EFOMW participated in two days workshop, organised by Open Society Foundation (Open Society Initiative for Europe)  during 26-27 November in Brussels

It was two days of active reflection, mutual learning, and experience sharing on combating Islamophobia in Europe.

On the agenda was following:

·      discuss specific aspects of Islamophobia, including counter-terrorism policies; hate crime; Islamophobia in the media and hate speech; and the impact of legislation, in particular regarding gender;

·      share experience and work to combat Islamophobia in Western Europe;

·      present projects and receive feedback from fellow participants, as well as Open Society staff and experts;

·      reflect on possible approaches and strategies for organisations and movements to join forces.

Several organisations from al over the Europe such as ENAR, CEJI, FEMYSO, Fryshuset, HOPE not hate, Faith Matters, Coexister, ENORB and more, participated and shared their thoughts, best practices and strategies in this work.

This was excellent opportunity to meet others and hear about the amazing work being done in many places and also the enthusiasm for continuing work.

We had also opportunity to meet representatives from some European Union institutions and talk about possibilities and plans for future work against Islamophobia at EU level.

Timing for this workshop was just right and we can say that it worked as a start for our project “Woman against Islamophobia” which has been granted by Open Society Foundation and will be implemented during December 2015 - March 2017.