The Continuing Education Unit, in cooperation with the Department of History at the College of Arts at the University of Baghdad, organized a training workshop entitled: “Cultural Awareness and its Impact on Confronting Intellectual Extremism and Terrorism: Problems and Solutions”, in which Prof. Dr. Wafa Adnan Hamid and Dr. Alaa Hammadi Raja lectured, in the presence of a number of professors, students, and employees.
The workshop aimed to introduce participants to the concepts of extremism and terrorism by explaining the meaning and root causes of the emergence of extremism and how it turns into terrorist acts, analyzing the social, economic, cultural, and political factors that contribute to the growth of extremism, as well as training participants on mechanisms for early detection of indicators of extremism and ways to deal with individuals exposed to it, encouraging participants to promote tolerance and critical thinking to confront extremist ideas, and discussing effective ways to rehabilitate extremist individuals and integrate them into society.
The workshop recommended implementing long-term awareness campaigns targeting schools, universities, and workplaces to spread a culture of tolerance and pluralism, including educational curricula that focus on common human values, dialogue skills, and respect for differences, and supporting local associations and institutions to work to prevent extremism and help target groups.
In addition to establishing electronic platforms and media programs against hate speech and extremism, cooperating with international organizations and research institutions to exchange experiences and information on best practices in combating extremism, encouraging academic studies that analyze the roots of extremism and provide practical recommendations to curb it, and reviewing national legislation and policies related to combating terrorism to ensure their relevance to local realities.