[ecrea] Conference: The Religious Violence in Syria and Social Media

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Conference on Religious Extremism in Syria: A New Launching Pad for 
Global Terrorism?

May 2, 2014, Vienna.

Venue: Albert Schweitzer Haus, Garnisongasse 14-16, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

Organizers: Institute for Near Eastern Studies, University of Vienna and 
Terrorism Research Initiative.

As part of the ongoing Syrian Engagement Project the theme of the second 
conference is strictly related to security matters with the focus set on 
religious extremist groups in Syria, from both a Sunni and Shiite 
perspective. The conference Religious Extremism in Syria: A New 
Launching Pad for Global Terrorism? seeks to enable participants and 
speakers to engage in an open environment on how to deal with the 
implications of the turmoil in Syria and to outline the professional use 
of Social Media as a strategic communication tool for extremist groups.

While acknowledging the struggle and hardship of civil society actors, 
the second conference focuses on the extremist groups that have broadly 
hijacked the Syrian revolution as of 2014. With no end in sight, the 
West remains at a crossroads of how to deal with the implications of the 
turmoil in Syria. The rise of confessional warfare and the effective 
recruitment of foreign fighters from the greater Middle East, Europe and 
beyond to join militant factions in Syria have implications far beyond 
the current conflict zones. The professional use of Social Media to 
attract youngsters for the cause and to raise funds has reached an 
unprecedented dimension that could perhaps transform Syria into a 
similar, if not worse, launching pad for global terrorism than 
Afghanistan. This one-day conference builds on the previous work of the 
Syrian Engagement Project and seeks to provide insight into a set of 
overlapping issues surrounding the Syrian conflict and its implications 
for Europe and the international community. The conference will bring 
together an interdisciplinary set of speakers to provide insight into 
extremist and other militant actors in the conflict and the implications 
for regional and international security.



Agenda:

09:00   Registration

09:30   Opening remarks, introductions, programme review, and 
administrative announcements by Nico Prucha

09:45   Tom Keatinge, Independent Analyst, “The Syrian Conflict and the 
Importance of Financing.”

10:15   Maura Conway, Dublin City University, “Assessing the Role of 
Social Media in the Syria Conflict.”

10:45   Tea and coffee break with oriental snacks

11:15   Joas Wagemakers, Radboud University Nijmegen, “Jordanian Salafis 
and the Syrian Conflict.”

11:45   Rüdiger Lohlker, University of Vienna, “True Romance: A New 
Paradigm for Jihadis in Syria and Beyond?”

12:15   Morning panel discussion

13:00   Lunch break

14:00   Nico Prucha, University of Vienna, “The Sectarian Divide in 
Syria as the Rationale of The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to 
Indoctrinate, Radicalize and Recruit Foreign Fighters”

14:30   Mahan Abedin, Dysart Consulting, “The Role of IRGC Qods Cops as 
Force Multiplier in the Syrian War.”

15:00   Tea and Coffee break with light snacks

15:30   Robert Wesley, Terrorism Research Initiative, “Why Egypt Matters 
in the Context of the Current Syrian Civil War.”

16:00   Afternoon panel discussion

17:00   Concluding Remarks and Farewell



The conference fee is 40 Euro/ per prospective candidate - with lunch.

To register go to: 
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/religious-extremism-in-syria-a-new-launching-pad-for-global-terrorism-tickets-11198487979

The speakers bios and abstracts of the talks are available at: 
http://www.jihadica.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Programme-Religious-Extremism-in-Syria-2-May.pdf

For any issues regarding registration, please contact Nico Prucha 
((nico.prucha /at/ univie.ac.at)).



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