The international center Nizami Ganjavi and the Italian International Relations Society organized a three-day event on a high level at the Italian Senate in Rome on the topic “Challenges of Radicalization and Extremist and Interreligious dialogue”. Thirty participants from around 20 countries participated in the event, among whom were the current and former heads of states and governments. B&H was represented by Zlatko Lagumdžija.
Lagumdžija was a keynote speaker in the final working session titled “We are one – all humans and leaders”.
Saying that every serious strategy or activity plan oriented towards fight and prevention of violent extremism must be comprehensive and directed towards causes and generators of violent extremism, Lagumdžija highlighted that there are three main, interconnected components of such comprehensive, holistic approach. In the first place is prevention, followed by leadership based on values and respect with the construction and action of effective institutions, and in the final place is involvement of all social actors.
“Fight against violent extremism is led via legal means, but that cannot eliminate it. Special attention must be paid to its causes, if this problem is to be solved in the long term. There is not a single recipe that leads to the emergence of violent extremism, but we certainly know that extremism flourishes when human rights are violated, when political space is being narrowed, when requests for social inclusion are ignored, when a significant number of people – especially young people – are left without perspective and significance to their lives. Thus, the key element of success is sustainable development and prosperity, good management of processes and institutions, the rule of law, political participation, quality education, dignified and decent job, full respect of human rights and freedoms with a positive vision of the future,” Lagumdžija said.
Explaining the part where “leadership and institutions” are mentioned, Lagumdžija said that “poisonous ideologies do not appear out of the blue” and that “violence, corruption, unemployment and injustice are a fertile soil for different kinds of resistance”.
“The extremists are self-adapting and they strive to cultivate detachment in their direction. That is the reason why leaders must work uncompromisingly with values underlying prosperous societies of joint values in order to create inclusive institutions which are truly responsible towards the people,” Lagumdžija said.
Lagumdžija highlighted that a comprehensive, holistic approach to the strategies and activities requires identification and defining of roles for all social actors.
(Source: klix.ba)
