View source for Asiem El Difraoui

{{Short description|German-Egyptian political scientist and economist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Asiem El Difraoui
| image         =
| alt           =
| caption       =
| birth_name    = Abdelasiem Hassan El Difraoui
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1965|04|05}}
| birth_place   = [[Offenbach am Main]]
| death_date    =
| death_place   =
| nationality   = German
| other_names   =
| occupation    = Political scientist
| years_active  =
| known_for     =
| notable_works =
}}
'''Asiem El Difraoui''' ([[Arabic]]: عبد العظيم حسن الدفراوي, DMG 'Abd al-'Aẓīm Ḥasan ad Difrāwī; born 5 April 1965) is a [[political scientist]], economist, and documentary director and producer of Egyptian-German descent. He focuses primarily on topics related to the [[Arab world]], and is widely considered as a leading expert on Arab media in general and [[jihadism]] internet propaganda in particular.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2014/09/22/l-etat-islamique-veut-effrayer-semer-la-zizanie-et-recruter-en-france_1106333|title=Abdelasiem El Difraoui : "L'Etat islamique veut effrayer, semer la zizanie et recruter en France"|newspaper=Libération.fr|access-date=2017-02-15|language=fr}}</ref>
== Biography ==
Asiem El Difraoui studied at the [[American University in Cairo|American University in Cairo (AUC)]] and the [[School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)]] in London, where he earned a B.A. honours degree in [[political science]] and economics. In 1992 he acquired a DEA (French: [[Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies]]), an advanced post-graduate research degree comparable to the M.Phil., in political science from [[Sciences Po]] Paris (IEP). This is also where he completed his PhD in 2010, under the supervision of French scholar [[Gilles Kepel]]. His thesis was entitled: "''The Jihad of images – a political analysis of Al Qaeda's audio-visual propaganda''"<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://medienpolitik.eu/institut/fellows/|title=Fellows – Institut für Medien- und Kommunikationspolitik|website=medienpolitik.eu|language=de-DE|access-date=2017-02-15}}</ref> and became a standard reference book.
Between 1992 and 2008, he produced with his own production company, "''Impossible Productions''", a variety of political documentaries and reports on as diverse socio- and geo-political issues as the Second Gulf War in Iraq and the far-right '[[National Front (France)|National Front]]' movement in France. As a journalist and director and producer of documentaries, Asiem El Difraoui has thus worked in Germany, France, the [[MENA|MENA region]], the [[Balkans]], and [[Southeast Asia|South East Asia.]]
Between 2004 and 2010, El Difraoui moreover taught journalism at Sciences Po in Paris. From 2010 to 2013, he joined the 'Near/Middle East' research group at the [[German Institute for International and Security Affairs]] in Berlin (SWP) as a [[research fellow]]. During this time he was involved with the project "''Jihadism on the Internet: The internationalization of violence discourses on the World Wide Web''"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.swp-berlin.org/projekte/abgeschlossene-projekte/jihadismus-im-internet-abgeschl/|title=Jihadismus im Internet (abgeschl.)|website=www.swp-berlin.org|language=de|access-date=2017-02-15}}</ref> and served in this capacity as an advisor on the European Commission's [[Clean IT|'Clean IT' initiative]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.golem.de/news/extremismus-im-netz-wir-sollten-den-zugang-erschweren-1210-95438.html|title=Extremismus im Netz: "Wir sollten den Zugang erschweren" – Golem.de|access-date=2017-02-15|language=de-DE}}</ref> Since 2012, he is also a [[senior fellow]] at the [[Institute for Media and Communication Policy|Berlin Institute for Media and Communication Policy]] (IfM).<ref name=":0" />
El Difraoui is also one of the founders of the [[Candid Foundation]] in Berlin, an independent [[think tank]] which attempts to promote intercultural understanding and creative approaches in international development, focussing especially on the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.candid-foundation.org/our-founders|title=Our Founders|website=The CANDID Foundation|language=de-DE|access-date=2017-02-15|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173336/http://www.candid-foundation.org/our-founders|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2015, he is also an editorial advisory board member of [[Zenith Magazine]], an independent German magazine, focusing on the Arab and the Islamic world. Today, his expertise on the Arab world encompasses particularly dynamics in [[Algeria]], [[Egypt]], [[Iraq]], and [[Saudi Arabia]].
He is a member of the board of the Paris-based think tank [[EuropaNova]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=EuropaNova |title=Asiem El Difraoui - Profil |website=www.europanova.eu |url=https://www.europanova.eu/membresdubureau/asiem-el-difraoui |access-date=23 August 2021 |archive-date=23 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823140746/https://www.europanova.eu/membresdubureau/asiem-el-difraoui |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2019, El Difraoui was head of a project for the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) to develop a qualification course and a non-fiction book on exiting Islamic extremism. El Difraoui has advised French and German ministries and EU institutions on extremism prevention for many years. His book "Die Hydra des Dschihadismus" (The Hydra of Jihadism) will be published by [[Suhrkamp Verlag]] in November this year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Suhrkamp |title=Die Hydra des Dschihadismus |website=www.suhrkamp.de |url=https://www.suhrkamp.de/buch/asiem-el-difraoui-die-hydra-des-dschihadismus-t-9783518425640 |access-date=23 August 2021}}</ref>
== Filmography (partial) ==
* ''Toulon, Vitrine des Front National''. ''[Toulon, show case of the 'National Front']'' Arte, 1998, author.
* ''Frieden im Baskenland? [Peace in the Basque Country?]'' Arte report, 1998, author.
* ''Die Belagerung Bagdads [Bagdad under siege].'' Spiegel-TV, 2003, author (with Peter Hell and Steffen Haug).
* ''Osama bin Laden: Der Prophet des Terrors. [Osama bin Laden: Prophet of Terror]'' Spiegel-TV, 2004, author (with Britta Sandberg).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.presseportal.de/pm/6511/547037|title=Deutsche-Erstausstrahlung Donnerstag, 22. April 2004, 20.15 Uhr die DOKUMENTATION 20.15 Osama Bin Laden – Der Prophet des Terrors|newspaper=presseportal.de|access-date=2017-02-15|language=de}}</ref>
* ''Mekka retten: Ein Mann kämpft gegen die Zerstörung seiner Heimat [Saving Mecca: A Man fights his country’s destruction].'' WDR, 2005, author.
* ''Die Sprache von Al-Qaida. [Al-Qaida's language].'' Arte/WDR, 2008, author and co-producer (with Mark Johnston).
* ''Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad and the Politician.'' WDR/Canal Plus, 2011, co-producer.
== Bibliography (partial) ==
* ''Le djihadisme [Djihadism].'' Paris: PUF, Que-sais-je?, 2016, 128p.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.puf.com/content/Le_djihadisme|title=Le djihadisme|website=www.puf.com|language=fr|access-date=2017-03-01}}</ref>
* ''Arabische Medien [Arabic media].'' Konstanz: UVK, 2015, 344 p. (with Carola Richter)
* ''Ein Neues Ägypten? Eine Reise durch ein Land im Aufruhr [A new Egypt? Journey through a country in uproar].'' Hamburg: Edition Körber Stiftung, 2013, {{ISBN|978-3-89684-152-0}}
* ''Al-Qaida par l’image: La prophétie du martyre [The Jihad of images – a political analysis of Al Qaeda's audio-visual propaganda].'' Dissertation, PUF, Paris 2013.
* ''Jihad.de, Jihadistische Online-Propaganda: Empfehlungen für Gegenmaßnahmen in Deutschland [Jihad.de, jihadist propaganda online: Recommendations for counter-measures in Germany],'' SWP-Studien 2012/S, 5 February 2012 (accessible online, PDF)
* ''Es gibt keine "Facebook-Revolution" – aber eine ägyptische Jugend, die wir kaum kennen [There is no "facebook-revolution" – but an Egyptian youth we almost don't know],'' in: Muriel Asseburg (Hg.), Proteste, Aufstände und Regimewandel in der arabischen Welt. Akteure, Herausforderungen, Implikationen und Handlungsoptionen, SWP-Studien 2011/S, 27 October 2011, S. 17–19.
* With Oliver Hahn: ''Der arabische Schwarm im Netz des Medienwandels. Ein Salonstreitgespräch zur Protestkommunikation ziviler Bewegungen in mehr als 140 Zeichen [The arab shoal in the net of media shifts. A symposium on the protest communication of civil movements in more than 140 characters],'' in: Erik Bettermann and Ronald Grätz (Hg.), Digitale Herausforderung. Außenpolitik und internationale Kommunikation in Zeiten von Web 2.0, Steidl, Berlin 2012.
* With Leoni Abel: ''The Web 2.0 Revolution and Arab Revolutionaries. The role of the new media as political infrastructure in the Arab World'', in: Deutsche Welle Media Dialogue 2012. The Arab World: The role of Media in the Arab World's Transformation Process, Vistas, Berlin 2012.
* ''The Arab Spring: a golden opportunity for Global Jihad?''. in: Barbara Lippert/ Volker Perthes (eds.), Expect the unexpected. Ten situations to keep an eye on, SWP Research Paper 2012/RP 1, November 2011.
* With Stefan Aust: ''Irak: Geschichte eines modernen Krieges, dtv, München 2004.La critique du systeme democratique par le Front islamique du salut [The critique of the democratic system by the Islamic Salvation Front],'' in: Gilles Kepel (ed.), Exils et royaumes: Les appartenances au monde arabo-musulman aujourd'hui: études réunies pour Rémy Leveau, Presse de Sciences Po, Paris 1994, pp.&nbsp;105 ff.
*''The role of culture in preventing and reducing violent extremism'' in: moreeurope.org, 2017 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20180202130549/http://www.moreeurope.org/sites/default/files/paper_role_of_culture_pve_more_europe_28.09.2017__0.pdf] PDF)
*with Milena Uhlmann, ''Prévention de la radicalisation et déradicalisation : les modèles allemand, britannique et danois'', in: Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI) (ed.), Politique étrangère 2015/4 (Hiver), Justice pénale internationale : un bilan, Paris 2015, {{ISBN|978-2-36567-453-9}}
*Die Hydra des Dschihadismus - Entstehung, Ausbreitung und Abwehr einer globalen Gefahr, Berlin, Suhrkamp Verlag, 2021, {{ISBN|978-3-518-42564-0}}
== Awards and honours ==
{{BLP sources section|date=December 2017}}
* 1998 : [[Deutsch-französischer journalistenpreis|Prix Franco-allemand du journalisme]] [Franco-German journalism award] in the category "Television" for ''"Toulon, Vitrine du Front National" [Toulon, show case of the National Front].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arte.tv/sites/de/corporate/category/themes-de/pramierte-arte-koproduktionen-de/|title=Programme Archives – ARTE Entreprise|website=ARTE Entreprise|language=de-DE|access-date=2017-02-15}}</ref>
* 2004 : Bronze medal at the New York Film and Television Festival for ''"Die Belagerung Bagdads" [Bagdad under siege].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/main.php?p=3,1&wp=info&id=212535|title=New York Festivals Awards  – Winners Showcase|website=www.newyorkfestivals.com|access-date=2017-02-15|archive-date=15 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015014516/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/main.php?p=3,1&wp=info&id=212535|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 2006 : Silver medal at the Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival in the category "investigative reports" for ''"Mekka retten" [Saving Mecca].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.qataru.com/vb/index.php|title=منتديات جامعة قطر|website=www.qataru.com|language=ar|access-date=2017-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215210356/http://www.qataru.com/vb/index.php|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 2010 : Certificate for creative excellence from the U.S. International Film & Video Festival for ''"La langue d'Al-Qaida" [Al-Qaida's language].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmfestawards.com/pr/10_documentary.asp|title=5 Documentaries win a Gold in FilmFest|website=www.filmfestawards.com|access-date=2017-02-15|archive-date=15 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015030436/http://www.filmfestawards.com/pr/10_documentary.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Certificat pour l'excellence créative du U.S. International Film & Video Festival pour ''"La langue d'Al-Qaida".''
* 2012 : The [[UNESCO's Enrico Fulchignoni award]] (awarded at the [[Venice Film Festival|Mostra de Venise]]) for ''"Tahrir 2011"''.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/l-instant-m/l-instant-m-25-fevrier-2015 Interview on FranceInter, February 2015 (in French)]
* [http://www.institut-medienpolitik.de/jahrbuch_fernsehen/index.php?idcat=118 Fellows, Biography on the ifMs website (in German)]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Difraoui, Asiem El}}
[[Category:German political scientists]]
[[Category:German economists]]
[[Category:People from Offenbach am Main]]
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]