As a significant step within the project of “Together...Safe Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence,” Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE), in collaboration with the “Masaena Foundation for Youth and Development,” held a training camp for Upper Egypt youth, targeting a select group of university students and graduates, as well as the public sector employees and others from various Upper Egypt governorates, with the objective of promoting values of belonging and confronting extremism.
The project affirms AOCE's pioneering role in cultivating awareness among young people, thereby promoting values of tolerance and belonging, and steadfastly continuing its efforts to protect minds against extremist thoughts through interactive meetings, workshops, and intellectual and cultural activities based on dialogue and openness.
Al-Azhar’s Central Role in Addressing Youth Concerns: Building Human Beings and Fostering Awareness
Al-Azhar’s vision prioritizes youth issues, believing that the true battle against extremism begins with building human beings and enhancing their intellectual faculties. AOCE, as a part of Al-Azhar, embodies the vision of His Eminence the Grand Imam, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb that youth are the true treasure of the nation. The project presents a fascinating opportunity for youth to articulate their views and participate, serving as a model for institutional cooperation between state agencies and civil society.
Qualitative Activities to Discuss Security, Peace, and Confronting Violence
As part of the camp's activities and dialogue sessions, AOCE’s researchers delivered several interactive lectures, including: "Security and Peace: A Call for Coexistence and Combating Violence," and “The Causes of the Spread of Violence in Upper Egypt Governorates." They discussed the concept of security from a religious and social perspective, emphasizing that peace is an inherent value in all divine religions and that the absence of security threatens the stability of societies, reviewing several inspiring historical models of peaceful coexistence, such as the Constitution of Medina and the experience of Andalusia.
With these inspiring activities and constructive discussions, the project of "Together... Safe Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence" emphasizes the importance of harnessing the promising energies of youth to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence as a fundamental pillar for confronting intellectual and societal challenges.