The third Conference on Countering Violent Extremism kicked off on November 14 in Rabat at the headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), under the theme of “Scientific Knowledge to Counter Violent Extremism”.
Organized by the Moroccan Observatory on Extremism and Violence (OMEV) in partnership with ICESCO, the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation (DGAPR), the Mohammedia League of Ulema, and the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), the two-day conference aims to examine the phenomena of extremism, the different types of emerging terrorist threats, and the scourge of extremism resulting in violence.
Speaking on this occasion, ICESCO Director General, Salem bin Mohammed Al-Malik, stressed the importance of knowledge in addressing the issues of extremism and crime, underlining that intelligent reliance on the development of experimental and human sciences is proof that rational approaches based on wisdom and experimentation are ideal for addressing all forms of extremism.
Al-Malik also pointed out that violent extremism has no homeland, nationality, or creed, stressing that the huge investment in artificial intelligence is “a challenge that affects us all”.
The Director General of ICESCO also expressed his concern that children are the most affected by the consequences of violent extremism, explaining that electronic games, which have infiltrated family spaces in competition with traditional parental roles, have become the largest producer of violent behavior.
The third Conference on Countering Violent Extremism focuses on five major issues relating to extremism, namely “the role of knowledge in the fight against extremism”, “global vision of current worldwide trends”, “the use of technology and AI by extremists, countermeasures used”, “the fruitful exchange of practices in deradicalization, disengagement, and rehabilitation programs”, “debating behavioral and psychological aspects of recruitment and deradicalization”, and “managing the return and repatriation of foreign terrorists and their families”.