Cairo, Egypt – CCCPA conducted its third pilot training on Preventing Radicalization and Extremism Leading to Terrorism (PRELT) - Africa, from 27-31 March 2017. This training comes as part of the current UNDP project funded by the Government of Japan, “Consolidating Peace, Security and Stability in Africa-2016”.

The training is the first of its kind in Africa to address the prevention of radicalization as a community-based engagement, using traditional and Islamic inclusive narratives. The program aims to equip 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. A distinguished Azhari scholar delves into the foundations of peace narratives in Islam, while trainers, with in-depth expertise in Nigerian affairs, analyze the local context within which those narratives have an impact. The distinctiveness of CCCPA’s approach also relies on the understanding of radicalization and extremism in Nigeria through conflict analysis. This approach takes into consideration the individuality of the pathway towards radicalization while acknowledging both contextual as well as personal variables. The training is exercise-based to provide an interactive and engaging space for participants while allowing them perform content analysis of extremist narratives and build their own inclusive peace narratives.

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.

The Center envisages delivering an advanced training course with in depth focus on the theological aspects of PRELT. This training is conceived especially for imams and religious scholars. CCCPA plans to expand its geographical scope to include other affected and vulnerable regions including the Sahel and Sahara region as well as North Africa.

Photo credit: Ventures Africa