Manama, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior, received Dr David Wyrick, head of the delegation from the University of North Carolina, USA, and U.S-based Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E).

Present at th meeting was Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Interior Ministry Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) and Chairman of the Anti-Violence and Addiction Committee.

The Interior Minister praised the fruitful partnership between North Carolina University and D.A.R.E. in developing the Maan (Together) programme for combating violence and addiction.

He highlighted the newly developed curriculum, which promotes peaceful coexistence and counters extremism, as a tool to equip the younger generation with the ability to combat extremist ideas by spreading messages of tolerance and peace.

The minister emphasised that safeguarding individuals and public safety is a cornerstone of the counter-extremism programme, noting that students play
a crucial role in its success.

He noted that prevention is the foundation in this domain, being more effective than treatment, and expressed appreciation for the cooperation and exchange of expertise between the Maan programme and renowned academic and international institutions. The minister also highlighted the importance of field studies and research in enhancing awareness efforts targeting youth.

General Shaikh Rashid was presented with a joint research paper from the Maan Regional Centre for Research and Training and North Carolina University, containing results from a field survey published in a global scientific journal. Professor David Wyrick thanked the minister for his support in implementing the peaceful coexistence and counter-extremism curriculum, commending the Maan programme as a global model for security awareness and community partnership.

They also reviewed the results of the first two phases of the field study on the peaceful coexistence and counter-extremism curriculum, which showed pos
itive impacts on students’ behaviours and understanding.

The meeting was attended by Ali Ahmed Amini, Director of the Maan programme.

Source: Bahrain News Agency