FEMYSO condemns the Hanau attack

The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) sends its deepest condolences to the people of Hanau following yesterday’s devastating attack on their community. We extend our utmost support to the survivors and victim’s families in this incredibly difficult period.

Following the statement by the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel who indicated that this was a racially motivated attack, we call upon the German authorities to provide assurances of protection to Muslim communities and other religious minority groups all across Germany. 

We call upon national and international institutions to condemn this heinous act in the strongest language, as should be expected of the leadership of our nations. 

“Firstly, I send my heartfelt condolences to the victims of the horrific attack on the community of Hanau on behalf of our organisation. Secondly, it would be unbecoming to not recognise the part that Islamophobic and anti-migrant rhetoric has played in this tragic event. The normalisation of this rhetoric in the mainstream is plain for all to see, therefore stamping out this hatred in all its forms must be our shared priority” – FEMYSO President Abdelrahman Rizk  

We at FEMYSO will continue our efforts in advocating against Islamophobia and all forms of hate speech, and push for more effective policies that reflect the seriousness of these matters.

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Notes

  1. FEMYSO (est. 1996) is an network organisation for 33 Muslim youth and student organisations across 20 European countries, and is the leading voice for European Muslim youth, developing and empowering them, and working to build a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
  2. For more information please email media@femyso.org

FEMYSO is back in the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Advisory Council on Youth

In the new mandate, 2020-2021, Hande Taner will be representing FEMYSO for a two-year mandate in the newly elected Advisory Council (AC). Last week, The AC met for its induction course at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg where the new members learned more about their tasks, role and the CoE’s structure and work on youth.

The AC is the non-governmental partner in the co-management structure which establishes the standards and work priorities of the Council of Europe’s youth sector and makes recommendations for future priorities, programmes and budgets. It is made up of 30 representatives from youth NGOs and networks in Europe and its main task is to advise the Committee of Ministers on all questions relating to youth. The AC meets twice a year in Strasbourg and Budapest with Council of Europe Member States to discuss recommendations and implementations of youth priorities.We wish the new Advisory Council and our representative Hande Taner good luck with the new mandate and we are looking forward to working together #ForYouthRights in Europe.

Check out this page (https://www.coe.int/en/web/youth/advisory-council-on-youth) to know more about the AC and its work!