The contribution we propose offers a reflection on the semantic confusion and limitations of discourses on radicalization that often contribute to feed stereotypes and prejudices, accelerating the spread of social fears already historically rooted, such as those related to cultural and religious diversity. Instead of dwelling on ways and techniques of preventive actions of processes (at least in the media) overrated, we propose that intercultural education is the most fruitful approach to operate a lexical and conceptual cleaning, to prevent discrimination – primarily Islamophobia – as shown by the results of the project PriMed-Prevention and Interaction in the Trans-Mediterranean space, to lay the foundations of complex and plural social and cultural ties. The interdisciplinary perspective is based on different methodological approaches and on a varied and recent literature coming, in particular, from the pedagogical, psychological, sociological and historical fields.