Shaaban Bilal (Cairo)
The UAE has intensified its efforts over the years to combat extremism and hate speech, realizing its danger to society and the entire region, until it has become a model for tolerance, dialogue, and a destination for peace and multiculturalism from around the world.
Today, as the United Nations celebrates for the first time the International Day for Combating Hate Speech, which falls on the eighteenth of June, to stand firmly against intolerance anywhere and everywhere, experts assure Al-Ittihad that the UAE has been a pioneer in combating the scourge of hate speech, and has come a long way In combating it, it established institutions and centers that contributed to curbing the phenomenon of extremism globally.
The Emirati efforts in combating terrorism included the launch of a group of centers and institutes to combat extremism, including the Institute for International Tolerance and the “Mohammed bin Rashid Tolerance Award”, which aims to build young Arab leaders and cadres in the field of tolerance, and support intellectual, cultural and media productions related to consolidating the values of tolerance and openness to the other. in the Arab world.
In July 2015, the UAE issued a law on combating discrimination and hatred, aimed at enriching a culture of global tolerance and confronting manifestations of discrimination of any ethnic, religious or cultural nature.
The law provides for the criminalization of acts related to contempt of religions and their sanctities, combating all forms of discrimination, and rejecting hate speech through various means and methods of expression.
Anti-terrorism researcher Mujahid Al-Sumaidaie said that the UAE realized early on that all countries that enabled extremism to penetrate were suffering from the existence of an extremist rhetoric in addition to a gap between society and the state and the spread of societal poverty and neglect of its basic needs, so the moderate discourse was the solution taken by the UAE to prevent Existence of extremist ideology, noting that the UAE has succeeded in harnessing science and technology to combat hate speech.
In the same context, Dr. Shawki Salah, an expert in the field of combating terrorism and extremism, stressed the importance of the Emirati centers to combat extremism, as they benefit from the owners of knowledge and knowledge in this field to achieve the greatest possible benefit, so that the work of the centers is not just unthoughtful jurisprudence.
He explained that most terrorist organizations in the region are fueled by religious extremist elements, so confronting ideas with ideas is the right way, which is what the UAE did.
Shawky explained that the general public in Arab countries pursues a moderate and moderate Islam, so they need to constantly be exposed to moderate ideas that prevent them from being influenced by extremist thought, and hence the state’s interest in religious discourse.
He explained that the UAE has applied a role model in banishing extremist ideas and hate speech, which terrorist organizations are trying to spread through the pulpits under the guise of religion, through advocates who inform the public of the moderate religion based on love and peaceful coexistence, not rejecting the other, and applying the provisions of Sharia in the correct, non-extremist way.
The UAE launched the Sawab Center in 2015, which works on interactive initiatives through social media to spread the culture of moderation in society and spread the spirit of peaceful coexistence, as well as the Hedayah Center in partnership with the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, which is concerned with training, development and research in combating terrorism. extremism.
Last July, the United Nations adopted the proposal of the Kingdom of Morocco to declare June 18 of each year as the International Day for Combating Hate Speech.
The international organization called on governments, international organizations, civil society groups and individuals to hold events and initiatives that promote strategies to identify, address and combat hate speech.
The declaration of the International Day to Combat Hate Speech is an actual step to build on the “Strategy and Action Plan to Address Hate Speech” launched by the United Nations on June 18, 2019, which was the first organizational initiative by the international organization, and set a framework for how governments and civil organizations should deal with the issue.
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