French journalist Anne Françoise Weber from the German radio network Deutschlandfunk Kultur, became acquainted with the efforts of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) during a reception by the Secretary-General of the Center, Dr. Mansour Alshammari, at the Center’s headquarters in Riyadh on November 13, 2019.
During the visit, the guest was briefed on the Center’s monitoring and analysis mechanisms, and the most important techniques used in this respect, in addition to the Center’s existing and future projects.
In response to her question about (Etidal’s) strategy in determining the difference between extremism in general and religious extremism, and whether there are religious scholars involved in the making of what she described as counter-discourse, the Center’s officials explained that Etidal studies the ideology of radical discourse, then analyzes it to determine its content and classify it. Moreover, the Center has specialized experts who help in the formulation of the counter-discourse that focuses on promoting the values of moderation.
At the end of the visit, French press journalist Anne Françoise Weber expressed her appreciation for Etidal’s role in combating extremist ideologies.
