In collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE), Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) organized a symposium at “Um Al-Abtal Secondary School” to discuss “Extremism and Keys to Prevention,” in the framework of the “Know More” initiative, which aims to raise awareness among school students. The symposium focused on following two main aspects:
- Extremism and Intellectual Confrontation
AOCE’s researchers gave an overview of the AOCE’s establishment, its work mechanism, and its pivotal role in protecting youth. They further discussed the concept of extremism, its various forms and root causes, which differ according to geographical and continental contexts.
- Online Recruitment and Protecting Youth
The second aspect highlighted was related to the digital challenges, online recruitment, and extremists’ strategies in cyberspace. The researchers emphasized that process of recruitment is not limited to the religious sphere, but includes intellectual, social, commercial, and other aspects. They pointed out that extremist organizations use cyberspace to track young people's interests and create content that specifically designed to fulfill their needs and interests.
The symposium witnessed remarkable engagement from all students, particularly during the question-and-answer session.