MoSS, ECSS to Launch 'The Economic and Social Cost of Terrorism in Egypt' Project

The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) and Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) will hold a seminar on Monday, 11 April, to launch the first-ever research project on “The Economic and Social Cost of Terrorism in Egypt,” with the participation of a selection of leading Egyptian researchers.

The symposium will be inaugurated by Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Kabbage with the participation of Dr. Khaled Okasha, ECSS General Manager, and Dr. Gamal Abdel-Gawad, a member of the ECSS Advisory Board and head of the project.

As part of the comprehensive approach to address the terrorist phenomenon which Egypt –just like many Islamic states– has suffered from over several decades, the research focuses on the root causes of terrorism that targets destroying state institutions, society, the civic and political dynamism of its citizens, values, and assets of society, which posed an existential threat to Egypt, particularly with terrorist activities peaking in 2014 and 2015, causing Egypt to be placed on the list of countries most vulnerable to terrorism.

This led Egypt to make a historic decision considering terrorism a threat to its national security, therefore taking the necessary security measures to counter terrorism.

The seminar will discuss the preliminary findings of the research and response strategies to strengthen the pillars of the modern state.

In the first session, Dr. Howaida Adly, professor of political science, National Center for Social and Criminal Research, and Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Jibali, an economic expert and the Chairman of the Media Production City will tackle “the economic and social cost of terrorism”.

This will be followed by a commentary by Dr. Ahmad Zayed, professor of sociology at Cairo University and member of the Senate.

The session will be moderated by Dr. Gamal Abdel-Gawad.

The second session will see the participation of Professor Samir Morcos, the Egyptian writer and thinker, and Professor Fouad Al-Saeed, a researcher specializing in political culture studies who will address “the political and cultural dimensions of terrorism”.

This will be followed by the remarks of Dr. Moustafa El-Feki, the political thinker and director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The session will be moderated by Dr. Abdel-Moneim Said, head of the ECSS advisory board.

Notably, the “Cost of Terrorism” project encompasses four key axes, namely the political, economic, social, and cultural, under each of which the cost of terrorism, its causes, and ways to counter it are examined.

The project tackles terrorism from a broad scope; it doesn’t merely address the violent attacks carried out by armed groups but also the system of extremist groups and their ideologies and extremist values that serve as a base legitimizing terrorist acts, particularly after experiences in Egypt and the Arab and Islamic worlds proved that the terrorist act and its ideological basis must be collectively dealt with.

The seminar is the first in a series of symposia meant to expand dialogue on the project, geared towards understanding the negative impacts of terrorism, based on a profound understanding of the circumstances of our society and in a way that enables us to effectively address this phenomenon.

The symposium will see the participation of representatives of the concerned ministries that support the research project.