Inclusiveness of culturally different social groups has historically been a challenge to the societies which take in immigrants. In today’s world, the complex situation being experienced in the Middle East, marked by wars and their use by radical Jihadist groups like Daesh to attract followers, as well as the existence of far-right groups in Europe, adds even further difficulties during these processes of cultural influx.

This ambience of polarization is causing the Muslim community in Europe to feel as if it were under constant suspicion, a factor which has an especially profound effect on youths of Muslim origin, at a key time during their development as individuals and citizens. Despite having been born in European countries, many of them feel they are living times with a lack of clarity and a great deal of conflict when it comes to articulating the different factors which make up their frequently multifaceted or multicultural identities. This situation of personal crisis, typical of their age group and people who belong to diverse communities and cultures, is made more acute by the current environment and pressure from the media and society, increasing their risk of exclusion and being drawn in by radical networks.

To predict these processes of exclusion and induction in Spain, and to take action against increasing Islamophobia, the Al Fanar Foundation for Arab Knowledge has started up two projects, “Kifkif: Comics for Inclusiveness” and “20,00 Leagues of Intercultural Travel,” aimed at adolescents, with the support of different autonomous regional and international institutions, to be presented at Casa Árabe on the upcoming date of November 30 during a meeting with the media, educators and specialists.

Taking part in the presentation will be Pedro Villena, the General Director of Casa Árabe, Fátima Tahiri, an advisor with the Al Fanar Foundation who is completing her PhD at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, completing her research on “Religiousness and religious practices among Spanish Muslim youth: the case of youths of Moroccan origin,” and Pedro Rojo, president of the Al Fanar Foundation.

 

Selected as one of the 12 European projects in the program Promoting Inclusion Preventing Extremism, Kifkif is a project for direct intervention among youths who are the sons and daughters of immigrants, aimed at strengthening their participation and effective integration into the social environments where they live, placing value upon their cultural roots. The tool chosen to work on these values is a comic titled “Las Afueras” (“The Outskirts”), which was, in turn, the result of a project completed by the students at the Secondary School (I.E.S.) Maria Campain, with illustrations by Manu Ripoll. 

Based on this comic, a series of workshops developed by Irenia Jocs de Pau will explore the values of gender equality and tolerance. Strengthening these values as a positive, normalized concept amongst youths during a stage of life when their personality is forming will help distance them from other environments which try to exploit their feelings of disorientation, sometimes experienced by the so-called second and third generations of Muslims in European countries. The project also includes work to promote interculturalism with the Muslim community, which will be carried out by the association La Llum del Nord. 

The initial project which gave rise to the comic and led to the designing of the workshops was financed by the Autonomous Regional Government of Catalonia. A later second stage will be implemented at secondary schools in Catalonia, Madrid and Ceuta, and has also been given the support of Casa Árabe, as well as the Departments of Education of the Autonomous Regional Government of Catalonia, the Autonomous Region of Madrid and the Autonomous City of Ceuta. 

 

Along the same lines as the work with Kifkif, Al Fanar is leading this project financed by the Anna Lindh Foundation, the central tool of which is a novel titled Wonderful Trips in the Mysterious World (Icaria Ed., Barcelona, 2016) by Palestinian author Sonia Nimr. This book is not just an exciting adventure, but also, as the narrative unfolds, a whole series of crucial matters in education and the formation of youths’ identity arise in an almost imperceptible manner. With the support of teaching materials created specifically for the occasion, work will be done with teenage youths at high schools, civic centers, libraries and associations on such important topics as culture, identity, freedom, diversity, intercultural relations, gender roles and human rights, all within the framework of an adventure that takes place during the times of Al-Andalus in different Arab countries, from Jerusalem to Tangiers.

Casa Árabe (Madrid) and the Balqís bookshop will be devoting a special session of their Reading Club to the novel on November 27.

Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached. Please register in advance by e-mail at confirmaciones@casaarabe.es or by telephone at the number (+34) 91 563 30 66.