The South of Thailand has seen its fair share of unrest in the last few decades. With the ongoing insurgency being driven by tensions between the state, Muslims, Buddhists, as well as minority groups who have their own customs and identities, there are concerns that communities are growing further apart. Khun Somjai is a Buddhist leader of a Muslim majority community in Pattani. For the last ten years, she has been bridging divides between people in her village. In this episode of ExtremeLives, we speak to Somjai and other Pattani peacebuilders about social cohesion in this diverse area of Asia. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific and the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

In May 2017, ISIS-affiliated groups took over the city of Marawi in the Philippines. The five-month-long battle between ISIS and the Philippines government security forces that followed became the longest urban battle in the modern history of the country. During the siege, ISIS-fighters destroyed St Mary’s Cathedral where Father Chito Soganub preached. He was kidnapped and held hostage for several months, forced to produce bombs for rebel groups and watch the bloody battle as it developed around him. Now, two years on, ExtremeLives went to the Most Affected Areas of Marawi City to hear the stories of survivors - and perpetrators - of violence. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific and the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

Ahmad, Soraya and their children are Syrian refugees, living in a big block of flats on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The family are one of around 180,000 refugees who have made Malaysia their home - for now. But while they have found refuge from ISIS-related violence back home, their journey hasn’t ended yet. Malaysia currently has no legal framework that recognizes the status of refugees, and addresses their specific protection needs. As older parents, Ahmad and Soraya are anxious about the future of their young children. ExtremeLives spoke to this family about why they left Damascus, and the challenges they still face ahead. *** Through films that celebrate Asia’s diversity, ExtremeLives is uncovers the experiences of people at a crossroads in their lives: wrestling inner demons, coming to terms with shifting social demands, and learning to define themselves in an increasingly chaotic world. Our video storytelling platform provokes conversation, initiates reflection, and resets social labels. ExtremeLives is a project by UNDP and the EU, supported by Facebook. More: www.extremelives.org

In 2014, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF signed a historic peace agreement with the Philippines national government to allow the Muslim majority Bangsamoro area the right to self-determination. This peace agreement currently hangs in the balance. Until a new Bangsamoro Government has been established, the President appointed members of the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority as interim government, an authority that has representatives from the MILF and other groups. However, there are concerns about the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or BIFF, an group who splintered off from the MILF and allegedly have connections to the so-called Islamic State may derail peace talks. ExtremeLives spoke to those trying to keep the peace and those threatening it. *** Through films that celebrate Asia’s diversity, ExtremeLives is uncovers the experiences of people at a crossroads in their lives: wrestling inner demons, coming to terms with shifting social demands, and learning to define themselves in an increasingly chaotic world. Our video storytelling platform provokes conversation, initiates reflection, and resets social labels. ExtremeLives is a project by UNDP and the EU, supported by Facebook. More: www.extremelives.org

All 26 members of Febri Ramdani’s family left Indonesia to join ISIS’s caliphate in Syria, back in 2015. His family had been struggling economically for some time, and many of his relatives including his sister and her children were in desperate need of healthcare. From watching videos online and through speaking to those who had already joined, the family became convinced that life under the caliphate would be better for them all. At first, Febri was the only one who chose to stay behind. ExtremeLives spoke to Febri about the power of propaganda, and what the realities of life were under the caliphate. *** Through films that celebrate Asia’s diversity, ExtremeLives is uncovers the experiences of people at a crossroads in their lives: wrestling inner demons, coming to terms with shifting social demands, and learning to define themselves in an increasingly chaotic world. Our video storytelling platform provokes conversation, initiates reflection, and resets social labels. ExtremeLives is a project by UNDP and the EU, supported by Facebook. More: www.extremelives.org

Noor Huda Ismail’s life changed after discovering one of the 2002 Bali Bombers was an old school friend. For the past 15 years, and as the founder of the International Peacebuilding in Indonesia, Huda has been committed to understanding what draws ordinary people to extremism – and what can be done to stop this from happening. In the first episode of #ExtremeLives, Huda talks about his work with Indonesians returning from the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, what they experienced and why they left. We hear specifically about how Indonesians were recruited, both online and offline. Interestingly, Huda also tells us that Indonesian fighters experienced a hierarchy between Arab and Asian fighters in Islamic State battalions. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

For many years, Nasir Abas was one of the most wanted Jihadists in Southeast Asia. As a senior commander in Jemaah Islamiyah, Nasir trained the 2002 Bali bombers in Afghanistan. Today, Nasir works to prevent others from following the path he once did. In this session, Nasir tells #ExtremeLives about how and why he joined a militant group, starting with him travelling to Afghanistan and his later activities in Jemaah Islamiyah. Our interviewer, Anneliese McAuliffe, questions Nasir closely on why he eventually turned away from extremism, and how we can convince others to do the same. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

Dete Aliah meets with women whose lives have been completely transformed by violent extremism. Across Indonesia, she has talked with over 60 wives of violent extremists to understand extremism from their perspectives. For the past year, Dete has closely followed and interviewed Indonesian families deported from Turkey after attempting to reach Syria. After listening to their stories, Dete shares with #ExtremeLives a first-hand account of what lures mothers, children, grandparents, and ordinary people to join the Islamic State. In this episode of #ExtremeLives, Dete talks about what drove these people to try to join extremist networks, and what happens when these families come back. She highlights that radicalisation is not always about ideology, as political, social and economic factors can also play into people’s motivations to travel to Syria. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

Ahmad el Muhammady is a counter-terrorism expert based in Malaysia. As an Advisor with the Royal Malaysian Police rehabilitation programme, Ahmad has interviewed more than 80 suspected ‘terrorists’, some as young as 14. He has inside knowledge of what motivates young Asians to join radical groups and how these groups operate. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

By the time he was 10, Mahir Gustaham had already started to train to become a fighter, joining his father and family in their campaign with the Moro National Liberation Front against the Philippines military. Living under martial law, he witnessed numerous atrocities. He wanted to fight to defend his family and his community from oppression. However, his mother wanted for him a life away from the battlefield​ and convinced him to travel to Sudan to further his education in Islamic law. There, he quickly rose within the ranks of the MNLF non-armed chapter to lead the organisation in Africa and the Middle East. In this episode of #ExtremeLives, Mahir recounts the struggles of balancing the wills of his parents – education, versus fighting on the ground. After returning to the Southern Philippines after almost a decade, he saw the conflict with fresh eyes – as an uninterrupted cycle of violence that was destroying both his community and their Islamic values. He decided to start lecturing youth and orphans on the values of Islamic law and international humanitarian law, discouraging them from joining extremist groups. He also recounts the shock of seeing one of his former students, Mohammad Reza Kiram, become one of the faces of ISIS in Syria, and how that gave him even more determination to tell his story so that others could learn from his experiences. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

Time's 2018 Person of the Year, journalist Maria Ressa has been honoured for “taking great risks in the pursuit of truth” as executive editor of Rappler, the Philippines' news site she helped found. Ressa, an expert on terrorist and extremist networks in Southeast Asia, shares her thoughts with UNDP #ExtremeLives on the radicalisation of youth, foreign fighters and the aftermath of the siege of Marawi, as well as the “weaponization” of social media companies like Facebook by extremists and autocrats, and the global fight for democracy and media freedom. #TIMEPOY #TheGuardians *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT

As a young girl brought up by parents who did not allow gender to define or limit her, Mossarat Qadeem was inspired to bring positivity to some of the issues she saw around her. She is now an established figure in the development community, tackling extremism at its very roots, by working with young boys and their mothers to combat radicalization in her local areas. As the Executive Director and Co-Founder of PAIMAN Alumni Trust, Mossarat has received international praise for her innovative approaches to preventing violent extremism. In this episode of #ExtremeLives, Mossarat will offer some personal insights into the challenges she faces when working with women and boys to reduce radicalization. Women play a vital role in preventing the spread of extremist ideologies and activities, especially among youth. In family settings and as professionals in the workplace, they help shape their community’s values and remain an under appreciated resource in the fight against extremism. With 14 years as a political science professor, and having three times addressed preventing violent extremism and de-radicalisation to the UN General Assembly, Mossarat has incredible expertise on how to engage women in peacebuilding and offer young people an alternate narrative to extremism. *** #ExtremeLives is a video series covering on-the-ground stories of violent extremism in Asia. With first-hand accounts of the darkest days of ISIS-occupied Raqqa, dispatches from an insider of a network training militants across Asia, and discourse from journalists at the front-lines fighting misinformation in a post-truth world, #ExtremeLives offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into polarizing issues affecting the modern age. From recruitment, radicalization, and rehabilitation, to the role of news corporations and social media, to refugees fleeing violence and migrant workers targeted by underground terrorist organisations, #ExtremeLives exposes stories that aim to bring us closer to figuring out how to stop the spread of violent extremist ideologies. #ExtremeLives is a project by the United Nations Development Programme in Asia and the Pacific, co-funded by the European Union. Discover more on our website: https://bit.ly/2QF9nU2 Subscribe to #ExtremeLives: https://bit.ly/2KM0JC1 Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2K3w5XT