Prague, Aug 24 (CTK) – Radicalisation of European Muslim and Islamist terrorism linked to Islamic State (IS) will be among the issues on the agenda of an international conference to be held in Prague next week, Radko Hokovsky told journalists on behalf of the organisers from the European Values think-tank Monday.
The internal security of Europe is becoming crucial for the future of European integration and for the character of Europe’s liberal democratic regimes, Hokovsky said.
He said it is the existence of IS that contributes to the radicalisation of Muslims in Europe and encourages the activities of Islamist terrorists.
According to Hokovsky, IS is unlikely to be defeated by force in the years to come.
“The regional players who are capable of intervening against IS are not motivated enough,” he said.
Even if IS were destroyed, its ideology would continue to influence Muslims in Europe, mainly young ones, he said.
Central Europe does not face the problem of the radicalisation of Muslisms for the time being, Hokovsky continued.
The Muslim communities in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are small, but they should be monitored, including the influences exerted on them from abroad. The Czech Republic, too, may face a terrorist attack sooner or later, Hokovsky said.
The conference will be held in the Chamber of Deputies on Friday, September 3.
The speakers will include Europol head Rob Wainwright, anti-terrorism coordinator of the Council of EU Gilles de Kerchove and Haras Rafiq, executive director of an influential British anti-extremist think-tank.
Seminars focusing on IS and the causes of radicalisation in Europe are scheduled for September 4-5.
Next year, European Values plans to stage a similar conference focusing on the immigration crisis.
