Study examines how tolerance can counter extremist agendas
Date
11/19/2024 2:19:49 AM
(MENAFN- Edelman) ● Extremists thrive on intolerance, manipulating religion to justify violence, targeting perceived “others”
● Education, especially the humanities and social sciences, can challenge extremist narratives and promote pluralism
● Building respectful communities and implementing training that delegitimizes violence are essential steps to counter extremism and strengthen societal resilience
November 15th, Abu Dhabi: Extremists of all hues display a strident hostility towards diversity, pluralism, and tolerance, using violence (in its various forms) as the default method to perpetuate terror. Sawab Center conducted a study titled Towards a peaceful future: Power of tolerance in curbing extremism, which investigates the moral, political, and epistemic connections between tolerance, diversity, and extremist violence. It examines how tolerance can counter extremist agendas.
Extremists manipulate justice, framing it to incite followers against perceived “others” and using religion to justify violence through selective interpretations that erode genuine faith. By exploiting stereotypes, they project entire groups and individuals as enemies, which leads to divisions and fuels hostility. Islamist extremism, like extremism in general, is marked by intolerance towards pluralism.
Our research underscores education’s critical role in countering extremist ideologies, advocating for social sciences, humanities, and counter-narrative strategies to weaken extremist propaganda. By highlighting the moral and intellectual flaws in extremist ideologies, our study emphasizes how violence is legitimized against groups based on ethnicity, race, or religion.
Our study also examines the process by which extremist violence becomes legitimized, often resulting in attacks targeting individuals or minority groups based on ethnicity, religion, or race. To counter these harmful narratives, it is essential that we create inclusive and respectful environments that bring different communities together. Training and activities that delegitimize violence motivated by extremist beliefs should be part of these efforts.
The paper calls on educators, community leaders and other key stakeholders to adopt strategies that integrate diverse social groups and prioritize educational initiatives aimed at dismantling extremist ideologies.
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