Publication

This paper reports on some of the main talking points and outcomes of a roundtable dialogue held in Istanbul in April 2015, on how best to counter the narratives put forward by Islamist extremist organizations. The discussion yielded five key messages. They include: that 1) extremism is not a result of Islamic faith or practice but rather a result of a series of political, social and economic grievances; 2) violent extremism is not exclusive to Islam; 3) counter narratives to extremism should not rely solely on religious themes but should also draw on personal stories; 4) Muslim-majority countries need to reassess approaches to democracy and citizenship; and 5) media outlets should show critical awareness of the possible negative side affects of their outputs.