Tag: interfaith

Categories
News PARTES-COM EN

The Euro-Arab Foundation takes part in a European Panel on the Protection of Places of Worship and Religious Communities

On 12 December, the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies took part in the online panel “Protection of Places of Worship and Religious Communities as Critical Infrastructure”, organised by the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip) in cooperation with the University for Continuing Education Krems (UWK) and the European project PARTESS-COM.

The panel brought together researchers and practitioners from different European countries to analyse the current threat environment affecting places of worship and religious communities, which are increasingly exposed to acts of extremism, hate crime and ideologically motivated violence. In this context, religious spaces were addressed as critical infrastructure requiring greater attention in terms of security and resilience.

The Euro-Arab Foundation was represented by José Luis Salido, researcher and project coordinator who highlighted the importance of comprehensive prevention approaches based not only on physical security measures, but also on soft security strategies, community engagement, and improved communication channels between religious communities, local authorities and security actors.

During his presentation, Salido analysed the current global threat landscape and presented the results of a study based on the analysis of 25 hate crime case studies across 13 European countries, highlighting that places of worship and related spaces have become critical targets. Salido delved into the ideological and strategic characteristics of the extremist groups perpetrating these attacks, warning that the transition from hate speech to physical aggression is a growing concern that demands a coordinated response between local authorities, national governments, and European Union institutions

The participation of the Euro-Arab Foundation in this panel reinforces its commitment to applied research, intercultural dialogue and the prevention of violent extremism, in line with its work on European projects focused on social cohesion and democratic security.

The panel was held within the framework of the European project PARTESS-COM, an initiative funded by the European Commission in which the Euro-Arab Foundation is a partner. The project aims to improve the protection of places of worship and religious communities against terrorist and extremist threats by fostering cooperation, communication and trust among religious actors, public authorities and security forces. It promotes preventive and participatory approaches, as well as the development of practical tools and recommendations to strengthen security without compromising fundamental rights or social cohesion.

More information about the event:
https://www.oiip.ac.at/events/online-panel-discussion-protection-of-places-of-worship-and-religious-communities-as-critical-infrastructure/

Categories
EN PARTES EN Shield News PARTES-COM EN Projects

Promoting Interreligious Dialogue in the Training of High-Ranking (Spanish) Civil Guard Officials

The Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies has collaborated in the organisation of a key training session for the University Master’s Degree in Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism at the Civil Guard University Centre. Titled “Interreligious Dialogue Panel: Coexistence, Security, and Cooperation,” the session was dedicated to delving into interreligious dialogue and the challenges of democratic coexistence in a context of growing diversity in Spain.

The session, driven by the Islamic Commission of Spain (CIE) with the collaboration of the Euro-Arab Foundation, was held in person at the headquarters of the Civil Guard Orphans Association (APHGC) and is positioned as a strategic high-level space for the exchange of ideas among actors with public decision-making capacity.

A Strategic Forum for Security and Coexistence

The meeting was aimed at the Master’s students, a multidisciplinary profile that includes high-ranking Civil Guard officials, as well as professionals from the judiciary, ministries, security agencies, and penitentiary institutions. The participation of the Euro-Arab Foundation in this forum underscores its experience and institutional relevance in training management personnel on sensitive issues such as diversity management, the fight against extremism, and the promotion of social peace.

The roundtable panel featured the presence of prominent religious denominations in Spain, such as the Spanish Episcopal Conference, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, and the Islamic Commission of Spain (CIE).

Reflections on Social Cohesion and Diversity

The Islamic Commission of Spain (CIE) was represented by Hicham Oulad Mhammed, a CIE member and expert in interreligious dialogue. During his intervention, he highlighted the need to address the growing social polarisation and the negative impact of hoaxes and narratives that seek the “foreignisation” (“extranjerización”) of Muslim communities in Spain, denying their deep historical roots.

Other key points of his presentation included:

  • The promotion of the positive visibility of Muslims and the importance of Islamic thought being expressed in the Spanish language, while acknowledging the new challenges this generates in the face of intolerance.
  • The recognition of the Spanish legal framework on religious freedom (Law 26/1992) as one of the most advanced, along with the need to improve its practical implementation at the local level.

Hicham Oulad Mhammed stressed that “social cohesion is not built by denying difference, but by integrating it within a framework of mutual respect and real equality,” appealing to the active role of institutions in defending constitutional values.

The Euro-Arab Foundation’s collaboration in the organisation of this event reaffirms its institutional commitment to inter-sectoral cooperation and civic education. By facilitating these high-impact meetings, it directly contributes to the strengthening of interreligious dialogue as an essential tool for democratic coexistence and the prevention of discourses that erode social peace among the State Security Forces and Corps and other key public institutions.

Categories
EN Diversidad cultural EN Multiculturalidad News Projects

We Participate in the VII National Congress “Dismantling Islamophobia”

The Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies reinforced its commitment to the fight against racism and discrimination by actively participating in the VII National Congress “Dismantling Islamophobia,” held on October 21 and 22 at the Faculty of Education of the University of Málaga.

The Congress, organized by the Moroccan Association for the Integration of Immigrants, brought together experts, academics, and activists to analyze the complex manifestations of Islamophobia in Spain and Europe, and to propose effective strategies for its eradication.

The Euro-Arab Foundation’s participation, part of the activities of its Research and Projects Department, featured the double intervention of its experts, Rascha Albaba and Lucía G. del Moral.

Institutional Training as a Prevention Tool

The Euro-Arab researcher, Rascha Albaba, during her intervention.

The Euro-Arab Foundation researcher, Rascha Albaba, presented her paper titled “Institutional training: preventing Islamophobia from within”, highlighting the essential work of the Euro-Arab Foundation in providing specialized training aimed at various key actors:

  • Security Forces and Bodies: for a better understanding and management of diversity.
  • Civil Society and Experts: to strengthen their intervention capabilities.
  • Institutional Actors: at the state and European level.

This training addresses crucial topics such as Islamophobia, interreligious dialogue, intercultural coexistence, and human rights.

Albaba emphasized both the activities developed within the framework of European projects and the Foundation’s own initiatives, stressing the accumulated experience of its experts and the solid institutional connections of the Euro-Arab Foundation.

Furthermore, the expert underlined the importance of human rights mechanisms as fundamental vehicles for transferring Spain’s situation regarding Islamophobia to the international sphere, using political and international dialogue as a crucial method for prevention.

The Euro-Arab researcher, Lucía G. del Moral, during her presentation.

For her part, Lucía García del Moral participated in the panel dedicated to analyzing institutional Islamophobia, with a paper titled “From Theory to Practice: European projects that transform the institutional response to Islamophobia.”

The participation of the Euro-Arab Foundation in this important national forum reaffirms its commitment to promoting the values of tolerance, diversity, and respect for human rights, and its active role in the fight against all forms of discrimination.

Categories
News Projects VIRTUOUS en

VIRTUOUS: A New Project to Strengthen the Security of Places of Worship in Europe

José Mª G. Riera (FUNDEA) during the kick-off meeting

The launch of VIRTUOUS, a European project financed by the European Fund for Internal Security in which the Euro-Arab Foundation participates as a partner, took place in Limoges (France) on 19 March. During the event, José Mª González Riera, deputy director of the Euro-Arab Foundation’s Research and International Projects Department, outlined the Foundation’s essential role in the project: analysing past terrorist attacks, identifying threat trends, assessing the security of religious sites, and training religious leaders and security experts. In addition, the Foundation will lead the production of microlearning materials for religious communities.

The central objective is to strengthen cooperation and response to threats to places of worship through collaboration between religious communities, authorities and security forces.

Safer and more resilient environments for religious communities

VIRTUOUS proposes an innovative and multi-faceted approach, establishing an unprecedented collaboration between religious communities, authorities, security forces and security service providers. By integrating cutting-edge technologies, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), the project aims to accurately identify vulnerabilities and improve understanding of potential threats. This effort represents a crucial step towards creating a safer and more resilient environment for religious communities in Europe, based on innovation, cooperation and a strong commitment to the values of the European Union.

The VIRTUOUS project is strategically aligned with key EU documents, including the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda and the EU Security Union Strategy. By prioritising the physical protection of places of worship and fostering inter-religious dialogue, VIRTUOUS contributes directly to the EU’s objectives of ensuring security and promoting inclusiveness in European societies. In addition, the project emphasises the fight against hatred in all its forms, in line with the Joint Communication ‘No place for hatred: a Europe united against hate’, reinforcing its role in upholding fundamental rights and values.

Key Objectives:

  • In-depth understanding: analyse trends and recurring patterns of terrorist attacks against places of worship in Europe.
  • Identification of vulnerabilities: Use innovative technologies to assess and mitigate risks in these spaces.
  • Awareness and preparedness: Develop recommendations, training programmes and strengthen cooperation between stakeholders.
  • Broadening the scope: Extend protection to educational institutions and community gathering spaces associated with religious denominations.
  • Interfaith dialogue: Foster cooperation, communication and dialogue to strengthen the resilience of religious communities.
Categories
EN PARTES News Projects

The PARTES consortium meets in Brussels to exchange achievements and learnings

The entities associated in PARTES, the European project that seeks to protect places of worship, met on April 22nd and 23rd in Brussels in order to share the lessons learned and achievements reached so far. The Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies is part of it and its researcher, José Luis Salido Medina, coordinated the PARTES Conference held in Melilla in March, which brought together representatives of different religious confessions.

Our reasearcher attended both, the workshop on April 22, and the Steering Committee on the 23rd. The workshop discussed the current challenges and issues that places of worship are facing. It also addressed the importance of bridging the communication gaps that may exist between the various religious communities and between them and the authorities. On its part, the fourth meeting of the PARTES Steering Committee was held to evaluate the work of the project over the past four months, identify key issues for discussion and develop a collaborative plan for the coming months.

Currently, the PARTES consortium is compiling local communication and security strategies to protect places of worship in ten European Union countries.

Categories
EN PARTES EN Shield News Projects

A guide to protect places of worship

SHIELD Handbook/Guía
SHIELD Handbook/Guía

Synagogues, churches and mosques are of vital importance for social coexistence and cohesion in the European Union; however, they have been, and can become, targets of potential terrorist attacks as witnessed in the last decade. This has been one of the main reasons for launching the SHIELD project, funded by the European Commission’s Internal Security Fund (ISF) programme. The entities involved in SHIELD, including the Granada-based Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, are clear about the need to create a “cultural shield” that defends both individuals and religious communities, since, when talking about the physical security of infrastructures, aspects such as the environment, culture, social inclusion and inter-religious dialogue are underlined.

The project consortium was composed of eighteen partners from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Romania, research centres, intercultural institutes, local and security authorities and even religious associations with the common goal of identifying and proposing concrete solutions to burning issues of common interest, such as assessing the risk and vulnerability of places of worship to potential terrorist attacks.

Tackling extremism and protecting religious freedom

The establishment of projects such as SHIELD promote mutual understanding and increase respect, they also facilitate the meeting and sharing of knowledge, creating synergies. In this case, SHIELD has facilitated the development of a common strategy for reducing threats and increasing religious freedom. During the two years of the project, SHIELD has hosted several dialogue meetings aimed at countering religious extremism, with the co-participation of state security forces, the society and security and security technology companies.

The final event, held in Brussels, was attended by Tamara Muñoz, Programme Officer of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, as well as representatives from ten European countries and the three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). In addition, copies of the guide produced by SHIELD entities (downloadable here) with guidelines on how to increase security and protect places of worship from violence and the threat of terrorism could be collected.

The guide has been translated into nine languages, including English and Arabic, and is aimed at religious community leaders, security officials, local policy makers and law enforcement officials. It gathers data on violent aggressions in Europe that show that the Muslim community has been the most attacked between 2000 and 2020, suffering 48% of the total aggressions compared to 29% of the Christian community and 24% of the Jewish community. This document aims, on the one hand, to raise awareness on the prevention of radicalisation and the issue of security and, on the other hand, to provide practical and operational guidance on risk assessment tools, technical security measures or mitigation approaches after an attack with the provision of victim support services.

The research continues

Although SHIELD has come to an end, another European project, PARTES, will continue to work until April 2025 with the same objective. In this case, the Euro-Arab Foundation in Spain is leading the work package “Threats and Responses Landscape”, a research to establish an overview of attacks on religious communities, the hate crimes they suffer and existing protection measures, as well as the identification of good practices of cooperation between religious institutions and public authorities.

PARTES’ priorities are to improve cooperation between public authorities and religious communities, to conduct awareness-raising campaigns, trainings and seminars, as well as to take stock, evaluate and exchange best practices and tools in this field.

Categories
EN PARTES News Projects

The Euro-Arab Foundation organises a conference in Melilla on interreligious dialogue and hate crime prevention

Inauguración del foro 'Enfoques participativos para la protección de lugares de culto' en la Delegación de Gobierno de Melilla, con la Delegada del Gobierno, Sabrina Moh, y el Secretario Ejecutivo de la Fundación Euroárabe, Antonio Sánchez Ortega.

Participatory approaches to the protection of places of worship is the title given to the forum hosted by the Government Delegation in Melilla on Thursday, organised by the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies in the framework of the PARTES project funded by the European Commission. The Government Delegate, Sabrina Moh, opened the event by thanking Melilla for having been chosen as the venue for this forum and pointing out the importance of working for the prevention of hate crimes, inter-religious dialogue, tolerance and respect.

“We are witnessing the emergence of messages of polarisation and tension, and I think it is vital to work to prevent hate crimes, which is something that we must do together institutions and entities while focusing on this issue so that society is aware of this problem and tools are put in place to put an end to it”, Moh indicated.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Euro-Arab Foundation, Antonio Sánchez Ortega, recalled that the aim of the organisation he represents is to create bridges of collaboration, knowledge and research. He therefore recognised that Melilla is a “privileged” place, as it is an “estuary of civilisations and cultures which perfectly demonstrates this coexistence and this model of participation”. Sánchez stressed that the results of these conference “will feed into the PARTES project and it will serve as a model for transfer to civil society”.

The working session was also attended by the representative of the European Commission’s funding programme, Tamara Muñoz, representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps, and members of the city’s religious communities, among other civil society organisations.

The PARTES project

The European PARTES project started on 31 March 2023 and is scheduled to end in April 2025. It proposes to develop, through an empirical, inclusive and participatory methodology, a comprehensive prevention model for the protection of places of worship (synagogues, mosques, and churches) in the European Union, thus also preventing hate crimes against religious communities.

The Euro-Arab Foundation leads the “Threats and Responses Overview” Work Package which coordinates the research to establish an overview of attacks on religious communities, hate crimes against them, and existing protection measures. It identifies also good practices for cooperation between religious institutions and public authorities, for the protection of places of worship. The Euro-Arab was also in charge of organising the participatory workshop in Melilla, held on Wednesday at the UGR, and the inter-religious forum on Thursday at the headquarters of the Government Delegation in Melilla.

Euroarab researcher and organiser of the PARTES conference in Melilla, José Luis Salido, giving the participatory workshop, held at the UGR.
Euro-Arab Foundation’s researcher and organiser of the PARTES conference in Melilla, José Luis Salido, giving the participatory workshop, held at the UGR.
Inauguración del taller participativo, celebrado en la UGR, a cargo de César Solano, decano de la Facultad de Ciencias Salud (UGR), Tamara Muñoz, responsable de programa de la Dirección General de Migraciones y Asuntos de Interior de la Comisión Europea y José Luis Salido, investigador de la Fundación Euroárabe y organizador de las jornadas.
Opening of the participatory workshop, held at the UGR, by César Solano, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences (UGR), Tamara Muñoz, Programme Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, and José Luis Salido, researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation and organiser of the conference.
Meeting of the Euro-Arab researchers, José Luis Salido and Daniel Pérez, with Fadela Mohatar, Councillor for Culture, Cultural Heritage and the Elderly of Melilla and Marta Marzol, advisor for Culture of the Council, in the framework of the PARTES project conference.
Meeting of the Euro-Arab researchers, José Luis Salido and Daniel Pérez, with Fadela Mohatar, Councillor for Culture, Cultural Heritage and the Elderly of Melilla and Marta Marzol, advisor for Culture of the Council, in the framework of the PARTES project conference.
Inauguration of the forum 'Participatory approaches to the protection of places of worship' at the Government Delegation of Melilla, with the Government Delegate, Sabrina Moh, and the Executive Secretary of the Euro-Arab Foundation, Antonio Sánchez Ortega.
Opening of the forum ‘Participatory approaches to the protection of places of worship’ at the Government Delegation of Melilla, with the Government Delegate, Sabrina Moh, and the Executive Secretary of the Euro-Arab Foundation, Antonio Sánchez Ortega.
Categories
EN Shield News Projects

The SHIELD project comes to an end with a Guide for the Protection of Places of Worship

Conferencia final de SHIELD
Conferencia final de SHIELD

On 28 February, the final conference of the European SHIELD project took place in Brussels with the presentation of the results as a formula for coexistence between people of different faiths. The event was attended by the programme manager of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Tamara Muñoz, as well as representatives from ten European countries and the three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). The project has aimed to identify and propose concrete solutions to burning issues of common interest, such as assessing the risk and vulnerability of places of worship to potential terrorist attacks, providing a comprehensive guide (downloadable here) to increase security.

SHIELD Handbook
SHIELD Handbook

During the two years of the project, SHIELD has hosted a number of dialogue meetings with the aim of countering religious extremism, with the co-participation of state security forces, society and security technology companies. The final recipients of the results of the SHIELD project, the representatives of religious communities, have played a decisive role in providing advice and suggestions based on cultural reflection when talking about the physical security of infrastructures, aspects such as the environment, culture, social inclusion and inter-religious dialogue are underlined.

José Mª Riera, researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, participating in the final SHIELD conference.
José Mª Riera, researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, participating in the final SHIELD conference.

At the final conference it became clear that synagogues, churches and mosques are of vital importance for social coexistence and cohesion in the European Union. However, they have been and can become targets of potential terrorist attacks, as witnessed in the last decade. For those involved in SHIELD, it is necessary to create a cultural shield that defends individuals and religious communities, but it is also necessary to create opportunities to work and take part in projects that facilitate encounter and knowledge sharing. The establishment of projects such as SHIELD between diverse faith identities promotes mutual understanding and increases respect, a synergy that culminates in the development of a common strategy for the reduction of threats and the enhancement of religious freedom.

Categories
EN PARTES News Projects

The Euro-Arab Foundation participates in the PARTES project on the protection of places of worship

PARTES project (Participatory approaches to protecting places of worship) proposes a comprehensive model for the protection of places of worship (PoW) that is evidence-based, inclusive and participatory, in order to effectively combat the security threats posed to synagogues, mosques and churches in the European Union, thus also preventing hate crimes against religious communities.

The Euro-Arab Foundation is part of the consortium and leads the “Threats and Responses Landscape” work package, which coordinates research to establish an overview of attacks on religious communities, hate crimes against them and existing protection measures, as well as to identify good practices for cooperation between religious institutions and public authorities, and for the protection of places of worship.

PARTES aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • Map the specific threat landscape of involved religious communities (incl. cyber threats); 
  • Assess and derive lessons learned on vulnerabilities and existing security concepts of involved religious communities and exchange best practices on protective measures Europe-wide; 
  • Establish cooperation and communication structures and channels between religious communities and local authorities; 
  • Develop proactive and preventive security measures; 
  • Carry out trainings and workshops with religious and local authorities; 
  • Raise awareness among the wider population about the threat and strategies of extremist organisations targeting places of worship and involve them in prevention strategies. 

The methodology employed in the project is multi-disciplinary and participatory in nature, involving researchers and end-users within and beyond the consortium, and also citizens. PARTES employs a variety of methods, from desk research and interviews to live labs, workshops and dialogue forums.

The project seeks to make a significant contribution to the improvement of the overall protection of public spaces through the creation and enhancement of PoW’s preventive and security concepts by taking the threat landscape, the online dimension and pre-attack, preventive phases and measures into account, as well as by the newly established communication structures with authorities.

The motivation for this project lies in the recent trend of attacks and hate crimes, both in the digital and physical world, targeting places of worship in Europe and around the world. These attacks are symptomatic of a growing violent extremist phenomenon in Europe, fuelled by extremist rhetoric, ignorance of other religions and cultures, and insufficient societal engagement in preventing extremism.The project considers that this phenomenon needs to be addressed in a more complex way, going beyond architectural security and police presence.

PARTES is funded by the Internal Security Fund of the European Commission. The consortium involves experts of 15 institutions from 10 European countries, where the project coordinator is the Austrian Institute of International Affairs (oiip).

More information about the project on the official website: www.partes-project.eu

Categories
EN Shield News Projects

SHIELD project virtual training on the protection of places of worship

The EU-funded SHIELD project is holding a virtual training on 17 May on the protection of places of worship for representatives of Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities.
The project aims at the interfaith protection of places of worship against possible terrorist attacks. This practical course taught in English will be held online behind closed doors with the project partners and attendees and will last five hours (10:00 – 15:00 CET).

This training session will involve law enforcement, security and risk detection experts and religious organizations. The objective is to train religious leaders in security and teach them how to quickly report suspicious behavior to the relevant authorities, as well as to sensitize their respective communities to the risk of a terrorist attack.

All participants will be trained on security measures, communication, cooperation and prevention. During the session, three specialized workshops will be implemented about each religious community, in order to prepare the different actors to face a possible attack taking into account their specific needs, in order to be able to adopt customized methodological, technological and procedural solutions.

SHIELD is financed by the Internal Security Fund of the European Union and is is comprised of 19 members from 10 countries (Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Poland and Portugal), including the Euro-Arab Foundation. The project is coordinated by the partner SYNYO GmbH from Austria.

You can find more information about SHIELD on its official website (https://shieldproject.eu)