About the Project

The joint programme proposes a peacebuilding approach to address violent extremism in Somalia. It applies a conflict transformation lens to the protracted armed conflict between the Somali Government and al-Shabaad. A bottom-up peacebuilding infrastructure will reinforce and expand Somali religious leaders' and actors' ability to address and transform ideologically inspired violence through trust and consensus-building, religious dialogue, and agreement on the peaceful message of Islam. The standardization of religious education through the roll-out of a national peace curriculum will foster communities' resilience against violence. Dedicated support for victims of extreme violence aims to enable societal healing and forgiveness processes. Community-based social dialogues on Islamic values of good governance and peacebuilding principles will inform policy making and strategy-shaping to address conflict and strengthen governance legitimacy by promoting Islam as Somalia's state religion. The program's overarching objective is to contribute to reducing the prevalence of ideologically justified violence within the Somali society by advancing dialogue to resolve conflict.