Countering Extremism in Iraq: A New Horizon for Peace

The southern Iraqi city of Basra, long affected by the legacies of war and systemic underinvestment, faces growing threats posed by hate speech, radicalization, and fraying trust between citizens and institutions. Young people—especially young women—are often caught in the crosshairs of these tensions, navigating a world where online harassment and real-world insecurity are deeply intertwined. 

In this environment, the Iraqi Al-Firdaws Society (Al-Firdaws) is taking a new approach to peacebuilding. Their project, Horizon: Promoting Community Peace, supported by ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund (IPF) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, brings together youth, local security forces, and civil society actors to address violent extremism through dialogue, education, and community-based action. 

Localized Peacebuilding in a National Context 

In Basra, tensions between communities and security forces remain high, with youth from marginalized areas feeling disconnected and disempowered in matters of community peace and security. Approaches to addressing hate speech and violent extremism have frequently strained relations between police and communities, deepening mistrust. At the same time, women and girls face growing online threats, rising cyber harassment, and gender-based violence—all of which make them particularly vulnerable to extremist influence and societal exclusion. 

While Iraq has adopted a National Strategy for Countering Violent Extremism and a National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), these policies have often struggled to gain traction locally. 

Recognizing the growing risks of online violence and extremism, Al-Firdaws sought to fill the gap between national policy and local action by rooting national frameworks in grassroots realities—starting with community policing and youth engagement. 

A New Model of Community Engagement 

The Horizon project started in May 2024 by working with government and security actors, to improve the relationship between the local community and security forces as an important part of advancing sustainable peace and inclusive security. Al-Firdaws trained 20 officers from the community police, family protection units, and women’s affairs departments on Iraq’s national counter-extremism strategies, the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan, and a new Combating Hate Speech Guide, developed by Al-Firdaws with support from ICAN. The training emphasized participatory dialogue and mutual understanding, aiming to reframe the role of security forces as community protectors and collaborators, not enforcers. 

The process was not without challenges. Early discussions on hate speech, gender, and extremism met resistance from some officers, reflecting broader discomfort with addressing issues of gender openly. Al-Firdaws responded by carefully sequencing the training—beginning with conflict sensitivity and countering hate speech before introducing WPS principles. This gradual approach helped create space for dialogue and allowed sensitive gender issues to be addressed more openly over time. 

Following the training, the officers worked with Al-Firdaws to co-develop Basra’s first Local Action Plan to counter hate speech and violent extremism. Endorsed by the municipality, this plan marked a rare achievement: a grassroots strategy institutionalized through formal local government approval. 

To understand how well these strategies were being understood, Al-Firdaws trained a group of surveyors to reach out to 215 local police officers and community members. The data collected provided insights into police officers’ understanding of UNSCR 1325 and hate speech and helped identify gaps where further training and knowledge exchange were needed. 

In early 2025, the project’s attention shifted to Basra’s youth. Al-Firdaws trained 25 young people—both active and new to civil society—in the causes and impact of extremism, nonviolent communication, community safety, and conflict resolution. From this group, three local committees were formed and tasked with implementing public initiatives addressing specific community challenges, bridging gaps between the police and civilians. 

“Trust from people comes when you work inside the community. When you work within the community, you’ll find that the community places great trust in you.” – Fatima Al-Behadly, Founder, Al-Firdaws   

From Dialogue to Action: Three Youth-Led Initiatives 

The first initiative, based at Al-Batool School in Al-Hussein, targeted adolescent girls—many of whom were experiencing or witnessing cyber extortion. In partnership with the community police, a presentation raised awareness of digital threats and available hotline support. One student shared her personal experience of cyber and emotional extortion, sparking a powerful group discussion and helping others recognize forms of emotional and psychological abuse. The initiative concluded with a Ramadan visit to a local elderly care home. The visit also created an opportunity for police and youth to engage with the wider community in a way that centered empathy, shared humanity, and collective care, whilst also demonstrating a more relational and trust-based approach to community safety. 

The second initiative was hosted at Al-Zahraa Intermediate School for Girls, where a recent student’s suicide had deeply shaken the community. Bringing together 50 parents, police officers, and educators, the dialogue session focused on the role of family communication in preventing extremist ideologies and supporting adolescent mental health. Participants discussed emotional support strategies, learned how to foster safe home environments, and explored ways to counter psychological pressures on girls. Many parents admitted it was the first time they had reflected on the impact of open dialogue with their daughters. 

“When there were specific cases of violence against women and girls that reached our organization, we worked directly on them. We provided awareness sessions for girls in villages, gathering them in sports clubs and forums, telling them that no matter how difficult life is, it shouldn’t lead to suicide.” – Fatima Al-Behadly, Founder, Al-Firdaws 

The third initiative, at Ibn Sina School in the Manawi Basha district, focused on reducing bullying through constructive communication. Students learned about different forms of bullying—including cyberbullying—and engaged in skill-building workshops to support victims, resolve conflicts peacefully, and build inclusive peer relationships. Teachers and school counsellors were also trained to recognize and intervene in bullying cases, ensuring long-term follow-up and support. 

Each of these initiatives was locally tailored and participatory—designed and led by youth, supported by trained security officers, and grounded in community partnerships. The initiatives directly engaged over 300 individuals, from students and parents to educators, police, and community leaders, addressing the very challenges the project was designed to tackle: rising hate speech, radicalization, and the lack of trust between communities and institutions. 

Following these initiatives, Al-Firdaws convened a closing conference that brought together youth committee members, community leaders, Basra police, municipal representatives, and civil society actors. The group reflected on progress, shared lessons, and identified gaps that remain in addressing violent extremism at the community level. 

Institutional Change Rooted in Community Trust 

As a result of Al-Firdaws’s Horizon project, the Basra Local Action Plan to counter violent extremism and hate speech received formal approval from the Basra Municipality. The endorsement by the municipality not only institutionalizes the work of Al-Firdaws and the local committees but also sets a precedent for localized peacebuilding to shape public policy. It reflects a growing trust in civil society as a critical partner in addressing extremism—particularly in regions historically excluded from formal decision-making. 

Beyond its symbolic value, the Local Action Plan offers a practical framework for implementation. By breaking down UNSCR 1325 into specific, community-level actions, it connects national commitments to everyday realities. The plan outlines who is responsible for what—from government authorities and police to civil society organizations, schools, and families—creating a shared roadmap for collaboration and accountability. In doing so, it positions peacebuilding as a collective responsibility, rather than a security-only mandate. 

The project also shifted perceptions of the police. Officers who once operated in isolation now collaborate openly with youth and educators. Families who feared security forces now see them as allies in protecting their children.  

“We were able to break the barrier of fear among people and build bridges of trust between communities that had been isolated.” – Fatima Al-Behadly, Founder, Al-Firdaws 

The shift was visible over the duration of the project. While initial sessions required significant effort to bring participants together, knowledge exchange became easier as trust grew. Police-to-police learning emerged as a particularly effective entry point, helping normalize new approaches and easing collaboration with civil society partners. What began as cautious engagement evolved into genuine partnership—marking a change not only in practice, but in mindset. 

Enabling Success through Flexible Support 

ICAN’s Innovative Peace Fund played a pivotal role in Horizon’s success. The IPF’s flexible structure allowed Al-Firdaws to adapt its activities in real time—developing new training content, adjusting outreach strategies, and responding to community needs as they emerged. ICAN’s partnership with Al-Firdaws also included technical support in monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and storytelling, helping Al-Firdaws strengthen its institutional capacity while delivering tangible impact to its community. 

“We were the first local organization at the Iraq level in 2014 to work on peacebuilding. The peacebuilding book I got from ICAN, I used it extensively. In addition to the videos that ICAN launched on Resolution 1325, they helped us greatly to reach many police officers and people.” – Fatima Al-Behadly, Founder, Al-Firdaws 

A Model for the Future 

Al-Firdaws is already planning the next phase of the Horizon project. The organization aims to expand youth committee activities to new neighborhoods and schools, integrate peace education into formal curricula, and institutionalize support for victims of cyber extortion and school-based bullying through dedicated counsellors and support staff. It also plans to replicate the project in other governorates across southern Iraq—scaling its impact while maintaining its community-centered ethos. 

In a country where policies often fail to reach the people they are meant to serve, Al-Firdaws’s Horizon project demonstrates the power of local ownership, inclusive leadership, and flexible funding. By turning dialogue into action and trust into institutional change, Al-Firdaws is helping build a more peaceful and resilient Iraq—one neighborhood at a time.