Okeil: We will support the implementation of a number of community initiatives to promote the values of tolerance

Monica Mina: Maat seeks to enhance intellectual, cultural, and religious diversity in society during 2022

Today, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights Association finished the training workshops it organized on combating hate speech, which lasted for 6 days from 3 to 8 December, with the training of 150 male and female students from different universities all over the Republic, with the participation of a number of trainers, experts, policyholders and stakeholders in various fields such as art, media, law and clerics, the most prominent of whom were writer and scriptwriter Baher Dowidar, Counsellor Ayman Fouad, President of the Cairo Criminal Court, , Dr. Youssef Al-Wardani, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Amira Tawadros, Director of the Demographic Center in Cairo, Dr. Engy Abul-Ezz, Radio and Television Teacher at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Beni Suef University, Dr. Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Legal Counsel Raafat Helmy, servant of the Catholic Church and member of the Diakonia Office for Development, Dr. Hamada Ismail, supervisor of Al-Azhar Observatory, Dr. Kamal Abdel Salam, member of the Kaiciid Center for International Fellowship. The training and sessions were facilitated by Mr. Abdel Latif Joudeh,, Mr. Maged Morris and Mrs. Yasmine Gabr.

The training workshops were implemented in two phases. The first phase of each workshop discussed the concept of hate speech, hate speech between freedom of opinion and violent extremism, in addition to the United Nations strategy to combat hate speech, as well as the brotherhood and humanity document and the importance of using it.

The second phase focused on the skills of designing and preparing initiatives, the motivation for change, and the simplicity behind successful initiatives, through the interaction of trainers with young people in formulating community initiatives aimed at reducing hate speech and promoting the language of dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

On the sidelines of the Peacebuilders in Egypt project, Maat Association organized a panel discussion on “The Role of Art in Combating Hate Speech in the Name of Religion”, attended by writer and scriptwriter Baher Dowidar, and a number of journalists, media professionals and researchers interested in the legal file.

Ayman Okeil, head of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights Association, stated that hate speech, extremism and racism have become a threat to society, and based on the role of civil society in promoting human rights values and principles, Maat Association seeks to promote the values of tolerance and acceptance of the other by supporting and implementing a number of community initiatives proposed by the students to activate new mechanisms within the framework of the goal of eliminating hate speech in the name of religion, and we expect it to have a profound impact on society to combat hate and terrorism.

Monica Mina, Director of the Programs and Projects Unit at Maat Association, confirmed that the Association always seeks to continue implementing training workshops and community initiatives at the level of the Republic. Mina indicated that Maat has long-term plans aimed at enhancing intellectual, cultural and religious diversity in society by opening channels of communication with civil society organizations and youth during 2022.

It is worth noting that the implementation of the training workshops took place within the framework of cooperation between Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights Association and The King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), based on their efforts to build local and international peace and address phenomena dangerous to society to promote dialogue and exchange of cultures in order to activate the goals of tolerance and acceptance of the other.