Professor Michael Driessen Leads Training Session on "Religion and Extremism" in Lebanon

Professor Michael Driessen

In August 2015, JCU Political Science and International Affairs Professor Michael Driessen helped lead a training session for a group of civic and religious leaders in Broumanna, Lebanon on “Religion and Extremism.” The sponsoring program of the event “Leaders for Interreligious Understanding” is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Adyan, a Lebanese interfaith organization with which Prof. Driessen frequently collaborates.

Between August 3 and 7, Prof. Driessen co-designed and taught an online course to a group of 24 Leaders for Interreligious Understanding and Counter-extremism experts from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Denmark, and then in early August helped facilitate a one week training session for the attendees in Lebanon which focused on producing tools to counter extremism.

The seminar ended with a Graduation ceremony of the first batch of 24 Euro-Arab Leaders on Counter-extremism. The ceremony was attended by H.E Gabrielle Caccia, Ambassador of the Holy See in Lebanon, H.E Rolf Holmboe, Ambassador of Denmark in Lebanon and the guest speaker Mr. Mohamad Al Sammak, Secretary General of the Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue in Lebanon and Co-President of Religions for Peace.

Michael Driessen is Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at John Cabot University, Rome where he teaches courses on Religion and Politics, Middle East Studies and War, Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Learn more about the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at John Cabot University