Calls on Muslim world to reject the ideology of such groups
US President Barack Obama took his pitch against the Islamic State militancy to the United Nations on Wednesday and declared that America would work with a broad global coalition to dismantle this “network of death”.
In a forceful address to the UN General Assembly a day after the US expanded its military offensive against ISIS to its strongholds inside Syria, Obama called on the world, especially Muslim communities, to “explicitly, forcefully and consistently reject the ideology of al Qaeda and ISIl”.
Asserting that the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam, he rejected any suggestion of a clash of civilisations even as he issued a call to the international community to join the coalition of over 40 nations already to meet the challenge of the ISIS terror formation that “must be degraded and ultimately destroyed”.
“Today, I ask the world to join in this effort. Those who have joined ISIl should leave the battlefield while they can. Those who continue to fight for a hateful cause will find they are increasingly alone. For we will not succumb to threats; and we will demonstrate that the future belongs to those who build - not those who destroy,” he said.
In his address, Obama also slammed Russia’s actions in Ukraine, inclusive of its annexation of Crimea, terming these a challenge to post-Cold War order. “Russian aggression in Europe recalls the days when large nations trampled small ones in pursuit of territorial ambition,” he said.
With much of his focus devoted to the challenge posed by ISIS, Obama made a direct appeal to the countries of the Arab and Muslim world to focus on the extraordinary potential of their people, especially the youth.
“Here I’d like to speak directly to young people across the Muslim world,” Obama said, stressing: “You come from a great tradition that stands for education, not ignorance; innovation, not destruction; the dignity of life, not murder. Those who call you away from this path are betraying this tradition, not defending it.”
In a blistering attack on the level of savagery practiced by ISIS, Obama said this group has terrorised all who they come across in Iraq and Syria. “Mothers, sisters and daughters have been subjected to rape as a weapon of war. Innocent children have been gunned down. Bodies have been dumped in mass graves. Religious minorities have been starved to death. In the most horrific crimes imaginable, innocent human beings have been beheaded, with videos of the atrocity distributed to shock the conscience of the world.”
“No God condones this terror. No grievance justifies these actions. There can be no reasoning — no negotiation — with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force. So the United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death,” Obama added.
Making it clear once again that in this quest, America would not be acting alone or sending its troops to occupy foreign lands, Obama said:
“Instead, we will support Iraqis and Syrians fighting to reclaim their communities. We will use our military might in a campaign of air strikes to roll back ISIl. We will train and equip forces fighting against these terrorists on the ground. We will work to cut off their financing, and to stop the flow of fighters into and out of the region. Already, over 40 nations have offered to join this coalition.”
While the UN Security Council is set to adopt a resolution urging States to counter violent extremism, Obama said such resolutions must be followed by tangible commitments.
“Next year, we should all be prepared to announce the concrete steps that we have taken to counter extremist ideologies - by getting intolerance out of schools, stopping radicalization before it spreads, and promoting institutions and programs that build new bridges of understanding,” he said.