Algerian Radio
The League of Ulema, Preachers, and Imams of Sahel States, in cooperation with the Liaison and Coordination Unit (UCC), organized yesterday, Friday, in Niamey, a training session for religious affairs officials in Niger titled "Building Intellectual Resilience and Deconstructing Extremist Discourse," according to a statement issued today, Saturday, by the League.
The same source explained that the opening ceremony of this event, held at the Mahatma Gandhi International Conference Center, was overseen by the Advisor to the President of the State Security Council of Niger. The ceremony took place in the presence of the Ambassador of Algeria to Niger, Ahmed Saadi, alongside representatives from high-level security and religious bodies.
The League indicated that the high-level attendance at this training session "reflects the depth of the fraternal ties and strategic cooperation between the two fraternal countries, particularly regarding the coordination of religious and preventive efforts to combat terrorism and extremism."
In his address on the occasion, the League's representative in Niger, Dr. Ibrahim Moussa Souleymane, praised the organization of this session, which comes—as he stated—"at a critical regional juncture that compels religious actors in the Sahel states to strengthen coordination in order to confront current security challenges."
For his part, the President of the League of Ulema, Preachers, and Imams of Sahel States, Dr. Abakar Waler Modou, commended the "qualitative support that joint religious action receives from the highest authorities in Algeria and Niger." He highly valued "the significant efforts of the President of the Republic of Algeria, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and his Nigerien counterpart, General Abdourahamane Tiani, in establishing the foundations of constructive cooperation to address shared security challenges."
In the same context, the Secretary-General of the League, Dr. Lakhmissi Bezzaz, highlighted "the pivotal role of the body in safeguarding the moderate religious reference," emphasizing that "deconstructing hate speech requires a rigorous scientific approach that goes beyond theorizing to adopt a practical strategy providing contemporary and convincing religious answers to youth, in line with the specific characteristics of the region."
He stressed that "protecting intellectual security requires confronting the misconceptions raised in the name of religion, alongside working tirelessly to root the values of tolerance in accordance with the fundamentals of the tolerant religious framework."
He also recalled the League's organization of "19 sessions that allowed for addressing the most critical factors leading to extremism and offering effective proposed solutions derived from the experiences of the League's various member states, foremost among them Algeria."
For his part, the representative of the Liaison and Coordination Unit (UCC), Tahirou Mahamat Abdouldjelil, confirmed that this workshop falls within the context of a "proactive dynamic that places prevention, dialogue, and capacity building as strategic pillars for resilience in the face of attempts to infiltrate the social fabric."
Furthermore, the representative of the President of the State Security Council of Niger, Seidou Djibo Karimou, congratulated the League on its "well-recognized efforts," considering that holding this session in Niamey serves as an encouragement to the efforts exerted by the country in the field of "preventing extremism and organized crime."
He also praised the role of imams as key actors in preventive action against "the threats of the forces of evil across the digital space."
