The objective of the implementation of this project was to address the challenges posed by the growing migration phenomenon within the European Union, in particular the significant increase of the Muslim population, which had reached approximately 14.5 million individuals. Projections by the Pew Research Center indicated a further increase of 2 percentage points over the next two decades. At the time, the Muslim community represented the largest migrant population in Europe, accounting for about 6 per cent of the continent’s total population.
However, this demographic change had not been accompanied by effective integration policies, meaningful intercultural and political dialogue, or adequate employment opportunities, particularly for Muslim migrants. As a result, there was a growing sense of marginalisation within migrant communities, creating favourable conditions for the emergence of Islamic radicalisation and homegrown terrorist acts. Furthermore, Islamophobia, characterised by fear and hostility towards Islam and Muslims, had become a significant threat, not only to Muslim communities already established in Europe, but also to the security and stability of European nations.
In particular, Islamophobic terrorist attacks had highlighted how anti-Muslim racism, propagated by extreme right-wing and nationalist groups, posed a real threat to human rights, national security and the European model of harmonious coexistence between different communities. The most recent statistics, reported in the ‘European Islamophobia Report 2023’, revealed that 52 per cent of respondents in Italy perceived Islamophobia as widespread. This worrying fact translated into concrete consequences, including an increase in violence, animosity, continued marginalisation of Muslim individuals and a missed opportunity for cultural and social enrichment through intercultural and interreligious dialogue.
To address these pressing challenges, the project aimed to develop concrete initiatives that promote understanding and coexistence between young people from different religious backgrounds. The idea had originated during the ‘International Dialogue on Migration’ youth exchange, with a specific focus on the province of Lecce, which was home to a significant Islamic community of around 5,000 practitioners. This context had inspired the creation of an Erasmus+ youth exchange and sustainable activities involving young people of different religious faiths. The process involved building strong partnerships, identifying training needs, understanding social challenges, defining objectives and innovatively designing methodologies to address the identified issues. The first promoters came from Italy, Greece and Spain, regions that had witnessed strong migration mainly from North Africa. In addition, significant collaboration had been established with Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt – nations relevant in the context of migration and cultural diversity. T
Divided by Faith, United in Fate
Project ID: 2023-3-IT03-KA152-YOU-000174841
Start Date: 01-01-2024
End Date: 31-08-2024
Project Page: Search – Erasmus+ (europa.eu)
Topics:
- Preventing racism and discrimination
- Preventing radicalisation
- Creativity, arts and culture
Coordinator:
Associazione For Life ONLUS
Partners:
- JOVESOLIDES Egypt
- Asociación para el Desarrollo Juvenil y Cultural Almenaras
- Association Créez le Changement
- Mediterranean Forum For Social Development
- YES (Young Educational Spirit)
