Hedayah Delegation: We are Very Impressed with Etidal’s Capabilities in Combating Extremist Ideology

A delegation from the International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (Hedayah) described the role played by the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal) as “distinguished.”

H.E. Maqsoud Kruse, Executive Director of Hedayah, visited Etidal’s headquarters in Riyadh on April 21, accompanied by Abeer Makki, Director of Executive Affairs at Hedayah, and Mr Mubarak Alhammadi from the Embassy of the UAE in Riyadh. “I was astonished by Etidal’s technical and human capabilities,” said Kruse, expressing his admiration of Etidal’s efforts in combating extremist ideology.

Kruse highlighted the general organizational structure of Hedayah, its strategies, mechanisms and major products, and wished to collaborate with Etidal through programs and projects consistent with the common goals of the two centers.

On its part, the Secretary General of Etidal stressed that “Hedayah is very advanced through the success it achieves in promoting coexistence among youth”. “Etidal is serving humanity using both its technical and human capabilities, and combating extremist ideology can be accomplished through integration between concerned institutions.”

In reply to a question about Etidal’s future projects in monitoring and analysis and whether they would be restricted to social media and the focus on groups like the far right, an Etidal official confirmed that “Etidal monitors social media platforms and the productions made by media outlets affiliated with extremist groups, and covers all types of extremist groups.”

The visiting delegation learned about the technologies used in monitoring the activities of extremist groups and the Center’s ongoing and upcoming projects.

At the end of the visit, a photo was taken to mark the occasion. The delegation expressed their appreciation of the efforts they have seen and admiration of the team at Etidal as highly qualified and capable of combating extremist ideology.