The College of Agriculture at the University of Kerbala, in cooperation with the Human Rights Unit, organized an awareness workshop on the occasion of the International Day for Countering Extremism, as part of the College’s efforts to promote intellectual awareness and consolidate the values of moderation and tolerance within the university community. The workshop was held under the title:
Extremism Between Thought and Behavior: An Academic Reading of Causes and Remedies.
The workshop addressed the concept of extremism as the adoption of ideas or positions characterized by excessiveness and rejection of moderation, often based on excluding others and monopolizing the truth. It explained that extremism typically begins at the level of thought, when an individual develops a rigid perception of the world founded on generalization, hatred, and rejection of pluralism.
The workshop further clarified that extremist behavior represents the translation of such ideas into practical actions, which may range from inciting rhetoric and social discrimination to physical violence and terrorism. It emphasized that not every extremist thought necessarily leads to violent behavior; however, persistent intellectual isolation, feelings of injustice, and weak critical awareness may increase the likelihood of such a transformation.
In addition, the workshop reviewed the major interrelated factors contributing to the emergence of extremism. These include psychological factors such as frustration and the search for identity or belonging; social factors such as marginalization and weak social integration; intellectual and educational factors such as the absence of critical thinking and misinterpretation of texts; as well as political and economic factors including perceived injustice, unemployment, and instability.
The workshop concluded by affirming that addressing extremism requires strengthening dialogue-based education, promoting a culture of tolerance, and building a just social environment that provides opportunities for participation and positive belonging, thereby contributing to limiting the shift of extremism from the level of thought to the level of behavior.
