Special Guest Speaker : André Azoulay - President of Anna Lindh Foundation

Conference moderated by Eve Gani and Zakaria Nana

When:Thursday ,  31 may 2012, 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm

Where: Mediatheque Alliance Baron Edmond de Rothschild - 6 bis rue Michel-Ange – Paris 16

Contacts: Eve Gani +33 678 994 493  or eve.gani@gmail.com | Pauline Cavillot +33 142 568 747 or pcavillot@ebdrf.com

More info: http://www.adrfn.com

The conference will be held in french [Q&A in french and english]

2 – Singapore
For Muslim tourists Singapore is a treasure-trove of food, shopping and entertainment. Around 15 percent of the island city’s population is Muslim, meaning Muslim travelers will feel more than at home while visiting. Singapore boasts a wealth of Halal certified restaurants from fine dining to international and fast food as well as more than 70 mosques. Tourist attractions tropical forests and botanical gardens for nature lovers, thousands of shop for shopping enthusiasts and of course Singapore Zoo.

3 – South Africa
Where else can you find the world’s second highest waterfall, the third largest canyon and some of the most stunning views in the world? South Africa has it all; safari, mountains, subtropical forests, bustling city life and miles of unspoiled beaches. As this year’s third most Muslim-friendly destination, South Africa boasts a wide variety of Halal friendly facilities including Halal restaurants and masjids.

4 – Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s large Muslim population means Halal restaurants are a-plenty in this stunning location. In addition to the certified fine dining restaurants Sri Lanka also boasts a number of Muslim-owned roadside food outlets. They might not be glamorous but they do probably serve some of the best local cuisine in Sri Lanka making it a good budget conscious destination. But it’s not just about the food, Sri Lanka is home to the some of the region’s most beautiful sun-kissed beaches and clear blue waters. More adventurous tourists can opt to go hiking in the mountains of Kady or experience a mountain resort in Nuwara Eliya.

5 – Gold Coast
One of Australia’s biggest tourist’s attractions started out as a small beachside holiday destination but now hosts over ten million visitors a year. The Gold Coast has it all, picturesque beaches and theme parks, and for its Muslim visitors prayer rooms and Halal restaurants. Muslim tourists visiting during the Holy month of Ramadan will also find a score of Iftaar, Suhour and night activities.

6 – Delhi
Islam is the second most practiced religion in India and home to more 138 million Muslims. The world’s eighth largest city is home to the second largest community of Muslims in India making its Halal street food just as famous and its art, history and shopping hotspots. The city also plays host to a plethora of museums, ancient temples and narrow bazaars.

7 – London
The United Kingdom’s capital city has always been a hotspot for Gulf travelers during the hot summer months so it’s not surprising to see it listed as seventh in terms of Halal-friendliness. Hotels have introduced a wealth of services for their Muslim guests in recent years including Arabic speaking staff, Halal menus, prayer rooms and female butlers. Islam is one of London’s largest and most significant minority religions with more than 40 percent of England’s Muslims opting to live there, meaning access to mosques and Halal-restaurants is never too far away.

8 – Bangkok
Thailand’s bustling capital city is bursting with hundreds of tourist attractions. The economic, cultural and culinary city offers some of the best street food making it not only a great experience but also ideal for budget conscience travellers. Other star attractions include Lumpini Park, Safari World, Siam Square and the Grand Palace. Muslims tourists will find easy access to Halal food and prayer places.

9 – Munich
German’s capital city was ranked as the world’s most livable city in 2010 so it’s not surprising that more than four million Muslims have chosen to make it their home. The high number of Muslims means visitors will never find themselves too far from a mosque or a Halal-restaurant. In addition to its Muslim-friendly attractions, Munich also boasts a wealth of museums and art galleries.

10 – Vienna
Vienna might not be the first city you think of when it comes to being Halal-friendly but Austria’s capital city offers enough Muslim tourist attractions to make it to this year’s top ten list. The city is well-known for playing an essential role as a leading European Music Centre as well as a home to several international organisations such as the United Nationals and OPEC. Approximately 8.4 million Muslims live in Austria, making it home to a number of mosques and other Muslim tourist attractions such as the Vienna Islamic Centre and Turkish Islamic Cultural Center.

We are very pleased to invite you to the international conference “CRIF – Organizational Model for Ethnic Minorities?” organized by the Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship network.

Special Guest Speaker : Dr Samuel Ghiles Meilhac - Journalist & Author of “The CRIF. From the Jewish resistance to the lobby temptation: 1943-2010″

Conference moderated by Johan Weisz-Myara

When:Thursday , 26 january 2012, 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm

Where: LA MAISON – 39 Quai de Loire -  Paris 19

Contacts: Johan Weisz-Myara +33 698 072 008  or Jo@streetpress.com | Pauline Cavillot +33 142 568 747 or pcavillot@ebdrf.com

More info: http://www.adrfn.com

The conference will be held in french and english

Please RSVP before wednesday 18th january 2012

In today’s global business environment, we all need to understand people
coming from different countries and various cultures.
While there is no quick and easy way to learn about any given culture, there
are some principles that lead to success in doing business with people from
around the world.
At aZensys, we help Business Leaders from Europe and the Arab world, to
deal with each other.

Tips for a successful cross cultural year:

• Differences can feel like a threat at first,
• Don’t panic, we all share 98% of the same DNA!
• Saving face is very crucial
• Time and space are different…
• Understanding nonverbal communication is Key!

As if the global economic downturn wasn’t turbulent enough, the violence and uncertainty of the Arab Spring has made it another rollercoaster 12 months for the Gulf’s banking sector. However, a two-year period of consolidation is giving way to increased optimism and balance sheets that make for better reading in the boardrooms of financial houses across the region.

There are still concerns: Emirates NBD, the UAE’s biggest bank by assets which made $626.1m in profits during the first nine months of the year, almost surpassing its profits for all of last year, may need to set aside as much as $2.2bn to cover bad loans over the next 13 months, according to a recent research note issued by Goldman Sachs. However the key players in the Saudi banking sector, including Al Rajhi Bank, the kingdom’s largest lender by market value, are eyeing steady growth by virtue of their strong profitability, stable asset quality and large retail deposit base. And it’s a story that is repeated elsewhere in the Gulf, from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait City to Doha and beyond.

Bank asset growth reinforces lending

According to the UAE Central Bank, total bank assets in the country have registered sound growth in 2011, rising 4% in the first ten months of the year to $455bn as of end-October. This reinforcing of the balance sheets has been accompanied by a healthy rise in lending – loans made by UAE banks edged up by 4.1% in the first ten months of the year, up to $292bn as of end-October, boosted by a significant leap in September. And after a year of consolidation, UAE banks are not alone in moving into 2012 in a comfortable position.

Commercial banks in Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest economy boasting its most sophisticated banking sector, registered total assets of $409bn as of end-October 2011, a rise of 7.7% in the first ten months of the year, and a jump of 10.3% since end-October 2010. Lending has increased too, with ten out of 11 Saudi publicly traded banks raising the value of their loan portfolios in the first nine months of the year, according to statements from the banks. Alinma Bank, an Islamic lender, had the largest increase at 75%, followed by Bank Al Jazira at 19%, with Al Rajhi Bank and Bank Al Bilad each registering a 12% increase in the nine months to end-September.

In Kuwait, assets stood at close to $157bn, up 4.9% in the first 10 months and over a 12-month period. Qatar has not yet made available its statistical bulletin for the month, but is expected to register healthy asset growth among local banks, while in Oman the assets of commercial banks stood at $44.7bn as of end-September 2011, the latest available figures, indicating a rise of 9% in the first nine months of the year and an 8.7% rise year-on-year. Only in Bahrain, which has violently suppressed Arab Spring protests, resulting in the deaths of more than 35 people amid allegations of widespread human rights abuses, are the figures less encouraging: the assets of retail and wholesale banks in the island state stood at $536bn as of end-October 2011, down 9.9% since January and 7.4% over a twelve-month period.

Increased competition from global banking groups

It is likely, however, that 2012 will present a different challenge to those banks that have recovered in the wake of the global economic downturn. Competition from global banks is likely to rise as financial houses from outside the region attempt to tap the growth potential of the Gulf market. And with this in mind, Gulf banks are likely to have to improve their offerings in 2012, if they want to retain current clients and attract new business. They are also going to have to battle hard to retain key staff: with competition building in the region’s banking sector, those employees who are able to operate effectively in such a fast-evolving market will become an increasingly valuable commodity.

A number of regional banks have put salary and bonus increases in place, as well as adding mentor programs for staff development. However, a recent Accenture survey of executives at major Gulf banks found that demand for skilled banking staff is outstripping supply in the region even at a time when the Western banking industry is slashing its workforce dramatically. UBS has said that it will cut more than 2,500 jobs, and 1,500 positions will be cut at Credit Suisse. Deutsche Bank is set to eliminate around 10% of its investment banking staff, while Nomura is cutting 400 operations positions and BNP Paribas is planning to trim 1,400 jobs in investment banking.

The Accenture survey said that a shortage of skills is the biggest challenge facing the GCC banking industry, aside from new regulation; a skills shortage was cited by 58% of all executives surveyed by Accenture, and 69% of those from the largest banks. Almost two-thirds (64%) or respondents said that the greatest impact of more global banks operating in the region will be the increased competition for skills and talent over the next few years, while a majority (89%) of respondents said that attracting and retaining talent will be the most important strategy their banks will use to increase shareholder value.

With significant untapped youth and female markets – more than half the population in the GCC is below the age of 30, and the female employment rate has grown considerably over the past 10 years, from 30% in 2000 to 37% in 2011 – banks are also aiming to improve customer service and meet increased demand for online and mobile services. All of this will be nigh-on impossible if banks refuse to pay top dollar to retain top staff; if the region’s financial institutions are to continue their recovery and build on the growth of 2011, cost-cutting may have to take forms other than redundancies and penny-pinching behind the cashiers’ desks.

For Saudi oil prices to reach $74 a barrel, the kingdom needs around $70 a barrel for WTI and $78 a barrel for Brent, Jadwa, a diversified investment business based in Riyadh, said in an emailed report today. Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, forecast a budget surplus of 12 billion riyals ($3.2 billion) in 2012 in a statement yesterday.

Daily Saudi production next year may average 8.8 million barrels and domestic consumption will average 2.4 million barrels as the country consumes more natural gas locally instead of crude, according to the statement.

The 2011 budget was based on a price for Saudi oil of $56 per barrel and production of 8.3 million barrels per day, Jadwa estimated.

“With a few days of the year left, it seems likely that the actual price of Saudi oil will average $105 per barrel,” it said. “Production will be around 9.3 million barrels per day, after it was raised to compensate for the shortfall from Libya.”

Saudi Arabia raised output this year as demand rose, oil minister Ali Al-Naimi said on Dec. 12 in Vienna. The kingdom pumped 10.047 million barrels of crude a day in November, he said. That’s the highest since at least 1980, according to data from the U.S. Energy Department.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has “decided to create a Gulf development fund which begins by providing support to development projects in the Kingdom of Jordan and the Kingdom of Morocco worth 2.5 billion dollars for each,” the GCC said in statement.

“The supreme council has assigned the finance ministers of its members to study the statute and structures needed to create the fund,” said the closing statement of the six-nation bloc’s two-day summit in Riyadh.
The GCC, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has remained an exclusive club since its inception in 1981.

Jordan and Morocco are the only Arab kingdoms not in the GCC.
No practical measures have yet been taken to enrol them in the group, despite a GCC proposal in May that both countries join.

Jordan is an immediate neighbour of GCC heavyweight Saudi Arabia and a major trading partner of alliance countries, but Morocco is geographically distant from the Gulf.

The oil-rich Arab states of the Gulf, which have seen entrenched regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya fall, are seeking reliable allies in the region

There are over 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today, making up approximately 23% of the world’s population, or more than one-fifth of mankind. As well as being citizens of their respective countries, they also have a sense of belonging to the ‘ummah’, the worldwide Muslim community.

The 500 appear to have been chosen largely in terms of their overt influence, however the top 50 have been chosen and perhaps listed in a “politically correct” order designed not to cause offense.

The first person listed is the Sunni political leader of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, the custodian of the two Holy Mosques, followed by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI as No.2.

The report said the Arab Spring had no impact on Abdullah’s influence, had boosted Mohammed’s and had no effect on Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan who came in third place. Fourth and fifth places in the list went to Jordan’s King Abdullah and Iran’s Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Sheikh Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb, and prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi who is President of Global Association of Muslim Scholars, also made it to the top 10 ranks.

The book’s appendices comprehensively list populations of Muslims in nations worldwide, and its introduction gives a snapshot view of different ideological movements within the Muslim world, breaking down clearly distinctions between traditional Islam and recent radical innovations.

The entire book is now available http://themuslim500.com.

The event was held recently in Education City. Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of innovation, creativity, and job creation. It was first launched in 2008 by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation. Three years later, 115 countries have celebrated the event, with over seven million people around the globe directly benefitting from the week.

This is the first time that GEW activities have been hosted in Qatar. “Job creation and youth entrepreneurship are the core pillars of Bedaya,” said Saleh al Khulaifi, manager of Bedaya. “Global Entrepreneurship Week provided a unique opportunity and platform to directly engage Qatar’s youth, and to exploit the event’s resources for the benefit of the participants.

Not only is this important for youth job creation in the country, but as the country moves forward to meet the aspirations of Vision 2030, it is crucial as Qatar diversifies its economy and begins to move away from reliance on income from the hydrocarbon industry.

Youth entrepreneurship is the key to meeting this goal, as they will be the back bone of job creation for decades to come,” Khulaifi said. Over 200 youth participated in the evening’s events which were divided into two components: a networking buffet that allowed an opportunity to meet Qatar’s young businessmen while having some early stage start-ups exhibiting their products, and a roundtable discussion with individuals from a variety of industries. “We are fortunate that Qatar has become a hub for creativity and innovation,” said Haya al Ghanim, entrepreneurship manager at QSTP. “By giving the participants a medium to connect to these young and successful entrepreneurs, we hoped to inspire them and provide them with the right tools to meet their own professional goals. In addition to our role as QSTP, as a beacon of job creation and entrepreneurship, the participants benefited from the institute’s programmes in capacity building and technology innovation and entrepreneurship.” The participants spoke of the success of the night’s events.

“We were extremely delighted at the feedback we received,” added al Khulaifi. “The participants appreciated the overall atmosphere and structure of the event, and requested that we hold more similar workshops. As a result of the Global Entrepreneurship Week event, Bedaya will seek to forge relationships with even more partners to develop more programmes and symposiums to drive the entrepreneurship spirit in Qatar. This is our responsibility and obligation to the Qatari youth,” he added. Bedaya – the Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Guidance is a joint initiative of Silatech and the Qatar Development Bank. Its head office is in Katara. More information on Global Entrepreneurship Week can be obtained at www.unleashingideas.org.