In September 2017, RFE/RL launched digital engagement projects that offer examples of tolerance and co-existence. These programs  illustrate traditional Islamic values as an alternative to the propaganda that is distributed by radical extremists. Both the “Raise Your Voice” project in Central Asia and the “Not in My Name” project in the Balkans are now receiving strong engagement.

Content posted on the three “Raise Your Voice” Facebook pages in the Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Kazakh languages reaches hundreds of thousands of Central Asian youth every week. The most viral content in December was a localized Current Time social video about an elderly bus driver from Dagestan who offers free bus rides to people on Fridays as a form of charity. There was also a video of Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoev calling for the promotion of “true Islam” through cinematography, as well as a social video about a Tajik family that was contacted by their jihadist son under arrest in Iraq. This last video sparked debate in several popular Facebook groups.

The focus on both domestic and global issues on “Not in My Name’s” Kosovo and Bosnia Facebook pages resonated with digital audiences. In Bosnia, a piece on “Fear Allah,” a theater production that called on its viewers to oppose all injustices, drew substantial attention. Another article explored a history of fatwas against suicide attacks based on RFE/RL research. In Kosovo pieces on a football match between priests and imams, the misuse of children for religious purposes, and an examination of the terror attacks in 2017 became widely popular.