The weekend of 13-15 October 2023 saw the election of a new Executive Committee of our organisation by its Member Organisations. With that, we say goodbye to our current executive team after two years of service.
We would like to thank our outgoing team for their commitment to this organisation over the mandate:
Hande Taner – President (The Netherlands)
Salman Gadid – Head of Communications and Marketing (Finland)
Hiba Latreche – Head of Internal development (France)
Aida Rizk – General Secretary (United Kingdom)
Anes Cherigiu – Head of Fundraising (Sweden)
Nadia El Faroukhi – Head of Member Organisation Relations (France)
Vullnet Selmani – Head of Finance (North Macedonia)
Burak Barut – Head of Training (Germany)
Ibtihelle Ben – Head of Services (France)
Yusuf Hassan – Head of Media (United Kingdom)
Nourhene Mahmoudi – Head of Campaigns (Italy)
Saturday the 14th of October saw the election of the incoming FEMYSO Executive Committee:
Hania Chalal – President (France)
Salman Gadid – Head of Member Organisations Relations (Finland)
Vacant – Head of Fundraising
Ahmed Moujoud – Head of Finance (Italy)
Omar Abu Qalbain – General Secretary (United Kingdom)
Hamda Mohamed – Head of Communication and Marketing (United Kingdom)
Aida Rizk – Head of Internal Development (United Kingdom)
Chayma Bouchafra – Head of Training (Spain)
Nourhene Mahmoudi – Head of Media (Italy)
Abdulsami Arjumand – Head of Campaigns (United Kingdom)
The European Action Day Against Islamophobia (EADAI) is an annual event on the 21st of September and marks a major opportunity to raise awareness on the issue of anti-Muslim hatred. It was established by the advocacy and campaigning of FEMYSO together with other organizations and institutions. EADAI creates the opportunity to share facts, lived experiences, and tools to address Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred in Europe. To mark this day, FEMYSO organized a conference hosted at the European Parliament, Brussels, to bring together young Muslims from across the continent with stakeholders at an EU institutional level. In 2023, EADAI is more critical than ever as we witness the rise in Islamophobia in most European countries and its normalization by governing institutions.
The conference hosted approximately 40 young Muslim youth leaders from across Europe and featured two panels with Q&A sessions after each. FEMYSO’s Vice-President Nadia El Faroukhi opened the Conference and highlighted the importance of the event in the current political landscape. Her words were followed by a keynote speech by the honourable MEP Brando Benifei who has always been an incredible ally for the cause of Muslim youth.
The first panel was titled ‘Islamophobia in 2023: Shrinking of the civic space, and top-down vs. bottom-up challenges’ and was chaired by James Kanter, political commentator and host of the podcast EUScreams. Attendees heard from academics, journalists, and human rights advocates on the current European context and anti-Muslim hatred. The panelists were Shada Islam, political commentator and analyst, Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty International’s EU Office, and Farid Hafez, co-editor of the annual European Islamophobia Report). After the session, several participants asked pertinent questions and there were contacts exchanged between speakers and attendees to continue the conversations beyond the event.
The second panel’s title was forward-looking, and covered “Safe-guarding future-policies, 2024 EP Elections and Muslim European Voters”. Areeq Chowdhury, Head of Policy at the Royal Society and Labour Party Councillor from the UK, shared his expertise and answered questions on the issue of discrimination in AI. The contributions of Hania Chalal, activist and the former president of Muslim Students of France (Etudiants Musulmans de France – EMF), were insightful for the situation of French Muslim women and advocacy in the aftermath of the French abaya ban in schools. FEMYSO was pleased to host the Director of the European Network Against Racism, Kim Smoulter, and the Director of Policy and Advocacy for the European Youth Forum, Ozgecan Kara.
The role that institutions have in upholding and spreading anti-Muslim sentiment, is a topic especially poignant to FEMYSO, due to the shocking revelations this year from the smear campaign that FEMYSO and other major organizations faced. As revealed in a year-long joint investigation by European Investigative Collaborations, this campaign aimed to destroy FEMYSO’s reputation and marginalize the young people we represent in public life. It has resulted in increased censorship and the removal of our representatives from important events and youth advisory bodies and has hindered the historical cooperation between European institutions and FEMYSO. FEMYSO, therefore, is calling for clear and effective European strategies to tackle the growing issue of systemic Islamophobia.
With the endemic stigmatization and exclusion of Muslims from all areas of life, FEMYSO wants to create a space to discuss future-looking policies and how these are likely to affect the lived experience of young Muslims in Europe. With the known concerns of bias in artificial intelligence systems, and how this risk impacts young people in the job market, in their access to education, or simply existence in public spaces; upcoming European Elections, and the expected rise in Islamophobic rhetoric; FEMYSO believes that it is vital that diverse stakeholders are brought together to discuss policies on these critical issues.
On Thursday 21st of September 2023, FEMYSO was proud to have hosted an event that explored the different manifestations of Islamophobia, with specific attention to youth. Different institutional representatives and civil society organizations working on youth, education, and discrimination presented their inputs and findings to ensure an inclusive and effective approach to addressing Islamophobia. In line with our human rights to freedom of faith and right to security, it is essential that young Muslims are free to practice their faith and in their rights as individuals in Europe today. We look forward to welcoming more attendees at next year’s conference, EADAI24.
Please find the recording of panel discussions using the following links:
In occasion of the European Action Day Against Islamophobia, FEMYSO is organizing an important in-person conference on 21 September 2022. This is an annual event commemorating the victims of Islamophobia, reflecting on gaps and good practices in Europe when it comes to tackling Islamophobia, and agreeing on joint actions with relevant stakeholders. All of this within the specific dimension of youth.
The European Action Day Against Islamophobia represents a major opportunity for Muslim youth that FEMYSO helped to create with EU institutions to bring the attention of stakeholders on the issue of islamophobia in Europe, sharing key facts with them as well as tools that they can bring in their fields of work to tackle islamophobia.
The gradual increase of islamophobia at all levels has led to the aspirations of young European Muslims to be deeply affected and as of now, a clear and effective European strategy is lacking to tackle this issue.
The event to be organized for the European action day against islamophobia will represent a pivotal opportunity to raise awareness and foster follow-up actions as well as relations and contacts with stakeholders with which cooperative actions can be implemented on the ground and at the policy level.
FEMYSO is a pan-European network of national Muslim youth and Muslim students’ organizations covering more than 20 European countries. Our vision is to be the leading voice of European Muslim youth, empowering and serving them through networking, campaigns, trainings, and representation. FEMYSO aims to ensure that Muslim youth are included in relevant decision-making processes and that they are consulted on issues pertaining to Muslims and European Youth.
FEMYSO has been representing and advocating for the rights of European Muslim Youth for 26 years and the fight against Islamophobia has always been at the core of the work that we deliver. With the unfortunate rise in discrimination against Muslims, the online hate speech targeting Muslims and Muslim activists, and also the increased numbers of Islamophobic events and hate crimes, a firm and solid reaction from the EU and Member States is needed now more than ever.
With the continuous rise of islamophobia alongside the stigmatization and exclusion of Muslims from all areas of life, in the job market, in their access to education, or simply in public spaces, there is the necessity to recognize this serious phenomenon and ensure that policies protecting against islamophobia are put in place.
On the 21st of September, our event in Brussels will explore more in depth the different forms through which Islamophobia can occur, with a specific attention to the “youth” component. Different institutional representatives and civil society organizations working on youth, education, and discrimination will be present to take part in the discussion and share their inputs and findings to ensure an inclusive and effective approach to addressing Islamophobia.
The European Network AgainstRacism (ENAR) together with ERGO and Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, organized a People’s Summit for the second year in the row, to create spaces for anti-racist civil society (CSO) to come together and strengthen solidarity in the movement. FEMYSO’s Advocacy and Active Citizenship Officer from the Campaigns Department participated in the series of events, finishing in Brussels at the end of March 2022.
In 2020, the European Commission adopted an Anti-Racism Action Plan. While this was an important step in the right direction, we know that it was a response to the power that was built on the ground in Europe.
The aim of the People’s Summit in 2022 was to collect CSO priorities and recommendations to share during the European Commission’s annual Anti-Racism Summit, and to respond and comment on the event and to fill in any gaps. Civil society, activists, institutional representatives and press were welcomed to come along to engage, share their thoughts and contribute to the anti-racist agenda in Europe.
As part of the coalition of organizations, FEMYSO brought forth the advocacy points which are part of the core values of the FEMYSO’s mandate. Muslims in Europe continue to suffer in different areas of social life, including education, employment and housing, through hate speech, acts of violence or ethnic and religious profiling. Anti-Muslim speech is no longer confined to the margins of society, but has now become omnipresent in the discourse of the leaders of traditional political parties.
Minorities in European countries should not be targeted, harassed or persecuted by their government due to their cultural specificities or their religious practices under the guise of a “fight against separatism.” Therefore, by being present in these spaces, we are able to push institutions for the inclusion of these points in Member States’ Anti-Racism Action Plans across Europe.
The Peoples’ Summit ended in an exchange between CSOs and the MEP Evin Incir, who is part of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). As they are in charge of putting together the Racial Justice report for the European Parliament, this meeting was called on to hear the perspectives of CSOs on what the report should include. Islamophobia or Anti-Muslim Hatred was strongly urged to be included as part of the report by FEMYSO’s representative, as the subject should be mentioned for what it is, after having been sidelined for far too long.
That moment has sadly come. We will soon part ways with our beloved guest Ramadan.
FEMYSO hopes that you were able to pursue a self-development journey that won’t stop with the end of Ramadan.
To inspire you to keep doing good and be generous to your family ,friends neighbours and also strangers, we are happy to introduce you to the “Crafting for Unity” project for Eid and also beyond.
This initiative aims at encouraging our European Muslim Youth to engage with their non-Muslim friends and network to build cross cultural and interfaith dialogue bridges.
The Crafting for Unity project provides you with stencils you can cut out and fold into a box to fill it with sweets/ chocolate/ dates or any other delights you wish.
To support these dialogues we prepared fifteen messages to insert or attach to the boxes.
We also left some space between each message which you can use for your own additions, wishes or even translations.
The Crafting for Unity contains two stencils.
One already coloured and the other one for our creative Youth and our young community members to colour it out. You can use this opportunity to have fun with the younger members of your family, siblings, kids or cousins.
We wish you and your family a lot of fun while preparing and don’t forget to share with us your creations by tagging @femyso and using the #BlossomYourRamadan🤩
Sustainability and climate action have been part of our work for nearly 10 years. Climate change is an ongoing issue, therefore we have taken the decision for it to be a theme that runs through all of our work more visibly.
Sustainability is closely linked to the Islamic values of our organisation. The earth was given to us humans by God as a responsibility that we need to protect and take care of. The best way to take care of the earth is by sustaining the natural balance of the environment and living a moderate and thoughtful lifestyle. In addition to that by acting just towards all living organisms including people, animals and plants through environmental justice, social justice and human rights.
FEMYSO’s participation as an organising member in the “Interfaith Youth Convention” on the European Green Deal showcases how sustainability and climate justice is an important across faiths. This event allowed Muslim youth to actively partake and get involved in the dialogue together and was a beautiful example of the progressive policy a religiously plural society could achieve.
“Thus We have made you trustees (khulafaa) on the earth after them, to see how you would act.” [Qur’an 10:14].
FEMYSO plans the intensification in eco-friendly and sustainable habits in numerous ways. Firstly, before we advocate for others to become sustainable, we aim to focus intensely on the sustainability factors inside our INGO. We want to introduce and also continue habits like, sustainable waste management, reduction of digital waste, a complete avoidance of plastic use, monitoring CO2 emission caused by traveling and other important measures – described simply as “Reduce, Resue and Recycle”.
Secondly, by advocating for sustainable and climate friendly actions not only in projects and campaigns solely related to climate change, but equally as well in other initiatives. Some examples are the “Green delegation” FEMYSO sent out at the European Youth Event 2021 in Strasbourg and the engagement of our members in the 25% percent project 2022 where climate activism became one of FEMYSOs contributions to the event. As the voice of Muslim Youth in Europe representing 33 member organisations across 20 European Countries, we also recognise that our membership is actively engaged in this theme. A good example would be the Green Iftar Guide encompassed in the “Ramadan Blossom campaign” for FEMYSO, for its member organisations and also available for anyone who is willing to organise a sustainable iftar during the holy month of Ramadan.
Thirdly, it is important to us to highlight the link between climate action, social justice and human rights. This was one of the many topics discussed during the training on sustainability and climate action “Step- up and take action” that took place in Sarajevo 2021.
Ever since our first major project dedicated towards sustainability, “Green up my community” which we launched in 2013, we have seen this type of work as an important area of focus, the decision to embed it thematically across our whole organisation was not taken lightly. However, we recognise the true need, we hope we can provide an example to others in and outside of our community to make the same commitment – for a more sustainable world for all Insha’Allah (God willing).
Implementation of FEMYSOs Green Iftar Guide of the “Ramadan Blossom” campaign
After a very supportive and insightful call with representatives of FEMYSO’s Campaigns Department, as well as the Environmental Officer, we felt very inspired and empowered to continue planning and organising the most sustainable public iftar we could. The framework and tips provided led to a significant reduction of single-use plastics, usage of eco-friendly recycled paper for all cutlery and plates, and recycling and re-using the small amount of plastic we did have to end up using. Encouraging our guests to only pick up the amount of food they realistically think they can consume during the night significantly reduced food waste.
Generally, these small interventions and adaptations were really easy to implement but made a tremendous difference to the waste produced and the awareness it created in the community
Alaee Ziani, Vice President, Muslim Youth of Gibraltar – A FEMYSO Member Organisation
25% project – FEMYSO’s participation in the international event the 24/04
FEMYSO is a partner of the 25% is a project, which is an initiative for young people, by young people to ensure that their voice is heard in decision-making processes and that they are given the tools and resources necessary to advocate for causes they care about. Moreover, On the 24/04/2022 we took part in the international event of the 25% where we took part in different working groups, including one regarding sustainability and climate change where FEMYSO’s newly recruited Environmental officer, presented the policy recommendation of the working group to the MEPs present at the conference.
Sustainability is one of the most emerging themes expressed in the ideas collected. Young people think sustainability and climate change should be a political principle that shouldn’t be isolated from other important discussions. Moreover, youth also think that we cannot achieve climate justice without environmental justice, meaning that climate change can only be effectively fought if the measures are bearable for all citizens. as FEMYSO, we are convinced that climate change has a multiplier impact on existing inequalities and injustices on racialised communities, therefore it crucial that the fight against climate change reflects social justice principle to guarantee a fair allocation of responsibility of the actors involved.
Nourhene Mahmoudi, Head of Campaigns, FEMYSO
The Interfaith Youth Convention “Striking a Deal for our Common Home”
FEMYSO collaborated with different faith organisations active on European level to organise two interactive webinars with youth from all across Europe representing of Muslim, Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian and Jewish confessions, to exchange on the European Green Deal with the background of their religious beliefs. Climate activism and the responsibility towards our earth is a common denominator which connects us all together. Therefore, FEMYSO gave great importance to this interfaith project. We must ensure that everyone can meet their fundamental needs while preserving our environment for future generations. The webinars resulted in a distinguished report gathering all recommendations and ideas collected from the participating youth.
Yusra Eleslambouly, FEMYSO volunteer, Part of the interfaith team
Green Delegation European Youth Event 2021
More than half of the participants of “Step-up and Take-Action” took part in the EYE in Strasbourg as FEMYSOs delegation. Prior to the European Youth Event, preparatory meetings were held by the previous organising team and alumni to discuss environmental topic. During those productive meetings, policy recommendations were developed to be presented at the EYE. We went as a green delegation to continue the work we started in Sarajevo. The common goal for this delegation was to make it clear that young European Muslims stand together with all other Europeans to fight climate change and take action. It was important to advocate for the environment as Europeans with minority background. We aimed to promote diversity and inclusiveness on climate actions and managed to effectively engage in several activities related to topics of climate justice and the environment. Our delegation spread at the EYE to take part in as many green activities as possible, we organised meetings, and had fruitful discussions with various MEPs.
Member of the Green Delegation
Step-Up and Take-Action International Activity 2021
In 2021 I participated in the international activity “Step Up and Take Action”. Throughout the program we learned how to advocate for sustainability on local, national and international level. We also learned what the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are and what they stand for. And this year -2022- I am inspiring European Muslim youth to become more aware of their environment and act by implementing the gained knowhow on sustainability into the “Ramadan Blossom Campaign” as the Ramadan Campaign Lead.
Esma Budur, FEMYSO volunteer
A Message to Leaders from our President
On the 52nd edition of Earth Day we call upon all global citizens to reflect upon their own impact on our planet. With Earth Day falling in the month of Ramadan, I see it as a unique opportunity for the Muslim community to recognise our God-ordained responsibility to take care of our earth and our obligations towards it.
Whenever young people are asked about their own political priorities, climate change is mentioned on every single occasion, we call upon policy-makers and decision-takers to take the concerns of youth seriously in this regard, not only acting upon their asks but empowering them to lead in the protection of their own futures.
As FEMYSO, we hope years from now the leaders of this organisation look back and applaud the significant steps taken by individuals and governments to save our planet – there is simply no other option.
“Just like flowers blossom every spring, so do we every Ramadan”.
We are glad to announce that the Ramadan Blossom campaign is back!
FEMYSO wishes you a blessed Ramadan to you and to your family.
The Ramadan Blossom campaign aims at providing you with tools to accompany you in your journey of spirituality and self-development.
As this is a month of spiritual renewal, growth and community, the activities we have planned are tailored to increasing your Islamic knowledge and keeping the community spirit alive.
Ramadan Planner: We have created a planner to help you stay organised and focused throughout the period of Ramadan. The booklet includes pre-preparations, dhikr, Quran, goals, salah, reflections and reminders as well as creative pages for you to keep note of some tasty recipes.
FEMYSO calls for the protection of human life in Ukraine and for dialogue amongst stakeholders as the current escalation in Ukraine disrupts peace and prosperity in our region. This act by the Russian state is a clear violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and its decision must be reversed to prevent further catastrophe.
FEMYSO echoes the statement of the Council of Europe’s Secretary General and the Joint Statement of European Commission and Council Presidents.This current situation is likely to lead to horrible consequences for innocent citizens who seek nothing more than just to live in their lands without fear, with marginalized groups such as young people and women likely to suffer the worst consequences of this senseless act of violence.
FEMYSO President Hande Taner said ‘My generation was privileged to grow up in peacetime Europe, with war merely seen as a dark chapter of the history of our region. Sadly, the events of today remind us of the fragility of peace. Even in these dark moments, I am especially proud of our member organisation in Ukraine ALRAID, who are providing emergency support to families affected by the escalation and violence in Eastern and Southern Ukraine.’
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine and all those affected by these terrible events – the consequences of war are always devastating and we must double our efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable are protected.
As the voice of Muslim Youth in Europe we call for peace and stand with the people of Ukraine.
Notes
FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a 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.
As we enter the year 2022, we at FEMYSO as the voice of Muslim Youth in Europe are proud to welcome the European Year of Youth.
The European Year of Youth Youth will focus on re-establishing a positive outlook for European young people negatively affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to mark this important milestone, our organisation will amplify calls for one key message: this must be the European Year for all youth, including minority groups and marginalised voices.
FEMYSO President Hande Taner said “Young people have been at the forefront of bringing progressive change to our region, and have been supporting their communities in the midst of this pandemic which already disproportionally affected the., Selfless in their commitment to creating a better Europe, they are the leaders of today, not just tomorrow. We sincerely hope this year signals a shift in the way young people are seen in our society.”
The multitude of challenges young people face in the coming years as a result of this pandemic must not be ignored. We call on our European institutions to fulfil their responsibilities to their young population, removing barriers to meaningful engagement and amplifying our voices to play an active role in policy and decision-making processes.
The decisions made over the coming years will impact the youth of Europe for decades to come. Therefore it is merely logical that the wishes of all youth are taken into consideration We are skilled, educated and more than able to lead our communities – we just need to be given opportunities.
As FEMYSO we will continue our efforts to empower and support all youth voices in order to fulfil our mission of working towards a more diverse, vibrant and cohesive Europe for all.
Notes:
FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a 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.
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On the 22nd of May of this year, we concluded our very first Digital European Muslim Career’s Fair.
We hosted 12 professionals from all over Europe and from different industries sharing their experiences and stories. The professionals represented some top firms that included P&G, Amazon, Nespresso, Oliver Wyman and more. The participants had the chance to learn more about the fields they are interested in, ask questions, and connect.
In addition to getting insights into the different industries, we also had some focused panels discussing some important topics such as diversity in the workplace, working abroad and Muslim women in workplace.
Our aims for this event were to:
To provide Young Muslims across Europe with better understanding of some of the most competitive fields out there.
To show that FEMYSO can provide more to our members than just activism and politics.
To reach out to corporations and build fruitful relationships.
Although this was our first career’s fair, we were able to achieve the aims and received very positive feedback from the guest speakers and participants. We were able to arrange talks by many wonderful professionals in many fields who provided great benefit to the attendees with insights in their respective industries.
We learned much during the planning and execution of this event. We hope that we can use these lessons to expand the scope and reach of our future career’s fairs.