As part of a broader effort to discourage extremism, Mauritania chose to organise a youth event in a region known as a hotbed for terror cells.
The centuries-old Mauritanian city of Tidjikja held a youth festival last week designed to educate young people on the dangers of extremism and their role as citizens.
The event was particularly important because of the city's history of terrorism.
Several youths were arrested in 2008 for planning attacks against government targets. The group is now known as "Ansar Allah al-Mourabitoun" or the "Tidjikja terrorist cell", event participant Mohamed Ould Ibrahim told Magharebia.
"The activities of this event focused on lectures with an awareness and guidance dimension targeting young people to inform them on the causes and manifestations of exaggeration, extremism and terrorism," he said.
"This is in addition to looking for effective solutions to counter this incurable disease and paying attention to the danger of deviant ideology and the damage it causes to the stability of Mauritania and neighbouring countries, Ould Ibrahim added.
The September 13th-15th gathering featured contests in the Holy Qur'an, poetry, traditional games, football, petanque, lectures, songs and sketches to address negative phenomena. The programme was part of a series of cultural and sporting events organised by the youth ministry.
Mohamed Lamine Ould Ahmed Bedda gave a lecture on the "Role of Young People in Combating Extremism, Exaggeration and Terrorism", in which he reviewed the definitions of terrorism, exaggeration, radicalism and deviation, as well as the reasons for this phenomenon, which he summarised in poverty, ignorance and lack of involvement.
"Talking about terrorism to young people at these particular circumstances is dictated by data, current local, regional and international events, such as the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, attacks that targeted Mauritania more than once, involvement of its citizens in terrorist organisations, and the fact that the issue of terrorism is preoccupying the world today," he told Magharebia.
"Although terrorism is the focus of world's talk today, it is as old as political systems, states and all human civilisations," Ould Ahmed Bedda added. "As significantly-affected Muslims, we have to stand up against the groups that try to realise a special agenda using religious slogans and symbols, such as beards, and raising the flag of jihad to tarnish our reputation and undermine others' interests."
In order to address terrorism, the young lecturer said religious scholars, psychologists, security agencies and politicians needed to work "to determine the source of disease and identify youths' needs".
In his turn, Ali Ould Mohamed, head of a youth network in Tidjikja, gave a lecture on the concept of citizenship and its relation with democracy, rights and duties, and the role people play in enhancing national unity and consolidating peace and social harmony.
"Focusing on the concept of correct citizenship and its real understanding will immunise young people against deviation and terrorist and extremist ideology," he told Magharebia. "The real citizen is immunised against attractions and temptations that usually prompt delinquents to carry out violent acts contrary to the interests of our nation."
For his part, Tidjikja governor Mohamed al-Moustapha Ould Val urged young people to shoulder their responsibilities in building their nation.
"The state is paying special attention to this issue by taking tangible measures, including the construction of decent infrastructure, such as youth hostels and sports facilities, approval of a national strategy for promoting this category, protection of young people against the risks of deviation and extremism through strategies that take the different dimensions of this phenomenon into consideration," he said.
The governor lauded the important role played by clubs and youth associations in the province in disseminating cultural awareness and in training young people. He also urged young people to take advantage of leisure time in developing their skills and abilities.
© Magharebia.com 2012
