The path vs terrorism

ABU DHABI – The Sawab Centre, a joint UAE-United States initiative to counter the extremism of Daesh (ISIL) terrorist organization on the Internet, has launched the campaign to expose terrorist crimes against women and the deviant organization’s method of exploiting them to achieve its despicable goals.

The word Sawab in Arabic means "doing the right thing" or being on the "right path."

The Centre said in a statement today that the campaign will continue for five days to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, being organized annually by United Nations each year on 25th November.

It said that the campaign would shed light on organized crimes and inhuman exercises meted out to women, and added that the campaign comes in line with the framework of the Centre's activities to expose the propaganda of Daesh and its malicious methods to deceive youth.

The Centre noted that women are strategic targets for terrorists, especially those from the Daesh organization, who launch organized campaigns to lure them. It added that the terrorist organization has succeeded in the beginning to recruit a number of women and girls who later proved they had been deceived. Some of them had managed to escape and miraculously survived, while others succumbed to the torture and sexual exploitation.

It noted that Daesh deliberately employed women in several different roles, with an objective to serve its interests, adding that the terrorist organization set up slavery markets that attracted a number of vulnerable young people. The Daesh's impulsive discourse achieved in the beginnings some success by recruiting some young people, whose dreams subsequently collided with the rocks of death and destruction.

The Centre said that in the beginning the terrorist organization showed women as commodities to entertain its mercenaries. It also exploited the captive girls as a source of financial revenue through establishing public auctions in which women, girls and children were sold.

The campaign is working to provide a number of illustrations, creative designs and visual expressive sections that aim to clarify the Daesh practices that do not comply with the principles and teachings of Islam, especially those related to the brutal treatment of women. It will also publish info graphic cartoons and images that illustrate the work mechanism of the organization regarding the attraction of new recruits, patterns of recruitment and stages, which end up with disastrous consequences for the new recruits.

The Centre called for solidarity among Arab and Muslim youth to counter the terrorist organization online, calling on activists against the extremism to republish the message of the Centre to fight the terrorist under the theme: 'United Against Extremism.' Launched in July to create a forum for the silent majority, the Centre's viewers have so far exceeded 150 million. It is an interactive, credible and transparent platform that brings together intellectual and moderate voices.

The Sawab Centre in Abu Dhabi aims to counter online messages, propaganda and recruitment by Daesh. The centre is a joint online engagement initiative, in support of the Global Coalition Against Daesh. It seeks to give a voice to the millions of Muslim and others around the world that stands united against the terrorism and falsehood propagated by Daesh.

To do so, the Sawab Centre will use online communication and social media tools to put things in the right perspective and to amplify those moderate voices that regularly get drowned out by the noise of the extremists. Through its online engagement, the Sawab Centre will counter the false claims and religious misinterpretations that are being propagated by Daesh and will seek to engage with those vulnerable online communities that are an easy prey for Daesh recruiters.

The Sawab Centre will also work with religious leaders, organizations, businesses, and youth in order to amplify their voices, challenge Daesh's doctrine of hate and intolerance, and to highlight and demonstrate the true values and diversity of Islam.

The Centre builds on and links the various other Counter-Extremism initiatives that have been initiated in the UAE in recent years, including the Hedayah Centre to Counter Violent Extremism and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies. These initiatives demonstrate the UAE's strong and enduring commitment to a moderate and tolerant society that is deeply rooted in the UAE's history and traditions, where extremism has no place and no future.

Image by: www.thenational.ae