Egypt Trains Imams, Religious Scholars on Prevention of Radicalism, Extremism in Africa

Alex Enumah

The Cairo Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA) has conducted its third pilot training on ‘Preventing Radicalisation and Extremism Leading to Terrorism (PRELT) Africa’.

The training which was held between March 27 and 31, 2017 in Cairo, Egypt, was primarily conceived for Imams and religious scholars aimed at consolidating peace, security and stability in Africa.

According to a statement from the Press and Information Officer of the Egyptian Embassy in Abuja, Ahmed Maher, the training which is the first of its kind in Africa, was aimed at equipping local leaders and influencers with the necessary knowledge and skills to refute extremist interpretations of Islam, while propagating an alternative narrative of peace and coexistence within their local communities.

“The training provides a unique approach through the inclusion of fundamental and straightforward explanations of the rules and ethics of war and peace in Islam,” parts of the statement noted.

It added that a distinguished Azhari scholar delved into the foundations of peace narratives in Islam, while trainers, with in-depth expertise in Nigerian affairs, analyzed the local context within which those narratives have an impact.

According to the spokesperson of the embassy, the distinctiveness of CCCPA’s approach also relied on the understanding of radicalisation and extremism in Nigeria through conflict analysis. “This approach takes into consideration the individuality of the pathway towards radicalisation while acknowledging both contextual as well as personal variables.

“The training is exercisebased to provide an interactive and engaging space for participants while allowing them to perform content analysis of extremist narratives and build their own inclusive peace narratives,” Maher stated.

Twenty-two tribal, religious, youth and women leaders and influencers from across Nigeria participated in the training. Among them were teachers, journalists, public servants and members of the civil society.

Maher disclosed that the centre envisages delivering an advanced training course with in depth focus on the theological aspects of PRELT. “This training is conceived especially for Imams and other religious scholars. CCCPA plans to expand its geographical scope to include other affected and vulnerable regions including the Sahel and Sahara regions as well as North Africa,” he said.