The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) will host an international symposium on ”Violent Extremism and Social Integration", inviting leading scholars and practitioners from Pakistan, Indonesia and Japan.

How shall society respond to such violent extremism? This awareness is not only relevant to the countries where the international terrorist groups are active in its operations. The world is increasingly realizing the risks and potential threats caused by such groups, their affiliated local groups and radicalized youth. Considering the Dhaka terrorist attack in 2016 and the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday suicide bombings in 2019, the risks are increasingly becoming cross-border security issues. For Japanese people, violent extremism may be associated with the violent incidents committed by Aum Shinrikyo. Despite the prevalence of radicalized groups’ acts of violence, there are very few programs to assisst the rehabilitation processes of those who are affected by such ideologies. We cannot ignore the current limited supports, lacking of consideration for the social situations where they are placed.

In this International Symposium, SPF will invite Dr. Fatima Waqi Sajjad (University of Management and Technology, Pakistan) and Mr. Muhammad Faisal Magrie (Search for Common Ground, Indonesia) to provide an update initiatives on violent extremism and social integration in Pakistan and Indonesia respectively. As for the commentators, we will have Professor Kimiaki Nishida of Rissho University, an expert on social psychology, who supported de-radicalization and social rehabilitation processes of former members of Aum Shinrikyo, as well as Professor Emeritus Nobutaka Inoue of Kokugakuin University, one of the leading academics on sociology of religion in Japan. This will be a great opportunity to learn about the reality and challenges of the issues surrounding violent extremism and social integration. We look forward to seeing you at the event. Details of the event are as follows: