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Newsletter - February 2018

February 15, 2018

Source: MIGS

Announcements

MIGS is pleased to announce that Naomi Kikoler is joining the institute as a non-resident fellow. She is currently the deputy director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and is one of the world’s leading authorities on atrocity prevention

Upcoming Events

February 26, 2018
MIGS is co-convening the Berlin Conference on Myanmar Genocide to be held at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany. MIGS is partnering with Alice Salomon University, Berlin W. Michael Akademie, Columbia University’s Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, the Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice of Liberation War Museum, Genocide Watch, the University of Ottawa’s Human Rights Research and Education Centre, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Euro-Burma office, the Genocide Documentation Center of Cambodia, and the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. Full details and registration are available here.

February 28, 2018
In partnership with the U.S. Consulate General Montreal, MIGS will host “World Without Hate: A Discussion with Rais Bhuiyan” at Concordia University. Mr. Bhuiyan will talk about his experience as a hate crime victim in the U.S. and his work towards a world without violence. Full details and registration are available here.

March 1, 2018
In partnership with Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and the Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada, MIGS will convene a roundtable dialogue in Ottawa on the role of women in conflict and genocide prevention. The event take place at the Canadian Parliament and will feature Alice Ndertu, recipient of the 2018 SFU Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue and a leader in conflict prevention in Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan.

In partnership with the Montreal Holocaust Museum, the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, MIGS is co-organizing “Warnings from the Rohingya”. The event will feature a discussion between Payam Akhavan, Professor at McGill University’s Faculty of Law and the Honorable Bob Rae, Canada's Special Envoy to Myanmar.

March 6, 2018
MIGS, in partnership with the Canadian International Council (Montreal Branch, is organizing an event on "Turkey: Today and Tomorrow”. Dr. Chris Kilford will address the challenges facing this major regional power and NATO ally, and what the future may hold. During his 36-year military career in the Canadian Army, Dr. Kilford served throughout Canada, Germany, Afghanistan and Turkey in various command, instructional and staff roles. Full details and registration are available here.

March 14, 2018
MIGS, in partnership with Tech Against Terrorism, the United Nations, Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Twitter, will host a workshop at Concordia on Artificial Intelligence and human rights and launch the Data Science Network. Expert panelists will discuss current challenges within the fields of technology, AI implementation and open source intelligence with regards to counterterrorism and human rights.

March 19-23, 2018
MIGS, in collaboration with the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, Dalhousie University and Public Safety Canada, will host a week-long conference at Concordia University titled, “Building Connections”. The event will provide a forum for community organizations, law enforcement, governments and researchers to showcase best practices on preventing violent extremism and radicalization leading to violence within a Canadian context.

Recent Events

January 22, 2018
MIGS was pleased to welcome H.E. Per Sjögren, Sweden’s Ambassador to Canada. The Ambassador talked about Sweden's foreign policy in upholding freedom of expression as a fundamental human right globally.

January 31, 2018
MIGS Digital Fellow André Gagné participated in a panel discussion at the McGill International Law Society titled "Tweeting Terror: Radicalization Through Social Media".

January 31 – February 1, 2018
MIGS’ Project Manager Nicolai Pogadl spoke at the 2018 Annual Conference of the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick.

February 2-3, 2018
MIGS’ Executive Director Kyle Matthews participated in The Hague Digital Diplomacy Camp, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and gave a presentation titled “Rise of the Machines: Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights”

February 6, 2018
MIGS organized the panel discussion “The State of Human Rights in Ethiopia”. Tewodrose Tirfe (founder of Amhara Association of America), Ethiopian human rights activist Muluken Tesfaw, and Felix Horne (Human Rights Watch) spoke about ongoing human rights violations in Ethiopia.

Friday 9, 2008
As part of the P.R.E.V. Seminar (Politico-Religious Extremism and Violence), a seminar organized by Concordia University professor Andre Gagne at MIGS, Dr. Louis Audet-Gosselin spoke about “Understanding Extremist Religious Movements in the Sahel” at MIGS.

MIGS welcomed Iranian-born Australian Muslim scholar Mohammad Tawhidi, also known as Imam for Peace, and Ensaf Haidar, wife of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, to Montreal to discuss human rights, religious extremism and freedom of expression.

In the media

January 6, 2018

MIGS Digital Fellow Anne Speckhard wrote an article with Ardian Shajkovci “Wanted Dead or Alive: The Frustrating, Failing Hunt for ISIS Leader Baghdadi” published on the Daily Beast.

January 12, 2018

MIGS Fellow Michael Petrou was quoted in Carol Sander’s article “Taking aim at Islamic State's perversion of religion” published in the Winnipeg Free Press.

January 16, 2018

MIGS interviewed former Canadian Prime Minister the Right Honourable Paul Martin to discuss “Canada and the Reconciliation with indigenous peoples”.

January 18, 2018

Kyle Matthews was interviewed by CTV about returning Canadian nationals who fought for ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

MIGS Fellow Diego Osorio was interviewed by Chris Fowler for the podcast OnPurpose.

January 22, 2018

MIGS Fellow Andre Serbin Pont was interviewed by ForoTV (Televisa) on Venezuelan migration and the humanitarian crisis.

January 23, 2018

MIGS Digital Fellow André Gagné was interviewed about the P.R.E.V. Seminar at MIGS by Presence-Information Religieuse, in an article titled: "L'université Concordia lance un séminaire sur l'extrémisme politico-religieux et la violence".

January 30, 2018

MIGS Digital Fellow André Gagné was interviewed on UK's Drive Time Show on the Voice of Islam about "IS 'virtual lessons'". Listen to the interview here (from 1:47:17 to 1:55:60)