Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan has stated more efforts are needed through the education system to eliminate religious extremism and terrorism from the Maldives.
The minister made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the seminar “International Porgramme for Combatting Extremism and Terrorism”, conducted by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences of Saudi Arabia. The 4-day seminar is being held to discuss the role of educators and religious scholars in eradicating extremism and terrorism.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the higher education minister highlighted the importance of developing critical thinking skills in order to eliminate violence and extremism. The minister also highlighted the importance of teaching laws and human rights to the youth, adding the education system is crucial for the efforts to eradicate extremism and terrorism.
The higher education minister further noted terrorist organisations are now using internet and social media platforms to recruit people and plan their activities. He urged the public to be wary of such acts, and to verify the validity of any information they receive on the internet or social media.
The seminar is part of NCTC’s collaborative efforts with the Naif Arab University to fight religious extremism and terrorism in the Maldives. In addition to the seminar, NCTC and the Naif Arab University will also be conducting an open forum on October 4.