Trendz Fifth annual forum: Confronting extremism requires comprehensive multi -level approaches
Abu Dhabi, September 16/ WAM/ Experts and researchers stressed at the Fifth annual forum of the Trends Center for Research and Consulting on political Islam, that confronting extremism requires comprehensively multi -level approaches, which are not limited to security solutions alone, but rather include intellectual, social and cultural dimensions, as well as strengthening democratic values and the rule of law.
The forum, which was held under the title “Violence Participants, recommended modern approaches to the patterns of extremism”, and the announcement of the victory of Mohammed bin Zayed University of Humanities witnessed the Truez International Prize for Combating Extremist Thought in its first session, with the necessity of separating real grievances and ideological exploitation for them, and opening alternative civil paths that give young people opportunities for leadership and innovation, along with the protection of institutions Educational from motor religiosity by teaching critical thinking skills and dismantling the narratives that justify violence.
The forum, which was held under the slogan “Together, we face extremism with knowledge” at the Fairmont Bab Hotel in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of a number of senior officials, and with the wide participation of officials, experts and academics from the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, India, Indonesia, Portugal, Poland, Egypt, Jordan, and university students, at the focus of research On the common denominators that combine the types of extreme extremism, and this excessive preoccupation with the differences often leads to limiting the understanding of the phenomenon in narrow approaches leading to solutions far from efficacy.
Participants stressed the importance of promoting social cohesion such as a protection wall against hate speeches, setting clear legislative frameworks to separate religious activity and political work, and prevent the use of religion to achieve political gains, and stressed that resorting to violence is rejected in any democratic or constitutional system.
The forum also discussed the role of the digital space, calling for confronting the extreme content on the Internet through cooperation between governments, civil society and technology companies, and the launch of digital awareness campaigns that enhance the values of pluralism and citizenship and face extremist propaganda with an alternative speech.
The participants affirmed the accountability of all parties that exercise the vigilant violence, countries or organizations, according to international law, to break the circle of impunity that feed terrorism.
The forum concluded that building strong societies is able to thwart extremist propaganda, develop a charter for platforms and charitable work, and to create early warning networks to monitor hard -line discourse, as well as rehabilitation programs for former extremists, representing basic pillars to combat intellectual terrorism, and preserving human values based on affiliation, justice and dignity.
Throughout his sessions, he dealt with pivotal issues related to how to use religion in fueling political conflicts, the methods adopted by extremist groups in attracting individuals through digital media tools and social media platforms, as well as discussed the role of moderate religious discourse in promoting societal peace, and the importance of building an alternative intellectual discourse that enhances the values of coexistence and tolerance.
In his opening speech to the forum, Dr. Mohamed Abdullah Al -Ali, CEO of the Trends Center for Research and Consulting, stressed that the forum aims to draw new intellectual maps that reveal the hidden intersections between various extremist currents, such as Islamism, the extreme right, and the radical left.
He pointed to the Muslim Brotherhood as a model that explains the ability of ideology to combine advocacy and violent projects, benefiting from the digital revolution to recruit followers through digital platforms, warning that facing extremism requires a global road map that collects intellectual and political experiences and alliances, transcending the dismantling of hate speech to dismantling the delusions that give these groups the ability to attract new generations.
And he called for a collective effort that merges academic research, public policies, technologies and political will to make the forum a platform for launching coexistence and humanitarian narratives instead of ideological violence.
Dr. Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Director of Mohammed bin Zayed University for Humanities, highlighted the similarities between political Islam groups and other extremist currents, indicating that they participate in identical intellectual and behavioral structure based on a closed vision claiming to have the absolute truth, and classify others as enemies, with the reverence of a Savior and narratives that justify the final conflict.
He explained that these movements distort the reality through my conspiracy speech, use false religious and political concepts, reject the national structures, and seek to control or overthrow the state, using opportunistic alliances, distortion, violence, and recruitment of children, which reflects its nihilism and adopting violence as a single way.
His Excellency Sir Liam Fox, head of the Abrahamic Agreements Group – the United Kingdom, stressed that the term “religious extremists” is inaccurate, they are not clerics, but people who employ religion to achieve political and authoritarian goals, and cited the “paradox of tolerance” of Boub, and warned of the dangers of extremism in Europe as a result of political right, stressing that allowing intolerance to spread the West, especially Britain, is a haven. For groups, such as the Brotherhood, who took advantage of the mosques to incite, concluded with an invitation to confront them with strictly, expose their discourse in front of their followers and call them what they are, “extremists who employ religion and do not represent religiosity.”
Senator Natalie Julie, a member of the French Senate for the Organ (Normandy) region, presented in a similar speech the idea that violence is a common thread between political Islam and extremist right -wing movements, explaining the common financial dimension between them, such as mysterious financing structures, misuse of charitable organizations and cryptocurrencies.
With the start of the forum’s work, the writer and thinker, Professor Radwan Al -Sayed, member of the Scientific and Academic Council of “Trends” and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Trends International Prize for Combating Extremist Thought, announced the victory of Mohammed bin Zayed University of Humanities in the first session of the award in appreciation of its pioneering efforts in consolidating the values of moderation and moderation, dismantling strict speeches, and enhancing the foundations of common human coexistence.
Professor Radwan Al -Sayed indicated that the university’s choice reflects the prize’s belief in the pivotal role played by academic institutions in building intellectual immunity and upholding the values of citizenship, dialogue and tolerance, as it is the first line of defense in the face of extremism, explaining that the university today represents a global knowledge model that combines research and education and community service in addressing extremist thought and devoting a culture of peace.
Fayaz Moggal, founder and director of the FATHER MATTERS – UK, explained in the first session moderated by Paul Crocshank, Editor -in -chief of CTC Sentinel – Center for Terrorism, the American Military Academy in West Point, that extremism arises from the integration of realistic grievances (such as marginalization and unemployment) with identity conflicts, and is strengthened through social media that enlarges grievance To the Muslim Brotherhood as a model to exploit government failures to transform legitimate issues into extremist ideologies.
His Excellency Dirar Al -Hall Al -Falasi, Chairman of the Board, CEO and co -founder of the Council of the Council – the Emirates, dealt with the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in directing students through the boycott campaigns and converting them into institutions that follow the group, with the aim of increasing financial revenues and enhancing influence and controlling the education sector, and the session was moderated by Abdulaziz Al -Shehhi, a main researcher and deputy head of the research sector – Trends, with the participation of Professor Alessandro Ferrari, professor of state laws, religions and comparative law For religions – Insopia University, Italy, which presented the concept of “militant democracy” as a solution to confront the enemies of democracy without prejudice to the freedom of religion, reviewing the Italian experience as a model for a balance between the protection of public order and respect for religious pluralism.
As for Dr. Radwan Al -Sayed, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research – Mohammed bin Zayed University for Humanities, he stressed that extremists use ideology as a origin to correct reality, calling for facing extremism with a new reading of history and considering the modern state a national necessity.
In turn, Dr. Wael Saleh, Advisor to Political Islam and Extremism in “Trends for Research and Consulting”, stressed in his intervention that the traditional studies of extremism often focus on the differences between groups and overlook the common denominators, which leads to narrow approaches and limited solutions.
He called for the dismantling of the founding ideas of extremism and building educational and cultural strategies that enhance pluralism, criticism and citizenship.
Professor Patrice Brador, associate professor at the Institute of Religious Studies – University of Montreal, stressed the need to integrate political, religious, educational and societal efforts to combat extremism.
Dr. Orla Lynch (by video), College Cork University – Ireland, provided analyzes about the motives for joining extremism and strategies for dealing with the target audience.
In the second session, which was moderated by Mohamed Al -Dhahouri, Director of the Advanced Political Studies Department – Trends, with interventions started by Spassimir Domaradski, Assistant Professor of Law Department and European Union institutions – Warsaw University, Poland, where he explained how to dismantle the intellectual foundations of extremism by studying European and Eastern European experiences.
In turn, Muhammad Khalfan Al -Sawafi, a researcher in international relations, stressed that the extreme extremism is no longer a marginal phenomenon, but rather extends for all ideologies, including nationalism and Nazism, while Mashari Al -Dhaidi, a writer of opinion and political analyst – Al -Sharq Al -Awsat newspaper, stressed the importance of studying the origins of extremism systematically.
Dr. Ann Sbekhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism – the United States of America, presented through experience in the field the concept of “deadly cocktail of terrorism” consisting of the group, ideology, social support, and individual motives, noting that the group is the one that acquires ideology to violence, while Ayman Dean, the regional affairs advisor – the United Kingdom, focused on effective approaches to understand the motives Join extremism and treat their roots.
In the third session, which was moderated by Shamsa Al -Qubaisi, researcher in the Department of Political Islam – Trends, with interventions that Dr. Jose Pedro Zukit, a researcher of the Institute of Social Sciences – Lisbon University, Portugal, and presented a study on mutual extremism between identity movements and Islamists in Europe, stressing the importance of dismantling propaganda and addressing the roots of societal concerns.
As for Imam Muhammad al -Tawhidi, Vice -President of the International Islamic Council for Religious Scholars, he confirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood represents a major source of modern extremism, taking advantage of religious texts to justify violence.
Professor Yoon Mahmoudi, Professor of History – College of Humanities, University of Indonesia, linked the rise of extremism in Indonesia with multiple factors, and called for a approach to the grouping force (law and security) and softness (programs to delete extremism, teach moderation and empowering societies), while Dr. Orla Lynch (via video) stressed the importance of taking advantage of the experiences of former dissidents to understand and target the motives for joining extremism.
In the fourth session, which was moderated by Mohamed Al Mulla, founder and head of the Al -Mulla Diwan – Kuwait Network, with interventions that started with Mr. Omar Al -Bashir Al -Turabi, Acting Director and Editor -in -Chief Al -Mubayar Center for Studies and Research, which talked about the intellectual and organizational “supply chain” of extremism, pointing to the role of penetration of education and charitable work in forming a social base for extremism, while Abdullah bin Bajad Al -Otaibi, a writer and researcher – Saudi Arabia, pointed out that extremism is part The human soul, and has emerged in various forms throughout history, warning of the “counter -extremist” suit that the Muslim Brotherhood exploited.
In turn, Hamad Al -Hosani, a main researcher and director of the Political Islam Department – Trendz, drew attention to the risk of the Muslim Brotherhood on religion, the state and society, which made them classify as a terrorist organization in several countries.
The session concluded with the assertion of retired Major General Saleh Al -Ma’aitah, a strategic analyst – Jordan, the monopoly of political Islam groups and its insertion in politics, and the transformation of some mosques into centers of recruitment, and called for an Arab strategy based on separation between peaceful thought and violence.
The forum was accompanied by the accompanying exhibition of presenting the efforts of the forum partners and the Trends Center in the face of extremism, and the presentation of the most prominent studies and research, and an awareness film was presented with the participation of the Trends Youth Council to clarify the methods of extremist groups via the Internet, with a motivational message for young people: “Be conscious … Be part of the solution … Do not make extremism steal your dreams.”
The forum also received strategic partnerships from Mohammed bin Zayed University for Humanities and Cyber Security Council, and media support from The National, Sky News Arabia, Al Ain News, Harici, Al -Ittihad News Center, and Al Khaleej newspaper.
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