Following the truly shocking revelations outlined in a yearlong joint investigation by European Investigative Collaborations with articles published today in NRC, Mediapart and De Spiegel, our organisation would like to call for accountability and immediate action.
As one of the oldest European youth organisations, our credible track record backed by years of partnership and collaboration was completely disregarded by the very institutions which should have protected us. Volunteer-led organisations, live and die by their reputation, this multi-year 5-million-euro campaign aims to destroy our organisation and drive the young people we represent out of public life.
As outlined in the article, this smear campaign led to increased censorship towards our organisation by European institutions notably the European Commission and Council of Europe, including the removal of our representatives from the agendas of events they were due to address and removal from youth advisory bodies with no ability for dialogue provided.
Our organisation was left with very few allies as we became a toxic brand, however, leaders like Commissioner Helena Dalli and director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, Michael O’Flaherty, and organisations like the European Youth Forum must be applauded as they were willing to show solidarity and be on the right side of history.
It is deeply concerning when any foreign entity tries to influence our leaders and politics. What separates Europe from the rest of the world is our thriving civil society, this campaign aimed to destroy this, and this is why we call on the European Ombudsman to investigate the impacts of this campaign on the engagement of EU institutions with our organisation.
We categorically refute and condemn any attempts to link our organisation to any political or ideological party, group or movement. We have proven throughout the years that our sole objective is to work for a diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 31 Muslim youth and student organisations across 21 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.
We are writing this letter to you, knowing your firm commitment to the values of unity and diversity of our institution. It is with great concern that we have received information of racist and Islamophobic harassment, which took place at the European Youth Event on 9 and 10 June in Strasbourg.
This phenomenal event is a celebration of democracy, which brings together thousands of young people from all over the European Union and the world, to share and shape their ideas on Europe’s future. It is a unique opportunity for 16 to 30 year olds to interact, inspire each other and exchange their views with experts, activists, influencers and decision-makers, right in the heart of European democracy.
According to the event’s official website, the EYE strives to promote equality, inclusiveness and sustainability with a strong commitment to accessibility for everyone. However, in the past years, there have been growing concerns about the behavior of far right participants at the event. Their racist and discriminatory actions have been blatant, disregarding the code of conduct of the event.
An open letter by over 148 MEPs condemned the events already in 2021, calling on the EP President Sassoli to take immediate action. The incidents were also reported in the press. President Sassoli replied to the letter, condemning the hateful treatment of attendees. He promised that an internal investigation would be initiated, and measures to identify the perpetrators and to evaluate necessary needs would be taken.
Despite this, the harassment and discrimination of participants continued again this year. Attendees wearing Identity and Democracy Group lanyards engaged in discriminatory conduct towards other attendees of the event. In an organized manner, they filled many seats in sessions addressing topics of inclusivity and migration, with the intention to cause disorder within these sessions, and in some cases, harass participants and facilitators.
Furthermore, as participants would leave the sessions, the individuals concerned would approach participants that were identifiable as Muslims due to their headscarf, or target individuals wearing the t-shirt of FEMYSO, the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations. These individuals would engage with the participants in an intimidating manner, preventing the participants from attending other sessions.
To our knowledge, persons affected by discriminatory behaviour were mostly members of FEMYSO, the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations, a pan-European network of 31 Member Organisations across 21 countries, responsible for bringing a delegation of 100 young Muslims from across Europe to the heart of our democracy. In an escalation of the intimidation, pictures were taken without consent of other youth participants (one was known to be underage), and distributed by far right participants across online platforms.
We have received testimonies of the harassment and discriminatory behaviour, and have seen screenshots of the insulting online posts. Many participants report feeling extremely unsafe, especially when they discovered images of them appearing on tweets by the far right youth. While many had thought that European spaces were inclusive, and promoted equality, their lived experiences were one of discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.
It is essential to grant young activists safe and equal opportunities to engage with EU institutions. This atmosphere of fear and intimidation needs to be stopped. The European Parliament is a world-class institution representing nearly 450 million people. Our Union has over 71 million young people, representing 16% of our population, who remain highly underrepresented in both national and international parliaments.
In light of the upcoming European elections in 2024, and in the aftermath of the European Year of Youth, we call on the leadership of the European Parliament to strengthen democracy and unity – not to allow hate and divide to rule our common peace project.
Therefore, we ask you, President Metsola, to:
Come forward with an open statement condemning the intimidation and discriminatory behaviour which took place at the EYE in 2023,
produce a clear action plan on the measures which will be taken by the European Parliament to hold the islamophobic and racist participants accountable, and
show solidarity and offer direct support to the persons affected by the violence.
Yours sincerely,
Terry REINTKE and Philippe LAMBERTS Co-Presidents of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament
Once again FEMYSO was incredibly proud to bring together a delegation of 100 young people from over 22 countries to engage with key European institutions. The objectives of this delegation were to promote intercultural dialogue and exchange, as well as to encourage the participation of young people from diverse backgrounds in the democratic process by demystifying and bringing them closer to European institutions.
Unfortunately, members of our delegation were subjected to racist and islamophobia abuse, by far-right activists sponsored to attend by far-right MEPs. This abuse took place in the online and offline space and was truly threatening to the young Muslims in attendance.
Sadly, this is not the first time our membership has been attacked in this manner, at the last event in 2021 a far-right delegation harassed members of both the FEMYSO delegation and that of #DiasporaVote to the extent that extra security was provided upon the departure of these vulnerable young people to ensure this could not continue. This deplorable act of aggression was rightly condemned by the leadership of European institutions, with a letter signed by 152 European parliamentarians calling for an inquiry into this incident submitted shortly after.
We call upon the leadership of the host institutions to:
Condemn this deplorable behaviour and rhetoric in a public statement
Produce an action plan on measures that can be taken to address the threat of these actions which have now taken place at multiple EYE’s
Revoke the ability for those who engage in abusive behaviour to take part in such an event.
FEMYSO and our membership remain undeterred by those who sought to divide and exclude Muslim and other marginalised youth from public life. We will continue with our mission to work towards a diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe for all.
[ENDS]
Notes
1. FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 31 Muslim youth and student organisations across 21 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 or requests please email media@femyso.org
Following the release of an investigatory expose by The New Yorker Magazine, the origins of myths constantly used to attack our organization have finally been exposed as being part of a 5.7 million Euro campaign funded by a foreign entity.
Whilst this information is not new to our organization, the willingness of a mainstream outlet like the New Yorker to publish this story is a clear indication of the legitimacy of the points we have been making for a number of years.
In the article it is revealed that as part of an orchestrated campaign against FEMYSO, a Swiss PR agency ALP executed several targeted actions. ALP created the character Tanya Klein, a fictional journalist and hired a freelance writer to create content under this alias. “Klein” published several articles outlining the myth that FEMYSO was part of the Muslim Brotherhood. Some of these articles were featured or cited by reputable news outlets and have now been deleted from the record without acknowledgment of the fictitious nature and the harm done through their publication – see an example below.
2019
Today
The conspiracy theory propagated by Klein which implies that our organisation is the youth wing of the Muslim Brotherhood relies heavily on the work of Lorenzo Vidino – a right-wing academic funded by ALP. The New Yorker article raises questions as to whether he placed financial incentives above academic rigor. As such, questions must be also asked about how such a figure is still engaged with seriously by our policymakers. Unlike our policymakers, several colleagues have severed ties with Vidino since the publication of the article.
FEMYSO President Hande Taner said: “The plan was simple; it was to bury our organization and make it a pariah which could not be engaged with. For what reason, we simply do not know, given that FEMYSO is a fully volunteer-led organization empowering minority youth and campaigning against Islamophobia and other forms of racism.
With important elections due to take place over both sides of the Atlantic in the coming 18 months, our policymakers need to get serious about tackling misinformation, regardless of the financial incentive to remain quiet. Our democracies must not and cannot be bought.”
We would like to offer the ability for dialogue with those that took part in the mass disinformation campaign in the form of private or public meetings to discuss specific accusations and next steps. Furthermore, our easily available FAQ page can provide further clarifications on our organization and its governance.
We call upon our European leaders to investigate this matter in full and without any delay. In the face of all that seek to prevent our mission, we remain committed to working towards a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe for all.
In the Islamic tradition education is seen as a responsibility for each and every individual as a key facet of their lives.
ٱقْرَأْبِٱسْمِرَبِّكَٱلَّذِىخَلَقَ
Recite in the name of your Lord who created –
خَلَقَٱلْإِنسَٰنَمِنْعَلَقٍ
Created the human being from a clinging substance.
ٱقْرَأْوَرَبُّكَٱلْأَكْرَمُ
Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous –
ٱلَّذِىعَلَّمَبِٱلْقَلَمِ
Who taught by the pen –
عَلَّمَٱلْإِنسَٰنَمَالَمْيَعْلَمْ
Taught the human being that which he knew not.
(Al Quran 96:1-5)
As an organisation a pillar of our work is training: we are proud to have trained over 240 Muslim youth from across Europe on topics ranging from active citizenship, advocacy, sustainability, mental health awareness and much more.
However, Muslims students often face unequal access to educational resources and high-quality education due to institutional and structural racism that segregates students, leaving them with fewer and lower-quality education than their counterparts.
“At current our education system is simply not fit for purpose, this must change in order to harness the potential of all people across our region. The curricula must be updated and representative in order to provide the young people of today the necessary skills which will allow them to function in an economic system that unfairly disadvantages them, racialised youth face an even greater challenge.” Hande Taner, President, FEMYSO
To ensure that all students have equal access to educational resources, European institutions and national governments must continue to strive towards closing the education gap and promoting legislation that seeks to address unequal access to high quality education.
As FEMYSO we will continue our mission to advocate on behalf Muslim students to help create an education system which works for all regardless of background or faith – on our journey towards a more diverse, vibrant and cohesive Europe.
FEMYSO considers the topic of mental health as a key issue and this is why mental health education on a cross-societal level is one of our thematic priorities. It is a necessity to dismantle specific stereotypes that impact young people from minority backgrounds and marginalized groups that not only have to handle their mental well-being and tackle institutional barriers, but are also faced with the lack of access to resources and taboos surrounding mental health.
Research examining the consequences of COVID-19 on racialized communities highlighted the substantial negative impact on wellbeing and mental health outcomes (CAI, 2021). This is why we have every intention to focus on normalising this discussion in our communities and wider society and debunking misconceptions around mental health in general.
In this spirit, FEMYSO organized a one-week training course in collaboration with the Council of Europe, the Mind the Gap Study Session which resulted in the production of a Mental Health Booklet.
This booklet due to be published in the coming weeks seeks to be an introduction to various topics associated with mental health in our communities and organizations as activists. Our hope is to reach different Muslim communities and organizations in Europe to raise awareness, offer support through effective examples of good practice and start a long-overdue conversation.
We call upon European authorities on a local, national and international level to implement the following:
Promote equal mental health care for all.
Protect, raise awareness and promote mental health issues, particularly those concerning minority groups.
Provide more accessible and affordable mental health support through easy access to information and to in-person services.
Professionals should have a better understanding of cultural and faith beliefs of minority ethnic communities and how these impacts on beliefs and behaviours around mental health
Training on unconscious bias and stereotyping for school counsellors and psychologists to be able to address the issues that students from racialized communities, including Muslims face adequately.
As FEMYSO we will continue our mission to recognize the needs and advocate on behalf of those often forgotten and stigmatized, in order to fulfil our mission of working towards a more diverse, vibrant and cohesive Europe for all.
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.
With the endemic 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.
Today, FEMYSO was proud to hold an event in Brussels that explored in-depth the different manifestations of Islamophobia, with specific attention to the “youth” component. 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.
FEMYSO, together with all our Member Organisations, stay committed to a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe, in which all is free and safe to live and believe as they wish.
Twenty-seven years on from the worst human massacre on European soil after World War II, the currents of political conflict rage on in the east of our region. The crime against humanity committed in Bosnia in 1995 was solely driven by a hatred for Bosnian Muslims and enabled by the blatant institutional failure of UN Peacekeeping forces.
These institutional failures remain present in the complete dereliction of duty that numerous governments and multilateral institutions have shown in the lack response to recent actions taken by Republika Srpska. Recent sanctions by the Unites States and United Kingdom against Srebrenica genocide denier and ethno-nationalistic leader Milorad Dodik are encouraging, but more must be done.
On this day FEMYSO has chosen to launch #WeRemember95, a campaign focused on peace and on advocating for Bosnians committed to peace who find themselves in the midst of an environment which could lead to another horrific conclusion if leaders continue to be silent on this issue.
FEMYSO President Hande Taner said ‘The Srebrenica genocide saw the brutal murder of more than 8000 Muslim men and boys, rampant sexual violence, and the displacement of over 1.1 million people over the course of the conflict. As a pan European network organisation of Muslim youth organisations, we are mandated by our membership to commemorate this anniversary, and this is why we are launching this campaign as we believe more must be done in this crucial moment.
As the voice of Muslim youth in Europe this campaign calls for:
Take all necessary actions to prevent a conflict that would inevitably spill over to other countries in the Balkans and in the wider region;
Mandatory education of the Srebrenica genocide in history classes;
National and EU wide commemoration events by national and EU authorities.
The Srebrenica genocide, alongside the Prijedor (Bosnia) massacre that saw the killing of over 3000 Muslim civilians in 1992, portray unforgettable bloody stains in European history concerning ethnic cleansing. Therefore, solid and firm action must be taken to avoid what could be another extermination of innocent individuals on European soil. As for FEMYSO, we will continue our fight against any form of racism and our work for a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
Notes:
FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 33 Muslim youth and student organisations across 21 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.
For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org.
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.
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.
