Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
Confronting extremism requires a comprehensive approach that goes far beyond security measures, experts and policymakers agreed at the Fifth Annual Forum on Political Islam, organised by TRENDS Research and Advisory in Abu Dhabi.
The gathering, held on Tuesday under the theme “Shared Patterns of Violence: Contemporary Approaches to Ideologically Driven Extremism”, brought together officials, academics, and researchers from more than a dozen countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, India, Indonesia, Portugal, Poland, Egypt, and Jordan.
Speakers stressed that combatting extremist ideologies demands intellectual, cultural, and social solutions alongside the promotion of democratic values and the rule of law.
Recommendations included distinguishing genuine grievances from ideological exploitation, empowering the youth with leadership opportunities, and safeguarding educational institutions from politicised religiosity by strengthening critical thinking skills.
The forum also highlighted the risks posed by extremist propaganda in the digital space.
Participants urged closer cooperation between governments, civil society, and technology companies to curb extremist content online, while encouraging the launch of digital awareness campaigns.
In his opening address, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS Research and Advisory, warned that ideological movements, from political Islam to the far right and radical left, feed off illusions of victimhood and digital recruitment.
He pointed to the Muslim Brotherhood’s use of online platforms as an example of how proselytising rhetoric can merge with violent agendas.
“Confronting extremism requires a global roadmap,” he said, calling for cooperation across academia, public policy, technology, and politics to advance narratives of coexistence rather than conflict.
Dr. Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Chancellor of Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities, echoed these concerns, noting that extremist movements of all types share a closed worldview rooted in absolutism, conspiracy, and rejection of national frameworks.
Their reliance on disinformation, opportunistic alliances, and violence — even including the recruitment of children — reflects their nihilism, he said.
From Europe, Rt. Hon. Sir Liam Fox, Chairman of the UK Abraham Accords Group, argued that the term “religious extremists” is misleading, as they are not men of faith but individuals who exploit religion to pursue political and authoritarian goals. He concluded by urging firm confrontation, exposing the extremists’ rhetoric, and calling them by what they truly are: “extremists who exploit religion, not representatives of faith.”
Senator Nathalie Goulet, Member of the French Senate, argued that violence is a common thread linking political Islam and far-right extremist movements.
She highlighted their shared financial dimension, including opaque funding structures, misuse of charitable organisations, and the role of cryptocurrency assets.
The event concluded with calls to develop early-warning networks to monitor extremist discourse; launch rehabilitation programmes for former extremists; establish a charter governing religious and charitable platforms; and build resilient societies capable of neutralising extremist propaganda.
An accompanying exhibition showcased leading research on extremism, alongside a short awareness film produced with the participation of the TRENDS Youth Council.
MBZUH wins TRENDS Global Award for Combating Extremist Ideology
The forum also featured the announcement of the inaugural TRENDS Global Award for Combatting Extremist Ideology, which was presented to Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities.
The recognition was granted in appreciation of the university’s pioneering efforts in promoting the values of moderation and tolerance, dismantling extremist discourses, and reinforcing the foundations of shared human coexistence.
Prof. Radwan El Sayed, member of the Scientific and Academic Council of TRENDS and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TRENDS Global Award for Combating Extremist Ideology, said the selection underscored the central role of academic institutions in building intellectual resilience, and promoting values of tolerance, citizenship, and dialogue as the first line of defence against extremism.
Exploring extremism’s roots and the power of education, discourse to counter it
Throughout its sessions, the forum addressed key issues relating to how religion is exploited to fuel political conflicts, the methods extremist groups adopt to recruit individuals through digital media tools and social platforms, the role of moderate religious discourse in reinforcing social peace, and the importance of building an alternative intellectual narrative that promotes coexistence and tolerance.
Here are the highlights:
• From Islamism to Far-Right Extremism
The high-level session opened with remarks by Fiyaz Mughal, Founder and Director of Faith Matters (United Kingdom), who explained that extremism emerges from the fusion of genuine grievances – such as marginalisation and unemployment – with identity struggles. He added that this is reinforced through social media platforms that amplify grievances and create echo chambers. He cited the Muslim Brotherhood as a case study in exploiting governance failures to transform legitimate concerns into extremist ideologies.
Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Al-Majlis Group (UAE), addressed the Muslim Brotherhood’s role in targeting students through boycott campaigns and channelling them into Brotherhood-affiliated institutions to increase financial revenues, consolidate influence, and tighten control over the education sector.
• Tracing the Origins of Extremism
Professor Alessandro Ferrari, Professor of State Laws and Religions and Comparative Law of Religions at the University of Insubria, Italy, introduced the concept of “militant democracy” as a solution to confront the enemies of democracy without undermining freedom of religion. He highlighted the Italian experience as a model for balancing the protection of public order with respect for religious pluralism.
Prof. Radwan El Sayed, Dean of the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research College at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities, stressed that extremists employ ideology as a foundation for correcting reality, calling for a new reading of history and recognition of the modern state as a national necessity in confronting extremism.
Dr. Wael Saleh, Advisor for Political Islam and Extremism Affairs at TRENDS Research and Advisory, underlined that traditional studies on extremism often focus on differences between groups and overlook their commonalities, leading to narrow approaches and limited solutions. He called for the dismantling of the foundational ideas of extremism and building educational and cultural strategies that promote plurality, critical thinking, and citizenship.
Prof. Patrice Brodeur, an Associate Professor at the Institute of Religious Studies at the University of Montreal, emphasised the need to integrate political, religious, educational, and community efforts to combat extremism. Dr. Orla Lynch of University College Cork, Ireland, joined via video to provide analyses on the motivations for joining extremism and strategies for engaging with target audiences.
• Deconstructing the Foundational Ideas of Extremism
Presentations began with Spasimir Domaradzki, Assistant Professor at the Department of Law and Institutions of the European Union at the University of Warsaw, Poland, who explained how to dismantle the intellectual foundations of extremism by studying Central and Eastern European experiences.
Mohammed Khalfan Al-Sawafi, a researcher in International Relations, stressed that ideologically driven extremism is no longer a marginal phenomenon but extends across all ideologies, including nationalism and neo-Nazism.
Dr. Anne Speckhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism, the United States, contributed her professional expertise by presenting the concept of the “deadly cocktail of terrorism”, which consists of the group, ideology, social support, and individual motivations.
• Community Discussions on Shared Patterns of Violence
Omar Al-Bashir Al-Turabi, Interim General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of the Al-Mesbar Studies and Research Centre, discussed the “supply chain” of extremist ideology and organisation, highlighting how involvement in education and charitable sectors contributes to forming a social base for extremism.
Hamad Al-Hosani, Senior Researcher and Director of Political Islam Studies at TRENDS Research and Advisory, drew attention to the compounded threat of the Muslim Brotherhood to religion, the state, and society, which has led to its designation as a terrorist organisation in several countries. Osama El Daleel, Head of International Affairs at Al-Ahram newspaper, Egypt, emphasised the necessity of using precise terminology, advocating for the term “Islamised political criminality” instead of “political Islam”, and highlighted the role of the media in confronting these phenomena.
Major General (Ret.) Saleh Al Mu’ayta, a Strategic Analyst from Jordan, emphasised that political Islamist groups monopolise religion and instrumentalise it in politics, while turning certain mosques into recruitment centres. He called for an Arab strategy based on distinguishing between peaceful thought and violence.
• New Approaches to Combatting Extremism
Dr. José Pedro Zúquete, Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal, presented a study on reciprocal radicalisation between identity movements and Islamist groups in Europe, stressing the importance of dismantling propaganda and addressing the roots of societal fears.
Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, Governing Member and Vice President of the Global Imams Council, stated that the Muslim Brotherhood represents a principal source of modern extremism, exploiting religious texts to justify violence.
Prof. Yon Machmudi, Professor of History at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Indonesia, linked the rise of extremism in Indonesia to multiple factors and called for an approach that combines hard power (law and security) with soft power (de-radicalisation programmes, education in moderation, and community empowerment).
