EuroArab Forum

EAF in June 2010: “The humanitarian crescent: aid, development cooperation and the role of Muslim NGOs between Europe and Arab World”

euroarab — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:02:52 +0000

Islamic charities and NGOs have developed rapidly since the 1970s. They moved from a mere interpretation of the doctrine of zakat and waqf to more modern and comprehensive approaches combining the principles of Islamic charitable work and economics as well as the methods of action of Western NGOs.

Some of these charities and NGOs are now global players and they are present on the ground in regions with Islamic majorities but also in countries without Muslim inhabitants.

How do these NGO’s and charities actually perform in Arab countries? How do they work to overcome controversies over means and ends, especially after September 11th? And is it possible to define a specific Muslim approach to development cooperation and humanitarian aid?

To discuss these questions the EuroArab Forum organized a debate with:

Ms Sarah Douik, Islamic Relief Worldwide – EU Liaison Office

Moderator: Mr Francesco Guarascio, Journalist, Reuters

EAF in May, 2010: Overcoming the logic of Arab-Israeli confrontation: Listening to constructive voices. What room is there for Arab-Israeli cooperation and Europe’s involvement?

euroarab — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:56:57 +0000

Speakers:
Arab perspective: Ahmed Badawi was Project Director (Israel/Palestine) for Oxford Research Group ‘s “Inclusive Approaches to the Arab-Israeli Conflict” 2007-09.
Israeli perspective: Ofer Zalzberg, Co- Founder and Chairperson of the Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation , an Israeli not-for-profit organization which works to increase the influence of young professionals on the regional integration of Israel in the Middle East and Europe.

Video suggestion to watch

euroarab — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:06:08 +0000

Video about the Arab world

The two young filmmakers Peter Baranowski and Olaf Deussen dived for four months into the Arab-Mediterranean world and its cultures. They condensed their experiences in this 45 minutes documentary.

For this purpose they traveled through the Arab Mediterranean countries in an adapted minibus. The tour took them from Germany, through Europe into the Middle East and from there through North Africa back to Europe. The road trip builds the thread of the documentary.

Interview-sequences, observations and road trip elements are intertwined. The focus lies on Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco. Similarities and differences between the European and the Arab world are stressed in the interviews and the observations. The road trip elements focus on every day life scenes and problems of the journey.

The documentary “The Arab world seen through European eyes” proposes a view of the Arab World far beyond terrorism and fundamentalism and invites to discover the Arab World through ones own eyes.

Contact: Olaf Deussen: olaf.deussen(at)euroarab-forum.eu

Link to the video: The Arab world through European Eyes – Two Europeans on tour around the Mediterranean from EuroArab Forum on Vimeo.

EAF in June 2009: After Obama’s Cairo speech and Iran’s elections: High time to act for Europe and the Arab World?

euroarab — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:32:06 +0000

As keynote speakers we have the honour to welcome:

- European perspective: Dr. Rosa Balfour, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre

- Arab perspective: Adel Atieh, Counsellor, General Delegation of Palestine to the EU

For more information visit: www.euroarab-forum.eu

EAF in March 2009: A New European Parliament: New Euro – Arab Relations? A conservative and a progressive perspective in debate

euroarab — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:25:54 +0000

A New European Parliament: New Euro – Arab Relations? A conservative and a progressive perspective in debate

Speakers:

Hannes SWOBODA MEP, Vice-President PSE Group

Edward McMILLAN-SCOTT MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament, EPP Group

1. Programme
2. Welcome note
3. Report
4. Reactions of participants

The EuroArab-Forum has its own website

euroarab — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:21:29 +0000

The EAF has now its own website where the latest events and event reports can be found and watched: www.euroarab-forum.eu

EuroArab-Forum works on collaboration with “Midis de la Méditerranée”

euroarab — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:23:25 +0000

The EuroArab-Forum discussed with the European Movement and MEDEA on a possible future cooperation in Brussels on topics related to Europe and the Arab World.

The next topics that are organised by MEDEA and the European Movement are:

- September 30, 2008 : Mr Hugues Mingarelli, Deputy Director-General for External Relations, European Commission will speak on the following theme : “Analysis of the 13th of July summit : Union for the Mediterranean : the Civil Society and the South-North Mediterranean Dialogue initiative“.

- October 17, 2008 : Mrs Wassyla Tamzali will present us her book “Une éducation algérienne, de la Révolution à la décennie noire” (“An Algerian education, from the Revolution to the balck decade”), ed. Gallimard, Price France Télévision Essai 2008.

EuroArab-Forum works on its website

euroarab — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:59:02 +0000

The EuroArab-Forum decided to launch its own website after the summer. The EuroArab-Forum core team is working on the structure and the content. If you have suggestions for the content please let us know. Thanks, Olaf D.

EuroArab Forum participates in the EuroMed Night of Dialogue

euroarab — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:53:12 +0000

Dear interested in the EuroArab Forum,
With a discussion on the topic: “How does Media influence reforms in the Arab World?” the EuroArab Forum is participating in this year’s EuroMed Night of Dialogue**. The format of our EuroArab Forum stays the same with keynote speaker’s presentation and a Q&A session. The only exception is that we will have our EuroArab Forum on a Thursday instead of the usual Wednesday.

For our next EuroArab Forum we have the honour to welcome:
Nadim Hasbani * and Labib Fahmi (journalist of AlJazeera Brussels office, tbc), as the keynote speakers.
Topic: „How does Media influence reforms in the Arab World?”
Date: Thursday, 22 May, 8 p.m.
Place: “Le Cercle des Voyageurs” (18, rue des Grands Carmes, 30 m from Manneken Pis)

For the registration may we kindly ask you to register via the following website: http://www.key2advance.com/registration.php until Monday, 19 May. Should you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact me via: olaf.deussen at gmail.com.

We are looking forward to your participation, input and a fruitful exchange of ideas.

Yours sincerely,

Mona Shair, Alexander Geiger, Johan Vrints & Olaf Deussen
——————————————————————–
*Background on Nadim Hasbani

Nadim Hasbani is the Arab Media Analyst of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG). Besides, he is giving lectures on Arab media in several Belgium universities and is running a consultancy, providing political risk assessments on the Middle East (www.mideastrisk.com). Prior to joining the ICG Media Unit in 2004, Nadim worked at the French defence equipment producer Giat Industries and at the Mission of the Arab League in Paris.

** Further information on the EuroMed Night of Dialogue can be found on the Anna Lindh Foundation’s website: www.1001actions.org/en or on the website created for this occasion by the Belgian ALF network: www.ihecs.be/nuitdudialogue/

New Book: Traugott Schoefthaler: Adventures in Diversity. New Avenues for the Dialogue between Cultures.

euroarab — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:04:25 +0000

Strategies, methods and contents of a meaningful dialogue are centred on multiple, dynamic and overlapping cultural identities. This book is an invitation to leave the beaten tracks of dialogue events entertained by “representatives” of cultural or religious organizations. The key concept is cultural diversity between and within societies. Cultural policies can support human development as “a process enlarging people’s choices”, following orientations provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNESCO. To mark the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2008, the author calls for renewed commitment to universal values as a “common standard to be achieved by all nations and peoples”, and not as “European values”, separating Europe from other regions.Traugott Schoefthaler, born 1949, was from 2004 to 2007 the first Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, established in Alexandria, Egypt, by the EU Member States and their ten Mediterranean partners. He developed and tested the strategies and methods presented in this book in close cooperation with other institutions and organizations. He is theologian and sociologist and obtained his PhD for cross-cultural research. He started his career in the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education and served more than 20 years the United Nations and UNESCO. From 1993 to 2004, he was Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO.

Traugott Schoefthaler: Adventures in Diversity. New Avenues for the Dialogue between Cultures.

Bonn. German Commission for UNESCO 2007, 176 p. (ISBN 3-927907-99-5)

Book orders: info@unesco.de ( German Commission for UNESCO, Colmantstr. 15, 53115 Bonn, Germany)

Free download of the publication under http://www.unesco.de/adventures_in_diversity.html?&L=1