Tanta University, under the patronage of Prof. Mohamed Hussein, President of the University, and the leadership of Prof. El-Sayed El-Ajouz, Vice President of the University for Education and Student Affairs, and the supervision and follow-up of Prof. Mohamed El-Qaseer, Director General of the General Administration of Student Care, organized an educational and awareness seminar in cooperation with Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, as part of the activities of the ninth batch of the university's summer camp in Baltim City, as part of the university's efforts to enhance intellectual and cultural awareness among its students, consolidate the values of moderation and tolerance, and correct misconceptions.

    Prof. Mohamed Hussein stressed that Tanta University pays great attention to building the awareness of its students, in addition to its educational and academic role, based on its responsibility to prepare generations capable of conscious thinking and distinguishing between rational thought and destructive ideas, pointing out the importance of cooperation with specialized national and religious institutions, most notably Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and its Observatory for Combating Extremism, which contributes to fortifying youth intellectually and consolidating the values of moderation, belonging, coexistence and acceptance of others.

    For his part, Prof. Al-Sayed Al-Ajouz explained that student activities and summer camps represent an important space for building the student's personality and developing his awareness, stressing the keenness of the Education and Student Affairs Sector to include in student programs and events topics related to current intellectual and societal challenges, which enhances students' ability to confront rumors and extremist ideas, and supports the culture of dialogue and societal peace.

    Dr. Ahmed Al-Attar, Coordinator of Al-Azhar Observatory's Participation, began the symposium activities by praising the ongoing cooperation between Tanta University and the Observatory, reviewing the nature of the work of its units and the most prominent initiatives and programs it implements to confront extremist thought and correct concepts. He also thanked the university's leaders for their continuous support for awareness-raising activities and efforts directed at youth.

    Dr. Abdullah Abdeen, Supervisor of the Observatory's English-Language Monitoring Unit, addressed a number of misconceptions and suspicions promoted by extremist organizations, explaining the deviations in their interpretation and use, and stressing the need to refer to official and specialized religious institutions to obtain correct religious knowledge and avoid sources of misleading thought.

    Muhammad Makki, a researcher at Al-Azhar Observatory, also reviewed the importance of human and moral values in achieving psychological and societal stability, and their role in building a balanced personality capable of positive interaction with society, and consolidating the concepts of mercy, tolerance, peace, and respect for others.

    The symposium comes within the framework of cooperation between Tanta University and Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, and within the Observatory's strategy to communicate directly with young people in Egyptian universities, enhance their intellectual immunity, and consolidate the values of moderation, centrism, peaceful coexistence, and rejection of violence and extremism.