Cairo, Egypt – Arab women have proven to be on the frontlines of the struggle against extremism conducive to terrorism, not only as victims, but also as powerful agents of positive change. Women community leaders, in particular, play critical roles in preventing radicalization and extremism leading to terrorism in the community as well as enhancing community resilience against extremism.

In this regard, CCCPA--in cooperation with the Swedish government and the United Nations Development Programme--is organizing its first foundational training on enhancing the engagement of Arab women leaders in building community resilience to radicalization and extremism leading to terrorism.

The training, from 3-7 November 2019, brings together 21 women leaders from the Arab region (Djibouti, Morocco, Palestine, Somalia and Yemen). It aims to capacitate participants with the necessary knowledge, tools and skills to (i) analyze their context, (ii) refute extremist interpretations of religion, and (iii) propagate an alternative narrative of peace and coexistence, based on the moderate teachings of Islamic Sharia.

Dr. Ali Gomaa, Egypt's former Grand Mufti, addressed the opening ceremony of the training. He highlighted the important roles historically played by women in advancing values of peace, tolerance and coexistence in Islam.

This is the first foundational training course  tailored specifically for women leaders. Since 2016, CCCPA has organized 8 foundational training courses, which together saw the participation of a total of 142 local community leaders including tribal, women and youth leaders from Nigeria and Somalia. It also organized 3 advanced training courses for a total of 60 imams and religious leaders from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Nigeria.