Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) received a delegation from “The Model of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation,” which is affiliated with the Egyptian Youth Council. The delegation was led by Dr. Mohamed Mamdouh, Chairman of the Trustees of the Egyptian Youth Council and Head of the Economic Committee at the National Council for Human Rights; Ms. Salwan Mahdi, Director of the Model and Head of the Media Training Sector at the Council; Mr. Wagih Sadek, General Supervisor of the Model and Advisor to the Council for Strategic Planning; and Ms. Reham El-Shafei, Head of the National Program at the Council for Combating Extremism and Intellectual Polarization. The visit comes as a part of spreading community awareness and prevention of the dangers of media intellectual polarization.
During the course of the visit, Dr. Reham Salama, AOCE’s Executive Director, presented an overview of the operational mechanisms employed by AOCE across its units in thirteen foreign languages. She highlighted the most prominent activities, initiatives, and events organized by the Observatory in alignment with its mission to combat extremism and intellectual polarization through awareness efforts.
On his part, Dr. Mohamed Mamdouh elaborated on the critical role that religious institutions, particularly Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, play in spreading moderate thought and combating intellectual extremism. He stressed the importance of cooperation between organizations of civil society and Al-Azhar to protect young generations from falling prey to extremist ideology.
Moreover, the Chairman of the Trustees of the Egyptian Youth Council proposed a variety of initiatives to enhance cooperation between the Council and the Observatory. To confront intellectual polarization, the Council and the Observatory could organize joint seminars and events designed to engage youth in diverse settings, thereby raising awareness regarding the perils of such destructive ideologies.
On the margins of the visit, two awareness lectures were conducted: the first was titled "Developing Religious Discourse... Obstacles and Solutions," and the second was titled "Media Misleading in the Practices of Extremist Organizations.” Finally, the delegation toured the AOCE headquarters in order to gain further insight into its units and research personnel, as well as to review the latest publications that offer a counter-narrative aimed at dismantling extremist ideologies.