Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 101 ] — PANEL DISCUSSION FOUR — “The strongest and most dominant voice will shape human values and perspectives. Therefore, it is very important to have a social media strategy to raise awareness, consolidate movements, and engage supporters and opponents to start conversations with one another” Ms. Alissa Wahid, KAICIID Fellow and Social Media Influencer from Indonesia Wahid is a trained family psychologist, but is most recognised for her work in the social sector on multiculturalism, democracy and human rights and moderate Muslimmovements in Indonesia. Wahid combated online bullying head on when she turned a disparaging message about her blind father into a message of compassion for disabled people, leading to surge of online support. “Each and every one of us is a TV channel, a newspaper and a social media broadcast station” Mr. Ayman Salah, KAICIID Trainer, and Lecturer at Cairo University, Egypt Salah works as a Trainer with KAICIID’s “Social Media as a Space for Dialogue” programme. The programme originated from a set of recommendations made by high level religious leaders at the November 2014 United Against Violence in the Name of Religion conference. In 2017 alone, Saleh and others trained 71 activists and dialogue practitioners on social media use as well as 15 new trainers. Salah hopes to use the momentum to create a regional campaign, launch an electronic platform to facilitate dialogue, and establish collaboration with global partners to promote IRD.