Official government website of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
Under the patronage of His Excellency the President of Qassim University, Professor Dr. Mohammed bin Faleh Al-Sharaikh, the Intellectual Awareness Unit at the university organized a meeting on Monday, April 6, 2026, presented by Dr. Sulaiman Al-Obeidi, a faculty member at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, titled: «Digital Media and Extremism,» at the main campus.
The meeting discussed the difference between traditional and digital media, which is characterized by the speed and ease of access and weak control in digital media, versus fixed distribution of information and strong control in traditional media. It also highlighted the difficulty of verifying credibility in digital media, compared to different verification methods and greater responsibility in traditional media. The meeting also reviewed the most important challenges related to the spread of extremist content and the difficulty of monitoring it.
Al-Otaiwy spoke about the exploitation of digital media by extremist organizations, which poses a significant challenge and effectively contributes to the spread of their ideas and influence on the public and societies. He also discussed the interpretation of digital extremism behavior in light of cognitive-behavioral theory, emphasizing that extremism is an abuse of the higher purposes of Sharia, which are based on five fundamental objectives, including the preservation of life, security, and safety, without which societies cannot thrive. He pointed out that extremism is a set of ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that individuals rigidly adopt, going beyond what is customary, prevalent, or agreed upon.
Dr. Suleiman Al-Obeidi stated that extremism – intellectual, religious, political, and moral – along with the tremendous development in media, has led to a disturbing phenomenon manifested in the rise of extremism, specifically digital extremism. He reviewed the causes and motivations of digital extremism, ways to counter it, efforts to combat it, and means of prevention. He emphasized the importance of social responsibility for content creators, highlighting the need to convey accurate information, promote diversity and inclusion, maintain security and privacy, combat incitement and hatred, protect privacy rights, and engage positively with the community. Additionally, he stressed the importance of enhancing awareness and education, confronting abuse and discrimination, and engaging with social challenges.
Dr. Suleiman Al-Obeidi presented a number of solutions to the problem of digital extremism, including: cooperation between digital platforms, strengthening digital education, transparency, privacy rights, as well as enhancing international cooperation, and supporting research and innovation.
