The Arab League stresses the importance of the role of the media in the fight against radical ideology

The League of Arab States emphasized the importance of the central role of the media and its active contribution to the rooting of deviant thinking and the promotion of the message of moderation and the values ​​of coexistence, tolerance and acceptance of the world. other at the national, regional and international levels, using advanced communication technologies, coordination and full harmony with all parties involved in the fight against extremism and terrorism.

Ambassador Bader Al-Din Alali, Deputy Secretary General of the Media and Communication Sector of the Arab League, made the remarks at the opening session of the specialized workshop "Using the media and direct communication institutions to combat hate and extremism ".

Ambassador Alali stressed the importance of this workshop to discuss the role of the media and its impact on public opinion in the light of the practical experiences of Arab media institutions and to highlight the best practices in this area at the international level. and the means to exploit them.

He emphasized the importance of the exchange of experiences and knowledge and the intensification of intellectual meetings as well as official meetings in order to propose ideas and suggestions likely to strengthen the 39 Joint Action of the Arab Media.

He warned that "the phenomenon of terrorism suffered by the Arab region does not come from the void, but is the result of an extremist thinking based on false and misleading ideas and an idea that believes and promotes the discourse of hate and violence and non-acceptance of the other.

"This discourse has found ways to use modern communication technologies to attract unemployed youth and marginalized groups and exploit them for their poor living conditions," he said.

He stressed that countries confronted with this idea were focusing on security measures to combat extremism and terrorism before it became clear that a holistic approach was needed to take several measures political, economic, cultural and media, as well as the participation of various government agencies, the private sector and civil society, as well as the role of the school and the family.

He emphasized that the country-by-country approach remains limited and requires coordination and cooperation at the regional and international levels as terrorism is a cross-border phenomenon.

He reviewed the initiatives launched by the League of Arab States to combat extremist ideology and terrorism in the resolutions adopted by the Arab summit conferences on the fight against terrorism in all its forms, by uprooting it its roots, dismantling its networks and attacking its causes.

He pointed out that a permanent issue had been placed on the agenda of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information under the title "The role of the Arab media in the fight against the phenomenon of terrorism" The Council also decided in 2006 to create a permanent working group composed of media experts, to review and update the changing role of the Arab media. Terrorism twice a year and address its recommendations to the Standing Committee on Arab Media.

He highlighted the importance of the joint Arab media strategy for combating terrorism adopted in 2014 and the approval of its interim plan to implement its goals in 2015. This strategy puts the emphasis on the need for action. focus on the implementation of many scientific and cultural events by organizing conferences, seminars, training courses and studies. The Arab States will monitor the implementation of this strategy in cooperation with Member States, organizations and federations that exercise information functions.

He pointed out that the Department of Research and Strategic Studies of the Media and Communication Sector, through the implementation of its annual program, had organized several activities contributing to the achievement of the objectives of this strategy and to the achievement of its objectives. inscribing in this context.

This workshop is an extension of the efforts of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the action plan of the media and communication sector of the university to mobilize the media and technologies. communication in the fight against hate speech and extremism.

The one-day workshop aims to help the Arab League member states to establish media institutions to play a more effective role in addressing the challenges facing Arab societies, particularly the Arab League. the question of terrorism, which is a powerful issue on the political, security, economic and social scene in the Arab region.

The workshop will cover a number of topics: "Media – Digital Media – The Speech of Hate and Extremism" and "The Role of Arab Media and its Impact on Society".