Abu dhabi: TRENDS Research and Advisory is set to host the Fifth Annual Forum on Political Islam, titled "Shared Patterns of Violence: Contemporary Approaches to Ideologically Driven Extremism," on September 16, 2025, at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr Hotel. The forum will delve into the common threads of violence found across various extremist movements, regardless of their religious, nationalist, or racist orientations, with the aim of developing scientific and practical strategies to counteract these phenomena.
According to Emirates News Agency, the event will feature a welcoming address by Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS, followed by keynote speeches from notable figures such as Rt. Hon. Sir Liam Fox, Chairman of the UK Abraham Accords Group, and Dr. Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Chancellor of Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities. Additionally, the ceremony will announce the recipient of the TRENDS Global Award for Combating Terrorism and Extremism.
Hamad Al-Hosani, Researcher and Director of the Political Islam Department at TRENDS, highlighted that the opening session will explore the theme "From Islamism to Far-Right Extremism: How Violence Unites Different Currents." The program will also include four main sessions: Tracing the Origins of Extremisms, Deconstructing the Foundational Ideas of Extremisms, New Approaches to Combating Extremisms: Global Experiences, and Community Discussions on Shared Patterns of Violence.
These discussions will attract a diverse group of researchers, experts, and media professionals from countries including the UAE, the UK, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, India, Indonesia, Portugal, Poland, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, lending the event an international and interdisciplinary perspective.
Dr. Al-Ali emphasized the forum's timely significance, noting its occurrence during a period marked by the rise of ideological extremism posing threats to international security and stability. He stated that TRENDS aims to illuminate the shared characteristics among these movements and the mechanisms through which violence becomes a common language, despite differing ideological roots.
The conference will be supported by media and strategic partnerships with various media organizations and public and private companies.