The European Network Against Racism is a polemical EU-wide network of NGOs in all European Union Member States and Iceland. ENAR stands up against racism and discrimination and advocates for equality and solidarity for all in Europe. It connects local and national anti-racist NGOs throughout Europe and acts as an interface between its member organisations and the European institutions. It voices the concerns of ethnic and religious minorities in European and national policy debates. ENAR has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, to which several of its member organizations such as FEMYSO or Etudiants Musulmans de France are affiliated. Intisar Kherigi, member of ENAR's board is the daughter of Rached Ghannouchi, co-founder of the Ennahdha Party, the Tunisian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood. Michaël Privot, ENAR's Director, publicly admitted he had joined the Muslim Brotherhood. ENAR's board memberRokhaya Diallo was also criticized for saying "what Bin Laden says is not false" and meeting controversial activist Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, who has been condemned for antisemitism and hate speech. ENAR is funded by Open Society Foundation, which is founded and run by George Soros.
Vision and mission
ENAR’s vision is of a society that guarantees equality for all and recognises the benefits of a diverse and racism-free Europe for European society and economy. Its mission is to attain full equality and solidarity, allowing all members of society, whatever their skin colour, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation, to participate fully and be included in society. It specifically combats racism and discrimination based on colour, ethnicity, national origin, nationality, religion, culture, language or legal status.
Work
ENAR is the voice of its member organisations in Brussels and advocates on their behalf.
It coordinates and services the ENAR network and voice their concerns towards EU institutions, the public and the media.
It follows and monitors policy developments on the EU’s agenda to ensure they promote and actively put equality and diversity into practice and launch initiatives against racism and discrimination.
It issues an annual Shadow Report on racism in Europe, which is a compilation of information and data collected by its member organisations. They are produced to fill the gaps in the official and academic data and to offer an NGO perspective on the realities of racism within the EU and its Member States.
It takes part in advocacy coalitions and partnerships with other European networks, businesses, trade unions and foundations.
Areas of work
The following are some of the fields in which ENAR advocates for more equality and diversity in Europe:
It urges the EU and its Member States to combat the specific poverty and social exclusion experienced by ethnic and religious minorities.
It engages with policy makers, employers and trade unions to make equality in employment a reality, including through its Equal@work initiative.
It pushes for the EU and its Member States to adopt a progressive and human rights-based approach to migration and integration and ensure equal treatment and opportunities for third country nationals.
It calls on the EU to protect people who face discrimination in education and access to goods and services because of their ethnicity, sex, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
It advocates for integration policies that actively involve both the broader society and migrants as a “two-way process”, with the view to create a European society that harnesses the full potential of its talents.
It develops and implements counter-strategies to far-right and xenophobic discourses.
Polemics
Links with the Muslim Brotherhood
According to the liberal Member of the European ParliamentFrédérique Ries, ENAR is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, to which several of its member organizations, such as FEMYSO or Etudiants Musulmans de France, are affiliated. Intisar Kherigi, member of ENAR's council is notably the daughter of Rached Ghannouchi, co-founder of the Ennahdha Party, the Tunisian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood. Michaël Privot, ENAR's Director and former representative of FEMYSO, publicly admitted he had joined the Muslim Brotherhood. Bayane Ahmadi, Secretary of ENAR, previously worked for Coexister, a movement criticized for its links to the Muslim Brotherhood, including attending its annual gathering in France. Julie Pascoet, a senior advocacy officer at ENAR, previously worked for Islamic Relief, a charity accused of terrorism links, notably with Hamas, the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood movement. Islamic Relief is a member of the "Union of Good" group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US Department of the Treasury. ENAR member organisation FEMYSO has for President Youssef Himmat, son of Ali Ghaleb Himmat, considered to be a leading financier of the Muslim Brotherhood, once accused of funding Al-Qaeda.
Various members of ENAR, such as the Collectif contre l'islamophobie en France, defended Tariq Ramadan, grandson of the Muslim Brotherhood's founder, who is currently prosecuted for various rape accusations.
Members
ENAR members include a wide range of organisations that have in common the goal of a diverse, equal and racism-free Europe. They range from grassroots to advocacy organisations, from information centres, to trade unions, to faith-based organisations. Member organisations include:
ENAR is an outcome of the 1997 European Year Against Racism. Between March and September 1998, more than 600 NGOs were involved in national and European round table consultations to discuss the viability of such a structure. The 1998 Constitutive Conference of the European Network Against Racism brought together more than 200 representatives of these organisations to draw up a common programme of action.
Member countries
NGOs in the following countries form the coalition:
