The round table, organized within the framework of the project “Cross-Border Multilateral Dialogue for Tolerance and Peace in Central Asia”, became a successful platform for discussing avenues of cooperation in countering various manifestations of extremism in society and fostering a resilient social environment, particularly among youth.
Funded by the European Union, the project aims to strengthen multilateral cross-border dialogue and cooperation among Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in order to promote tolerance and mutual understanding, and to prevent radicalization.
The initiative of holding the round table facilitated a meeting of national and regional experts, who discussed a number of current and important issues, particularly factors contributing to the spread of extremist ideologies in the participating countries and the most accessible and effective approaches to promoting public tolerance and peace.
The series of presentations addressed topics such as the spread of extremist ideas in the information space, the key role of secularism in fostering tolerance and countering extremism, the concept of tolerance in Islam, and the importance of joint actions to strengthen friendship, interethnic harmony, and tolerance, as well as the development of a firm rejection of extremism that leads to radicalization and terrorism, among other important issues.
Highlighting the need to consolidate the efforts of various social groups in the joint fight against extremist ideas that undermine citizens’ mentality and spirituality, the project’s national expert on religious affairs, Scientific Secretary of the Center for Islamic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Marambek Marambekov, emphasized the crucial role of the media in promoting peace, a culture of nonviolence, and intolerance toward any form of ethnic, racial, or religious hatred in society. He also stressed that cooperation between the media and state institutions must be based on mutual trust and a clear understanding of their shared responsibility in safeguarding the values of the state and its people.
In the subsequent discussions, participants repeatedly emphasized the growing threat of radicalism, particularly among young people, and the instability in border areas, which poses a challenge for the entire region and requires the prompt adoption of practical measures to reduce the risks of radicalization and enhance multilateral cooperation among the countries of the region.