Franco-Moroccan Mother of Terror Victim Honored for Youth Outreach Efforts

She had created the association "Imad for Youth and Peace" after the death of her son, which organizes interventions in schools, prisons or shelters, but also educational projects such as the restoration of a museum in Morocco by "about twenty young people in difficulty, from a disadvantaged social background" in 2018. Ms. Ibn Ziaten is convinced that the prevention of sectarian and extremist drifts goes above all through investment in supporting young people.

According to her, the "trap" of radicalization hangs over young people "left to themselves", "tired and rejected everywhere". "We have to succeed in knowing what is going on in the head of a young person and what solutions we can offer him," she summarizes. "When you don’t have the chances available to succeed, someone can recover you," she adds. For her, the daily support of children placed in care homes is one of the key issues, as is access to social workers in all schools and the reintegration of detainees upon release from prison.

Over the years, this 61-year-old Franco-Moroccan has become a figure in the fight against radicalization in France. She will receive, on Thursday, February 11, the 2021 Zayed Prize for Fraternity in the United Arab Emirates for her commitment. This prize will be presented to her (as well as to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres), during a virtual ceremony in Abu Dhabi, presented by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. "It’s a great honor" and "it’s really going to help me in my work," she says.