On 12 January 2022, TRENDS Research and Advisory organized a symposium titled “Combating Hate Speech and Extremism: New Approaches”, moderated by Mashari Ateeq, an expert in international relations from Saudi Arabia.

The symposium featured a panel of scholars and experts, including Dr. Osama Al-Azhari, Advisor to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt on Religious Affairs; Dr. Omar Al-Darei, Executive Director of Islamic Affairs at the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments; Dr. Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Acting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities; and Dr. Sultan Faisal Al-Remeithi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Elders.

The symposium addressed several important issues, including efforts to combat extremist and hateful rhetoric, mechanisms and strategies to combat extremist rhetoric, inspirational experiences in combating extremist rhetoric, and ways to promote values of tolerance and human fraternity as alternatives to hate speech.

The speakers at the symposium unanimously agreed that the Islamic world needs a genuine intellectual project that can assimilate the challenges of the modern era and engage with the world’s cultures in a real scientific and intellectual endeavor capable of confronting violence and hatred with modern methods. They emphasized the need to rebuild trust in official religious institutions and to focus on nurturing and educating young people to immunize them against this destructive rhetoric.

News Link:

https://www.albayan.ae/world/gcc/2022-01-13-1.4345344

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