Adeeb calls for studying other countries' counterterrorism experiences

CAIRO – Managing Editor-in-Chief and prominent terrorism expert Muneer Adeeb called Thursday for a thorough study of terrorism as a phenomenon.

He added during a special seminar on Egypt and the UAE as models for the fight against terrorism at al-Bawaba News Institute that the United Arab Emirates conducted several studies on terrorism and terrorist organizations with the aim of getting deep into the thinking of these organizations.

"It is also important to note that studying the experiences of other countries in the fight against terrorism can guarantee victory over this terrorism," Adeeb said.

Adeeb described the Egyptian fight against terrorism as "unique".

He said this experience was peculiar, either during the 1990s or after the January 2011 revolution.

Adeeb noted that the Egyptian fight against terrorism was unique in that it involved all classes of the Egyptian society.

He said the UAE spread tolerance throughout the whole of it.

"This contributed to reducing the number of UAE citizens joining terrorist organizations," Adeeb said.

The al-Bawaba News Institute organized the seminar in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Cairo.

The seminar aimed at raising awareness among youth about the dangers of terrorism and extremism and means of fighting them.

It also aimed to throw light on the effects these dangerous phenomena have on Arab societies.

Those speaking in the seminar wanted to drive the message home that the intellectual elite can play a role in the fight against terrorism.

This elite, they said, is responsible for promoting moderate thinking and increasing the awareness of the members of the public.

Participating in the seminar were Chairman of the Board of al-Bawaba News Institute and member of the Egyptian parliament, Abdel Rahim Ali, Acting UAE Ambassador in Egypt, Mariam Khalifa al-Kaabi, and Egypt's former foreign minister Mohamed al-Orabi.

A large number of cultural figures and researchers in the fields of terrorism and extremism also participated in the seminar along with a host of Arab officials.