Qatar Minister of Administrative Development inaugurates the 7th conference on terrorism

Qatar Minister of Administrative Development and Labor and Social Affairs H.E. Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi inaugurated the 7th international conference on “Terrorism and Methods of Tackling It” which was yesterday organized and hosted by Qatar University College of Sharia and Islamic Studies (QU-CSIS).

Organized under the patronage of Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, the 2-day conference (November 20-21) featured 200 papers presented by researchers and scholars from Qatar, Algeria, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and more.

H.E. Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi was joined by QU President Dr Hassan Al Derham, CSIS Dean Dr Yousuf Al-Siddiqi, CSIS Program Coordinator and Head of the conference’s organizing committee Dr Hamed Al-Marwani, CSIS Associate Professor of Islamic Culture and Dawa and Head of the conference’s scientific committee Dr Azzeddine Mamich, as well as officials from QU and Qatar Ministry of Interior (MoI), and CSIS faculty and students. Keynote speaker was Dr Abdul Fattah Moro, Vice President of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People of Tunisia. He presented on “Terrorism: hindrance of thinking and a jump over reality”.

The event’s program featured 4 panel discussions themed “The relationship between terrorism and excessiveness, “The religious culture and its reaction to terrorism”, “Social, political and media dimensions of terrorism”, and “Methods to tackle terrorism”. Discussions focused on a wide range of topics related to religion and terrorism, the impact of western double standards on emerging terrorism, extremeness and terrorism, the impact of ideology on contemporary terrorism, the relationship between media and religious terrorism, and the role of Islamic organizations in addressing terrorism, among many others.

In his remarks, Dr Hassan Al Derham expressed his gratitude to Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani for supporting this conference and QU based on a directive from H.H. the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He said: “Since its inception, QU is keen to find efficient solutions to overcome challenges and barriers for development, stability, and prosperity. This conference highlights the key role of research in providing a better understanding of terrorism from a political, educational, religious, and economic perspective. The fruitful discussions and recommendations that will emanate from this forum will contribute to enhancing our teaching curricula and will help our students understand the facts related to terrorism, Islamophobia, sectarianism, and ethnicity.”

Dr Yousuf Al-Siddiqi said: “We are pleased to gather scholars and researchers from all over the world to discuss the phenomenon of terrorism. This is a timely conference that comes at a time when the Arab nations are facing many political and socio-economic challenges. As Qatar’s national higher education institution, QU plays a core role in providing a platform to address, discuss and resolve contemporary issues such as terrorism, in line with the National development strategy.”

Dr Al-Siddiqi stressed the importance of advancing the learning curriculum to help students understand the changes that occur in the world. Education should be based on an open dialogue to widen the students’ perspectives on various issues and to provide a fair image of Islam, he said, adding, “We live in a small village where any event or conflict may affect everyone. We, at QU, believe in the importance of addressing such conflicts through dialogue. The danger of terrorism is expanding all over the world. Academic institutions are responsible of bringing researchers and experts together to discuss the issue of terrorism. We hope that this conference will contribute to highlighting the role of individuals in promoting peace and security in the world.”