VADE-MECUM of the Speakers - European Ideas Network

6
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”
European Ideas Network