VADE-MECUM of the Speakers - European Ideas Network

Service Documentation - Publications - Recherche
Seminar of European Ideas Network
jointly with FAES Foundation
A follow up of the Arab Spring:
the EU role in helping to enroot democracy,
rules of law and inclusiveness
Wednesday 25 April 2012
16.30 - 19.30
MADRID
VADE-MECUM of the Speakers
EPP Group
Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats)
in the European Parliament
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European Ideas Network

VADE-MECUM
of the Speakers
European Ideas Network
Vade-mecum of the speakers
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European Ideas Network

European Ideas Network
Vade-mecum of the speakers
Hazem ABDELAZIM, Member, National Society for Change
Professional Track
Born in 1960, Dr Abdelazim graduated in Systems Engineering from Cairo University in 1982,
with highest honors. He completed his MSc in Applied Mathematics in 1985, and then attained his
PhD in Applied Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence in 1989 both also from Cairo University.
In 2003, Dr Abdelazim completed his MBA from the Maastricht School of Management in
The Netherlands with distinction.
Dr Abdelazim’s professional experience is a blend of Industry and Academia. He is currently an
Associate Professor of Information Technology at the Faculty of Computer and Information Science,
Cairo University.Within the world of academia, he has become renowned for his teaching
and research in the fields of pattern recognition, artificial intelligence, Arabic NLP, and applications of Soft Computing in Financial
Trading of Securities. He also holds a Professional Certificate for Technical Analysis of Stock Markets.
1982 -1986, Dr Abdelazim held the position of Teaching Assistant at the Department of Systems & Biomedical Engineering at
Cairo University.
1986 – 1993 As an Assistant Scientist, and then Associate Scientist, for the IBM Research Center
1993 – 2000 : Executive Director of Sakhr Software , one of the largest regional Software development firms .
2001 – 2007 : Entrepreneur and cofounder of IMAGiNET Software (now CIT MOBiDIV), one of the World’s Top Players in
Arabic Technologies on Windows Mobile Devices.
2007 – 2010 : Appointed as the CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) after serving as
the Minister’ senior advisor for the Technology Development Sector since May 2007.
Dec . 2010 – May 2011 : Director of Research , Microsoft Corp.
May 2011 – Sep 2011 : CEO of technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (tiec), ministry of Communication and
Information Technology.
Dr Abdelazim has been recognized for his achievements by being awarded He was
awarded an ‘Invention Achievement Award’ from IBM in 1991 , the First
Scientific Innovation Prize for Arab Scientists (1993), President’s [Egypt] Excellence
and encouragement Award (1992 and 1995), and Student of the Year Award and
Director’s Cup (2003) from the Maastricht School of Management.
Political Track
Abdelazim was one among many Egyptians following up the political scene during the period 2005-2010. The Parliament elections of
2005 was a milestone for many passive and silent Egyptians as it unleashed a considerable amount of forgery , corruption and brutal
force. In addition a disgraceful institutional effort geared towards preparing the ground for the inheritor “gamal son” to take over.
A rising feel of unfairness , injustice and negative sentiment started to prevail and incrementally was capturing the hearts and
minds of many Egyptians. The political playground was totally manipulated by the State Security Authority (SSA), so there was
no any room for practicing any health political activity.
On Jan-feb 2010, in such a gloomy , rotten and fully SSA manipulated political Scene , there was light shed at the end of the dark tunnel,
a noble prize and internationally renowned public figure Dr. El Baradei , returned to Egypt , with a great reform enthusiasm. In the
absence of any ethical role model, Dr. El Baradei Stood out very clearly , as a real Symbol of change . He formed The national society
for change (NSC) and collected near a million proxy for supporters of the Seven legitimate Demands aiming at a real political reform.
Dr. Abdelazim at that time was following up closely the political vibrance caused by Dr. El Baradei and decided to join the
National Society for change , in a step that many of his close friends considered this move as a suicide. Being a government
head and officially joining not only any SSA manipulated opposition party but joining a figure that was extremely hated and
threatening the Mubarak’s umpire . He started El Baradei e-support group with Wael Ghoneim and others to mobilize the and
drive the efforts for change. Dr. Abdelazim was seriously threatened from SSA that explicitly threatened his family , so he had
to decline during march –Oct 2010. While maintaining his e-activism heavily on Social media
Like many millions Abdelazim participated in Jan25 revolution , and continued his mission as a political activist driving for real change . He
was appointed as a Minister for ICT in July 2011 , and was dismissed quickly before the formal oath through a heavy media campain by a fake
story of his relationship with Israel. A standard practice against many activists in Egypt nowadays . The actual reason was that the X-Regime
is still in control under a SCAF (Supreme Council for Armed Forces) umbrella, also Dr. Abdelazim was forced to resign from his government
job as a deputy minister in Sep 2011 , due to a freedom of expression oppression due to his open criticism of SCAF Ruling and policies.
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Mahmoud el MAY MP, National Constituent Assembly, Tunisia
Born in 1959 and residing in France, Mahmoud El May is a Member of the National Constitutional
Assembly, elected at the top of the list for the South of France on PDP’s (Parti Démocrate
Progressiste) ticket.
Being the son of a diplomat, Mahmoud El May was brought up in various countries throughout Europe
and the Middle East, helping him gain a wide knowledge of various political regimes.
Following the events of the 14th January, the fifty year old engineer felt the need to become further
involved in politics, with the aim of joining the Constitutional Assembly which represents the first step
towards a veritable democracy in Tunisia.
In his eyes, the Tunisians of France should be represented in all future institutions of the country. He is
convinced that persons holding dual nationality should be able to present themselves for higher duties,
a right which until now has been denied. Mahmoud El May has therefore decided to become the voice
of all Tunisians living abroad. According to him, there should not be any differences between one Tunisian and another, and it is
this important factor that he intends to fight for, within the constitutional assembly.
Following the start of his work within the Assembly in November 2011, he now divides his time between parliamentary sessions
in Tunis and meetings with delegates in his constituency, leaving precious little time for his work as an engineer.
Farid GHADRI, President, Syria Reform Party Initiative for Public Policy Analysis
As a native Syrian and elected leader of the Reform Party of Syria, Farid Ghadry has dedicated his
life to reforms in the Arab world. His intimate knowledge of the people and the politics of the region
have been gained through firsthand experience.
Mr. Ghadry was born in Aleppo in northern Syria and grew up between Aleppo, Damascus, Riyadh,
and Beirut. He comes from a prominent Syrian family that included many politicians and civil
servants. In 1982, Mr. Ghadry became a US citizen. Today, Mr. Ghadry is a businessman.
Mr. Ghadry visited Dachau outside Munich at the age of 13 where he learned about the history of the
Holocaust after being taught to hate Jews. Seeing Dachau was a life changing experience for him.
At the age of 17, he was arrested by the Syrian intelligence in Zabadani, outside Damascus and
imprisoned for civil disobedience. To this day, Mr. Ghadry is still pursued by the Syrian intelligence
from this incident in 1971. At the age of 34, he was beaten with a cane by the Saudi religious police
because he refused to pray in a Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
All these experiences, and because of oppression in Arab countries, have given Mr. Ghadry the impetus to become more involved
in changing the Middle East.
His Vision for Syria
Mr. Ghadry believes that Syria’s political system is a breeding ground for terrorism. Peaceful transition to democracy is the
answer. Syria needs to strike peace with Israel supported fully by both the Syrian and the Israeli people. For Syria to succeed,
it must become the beacon for tolerance and acceptance in the Arab world. Mr. Ghadry also champions economic and political
reforms that can bring prosperity to offset against the rise of fanaticism and terrorism.
His Vision for Reforming Islam
Mr. Ghadry believes that because Damascus has a very important history as the capital of Sunni Islam, reformed Islam emanating
from Damascus will have a great impact on the Levant region. Today, the most important three Islamic universities are educating
extreme Islam to our youth. Mr. Ghadry advocates building an Islamic university in Damascus that can play an important role in
easing the tensions between civilizations and providing young Muslims with an alternative interpretation of the Holy Koran; one
that permits other religions to flourish side-by-side with Muslims.
His Work
He has testified in the US Congress on extremism and freedom. He also spoke at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy,
Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), Harvard University, University of Virginia, the European Parliament, the French Parliament, the
Belgian Senate, and more recently Mr. Ghadry has been invited by the Israeli Knesset to address the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, the first Syrian dissident to speak at the Knesset (Assad revoked his Syrian citizenship in 2007 as a result of that visit).
He is a member of the Committee on the Present Danger (www.fightingterror.org). He has written several articles and essays on
Syria and the politics in the Levant. He is in the process of writing a book on Syria and his experiences as a political leader.
Mr. Ghadry is married to Ahlam Ghadry (Lebanese). Together they have four children, Omar, Samer, Kristofer and Dahlia. He
has served on several boards of companies and the Board of Trustees of Norwood School in Bethesda, MD. Ahlam is a Board
Member of the Visiting Ladies at Children’s Hospital in Washington D.C.
Some of His Blogs & Articles
“Why I Admire Israel”; “Syria’s Terror Networks”; “Islam is in Danger”; “A Logical Imperative”; “Israel Builds for Nobel Prizes, Arabs
Destroy with Suicide Bombers”; “The Arab World is Abu Ghraib”
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European Ideas Network
Vade-mecum of the speakers
Ferhat MEHENNI, President of the Provisional Government of Kabylia, Algeria
Writer, Political Scientist and President of the Provisional Government of Kabyle
Born on 5/3/1951 in Kabylie
Degree in Political Science (Algiers 1977)
Political:
Founding member and Leader of the Mouvement Culturel Berbère (1980)
Collaborator with the underground magazine/journal “TAFSUT” (Springtime) during the 1980s
Founding member and member of the Managing/Executive Committee of the first Algerian League
of Human Rights (1985)
Founding member of the Association of Children of Martyrs of the National War of Independence (1985)
Founding member and National Secretary of Culture and History of the Rally for Culture and
Democracy (1989-1993) (RCD)
Organiser of a school boycott lasting one year and obtained the first recognition of the Berbère language in Algeria (1994-95)
President of the Cultural Movement of Berbère (National Rally) (1995)
Spokesman, then President of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK) (since 2010)
He is the first President in the history of the Provisional Government of Kabyle, l’ANAVAD which he established on the 1st of
June 2010 in Paris, where he is currently in exile.
Political persuasion: Humanist Democratic
Political project: Obtain the right to self determination for Kabylie (Algeria)
Languages spoken: Kabyle (Berbère), French, English, Arabic.
Academic training/background: Degree in Political Science, University of Algeria (1977)
Repression:
Ferhat Mehenni :
- has been arrested 12 times, convicted by the State Court of Security (Algeria 1985)
- is the object of a warrant in Algeria since January 2009
- repressed the Algiers injunction on Tunisian soil in December 2009 and again in October 2011
- fights to obtain the truth surrounding the assassination (stabbing) of his eldest son, Ameziane, on the night of the 18th-19th of June 2004 in Paris.
Bibliography:
“Algeria: The Kabyle Question” - Paris, 2004 Michalon Editions
“The age of identity or the end of Post-Colonial States” - Paris, November 2010. Author of a number of reflections on Kabylie
(See Google)
A number of contributions on the internet and in newspapers on the current affairs and on Kabylie.
Useful Internet sites:
www.anavad.org
www.siwel.info
www.makabylie.info
www.journaldekabylie.com
www.tamurt.info
www.journaldekabylie.com
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Jaime MAYOR OREJA MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group in the EP,
Responsible for Political Strategy and the European Ideas Network
Jaime MAYOR OREJA was born in 1951. Elected from San Sebastián. Agronomist Engineer.
Member of the National Executive Committee of the PP (1999). Former President and spokesman
of the Grupo Popular in the Basque Regional Parliament. Appointed Vice-Secretary-General of the
PP (1996) and Honorary President of the PP in the Basque Country. Minister for Tourism in the
Pre-autonomous Government of the Basque Country (1980); Member for Guipúzcoa. Government
Delegate in the Basque Country (1982). President and spokesman of the Coalición Popular in the
Basque Regional Parliament (1984-1986). Elected autonomous Member of Parliament within the
UCD (1980). President of the Grupo Parlamentario Popular in the Basque Regional Parliament
(2001-2004). Member of the Cortes for Vizcaya (1989). PP national member of parliament for Álava
in the I, IV, VI, VII and VIII parliamentary terms. Minister of the Interior from 1996-2001. MEP since
2004. Head of the Spanish Delegation to the EPP Group. Committees: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (Member) Foreign
Affairs (Substitute); Delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (Substitute).
Walid PHARES , Middle East Expert, Congressional advisor, TAG cosecretary
author of the “Coming Revolution”
Walid Phares was born in Lebanon, where he studied at the Lebanese and St Joseph Universities. After
earning degrees in law, political science and sociology, he practiced law in Beirut. He then earned a
Masters degree in International Law from the Université de Lyon in France and a Ph.D. in international
relations and strategic studies from the University of Miami. He emigrated to the United States in 1990.
As of 2008, Phares teaches Global Strategies at the National Defense University in Washington,
D.C. He is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C., and a Visiting Fellow at the European Foundation for
Democracy in Brussels. In 2008 he also became the Coordinator of the Trans-Atlantic Parliamentary
Group on Counter Jihadi-Terrorism.
Phares taught at the Department of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University between 1993 and 2005. He has been a
senior lecturer at the Lifelong Learning Society since 1994. His courses include Middle East Politics, Political History, Ethnic
and Religious Conflict and International Terrorism. He has given lectures throughout North America and Europe.
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European Ideas Network
Vade-mecum of the speakers
Tokia SAÏFI, Group of the European People’s Party, Member
Member
Committee on International Trade
Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries
Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean
Substitute
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula
Curriculum vitae
Founder and leader of the association Espace Intégration in Lille (1987). Manager of projects for young people of immigrant
descent (1988-1989). Coordinator of a project to help create economic micro-projects in urban districts (1998-1999).
Member of the European Parliament (1999-2002).
Minister for sustainable development in the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin (2002-2004).
Instigator of the national sustainable development strategy (2003). Introduced national sustainable development week (2003).
Member of the EP Committee on International Trade (since 2004). Member of the High-Level Group on Textiles and Clothing
(2004). Rapporteur on the future of the textile and clothing sector after the elimination of quotas (2005). Chair of the Committee
on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) (since 2004).
European Parliament representative on the administrative council of the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and
Stateless Persons (OFPRA).
Vice chair of Jean-Louis Borloo’s Radical Party (since 2008).
Javier ZARZALEJOS, Secretary General, FAES Foundation
Mr. Zarzalejos was born in 1960 in Bilbao, Spain. He studied law and graduated at Deusto University,
Bilbao. He is a member of the High Corp of Civilian Officers of the State.
As high officer of the Spanish Public Administration he held important positions, the most relevant
being Secretary General of the Presidency of the Government of José María Aznar (1996 – 2004).
From January 2012 he is Secretary General at the Foundation for Social Analysis and Studies, FAES,
where he previously held the position of Director of the Constitution and Institution Unit and Director
of the in-house publication “Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político”.
He is married and has three children.
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Published by : EPP Group in the European Parliament
Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats)
in the European Parliament
Publication date : April 2012
Address: European Parliament
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Internet: http://www.eppgroup.eu
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EIN: European Ideas Network
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