ISD Jordan

Since 2016, ISD has worked in Jordan and the broader MENA region to counter extremism, hate and polarisation. ISD Jordan was founded in 2023 to build on this work and expand our programming in the region.

ISD Jordan’s team contributes to pioneering multilingual research into digital Salafi-jihadist ecosystems online, tracking and monitoring the tactics and trends of the Islamic State (IS) group, al-Qaeda and their affiliates. Our researchers have examined how these groups leverage interconnected networks of websites, social media accounts and messaging applications to mobilise supporters. In 2021, the team uncovered one of the largest repositories of terrorist content on the open web, linking the networks behind them to the unofficial online ecosystems of support for terrorist groups. Putting this research into action, ISD Jordan’s digital research team has helped bring down coordinated networks of IS group supporters on Facebook and reported on cross-organisational learning between extremist groups online.

The ISD Jordan team also supports civil society and youth in the region, working with both to address issues related to extremism, hate and polarisation. The work led by the ISD Jordan has been central to ensuring youth are equipped with the tools, know-how and ability to push back against these challenges. Through civil society networks in Jordan and across the Middle East, the team has supported young people delivering community aid in the aftermath of crises, provided training sessions on dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks, and built the resilience of young people to both understand and address threats to social cohesion.

Transformative programmes across Jordan and Lebanon

Since 2016, Strong Cities regional programming in the Middle East has supported municipalities in strengthening their abilities to coordinate and deliver local extremism prevention P/CVE strategies and activities. By providing municipalities with the knowledge and tools needed to identify and react to early signs of radicalisation, Strong Cities works to reduce the presence of violent extremism within Lebanese and Jordanian communities.

From 2016 through 2018, Strong Cities led various transformative efforts across the region including developing a reintegration programme for ex-prisoners in Tripoli, a Psychosocial Support Unit to help parents recognise early warnings signs of violence in children in Saida, training to counter stigmatisation of vulnerable communities in Majdal Anjar, and a monthly Diwaneyat dialogue series on extremism-related issues, bringing together policymakers, academics, religious leaders, youth workers and civil society members in Jordan.

In addition to direct programming, our team facilitated exchanges between local policymakers in Lebanon and Jordan and their counterparts in the Netherlands to explore reintegration and rehabilitation strategies for returnees and detainees through the Dutch ‘Safety Houses’ model. Strong Cities worked closely with the National PVE Unit at the Council of Ministers in Lebanon and with the Ministry of Local Administration in Jordan to implement these initiatives.

Empowering young people through training

The long-running Strong Cities project  Young Cities operated in Lebanon, Senegal, Kenya and North Macedonia from 2019 to 2021. Young Cities collaborated with both young people and local government to enhance and support youth-led solutions to community challenges such as hate, polarisation, extremism and violence.

In Lebanon, Young Cities implemented ISD’s Youth Innovation Lab model with local partners and staff. This included the delivery of training workshops to support the implementation of youth-led initiatives across three cities, tackling issues such as inter-faith relations in Tripoli and marginalisation of refugees in Saida.

ISD’s Youth Civic Action Academy (YCAA) was designed to empower young Jordanians to take an active role in preventing violence and building social cohesion in their local communities. Young people engaged through the YCAA project worked with a diverse set of stakeholders to promote media literacy and tackle issues like hate, cyberbullying, inauthentic behaviour and violent extremism.