Ontario Muslim leaders hold conference on 'Countering Violent Extremism'

(March 24, 2015) – Imams and Muslim leaders from across Ontario came together in Toronto for a 2-day conference on March 21 – 22 to discuss ways of countering violent extremism.

The Canadian Council of Imams (CCI), North American Spiritual Revival (NASR), with the participation of Public Safety Canada, organized the conference.

“In recent months the safety and security of Canada has become a major concern for all Canadians,” stated the organizers in their welcome package to the gathering. “Canadians are asking how to prevent and counter violent extremism.”

“To address these and other concerns through open dialogue we are inviting Imams, community leaders, youth and women leaders, from Ontario Muslim communities to discuss tools and strategies, and opportunities for collaboration, on preventing and countering violent extremism,” noted the organizers.

“The conference will provide an opportunity to build meaningful partnerships, create relationships of trust and understanding, exchange ideas and information on factors contributing to radicalization to violence, learn from each other, inspire the development and implementation of local actions plans, and create a network for collaboration going forward.”

Sessions over the weekend dealt topics such as the ‘Current Threat Level in Canada’, ‘Deepening the Dialogue – Overview of outreach sessions with youth’, ‘Indicators for Radicalization to violence’, ‘Role of Imams in Countering Violent Extremism’, ‘Youth, Identity, and Civic Engagement’, and ‘Government and Community Collaboration.’