EYE 2018: Young European Muslims at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Delegation of 50 young European Muslims had acitivites at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The delegation engaged in discussions and debates concerning Europe, and made sure the voice of European Muslim youth was represented throughout.

The delegation was a collaboration between FEMYSO and Etudiants Musulmans de France this year. We hope to see more youth engaged at such events so keep an eye on our social media for future opportunities.

Working for a Diverse, Cohesive and Vibrant Europe.

https://www.facebook.com/femyso.org/videos/1906777732699795/

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Apply for European Youth Event 1-2 June 2018

Feel concerned about what’s going on in Europe? Want to speak up and let your bright ideas shine through? Then prepare yourself: the EYE18 is coming in Strasbourg and you’ll surely like it!

Sounds great, right? But…what is the EYE by the way?

  • EYE stands for European Youth Event
  • It is a political youth-led event that takes place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg gathering more than 8,000 young Europeans.
  • It combines high-level political debates, thematic workshops, educational activities, cultural animations and live music into a unique political and festive mix creating a unique, fun and meaningful experience of participation
  • It aims to put youth issues at the forefront of the political debate, engaging with young people and demonstrating the positive contribution they make to society.

Now that you know what it’s all about, it’s time to join in! 😉

50 people will have the chance to take part in this incredible weekend with the FEMYSO-EMF delegation! To apply you must be:

  • Willing to be a positive contribution to Europe
  • Currently or formerly involved in a youth organisation
  • Between 16 and 30 years old
  • From any European country
  • Available on the 1st and 2nd of June 2018 and willing to travel to Strasbourg
  • Interested by European issues
  • Preferably outspoken (you’re not afraid to say what you think!)
  • Able to speak English

Now is YOUR chance to live a once in a lifetime experience at a European institution. To apply, please fill in this form before December 31st. For any question, please send us an email at hiba.latreche@gmail.com.

To know more about the EYE and the program, please visit the European Parliament website.

We hope your application will be successful!

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European Muslim Students met with Commissioners and Parliamentarians

About 30 young students from across 17 European Member States convened with the Vice President of the European Parliament Mrs. McGuinness, the First Vice-President of the European Commission Mr. Timmermans, MEPs from all over the political spectrum, Advisors and Commissioners at the event “Engaging Young Muslims in the Future of Europe Debate” at the European Parliament in Brussels on 28th of September 2017.

The young students were invited as representatives of the European Muslim youth to exchange thoughts on ‘The Social Dimension of Europe’, ‘Harnessing Globalisation’ and ‘Muslims in Europe: Present and Future’. During discussions with Mrs. McGuinness and Mr. Timmermans and during the workshops moderated by MEPs Tom Vandenkendelaere, Jean Lambert and Sajjad Karim, students raised attention to sensitive topics and they challenged EU politicians and decision makers with burning questions and issues. Topics such as racism, discrimination, proper and standardized data collection on anti-Muslim hatred in each Member State, safety of housing, exploitation of interns, taxation fairness, discrimination on the labour market, the ruling of the European Court of Justice on the wearing of religious symbols were discussed with a great deal of interest and active engagement.

These suggestions are part of a jointly drafted document on the workshops’ outcomes, which will feed into the Future of Europe debate. The document includes recommendations gathered to improve the life of Europeans regardless of their ethnicity, gender or religion.

Therefore, if the Union’s institutions are to be sincere, the dialogue with Union citizens must be held on an equal footing, instead of a top-down dictum. Particularly in days when values such as Human Rights, Diversity and Coexistence are constantly threatened by nationalist and/or racist parties throughout the EU, the opportunity itself of getting involved in discussions with Commissioners and European Parliamentarians is considered crucial to keep up the dialogue between Union institutions and citizens, deepen ties and commit jointly to a common future.

To overcome injustice, intolerance, and racism, it is paramount to protect the fundamental rights of all Union citizens of the Union as incorporated in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Council of Europe’s European Convention on Human Rights. It is paramount, for effective judicial protection of each individual’s fundamental rights which ensures personal and societal safety, social cohesion, and civil welfare. It is paramount to strongly and successfully unite in diversity.

The meeting has proven that young European Muslims share with each other the same sorrows concerning identity, education, racism, and social exclusion and inclusion. It also demonstrated the large interest of young people and their eagerness to actively contribute to Europe’s present and future. For there cannot be a future without participation.

FEMYO 21st General Assembly held in Cologne, Germany

The Forum of European Muslim & Students Organisations (FEMYSO) hosted its 21st General Assembly (GA) in Cologne, Germany 16th and 17th September 2017.

Delegates of FEMYSO’s Member Organisations from across Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Belgium, Germany, France, Holland, Great Britain, Sweden, Italy, Slovakia, Ireland, Finland, Hungary and Switzerland) attended the General Assembly to elect its new executive committee and elected Youssef Himmat as its president. Upon his appointment he said, “I would like to thank the former executive committee for their hard work and achievements over the past 2 years. I am happy to be continuing this amazing work and believe the new Executive Committee is up to the challenge to fulfil this huge responsibility in contributing to the development of a diverse, cohesive and prosperous Europe.”

We extend our most heartfelt congratulations to the new executive committee, to whom we wish all the best for their mandate.

President: Youssef Himmat (Switzerland)
Treasurer: Adem Güngörmüş (Belgium)
Head of Campaigns: Hande Taner (Netherlands)
Head of Communications: Esed Ivojević (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Head of Fundraising: Vullnet Selmani (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Head of Internal development: Abdelrahman Rizk (United Kingdom)
Head of Marketing: Hassiba Kechiche (France)
Head of Media & PR: Endrit Maçi (Albania)
Head of Member Organisations & Services: Ibrahim Kraria (Germany)
Head of Training & Events: Nadia Bouzekri (Italy)

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FOSIS Annual Conference 2017

Last week the Annual Conference of FOSIS took place and their next National Executive Committee has been elected. We asked Zara Mohammed, the former president, and Mohamed Fadil, the new president, to share some of their thoughts about this special moment.

‘It has been an incredible year serving Muslim Students across the UK & Eire. One of my highlights was meeting European Muslim Youth Leaders at the FEMYSO Gala, seeing the impact of all of our work in developing leaders and reminding me just how important our efforts are in making a real difference for young people at these challenging times. I wish the new team the best of success in the upcoming year!’
Zara Mohammed

‘I feel extremely honoured to be given this great responsibility. I pray that this year is a year where we, as a National Executive Committee in FOSIS, are able to make a huge positive impact on the lives of Muslim Students across UK and Ireland especially at these critical times. We also really look forward to working with FEMYSO and create a greater bond with all our European partners for many years to come in sha Allah.’

Mohamed Fadil

We would like to thank the former executive committee and Zara as their president for the work we did together last year, baraka Allahoe feekoem!

Congratulations to the new executive committee, we wish you all the best for the coming year and look forward to working together inshaAllah, towards a strong and cohesive Europe.

It was a pleasure to attend this special weekend as well, where we presented FEMYSO and delivered an introductionary mediaworkshop. Thank you for all the positive energy and we look forward to coming back to the UK soon!

FOSIS NEC 17/18

President: Mohamed Fadil
VP THR: Marwan Akari
VP ISCC: Osama Zubair
VP SAC: Saffa Mir
Finance: Ala Sawalha
Communication: Aadam Bari
Campaigns: Sayem Chowdhury
Services: Maalek Chatti
Member Relations: Fawaz Lone
Ireland chair: Haseeb Ul Haque
London chair: Enam Amod
Midlands chair: Omer Elhassan
North chair: Abdulrahman Elbayouk
Scotland chair: Waqqas Hussain
Wales & West chair: Jenan Ashi

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Launch of the ADVISE Project

ADVOCATES AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA IN EDUCATION

Brussels, 21 March 2016

On the occasion of the European Action Week Against Racism, a consortium of NGOs from around Europe is pleased to announce the launch of the ADVISE project: Advocates Against Islamophobia in Education.
The consortium brings togetherFryshuset (Sweden), Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (EU/Belgium), International Alert (UK), Etudiants Musulmans de France (France) and Symbiosis (Greece), as well as theEuropean Network Against Racism (ENAR) as policy advisor.
The project aims toidentify and address gaps in national policies to protect against Islamophobia in education and to develop advocacy strategies towards stakeholders (such as education authorities, policymakers, student unions, educators and human rights NGOs) in order to make progress in introducingbetter protection for studentswho face Islamophobia in education, and mechanisms for reporting and recording of incidents as well as supporting victims of Islamophobia.

The project is taking place in 5 countries: UK, France, Belgium, Sweden and Greece. In these countries, the rise in far-right, the populist discourses activity and the increasingly hostile environment towards Muslims is a reality of daily life. Already, in 2009, the Fundamental Rights Agency— warned about the scale of discrimination against Muslims in Europe. “On average, one Muslim respondent out of three reported having experienced discrimination in the last 12 months. These respondents (…) said they had experienced an average of eight incidents of discrimination over a period of 12 months”.In 2015, discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin continues to be regarded as the most widespread form of discrimination in the EU, figures reaches 64% followed by religion or belief 50% (10/2015- European Commission, SpecialEurobarometer 437 discrimination in the EU in 2015 report).

The ADVISE project will train and empower around 60 young people between 16 and 35 on how to advocate against Islamophobia, with a focus on improving reporting, recording and support mechanisms in the education sector.

The project will have a strong cross-community element, by bringing together Muslim and non-Muslim youthto learn how to advocate against discrimination, as well as bringing advocates from different communities together to share their experiences and expertise on advocating against discrimination.
We look forward to working with our partners and local and national stakeholders towards better protection of young people from the harmful and damaging impact of Islamophobic acts.

More about the partners

Fryshusetis a non-profit non-political and non-religious foundation (NGO), founded in 1984, with its headquarters in Stockholm. Fryshuset is often referred to as the largest youth activity center in the world. It runs several schools, sports, music and dance activities, and a lot of different social projects in the fields of migration and community building. Fryshuset is established primarily in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö and some of its activities are also running in other parts of Sweden. All in all Fryshuset employs around 600 people and receives around 40,000 visitors every month, both in the cities and in the suburbs. http://fryshuset.se/in-english/

FEMYSOwas founded in 1996 in Sweden at a time when Muslim youth from across Europe felt the need to come together to create a united body, to share ideas and experiences, help develop the capacity of Muslim European youth and represent their concerns and views to the European institutions. Since then, FEMYSO has grown into a wide network of 34 student and youth organisations throughout Europe, all working to benefit their communities and societies. The FEMYSO vision for European Muslim youth is proactive youth participation and service to humanity. We have trained thousands of young Muslims, contributed to the emergence of a strong confident identity of young European Muslims, and built strong partnerships with organisations across Europe. https://www.femyso.org/

Symβiosiswas founded in 2011 in Thessaloniki by an international group of committed citizens grounded on common belief in the need for a new paradigm for global civics, European citizenship and social cohesion, in order to define, promote and establish new forms of binding democratic participation in political processes, free of discrimination and exclusion. Its mission is building social capital for democracy and develop civic awareness on institutional practices regarding rights and acceptance of diversity, based on the premise that practicing human rights protection equals democratic rule of law. Symβiosis focuses on intercultural and interfaith dialogue, information and political education, advocacy and awareness raising, marginalized citizens’ journalism, documentation and analysis, public debate and active civic participation, so that people and communities voice their needs and ideas. http://www.symbiosis.org.gr/en/

International Alertis an independent peacebuilding organisation established in 1987 that works with local people around the world to help them build peace. We have over 200 staff in 12 field offices and our London headquarters. Our board is comprised of experienced diplomats, business people and peacebuilding and development practitioners from around the world. International Alert takes a broad view of peacebuilding, understanding peace as a situation in which everyone lives in safety without any form of violence, is equal before the law, able to participate in shaping political decisions with government accountability, and has fair access to the basic needs for their wellbeing and equal opportunity to work and make a living, regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other identity. http://www.international-alert.org/

Etudiants Musulmans de Franceis an association created by students for students. EMF is designed to accompany the Muslim student during his or her studies in higher education, improve their lives, and help them to integrate into the campus. It facilitates the integration of students on campus, including that of foreign students, tries to fight the isolation that sometimes affects the student, and participates in improving their sense of wellbeing.EMF also organizes a range of activities regarding Islamophobia on university campus. It organizes seminars, conferences, exhibitions and other activities open to all. http://www.emf-asso.com/

ENAR is the only pan-European anti-racist network that combines advocacy for racial equality and facilitating cooperation among civil society anti-racist actors in Europe. The organisation was set up in 1998 by grassroots activists on a mission to achieve legal changes at European level and make decisive progress towards racial equality in all EU Member States. www.enar-eu.org

@FEMYSO @Fryshuset @EMFASSO @intalert @SymbiosisOrg @ENAREurope
If you forward this release on social medias, please use the hashtag #Islamophobia21
For further information, please contact: najatte.kaaoiss@femyso.org

Press Release Team