FEMYSO calls for the protection of human life in Ukraine

24.02.22

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

  1. 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.
  2. For more information or requests please email media@femyso.org

World Hijab Day 2022 #HandsOffMyHijab

Today marks World Hijab Day 2022. What is clear, is that the importance of this day has only increased since its inception – FEMYSO alongside our civil society partners would like to reiterate the clear statement #HandsOffMyHijab.  

The constant attack on the Hijab is centred in a patriarchal view that those in power have the right to legislate on women’s bodies. What a woman chooses to wear (and not to wear) is her own decision and those that seek to undermine this basic fundamental right should be seen as pariah.  

It is hypocrisy of the highest order to governments that seek to rightfully condemn other countries for human rights violations, to enact their own when it comes to the choice a Muslim woman makes whether to wear religious clothing.  

The recent decision by the French Senate to ban the Hijab in sports is one of many clear human rights violations that our region has seen. Sport is a unifying platform where one’s talent and work ethic should be the only consideration made. Instead, Muslim women now have to make the choice between wearing religious clothing and engaging in the sport they love.  

In July 2021, a political decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) was passed which once again gives a free pass to employers to ban the headscarf. This saw the ECJ prioritise the financial interests of employers and prejudiced customers as more important than the rights of those who are perpetually made vulnerable and kept in a vicious circle of discrimination. 

FEMYSO President Hande Taner said ‘My choice to wear the Hijab was my own and one that has led to numerous barriers being placed in front of me in my pursuit to help shape a more just world. The efforts by many across our region to limit Muslim women like myself due to this aspect of my faith is a shameful endeavour that the generations to come will look upon with shame – #HandsOffMyHijab and the Hijabs of all the incredible young women I represent across our region.’  

As part of our work to tackle Gendered Islamophobia, FEMYSO has launched a survey that seeks to tackle the issues faced by Muslim women in the job market, translated into 8 languages, please take part here.  

We once again call upon EU Member States to stop their obsession with Muslim women’s bodies. We call on the EU and all its institutions to recognise the impact of Gendered Islamophobia on its citizens and to work alongside civil society to implement impactful and holistic policy to tackle this human rights violation.
 

  1. 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.     
  1. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org. 

Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 #WeRemember

#WeRemember as the Muslim Youth of Europe

Holocaust Memorial Day should provide us all with a bitter reminder of the realities of where fascism and racism can lead our societies.

President of FEMYSO Hande Taner said ‘The murder of 6 millions Jews alongside thousands of other ethnic and minority groups including over 500,000 thousand Roma is a stain on our history, our region must never seek to forget. Instead it should remain as a collection of moments that stir the anti-racist spirit in each and every one of us, reminding us that remaining silent is not an option.’

The Fundamental Rights Agency Second survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU, found that nine in 10 (89 %) Jews consider that antisemitism has increased in their country, with more than eight in 10 (85 %) considering it to be a serious problem. Jews around Europe rate antisemitism as the biggest social or political problem where they live.

These alarming statistics, and facts such as the antisemtic attacker of the Halle synagogue incident being inspired by the attacker of the Christchurch mosque massacre, paint a stark picture on the reality of anti-semitism in our region. European leaders must take heed and listen to Jewish communities in their efforts to see effective policy implemented to tackle this evil ideology.

FEMYSO will continue to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters in our collective efforts to see a Diverse, Cohesive and Vibrant Europe for all come to fruition.

Notes:

  1. 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.
  2. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org.

FEMYSO Statement on the European Year of Youth 

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: 

  1. 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.   
  1. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org. 

 

FEMYSO Statement on World Human Rights Day

Today on World Human Rights Day 2021, we must remember that Human rights are there to preserve everyone’s dignity and humanity in the face of all prejudices and cruelties. They are not a gift to some of us but a most important inheritance of us all. So we call upon our political and institutional leaders to repledge themselves to their duty to protect human rights and protect organisations and individuals who serve and defend human rights in our societies.

Defamatory and slanderous accusations are a tool often used to silence activists and organisations in the hope that they become afraid to continue the noble work of protecting the freedoms and rights we all enjoy. Unfortunately, in this period of European history, Muslims and Muslim organisations have become the daily victims of these charges from those who choose hate over hope.

FEMYSO President Hande Taner said “As the voice of Muslim Youth in Europe, we find the attacks on human rights defenders deeply troubling. Instead of praising and providing further resources to these fearless heroes, some governments have chosen to amplify the voices and repeat defamatory claims, shame on them for legitimising and exporting racism.

To our friends across civil society, I believe we have a distinct opportunity here to reclaim the narrative around human rights and those that seek to defend them. Remaining silent as these attacks increase in number, will not provide you with protection, instead it will mean that there are fewer voices to protect you when the attacks turn towards yourselves”.

The European Convention on Human Rights provides all of us a resource that we can reflect on, signatories of this document must fulfil the rights outlined within it without fail.

FEMYSO will always stand with those that seek to protect human rights and the most marginalised in our society, as part of our mission to work towards a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.

 

FEMYSO calls for international action to secure sustainable peace in Bosnia & Herzegovina

As the voice of Muslim Youth in Europe we call for immediate action to avoid grave consequences in Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH).

As an organisation we find it a complete dereliction of duty that numerous governments and multilateral institutions have remained silent in response to recent actions taken by Republika Srpska to cause division and escalate tensions in BiH.

The Dayton agreement signed in December 1995 provided a basis for all actors in Bosnia & Herzegovina to operate in a manner which prioritised peace. However, Republika Srpska officials are actively undermining the agreement, stoking tensions in order to meet their ambitions for a mono-ethnic state.

FEMYSO President Hande Taner said “FEMYSO is mandated by our Member Organisations to commemorate Srebrenica every single year, having spoken to local voices in BiH, we are deeply concerned that Europe is sleepwalking into another situation which could see a repeat of this devastating event which saw 100.000 perish and 1.1 million displaced only a few decades ago.”

FEMYSO echoes demands from Bosnian civil society and calls for the following actions from European leaders:

– Punish Milorad Dodik and his partners for violating the Dayton Agreement;
– Actively support actors who work on a multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina;
– Avoid language that equates the actions of aggressors to the victims of said aggression;
– Take all necessary actions to prevent a conflict that would inevitably spill over to other countries in the Balkans and in the wider region.

FEMYSO remains committed and stands with all who call for peace in our region, and denounce all those that seek to divide and destroy our societies with their poisonous language and actions.

END

Notes:   

  1. 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.    
  2. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org.

FEMYSO Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we at FEMYSO, a majority female-led pan-European Muslim youth organisation, commemorate victims and survivors of all forms of violence against women and girls, and recognise the voices of all courageous women and girls who tirelessly continue to fight for human rights.

Violence against women is a human rights violation and must be eliminated in all its forms. Indeed, it is “one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today [and] remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it” (UN Women). 

Within a context of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, the eyes of many have opened more to the reality of gendered violence. According to the UN, even before the pandemic hit us, 243 million women and girls were abused by their intimate partners in the 12 months prior to the pandemic – globally. This violence only intensified, and instances only increased during the pandemic, as a result of sheltering at home from the global pandemic and of the limitation of support services. Furthermore, intersectional forms of discrimination, such as gendered Islamophobia, remained further under-reported and not spotted.

This devastating reality gives us at FEMYSO a deeper motivation to continue to develop and deliver human rights education programmes and campaigns, as well as to improve the safeguarding and implementation of robust safety and support services within our organisational structure. Indeed, since abuse is not always physical, we are currently preparing a dedicated training programme on mental health at the European Youth Centre in Budapest early next year. 

A flagship example is our current partnership with civil society organisations for Project MEET – an EU-funded comprehensive programme aimed at tackling gendered Islamophobia. This is intersectional discrimination that Muslim women and girls suffer based mainly on grounds of ethnicity, religion and gender. Indeed, the majority of the ways in which Islamophobia is produced, is targeted towards women: due to their dress and the idea that Muslim women are oppressed and must be liberated. These attacks are highly personalised, because they depend on individuals identifying Muslim women and punishing them for their identity. 

At FEMYSO, it is our mission to strive for a diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe, and the commitment to end all forms of violence against women and girls is part of this. 

[END]  

  

Notes:  

  1. 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.  
  1. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org. 

FEMYSO Statement on Attack of Muslim Youth by French Government Officials 

FEMYSO is deeply disappointed to observe that French government officials have spent their political capital and platforms to attack and delegitimise our fully volunteer-led pan-European youth and students organisation, instead of trying to pass effective policies to support local communities in the recovery from this devastating pandemic.

FEMYSO President Hande Taner said: “This must not be seen in a vacuum. With upcoming elections in France, we view this unjustified attack as nothing more than a method to legitimise the right-wing credentials of these individuals in order to appease racist far right idealogues who intend to divide our societies.”

This directed targeting of FEMYSO is nothing less than an active contribution to the shrinking of civic space as well as an attack on human rights defenders. A free civic space means that criticism can be directed at public figures and institutions without fearing repercussions, as happens under autocratic regimes.

One of the many accusations our organisation was slandered with was that our rhetoric was not befitting of European values. This is laughable. Over the last 25 years our organisation has manifested European values of tolerance and investing in youth, through trainings and campaigns on various topics such as climate justice, human rights education, advocacy and policymaking, meaningful youth participation and mental health awareness. Our campaign in 2019 to encourage minority youth to vote in the European elections in a context where democratic turnout was low, as well as our campaign in 2020 Outbreak of Generosity to instil solidarity amongst youth to support those in need are only examples of our values and fully volunteer-led efforts.

A recent example of can also be seen through the two workshops our volunteers contributed with during the European Youth Event, as well as our moderation of an anti-discrimination panel by our President at the European Youth Event,  this panel focused on the importance of inclusivity, the full recording of this moderation can be watched here.

Our detractors cite Lorenzo Vidino as the main source of the “research” that supposedly exposes our “real intentions”. Mr Vidino is treated by no one as a credible source and has allowed his personal grievances to transform into a multi-year vendetta that isn’t far from blaming FEMYSO for bad weather at this point. Mr Vidino is nothing but a prejudiced man masquerading as an intellectual. It is quite shameful that he spends his time trying to justify his political positions through his biased research with the sole aim of conducting a witch-hunt against Muslims

He must be seen as an unreliable source, whose research focuses on spreading Islamophobic conspiracy theories. Mr Vidino is affiliated with numerous far-right think tanks in the US and is part of a worldwide network of Islamophobic organizations and bloggers (source).

We would like to offer the ability for dialogue for our detractors in the form of a private or public meeting to discuss specific accusations. Furthermore, our easily available FAQ page can provide a clarification on matters that are currently being discussed online amidst a mass disinformation campaign.

At FEMYSO we will continue to participate proactively in the public debate by protecting human and fundamental rights, by organising trainings and campaigns, and by standing in solidarity with our civil society partners as well as human rights defenders against all forms of oppression.

Notes:

  1. 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.
  2. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org.
  3. More information on Lorezo Vidino can be found here: https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/factsheet-lorenzo-vidino/

 

The attack on the Council of Europe’s Hijab campaign is an attack on human rights

A recent online campaign promoted and led by the Council of Europe’s Anti-Discrimination department, following a workshop in cooperation with FEMYSO, has been attacked by hypocritical French public and political figures who continue to exercise their double standards when it comes to the topic of human rights by promoting liberty only for some and especially not Muslim communities.  

The campaign for the celebration of diversity, including the headscarf, follows on from our collaboration with the Council of Europe’s Anti-Discrimination Department. This specific partnership was in the form of two online workshops aimed at creating human rights-based narratives to counter anti-Muslim hate speech, taking place from the 27-28 September, in a framework of a deep history and continuous forms of cooperation with other parts of the Council of Europe, such as the European Youth Centres and through our representation at the Council of Europe’s Advisory Council on Youth.

As experts on this we facilitated three groups to guide the participants through a process that aimed to analyse hate speech, develop our own human rights narrative as a response. The participants, who belonged to diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, proactively debated the challenges posed by Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate speech, crafting campaigns aimed at raising awareness on the aforementioned issues. The visual campaign showcasing diversity and portraying young Muslim women wearing the hijab, was a result of this workshop.  

As FEMYSO we are extremely sad to see efforts by Muslim youth once again attacked and undermined by individuals and governments alike. We are deeply concerned and saddened that our collaboration on building human-rights based narratives to tackle anti-Muslim hate speech was attacked. This is yet another example of how young progressive voices are sidelined and Muslim women’s rights are non-existent to those who abuse notions such as liberty, secularism, equality and freedom. 

These attacks on this vital campaign take place in a wider environment of a shrinking of civic space, where government actors routinely censor and limit the freedom of speech when not fitting their political agenda. Such backlash and attacks supported by unfounded arguments, ostracise the work that we do as a civil society and hinders our attempt to represent the voices of those whose voice is not always heard.  

FEMYSO President Hande Taner said “In the face of such heavy racist and anti-Muslim attacks, institutions should stand firm in their messaging in support of human rights, condemning the violation of the freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We firmly believe that everyone has the right and freedom to wear (and not to wear) what they want. Those two are not extremes and do not exclude each other, rather they go together. This is a basic fundamental right.” 

At FEMYSO we will continue to participate proactively in the public debate by protecting human and fundamental rights, by organising trainings and campaigns, and by standing in solidarity with our civil society partners against all forms of oppression. 

Notes:   

  1. 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.    
  2. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org.

Letter to European Parliament President David Sassoli

Brussels, 15 October 2021

Dear President David Sassoli,  

 

On behalf of the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO), a pan-European network representing the voice of the Muslim Youth in Europe, we had the pleasure to participate at the European Youth Event (EYE) 2021, the biggest event for thousands of various young people at a European level. Please read our letter below about our recent experiences, especially ahead of the European Year of Youth 2022, as presented by President Von Der Leyen. 

 

As FEMYSO, we were proud for having been provided and having made us of this great opportunity to participate in a democratic process facilitated by the European Parliament to engage young people more closely with the most democratic and representative institution of the European Union. We participated before in 2016, 2018 but for the first time this year we participated by bringing Muslim youth from more than 14 European countries, by delivering two workshops (education and policymaking) and moderated one panel (fighting discrimination) which also had an MEP as a speaker. Before coming to the EYE, we prepared our participants closely through three webinars on what the European Parliament is, what the EYE consists of and what topics they can expect and can prepare for. Indeed, we even had a “green delegation” as part of our wider FEMYSO delegation, which consisted of participants who completed a European Youth Foundation funded international training on climate justice. These participants prepared with concrete ideas and proposals to make Europe greener, knowing that some ideas would be selected for the EYE report and would contribute to the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

 

We are really happy with the five suggested outcomes from the closing plenary, and we are committed to these proposals as an organisation. We also look forward to seeing them developed throughout the Conference on the Future of Europe. As FEMYSO, it is in fact our vision to strive to build a more diverse, cohesive, and vibrant Europe for all. We do this through our campaigns, training, representation and networking activities. 

 

Unfortunately, the experience of our passionate young people, who came to this event to proactively contribute to the process of bettering our European Union, was negatively impacted as they were targeted by a far-right youth delegation. In different occasions, members of our delegation were specifically targeted and subjected to Islamophobic and Anti-Muslim hate speech at the very heart of the European Parliament. Our workshops were disturbed and the panel we moderated got hindered in the end by racist slurs shouted through the microphones. The far-right youth delegation kept furthering their Islamophobic and xenophobic agenda through a multitude of actions, from verbal abuse to online hate speech. For instance, they also uploaded on social media pictures of our participants (without their consent) and used the hashtag #stopimmigration. These are the actions that we know of, and there might be others that we have not been made aware. Please refer to our statement here. 

 

It is noteworthy that not only Muslim participants were targeted by members of the far-right, specifically of the Identity and Democracy Group (ID) of the European Parliament. Also, members of other minority groups who participated and organised activities at the EYE, such as DiasporaVote and Jesuit Refugee Service, were subjected to verbal harassment, both in person and online, by the same people. The members of the other minority groups shared their experiences with us, only after our Vice President shared our experience in the closing ceremony and after we reached out online for victims of hate speech at EYE2021 to contact us. We highly encourage you to watch this short speech that FEMYSO’s Vice President delivered at the closing ceremony here. 

 

As marginalised young people living in Europe, we are firm believers of active citizenship. We came to this event to effectively contribute by sharing our ideas and listening to the perspectives of youth from all over our Europe. We debated our ideas around climate justice, the role of AI in media literacy, gender equality mainstreaming and of specific ways to fight discrimination. Unfortunately, the disgraceful Islamophobia and racism we were subjected to made us feel unsafe and it ostracised our intent to be active citizens. It is even more disgraceful that some MEPs further encouraged the youths who targeted us, by adding their own hate speech. 

 

What happened during the EYE 2021 – which ought to be a safe space – clearly stands in contradiction with the core values of the European Union of democracy, rule of law, solidarity, equality, and respect for human rights; all of which should be defended. The European Parliament is the heart of our democracy and we expect its leadership to take concrete and effective steps to fight all forms of racism, as well as to call out the unacceptable hate speech and verbal abuse which was subjected to many participants during the EYE. 

 

Addressing Islamophobia and xenophobia is a pivotal part of increasing the trust and confidence of European Muslims, and other minorities, in their national and European institutions. We therefore request a meeting to be organised in order to discuss in depth your commitment and proposals to bring concrete measures to limit Islamophobia, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination that minorities are facing in Europe. One possible idea is to have a Parliamentary Charter against hate speech. We are looking forward to discussing feasible and constructive solutions which may put an end to hate speech and racism.  

 

While looking forward to your prompt response, we take this opportunity to convey our best regards, 

 

Abdelrahman Rizk 

FEMYSO President 

 

Signatories of support to this letter: 

  • Agora Association 
  • Asociación Musulmana por los Derechos Humanos – AMDEH 
  • Beylikduzu Youth Club 
  • Centre for Peace Studies 
  • DemSport 
  • #DiasporaVote! 
  • Dimbaya APS 
  • Eine Welt Netz NRW 
  • Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice 
  • Erasmus Student Network Austria 
  • Erasmus Student Network Lisboa 
  • Erasmus Student Network Portugal 
  • Erasmus Student Network Strasbourg 
  • Euro Youth Mental Health 
  • European Youth Forum – YFJ 
  • European Forum of Muslim Women – EFOMW 
  • European Network against Racism – ENAR 
  • European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network – ERGO Network 
  • Geoclube (Portugal) 
  • Human Rights Association (Georgia) 
  • No Hate Speech Movement Italia 
  • No Hate Speech Network 
  • OpenGlobe 
  • PEBS/ JEF MV 
  • Regional Roma Educational Youth Association-RROMA 
  • The Czech Helsinki Committee 
  • Union of Justice 
  • Voice of the Youth Foundation: St. Maarten Youth Brigade 
  • You(th)+ 
  • Young European Federalists – JEF 
  • Youth Center “Perspektiva”
  • Youth group of the Eine Welt Netz NRW e.V.