Category: EUKH EN

Categories
EUKH EN News RADICALIZACION EN

The Euro-Arab Foundation Contributes to the European Research on Global and Geopolitics of Radicalisation

As part of its work at the European Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation, the Euro-Arab Foundation is a member of the Research Secretariat for Thematic Panel 7, ‘Global and geopolitical factors and unwanted foreign influences’. Daniel F. Pérez García, a researcher and European projects manager, as well as a trainer on the prevention of radicalisation and violent extremism, is responsible for this secretariat task for a panel that examines how geopolitical factors and global dynamics drive radicalisation and extremism within the EU, particularly when unwanted foreign influences are involved.

The work of this panel, comprised of a group of experts from the academic, security, and political fields, focuses on offering evidence-based recommendations to member states to strengthen their proactive and reactive capacity against the external promotion of radicalisation. Thus, the panel analyses the influence of international and geopolitical events on extremist multi-ideological mobilisation in Europe, as well as influence and undesirable interference campaigns to strengthen radical groups in the EU.

The panel promotes dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and professionals to design strategies adapted to these emerging challenges, improve resilience, identify key players and their tactics, and evaluate the effectiveness of existing prevention instruments. It also facilitates cooperation with allied countries, such as those in the Mediterranean or the Western Balkans, and contributes to the EU’s Agenda for the Prevention of Terrorism and Violent Extremism.

“Preparing the Ground: Global Impact and Foreign Interference in the Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism (P/CVE)” is the title of the first meeting that brought together members of this panel, and the final results can be consulted on this website.

Categories
EUKH EN News

The Foundation’s role in understanding the links between mental health and lone actors in the EU Knowledge Hub

The Euro-Arab Foundation actively participates in the analysis of mental health in radicalisation processes, investigating how these factors can lead a person to become a “lone actor.” While this has been a subject of study for some time, the EU Knowledge Hub decided to create a thematic panel of experts dedicated exclusively to deepening the understanding of individuals who act alone in European Union member states, their connections with other online actors and groups, and their relationship with mental health problems.

The Research Secretariat of this panel rests exclusively with a Euro-Arab team made up of researchers: Paula Cano Cruz, José Luis Salido Medina, and Soukaina Belkat. The main objective is to understand how to identify these individuals to prevent violent acts, clarifying the concept of “lone actors” to strengthen cooperation at the EU level. The work is based on existing research and addresses how lone actors become radicalised, the role of mental health in radicalisation, the connection between these individuals and the online world (including indicators for their identification), and the best practices for cooperation and prevention.

The Research Secretariat of Thematic Panel 5 rests entirely with this team from the Euro-Arab Foundation.

Paula Cano Cruz is a researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation in the field of hate speech, ideologies, and extremist movements. Sukaina Belkat is also a researcher at the Foundation and has worked as a mediator. For his part, José Luis Salido, a researcher at the Foundation and project manager, specialises in radicalisation and extremist movements.

You can find more information on the European Knowledge Centre for the Prevention of Radicalisation page: Thematic Panel 5 – Lone Actors and Mental Health Issues.

Categories
EUKH EN News

The Euro-Arab Foundation, Member of the Research Secretariat on Ideologies and Conspiracy Narratives of the EU Knowledge Hub

The EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation, a European Commission knowledge center, decided in June 2024 to create seven thematic panels composed of experts from research, academia, security, and politics who deal with extremism and radicalisation. These panels began operating in February 2025, collaborating to exchange ideas, share experiences, and develop concrete recommendations for EU member states.

One of these panels is Thematic Panel 1 on Ideologies and Conspiracy Narratives, which is co-led by two experts and focuses on understanding extremist ideologies, including new hybrid or fragmented ones, and the role of conspiracy theories in the radicalisation process. The Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies is part of the Research Secretariat of this panel through Isabel Pérez Pérez, Communication Manager of the Foundation’s Department of Research and International Projects. Pérez uses her academic and professional experience in journalism to identify and dismantle extreme, conspiratorial, or manipulative ideologies, collaborating in institutional and academic forums to promote fairer, more critical, and less vulnerable narratives against hate and propaganda.

Addressing Radicalization and Conspiracy Narratives

Radicalisation is a complex process where individuals or groups adopt radical ideologies that justify violent or terrorist acts to achieve political goals or expand their ideology. In the EU, radicalisation has recently taken on connotations of hybrid, fragmented, or mixed ideologies, posing greater challenges to understanding their dynamics, origins, and evolution.

The Thematic Panel on Ideologies and Conspiracy Narratives analyzes how radical narratives spread digitally, their influence on recruiting and mobilising individuals, especially vulnerable youth, and examines threats such as jihadism, right-wing extremism, leftist tendencies, and viral conspiracy theories. Its key objectives include building an inventory of radical and conspiratorial narratives, identifying vulnerability factors, proposing effective preventive strategies, and defining legal and public policy frameworks to counteract these ideologies within EU member states.

So far, the Panel has held two meetings in May and July 2025, addressing topics such as how and why minors and youth are attracted to extremist ideologies, and the nexus between organized crime and extremism (how ideologies and conspiracy theories fuel the symbiotic relationship between crime and extremism).

The results of these meetings are publicly available on the thematic panel’s website.

https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/networks/eu-knowledge-hub-prevention-radicalisation/thematic-panels/thematic-panel-1-ideologies-and-conspiracy-narratives_en

Categories
EUKH EN News RADICALIZACION EN

Conference on Youth and Violent Extremism Addresses Trends from the Local Level

The Centre d’Estudis Jurídics i Formació Especialitzada (CEJFE) has organised the XV Jornada de la Comunitat de pràctica de Prevenció i Mediació Comunitària, focused on the topic of “Youth and Violent Extremism. Approaches from the local level”. The event, which took place on 28 May in Comarruga (Spain), was attended by experts in the field, including the researcher from the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, Daniel F. Pérez, who addressed the multi-ideological trends of radicalisation from a perspective that connects the global with the local, analysing the preventive role of youth. The mediator Lourdes Soler, from L’Ajuntament de L’Hospitalet, was in charge of presenting the lecture given by the researcher from the Euro-Arab Foundation.

The day also included a dialogue of practical experiences with Hicham Ibn Abdelouahab from the Ali Zaoua Foundation (Casablanca) and Manuel Comeron, head of the Prevention Plan of the city of Liège (Belgium), moderated by Xavier Xarbau from Salt City Council.

In addition, the final product of the Community of Practice (CoP) was presented with the screening of ‘El camí està traçat: Actuem a temps!’, by Fatima Ghailan (Cunit City Council), Laia González (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council), Dani Utge (Vendrell City Council) and the audiovisual team formed by Olivia Paré and Marc Morell. This round table was moderated by Luis Herraiz of Arbúcies Town Council.

The conference was opened by Marc Cerón, Director of CEJFE, Jesús María del Cacho, Director General of Criminal Execution in the Community and Juvenile Justice, and Mariona Figueras, Councillor for Youth of the Vendrell Town Council. Lídia Ayora, Head of the Servei de Mediació i Assessorament Tècnic (SMAT), was in charge of the conclusion.

Categories
EUKH EN News Projects

The Euro-Arab Foundation at the 2nd National Congress on Terrorism and Prison in Cádiz

The Palacio de Congresos in Cádiz was the venue for the II National Congress on Terrorism and Prison held from 20 to 23 May. The event brought together experts, professionals from the sector, victims of terrorism, academics, civil associations and social organisations to debate and reflect on the evolution of organisational and ideological extremism with criminal results.

The congress addressed crucial issues such as policies and strategies against terrorism at international and national level, intelligence in prison systems, the terrorist threat in the prison environment, research and terrorism in this field, the role of female jihadists, radicalisation processes, as well as the impact of prison on those convicted of terrorism, the academic view of radicalisation and trends in radicalisation.

Among the participants were Javier Ruipérez Canales, Director of Research and Projects at the Euro-Arab Foundation and Director of Strategic Communication at the European Knowledge Hub for the Prevention of Radicalisation of the European Commission, who took part in the session on policies and strategies against terrorism at an international level, on Tuesday 20th. Likewise, Daniel F. Pérez-García, Researcher and Head of International Projects at the Euro-Arab Foundation, took part in the last day, addressing trends in radicalisation.

Categories
EUKH EN News

We participate in the DIGIPATCH meeting on polarisation and social fragmentation in the digital age

The DIGIPATCH Consortium is holding its meeting on 19 and 20 May 2025 at the Rectorate of the University of Cordoba, to discuss the progress and results of the project ‘Moving from Networked to Patchworked Society’ (DIGIPATCH). Javier Ruipérez Canales, Director of Strategic Communication at the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation of the European Commission and Director of Research and Projects at the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, is among the researchers and experts invited to this event to analyse the challenges of polarisation and social fragmentation in the contemporary world. Ruipérez participated in the inaugural round table, open to the public, entitled ‘Challenges of polarisation and social fragmentation in the contemporary world’, where he will share his experience and knowledge about the initiatives on coexistence from the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation, offering a crucial perspective on this highly relevant issue.

The round table has also counted with the presence of Sebastián Ventura, Vice-Chancellor for Digital Transformation and Data Management; Malgorzata Kossowska, Principal Researcher at Digipatch.

The DIGIPATCH Consortium meeting will continue on Tuesday 20 May with internal working sessions focusing on the presentation and discussion of the results of the different research areas of the project, as well as on the dissemination strategy of the findings. This event represents a key opportunity for knowledge exchange and collaboration between researchers and practitioners dedicated to understanding and addressing the complex challenges of polarisation and social fragmentation in today’s society.

About DIGIPATCH

The EU-funded DIGIPATCH project investigates the impact of digitalisation on social and cultural transformation. Funding organisations also include the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain.

Its main objective is to understand how increasing digitalisation, while offering ample opportunities for information, expression and social connection, also contributes to the formation of closed groups with strong identities and epistemic realities of their own, which could lead to a fragmented or ‘patchwork’ society.

The project is based on a 3N (needs, narratives, networks) theoretical model, which postulates that the frustration of fundamental human needs (such as security and meaning) motivates people to develop beliefs that satisfy them (narratives) and to join communities (networks) that share these dissatisfactions.

Categories
EUKH EN News RADICALIZACION EN

The Yearbook of Jihadist Terrorism and the Struggle for the Dignity of Victims

On March 25th, the presentation of the 2024 Yearbook of Jihadist Terrorism of the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies (OIET) took place at the Ateneo de Madrid, a report that serves to understand the evolution that jihadism is having, as well as its most prominent trends and dynamics. This year, this yearbook is nourished by seven chapters that shed light on global jihadist terrorism, jihadist activity in the Maghreb and West Africa and Southeast Asia, the fight against jihadism in Spain and Europe, or justice focused on the victims and survivors of the Yazidi genocide and experiences of restorative justice in countries such as the Philippines, Spain, Colombia, or Nigeria, potentially applicable to societies impacted by jihadist terrorism.

A Decade of Yazidi Genocide

The researcher from the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, Daniel F. Pérez García, is the author of chapter 6 dedicated to the analysis of the Yazidi genocide a decade after it occurred to explore how to implement victim-centered justice, addressing its lasting effects with a future vision of protecting the fundamental rights and needs of the Yazidi people.

In this chapter, the Foundation researcher exposes the crimes perpetrated by the self-proclaimed Islamic State against the Yazidi people in Iraq and Syria, examining the psychosocial impact on the victims and the community and their demands for holistic reparation. The approach to the traumatic impact of these events on the Yazidi community is particularly unique, especially aggravated in women survivors of sexual violence during the conflict. Furthermore, Pérez García explores the fundamental principles for a transitional justice response focused on Yazidi victims and survivors, which involves the comprehensive management of displaced persons and the disappeared, socio-health care, the construction of memory, and the participation of victims and survivors in accountability. To do this, he enriches his analysis with interviews with specialists in International Law, mental health, and armed conflicts, such as Amnesty International, the Institute of Forensic Psychology, Human Rights Watch in Iraq, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights. These multidisciplinary perspectives – the author defends – allow reinforcing justice mechanisms and preventing the repetition of these crimes.

Likewise, this chapter seeks to raise awareness in the international community about the seriousness of these crimes, reflecting on a decalogue of priority areas to achieve effective justice focused on Yazidi victims and survivors.

Categories
EUKH EN News

The Euro-Arab Foundation & the European Knowledge Hub Train Local Actors in Strategic Communications for the Prevention of Radicalisation

Last week Malaga hosted a training course on Strategic Communication in which around 40 local actors from the European Union participated.
The main objective of this training was to deepen the role of this communication in mitigating radicalisation processes and extremist dynamics, while promoting the resilience of vulnerable communities.

For Javier Ruipérez, director of StratComms (Strategic Communications) at the European Knowledge Hub for Prevention of Radicalisation, “strategic communication plays an essential role in developing effective policies and actions aimed at preventing radicalisation that can lead to violent extremist actions, regardless of ideology”.

According to this expert, the radicalisation of narratives is “a phenomenon that is increasingly tending to polarise our societies in Europe, to normalise extremist narratives in political discourse, in the media or through the viralisation of content – often false and manipulated – on social networks”. Ruipérez is Director of Research and Projects at the Euro-Arab Foundation, one of the entities that make up the European Knowledge Hub, the European Union’s new knowledge centre for the prevention of violent extremism, and organiser of this event.

Javier Ruipérez in one of the sessions of the EUKH course in Malaga. About the EUKH

In the course held in Malaga on 6th and 7th March, participants from different European countries were trained by leading experts on the crucial role of strategic communication in building community resilience and the use of narratives for positive change.

During this training they worked on identifying specific audiences within the community and tailoring messages for each group, developing practical skills in creating personalised messages that address local concerns and counter extremist narratives. In addition, techniques have been explored to engage local and community stakeholders, building trust and cohesion. Tools and strategies have also been applied in simulated cases aimed at communicating effectively in crisis situations, maintaining public trust and controlling narratives.

About the EUKH

The European Knowledge Hub for Prevention of Radicalisation, established in the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda 2020, acts as a meeting point for practitioners, policymakers and researchers engaged in the prevention of radicalisation in Europe and priority countries.

The Euro-Arab Foundation, based in Granada-Spain, leads the Strategic Communication (StratComms) line, implementing various activities such as thematic panels that function as forums for experts to facilitate debate and knowledge consolidation; workshops and ad hoc events to help respond to new challenges; study visits to the Middle East; research and preparation of reports and analyses for member states, among other activities.

Categories
EUKH EN News Projects RADICALIZACION EN

The Euro-Arab Foundation hosted the first in-situ Strategic Communications Seminar of the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation

The seminar, held on November 28th and 29th at the Euro-Arab Foundation headquarters in Granada, convened leaders and experts to discuss and shape the future of strategic communication. Key discussions centered on empowering local communities with tailored tools and successful strategies from EU Member States. A diverse group of experts shared valuable insights throughout the event.

The Euro-Arab Foundation, a key member of the EU Knowledge Hub consortium, oversees the Strategic Communication (StratComms) line for the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism.

Categories
EN Interrad EUKH EN News Projects RADICALIZACION EN

The Euro-Arab Foundation participates in the EUROCRIM Annual Congress with an interdisciplinary panel on policies for the prevention of violent extremism

From September 11 to 14, the Annual Congress of the European Society of Criminology, EUROCRIM, in its twenty-fourth edition, is taking place at the University of Bucharest. The Executive Secretary of the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, Antonio Sanchez, and the Director of Research and Projects of the same, Javier Ruipérez, have participated with the panel Interdisciplinary approaches to radicalization, political violence, and the relationship between terrorism and crime to advance P/CVE (Program for the Prevention and Combating of Violent Extremism).

The panel, moderated by Sánchez, is part of the INTERRAD project whose aim is to contribute to the challenge of Security, Safety and Defense by addressing cooperation in the prevention of violent radicalization of a jihadist nature in the framework of the European Union (EU) through an interdisciplinary perspective. Ruipérez presented an update on P/CVE strategic communications. Other speakers were:

  • Carlos Echeverría Jesús, Professor of Terrorism and International Relations at UNED, who spoke about the role of Daesh and Al-Qaeda as central actors in the expansion of jihadist ideology;
  • Roberto Muelas Lobato, Assistant Professor and Doctor of the University of Burgos in the Area of Social Psychology, and member of the research group Social Inclusion and Quality of Life, who spoke about the side effects of the program for the prevention of violent extremism ‘Fenix Andalucía’; and
  • Salvador Berdún Carrión, PhD in Criminology from the University of Granada and Director of the Department of Studies of ACAIP, who addressed the influence of National Security and terrorism in European Prison Regimes.