1. Tarafa Baghajati is a Syrian-born, Austrian Muslim activist and writer.
20 Facts About Tarafa Baghajati
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Tarafa Baghajati is a founding member of the Islamic group "Initiative muslimischer OsterreicherInnen".
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Tarafa Baghajati was born in Damascus, Syria, to parents Adnan Baghajati, an author and former Syrian Education minister, and Amal Homsi, an economic journalist.
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Tarafa Baghajati spent three of them in Tadmor Prison due to his political views.
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Tarafa Baghajati is a former board member and member of the Honorary Advisory Board of European Network Against Racism He is a board member of the Platform for Intercultural Europe.
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Tarafa Baghajati is one of the founders and a board member of European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion.
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Tarafa Baghajati has stated his opposition and rejection of the practice of female genital mutilation in Africa and Europe and called to prevent it.
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In March 2009, Rudiger Nehberg and Tarafa Baghajati met Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Qatar, a well known and controversial Sunni Islamic scholar.
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In February 2011, Rudiger Nehberg and Tarafa Baghajati met Sheikh Mohamed Said Ramadan Al-Bouti and obtained a similar fatwa against female genital mutilation.
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In September 2012, Rudiger Nehberg and Tarafa Baghajati met Sudanese Sheikh Hassan al-Turabi and obtained a similar statement opposing female genital mutilation.
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Since moving to Austria in 1986, Tarafa Baghajati has been active on the topics of immigration, anti-racism, human rights and political issues which involve the Middle East especially his home country of Syria.
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Tarafa Baghajati is active on the topics of Islam and Muslims in Austria and Europe, such as promoting Muslim women's rights relating to the headscarf and opposition to what he perceives to be Islamophobia through legal recognition to combat anti-Islamic prejudice.
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On 24 June 2015, Tarafa Baghajati called for the Muslim community to be more engaged in European Policy.
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Since the Syrian Conflict started in 2011, Tarafa Baghajati publishes articles concerning the situation in Syria, mostly in Al-Hayat, and in Al-Quds Al-Arabi.
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Tarafa Baghajati is against the government of Bashar al-Assad and supports "a pluralistic and democratic view of Syria".
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Tarafa Baghajati warns in his articles of the confessional tension in Syria and in the Islamic countries, especially between Sunni and Shia.
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On May 6,2014 Tarafa Baghajati stated in a conference his strong opinion against European Muslims travelling to fight in Syria.
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Tarafa Baghajati graduated as civil engineer from Polytechnic University of Timisoara in 1986.
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In February 2016 Tarafa Baghajati received the Golden Medal of the Province of Vienna at the event 10 years of Muslim commitment against Female genital mutation.
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Tarafa Baghajati has been married to Carla Amina Baghajati since 1990 and has four children.