On the 8th of October, 2010, 15 high-caliber young academics and professionals gathered in Zürich to debate and form new ideas on the relationship between Europe and the Muslim world through the Junior Associates program of the International Relations and Security Network (ISN). At the opening event, co-sponsored by the UN Alliance of Civilizations, distinguished experts gave overviews of the relationship between Europe and the Muslim world.
Following the Swiss minaret ban and the increasingly salient topic of integration of Muslim migrants in Europe, the ISN decided that new ideas were needed to move forward on the relationship between European countries and the wider Muslim world.
The opening event featured five distinguished experts, including speakers from the Global Expert Network of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, a speaker from Economiesuisse, and a speaker representing the Embassy of Indonesia in Bern. The speakers gave the Junior Associates an introduction to various aspects of this relationship. The Junior Associates then created small groups in order to research and analyze what new perspective would be useful to bring this stagnant debate forward in a constructive manner.
The ISN, based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETH) and financed by the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport, initiated the Junior Associates program, a collaborative, multidisciplinary academic exercise for young graduates and professionals, which aims to bring fresh ideas to the debate surrounding this politicized and sensitive topic.
For more information, please contact the ISN at ja@sipo.gess.ethz.ch
Journalists interested in attending part or the totality of the event, or publishing the results of the program, please contact Kaisa Schreck, program manager of ISN Junior Associates at schreck@sipo.gess.ethz.ch