Islamic Coalition Launches “Peace Journalists” Initiative for 14 Yemeni Journalists to Counter Extremism
Yemen Monitor / Riyadh / Exclusive:
The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) launched today, Sunday, from its headquarters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the “Peace Journalists” initiative. This initiative aims to build the capacities of 14 journalists and trainees from the Republic of Yemen. The initiative is part of the Coalition’s media strategy, which seeks to enhance the role of media professionals in member states in combating extremist thought and hate speech.
Major General Pilot Staff Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi, the Secretary-General of the IMCTC, affirmed that the Coalition represents a unified model for the efforts of member states across the intellectual, media, military, and financial dimensions to confront the challenges of terrorism and extremism and to solidify the values of moderation and centrism.
In the context of the Yemeni situation, Al-Moghedi stressed that Yemen, with its ancient history and strategic geographic location, represents an important cultural and humanitarian depth in the regional security system of the Islamic world. He pointed out that “empowering and qualifying Yemeni journalists represents a real investment in the region’s stability and a reinforcement of the discourse of peace and the confrontation of intellectual and media extremism.”
Al-Moghedi clarified that the “Peace Journalists” initiative falls within the Coalition’s comprehensive vision for capacity building and awareness enhancement, by preparing qualified media professionals to lead a conscious discourse and combat the disinformation campaigns targeting civil societies. He stressed that “conscious and responsible media is the first line of defense against extremist thought and digital disinformation.”
The initiative aims to train young media professionals on the concepts of moderate discourse, techniques for analyzing extremist rhetoric, and employing media as a soft power to promote the values of coexistence and moderation. This is done within the Coalition’s four pillars of work: Intellectual, Media, Military, and Counter-Terrorism Financing.
The Secretary-General concluded by affirming that the Coalition will continue its programs to support media institutions in member states, including Yemeni institutions, to spread a culture of peace and national unity and immunize public opinion from attempts at ideological polarization.
