#WeDeclarePeace: Tackling Religious Extremism

The Middle East has long been a hub for religious division. but now a group of activists are joining forces in a bid to promote tolerance.

Mohomed Kadry first launched the #WeDeclarePeace campaign after meeting with fellow open minded youngsters while studying Spanish in Europe.

"When I was studying Spanish abroad, I found that my class had people from all over the world," he tells CairoScene. "It was extremely diverse - and between us we tackled all of the red lines about religion that people are often afraid to talk about.

"I had an Italian friend and other girl from the US, he is Christian and she is Jewish. It really opened my eyes to how things could be for all of us."

Now the language student-turned-religious activist has returned to Egypt to spread the word of tolerance. Kadry, along with two friends, has a social media campaign under the hashtag ' #WeDeclarePeace' in a bid to raise awareness about the cause.

The campaign has gained more than 200 followers within hours of launching. "Now we are aiming to spread the word on social media and raise awareness about the campaign," he adds.

"Right now we are preparing campaign materials, printing the hashtag on bracelets and T-shirts. We want to fight extremism in all religions and ideologies with a peaceful mentality."

And so far Kadry claims the response has surpassed his wildest expectations.

"The reponse is way more than I expected. We honestly  never thought that so many people would want to become involved."

For more information on the campaign please visit their Facebook page.