openDemocracy's 'Global Extremes' blog focuses on examining the dynamics behind religiously inspired violent radicalisation in order to propose solutions for building more resilient and stronger communities and eliminating far-right extremism. The driving forces behind 'Global Extremes' are the international research projects GREASE and BRaVE, both of which are organised within the framework of the Global Governance Programme and led by Anna Triandafyllidou. Their goals are to deepen knowledge on diversity and polarisation, and to find ways of making society more resilient to radicalisation. Both projects have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
Georges Fahmi, MEDirections Research Fellow, recently wrote a post for the blog titled 'Why do churches have mixed attitudes towards the Arab Spring?' He examined why Christian leaders in Egypt and Syria initially largely opposed the Arab Spring uprising in 2011, but their counterparts in Iraq and Lebanon are very supportive of the ongoing second wave of protests that began in 2019. "The future of Christians in the region is strongly connected to the future of the countries themselves and their ability to adopt structural reforms that make their institutions more efficient, as well as building democratic political regimes that guarantee the same rights for all religious and ethnic communities." says Fahmi. Read the full piece on the Global Extremes page to learn about his observations and conclusions.
Recent contribututions to the Global Extremes blog can be accessed here and offer discussions on laïcité and secularism in France, Australia's national anthem and more.