No clash of faith over extremism, says Trump
The struggle against Islamist terrorism is not a clash of civilisations, but a “battle between good and evil”, Donald Trump has said as he appealed for Muslim nations to do more to counter extremism. The US president told heads of state from Islamic nations that America could not confront extremism for them. On a state visit to Riyadh, Mr Trump said the fight against terrorism “is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilisations”.
THE Muslim world cannot rely on America to fight Islamist extremism and must shoulder a larger share of the burden itself, Donald Trump has said as he set out his vision of an alliance to defeat Islamist terrorism.
The US president told around 50 leaders and heads of state from across the Islamic world that they must all do their “fair share”.
Attempting to lay out an offer to the Muslim world that reconciled his “America First” campaign rhetoric with his ambition to destroy Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), he said his first priority was security for his own people.
But his long-awaited speech to an Arab-islamic-american summit hosted by Saudi’s King Salman also saw him offer a pragmatic partnership with America and deliver “a message of friendship and hope and love”.
In a deliberate attempt to distance himself from Barack Obama’s strained relations with Saudi Arabia, Mr Trump stressed his suspicion of Iran and said he was not there to lecture on human rights or democracy.
The White House hopes his speech, delivered in the ornate opulence of Riyadh’s King Abdulaziz convention centre, will begin to dispel widespread unease within the Muslim world caused by Mr Trump’s attacks on Islam during the election campaign.
After Mr Trump’s previous repeated attacks upon Islam and criticism of Saudi Arabia as he stood for election he chose yesterday instead to be lavish in his praise.
He described Islam as “one of the world’s great religions” and spoke of his gratitude to the “magnificent” kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the hospitality of King Salman.
Mr Trump said: “America is a sovereign nation and our first priority is always the safety and security of our citizens. We are not here to lecture; we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership – based on shared interests and values – to pursue a better future for all of us.”
He said the evil of terrorism could only be overcome if “everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfils their part of the burden”.
Mr Trump urged Muslim nations to ensure that “terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil” and to “drive them out” of their mosques and communities. However, he acknowledged that 95 per cent of the victims of terrorism are Muslim and said the refugee crisis stemming from the Syrian civil war was a tragedy of epic proportions.
He described the fight against terrorism as “a battle between good and evil” and said defeating it would be “history’s greatest test”.
He said: “This is a battle between those who seek to obliterate human life and those who seek to protect it.” He added that “terrorists don’t worship God. They worship death.”
He told the audience: “America is prepared to stand with you – in pursuit of shared interests and common security. But the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them.
“The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their countries and for their children.”
The visit has seen America hold talks with leaders from the Gulf kingdoms to build a joint military operations centre, likened to an “Arab Nato”, to fight extremists.
His aides have also said that a massive arms deal allowing Saudi Arabia to buy £84bn ($110bn) of US arms included helicopters, warships, missile defence systems and sophisticated precision-guided bombs was a start to relieving the military burden on the United States for fighting terrorism.
Mr Trump singled out Iran for criticism. Barack Obama’s outreach to Tehran badly damaged Washington’s relations with Saudi Arabia and its rulers hope that a shared suspicion of Iran will be the bedrock of new relations with Washington. “From
Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region,” Mr Trump said. “Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate it.”
This was the second day of Mr Trump’s nine-day tour. He next goes to Israel, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy.