The Jam’Iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya, an Islamic Organization with a global network, is seeking to collaborate with ECOWAS on the organization of a regional conference on security and governance.
The organization wants to partner with the ECOWAS Commission for an impactful hosting of a West African Islamic Conference on security and governance in Abuja.
Conferring with the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, on July 10, 2024, in Abuja, the Director-General of Ansarideen Global Resources Foundation, Dr. Sayyidi Muhammad Yahaya, stated that the proposed conference has become necessary following the realization that the persistence of terrorism and violent extremism in the region is partly tied to the availability of vulnerable youth for continuous recruitment by people with criminal and nefarious intentions.
Harping on the need to bridge the gap between western and Islamic education, Dr. Sayyidi Muhammad Yahaya emphasized the importance of addressing the central challenge of terrorism and violent extremism, which he identified to include “misquoting of the Quran and the misrepresentation of Islam.”
Reflecting on the theme of the planned regional conference, it seeks to implement regional counter terrorism measures and the need to engage other non-kinetic methods in the fight against violent extremism.
The role of Islamic Organizations in countering terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel, he noted that it was not only important to develop empowerment programs but to also have a model for countering terrorism and de-radicalization of affected people in the region, by bringing influential stakeholders together to chart a new path, a new conversation and a new future of peaceful coexistence in the region.
Responding, Dr. Musah restated ECOWAS’ commitment to peace and security.
Recognizing the need to deal responsibly with the youth who constitute about 65 percent of the population of the region, he noted that terrorism and violent extremism are symptoms of a global malaise that has now seen the Sahel becoming an epicenter of the canker.
Stressing that the West African region is on a time bomb if the agency of the youth cannot be tapped for peace and stability, he pledged the Commission’s readiness to collaborate with Jam’Iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya in the organization of the regional conference.
Both sides decided to designate focal points for the conference and for facilitating subsequent interactions.
