Serageldin Takes Part in Cairo International Book Fair
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Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the BA, delivered a lecture at the Cairo International Book Fair on his latest book, The Challenge: A Cultural Program to Reject Extremism and Violence.
In his lecture, Dr. Serageldin pointed out that the tensions permeating the Arab regions have affected many other countries and that the events taking place in Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Libya, and recently Yemen confirm the necessity of analyzing how Arab and Muslim countries have become fertile ground for extremism and violence.
Dr. Serageldin discussed the cause of our Arab societal issues, which mainly lie in the lack of a societal or futuristic vision formulated by the public, who would also work to achieve its goals. He also stressed that our societies should transform from consumers of knowledge and technology to producers, and he pointed out that we are witnessing a great revolution in knowledge due to technological advances, a fact which has been proven by most research and studies.
He also alluded to the fact that this revolution introduced our youths to new cultures and sources of information, which makes it imperative to support our youths and include them in the process of formulating a future vision for their societies.
In the end, Dr. Serageldin confirmed that combating terrorism and violence requires the use of evenhanded force to restore state authority, enforce the rule of law, and guarantee civil rights and peace for all. Therefore, extremist thought which produces violence must be combatted with thought, and that is the challenge.