Addressing social grievances key to terrorism fight, says pres

Addressing social grievances such as disillusionment, injustice and alienation that drive young people towards extremism is crucial in the fight against terrorism, president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said.

The president had said this in the address he made at the Arab-Islamic-American-Summit held Sunday, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

His speech has been made an official document of the US-Islamic Summit, president's office revealed.

The summit aimed to establish a new partnership between Muslim nations and the US to counter violent extremism and terrorism, and to promote the values of tolerance, coexistence and stability.

In his statement, the president remarked that the leaders present at the US-Islamic Summit have a collective duty to promote the values of tolerance and urged to bolster efforts to ensure peaceful coexistence.

He emphasised that the Maldives condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Extremist views cannot be beaten by violence, but has to be challenged with counter-narratives that address grievances and the broader contextual conditions conducive to the spread of fear and violence, the president had said.

He further noted that the Arab-Islamic nations are, unfortunately, at the epicentre of today’s debate and that terrorist activities carried out in the name of Islam continue to tarnish the name and image of the religion as one of peace, compassion, harmony, tolerance, justice and unity.

Noting that contemporary security challenges involve transnational criminal networks that are difficult to trace and locate, the president had called for reinforcement of cross-border intelligence sharing and management.

At the same time, he solicited enhancement of legal and military counter-terrorism measures taken by the United Nations and to promote social cohesion over exclusion.

The Arab-Islamic-American Summit was chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin AbdulAziz Al-Saud. It was attended by leaders of 54 Islamic countries and US president Donald Trump.

President Yameen was invited to the summit by King Salman.

The president had also taken part in the ceremony held to inaugurate the Global Centre for Combatting Extremism headquartered in Riyadh, as the summit came to a close on Sunday.

Maldives maintains a good relationship with Saudi Arabia, and the relation has grown stronger during Yameen’s presidency.

President Yameen has already made several trips to the Muslim holy land – his last trip to the country was in October, where potential investment plans in the Maldives and ways to improve the bilateral relations between the two states were discussed.