Trump condemns ‘religious violence’

Riyadh, Sunday

US President Donald Trump has underlined the need to confront extremism in Islam during a speech in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking in the Saudi capital Riyadh, he said the fight against extremism was not “a battle between different faiths” but “a battle between good and evil”.

Trump, who is on his first official trip abroad, is delivering the speech at a summit of regional leaders. His harsh campaign rhetoric on Muslims stirred concern in the Islamic world.

The excerpts from a leaked version of his speech suggest a softer tone with Trump attempting to bolster support for the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.

Trump is expected to say: “Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear: barbarism will deliver you no glory—piety to evil will bring you no dignity.

“If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and your soul will be condemned.” He is also expected to call on Middle Eastern countries do more themselves to stamp out extremism, and not count on the US to counter the likes of IS.

“The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves,” he will say. The leaked texts do not include the controversial phrase “radical Islamic terrorism”.

In the past, he has criticised his predecessor Barack Obama, and others for not employing these terms, considered offensive by many Muslims. President Trump’s keynote speech to more than 40 leaders of Muslim nations takes him into risky territory.

White House briefers say it will be uplifting, inspirational and unifying, but also blunt. He is expected to tell governments they need to do more to stamp out religious intolerance and extremism.

This could go one of two ways. If he sticks to the script and presents his administration as being supportive and collegiate, avoiding the sort of inflammatory language he has used in the past, it should pass without incident. —BBC

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