Arab politicians, diplomats, academics and media gathered in Amman on Sunday (September 24th) to attend a conference on the role of development, education and media in fighting extremism, the Jordan Times reported.
The associated Arab Research Centres Alliance, held by the Arab Thought Forum (ATF), sought to analyse and discuss the reasons behind regional conflicts and come up with solutions based on critical thinking and shared visions.
Jordan’s Prince Hassan said the expansion of social media has created a challenge for the region, noting that statistics show that half of the Middle East’s population — around 41 million people — is using the Internet.
"Challenges can be turned into opportunities," he said, explaining that social media's ability to connect people can be used to create a development plan that would define its role as a tool to maintain peace and help settle conflicts.
ATF secretary general Mohammad Abu Hammour said in order to understand the conflicts of the Arab world, it is necessary to look at the interconnected elements of development, which he described as education, media and critical thinking.
He called for the implementation of a study on the educational outcomes in order to move towards a society of knowledge, and an efficient learning culture to avoid producing underqualified individuals, which can increase unemployment rates.
"Media in the region face conflict between different political, religious and sectarian orientations to serve regional and international agendas," he said, noting that extremists have been using social media to engage in hate speech.
