebanon e.V.”...
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Mention
05 April 2014
German women becoming ‘holy warriors’ in the name of Jihad
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour is interviewed in Germany's Deutsche Welle about the increasing number of German women who are being drawn to Syria's civil war in the name of Jihad....
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Mention
02 April 2014
“How do we want to live?” : Teaching materials on Islam, Islamophobia, Islamism and Democracy
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour contributes to new teaching resources on democracy, Islamophobia, Islam and racism from the German organisation UFUQ....
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Mention
20 March 2014
Don’t Trust Rouhani – Iran’s Nobel Peace laureate speaks
In an interview during a visit to Brussels organized by EFD, Shiran Ebadi, 2003 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, says Iran's supposed reformist leader Hassan Rouhani has done little to improve human rights....
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18 March 2014
Show some respect!
Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper features a report on Ahmad Mansour's work to support female teachers who encounter difficulties with male pupils from patriarchal cultures....
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Mention
14 March 2014
EFD Hosts Nobel Laureate and Iranian Human Rights Activist Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Abadi briefed MEPs, EU officials and the media in Brussels and Strasbourg on the human rights situation in Iran....
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Mention
21 February 2014
In Senegal, Wahhabism wins ground
Despite Senegal has been associated with the image of peaceful country for a long time, it has not been spared by the rise of Wahhabism....
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Mention
28 January 2014
EFD in the news: empowering European Muslims fighting religious extremism
La Croix, one of France’s oldest and most respected newspapers, published an article that recognises the importance of our work to empower European Muslims who promote democratic values such as freedom of thought, pluralism and respect for individual freedoms....
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Mention
25 January 2014
“Easyjet-Jihad”: Budget airlines offer easy access to Syria’s civil war
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is quoted in Switzerland's daily Aargauer Zeitung in an article on the ease with which Swiss jihadists can access the civil war in Syria.
"It has never been easier for radicals to fight in the name of jihad", he says....
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Mention
25 January 2014
Cheap flights to Syria’s civil war
EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino is mentioned in Switzerland’s 20 Minuten in an article on the ease with which Swiss jihadists can access the civil war in Syria....
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Mention
23 January 2014
Islamic ‘magistrates’ in Germany
EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour speaks to journalist Marion Bacher about the practise of unofficial, Islamic ‘magistrates’ in Germany....
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Mention
21 January 2014
Does God forbid us from having fun? Transcript of a discussion in Neukölln, Berlin
Germany's Centre for Democratic Culture (ZDK) has published the transcript of a debate held in Berlin on the topic of the Islamic image of God. The debate featured prominent speakers including EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour, who also works closely with the ZDK. The speakers addressed a number of critical questions, including the image of God as a merciful vs. a punitive being; the image of God which young Muslims grow up with; the effect of...
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Article, Mention
08 January 2014
My son, the Salafist
Austria’s daily newspaper Wiener Zeitung features a report on the counter-radicalisation work of EFD Programme Director Ahmad Mansour in Germany....
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26 August 2013
The scientist under Syria’s microscope
Meet the neurobiologist-turned-weapons inspector who could stop — or start — a wider war.
CAIRO — On Monday morning, a United Nations chemical weapons inspection team left the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Damascus, and prepared to head to the site of what is alleged to be the worst chemical weapons attack in decades. They were led by AkeSellstrom, a Swedish scientist who finds himself transported from his classroom at Umea University in...
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Mention
23 August 2013
Two Sahara-based jihadist groups merge
US international broadcaster Voice of America features a report on the merging of two North African militant groups, formerly linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Both have been responsible for taking hostages and launching suicide attacks. EFD Fellow Bakary Sambe contributes to the report noting that the name of this new group "Mourabitounes" comes from a thousand year old Islamist Berber dynasty, which was responsible for helping spread I...
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Mention
20 August 2013
Italy: low to medium risk
Reporter Graziarosa Villani from the online Italian news site L'Indro interviews EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino about the threat of terrorist attacks in Italy and the problem of radicalisation among Italy's second generation Muslim immigrants....
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Mention
18 August 2013
What’s next for Egypt: 3 scenarios
National Public Radio blogger Greg Myre lays out three scenarios for the future of Egypt and the relationship between the security forces and the Muslim Brotherhood. He includes analysis from EFD Senior Policy Advisor Lorenzo Vidino who says that outside pressure could help to prevent a bloody crackdown and outside influence could "lay the groundwork for some kind of reconciliation."...
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