The Simulation Game „Divini” highlights the diverging interests and potential conflicts regarding causes and countermeasures towards religious extremism. In the fictional town of Divini the spread of religiously motivated radicalization has become a prominent issue. A significant number of young people have left to fight for extremists’ groups and rumors appeared that some of the fighters might be returning soon. A wide range of actors from different social spheres are therefore coming together to discuss their ideas on how to deal with this situation and to try to convince the authorities to give funding to their proposals.
Scenario & Procedure
Within the scenario the head of the regional government is coming to Divini with a fund for measures to fight and prevent radicalization, especially among the young population. The citizens of the town are therefore asked to work on convincing proposals, which either focus on measures of prevention or enforcement. The players take the roles of different societal groups, such as representatives of different Islamic denominations, state actors, civil society representatives or a lecturer from the academic field. Participants will need to think of effective countermeasures and to set their priorities, e.g. between measures of prevention which tackle the root causes of religious extremism and enforcement measures, which are repressive laws and policies to abide by. The players furthermore need to form alliances with members who share similar interests in order to reach their goals.
Objectives
The simulation game lets the participants understand a variety of possibilities to tackle the problem of radicalization and to experience positions, which are usually unfamiliar to them. They will get a deeper insight of conflict lines between different interest groups and possible dilemmas, which they face while coming up with effective countermeasures. It furthermore supports the creativity of participants to come up with ideas to prevent religious extremism and to think about possible root causes.
Learning Goals
- To reflect about causes of religious extremism
- To understand the main lines of conflict and dilemmas when it comes to establish countermeasures towards religious extremism
- To reflect on different ways of tackling the problem and the main concerns of actors involved in this sphere
- Creating a basis for discussions of counter-measures in the real living context of participant
