Countering Terrorism: Diaspora communities must play active role

Diaspora communities should play active roles in tackling terrorism and extremism in European as well as their native countries, speakers have suggested during a conference in Geneva.

In many cases, youths from the diaspora are being motivated towards extremism, they said.

The conference titled “Countering Violent Extremism: European Context and the Bangladeshi Diaspora” was held on Thursday.

The speakers also stressed the need for a strict monitoring of the funds being sent by the diaspora to their native countries.

“The host countries should also monitor how much fund is being sent… and on what grounds. Otherwise, the fund might be ill-used,” Organising Secretary of All European Awami League Bidduth Barua told The Daily Star on Friday.

Since extremism has no boundary, concerted efforts are needed to fight the menace, said Bidduth, who attended the conference.

European Bangladesh Forum, a platform of Bangladeshi Diaspora in Europe, organised the conference.

A group of secular individuals, think tanks, politicians -- both national and European -- participated in the programme chaired by Jakob de Jong, director, The Hague Peace, from the Netherlands.

Dr Shammi Ahmed, international affairs secretary of Awami League; Dr Siegfried O Wolf, research director, South Asia Democratic Forum; Nicola Spafford Furey, vice president, Earth Focus Foundation; Prof Willem van der Geest, chief economist, former director at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Karima Bennoune, UN special rapporteur, OHCHR, spoke among others.