‘Dialogue with youth can stand up to current extremist movements’: says commentator

Cairo – Member of the newly-established National Council for Countering Terrorism and Extremism (NCCTE) Major General Fouad Allam said that the NCCTE will be an ideological front to counter terrorism through developing a comprehensive strategy in six prominent spheres: economic, social, media, religious and political.

Additionally, the council will be assigning a group of institutions and departments, whether governmental or non-governmental, to implement these six elements.  

Allam noted that this strategy, being under construction, will change whenever something comes up in terms of any exigency or need, and will be effective immediately to bring about astounding results down the road.   

In a call-in to a program aired on Al-Mehwar TV, Allam said that it is of high importance to raise awareness among Egyptian citizens about how to deal with a person who is prone to violence or extremism. He pointed out at people have a very cardinal role to play in countering the surges in extremism and terrorism. 

He asserted that it is necessary to understand the root causes of extremism first, and take effective measures to stem its tide.  He added that dialogue with youth is a must to shield them against falling into the clutches of extremist ideology.  

Allam concluded that dialogue once counteracted the trend of Al-Takfir Wal Hijra terrorist group [i.e “anathema and exile” or possibly “excommunication and emigration.”]; and similarly it is capable of eliminating the latter-day waves of terrorism that we are staggering under nowadays.