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May 21, 2017
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President Trump At 2017 Arab Muslim Summit In Riyadh: Terrorism Cannot Be Tolerated, Accepted, Or Ignored; You Must Do Your Part, Do Not Wait For American Power To Crush This Enemy For You; Drive Terrorists And Extremists Out, Deny Them Territory

#11800 | 05:35
Source: Online Platforms - "PBS on YouTube"

On May 21, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a speech at the Arab and Muslim Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that the Middle East has tremendous untapped potential that is being held back by terrorism. He said that there can be no coexisting with, tolerating, accepting, or even ignoring terrorist violence, particularly when it is in the name of God. He also said that the battle against terrorism is a battle between good and evil and for which God will ultimately judge people's actions. President Trump called on the nations attending the summit to "do their part" in combating terrorism and extremism, and not to wait for "American power to crush this enemy" for them. He called on them to drive terrorists and extremists out of their places of worship, out of their communities, out of their holy lands, and "out of this earth," as well as to "deny all territory" to these "foot soldiers of evil." Footage of the speech was posted to YouTube by PBS.

President Trump: "The potential of this region has never ever been greater. 65% of its population is under the age of 30. Like all young men and women, they seek great futures to build, great national projects to join, and a place for their families to call home. But this untapped potential, this tremendous cause of optimism, is held at bay by bloodshed and terror. There can be no coexistence with this violence. There can be no tolerating it, no accepting it, no excusing it, and no ignoring it. Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person and falsely invokes the name of God, it should be an insult to every person of faith. Terrorists do not worship God, they worship death.

"If we do not act against this organized terror, then we know what will happen and what will be the end result. Terrorism's devastation of life will continue to spread, peaceful societies will become engulfed by violence, and the futures of many generations will be sadly squandered. If we do not stand in uniform condemnation of this killing, then not only will we be judged by our people, not only will we be judged by history, but we will be judged by God. This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations. This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people all in the name of religion. People that want to protect life and want to protect their religion.

"This is a battle between good and evil. When we see the scenes of destruction in the wake of terror, we see no signs that those murdered were Jewish or Christian, Shia or Sunni. When we look upon the strains of innocent blood soaked into the ancient ground, we cannot see the faith or sect or tribe of the victims. We see only that they were children of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy. But we can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong, and if everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfills their part of the burden. Terrorism has spread all across the world, but the path to peace begins right here on this ancient soil in this sacred land. 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 country, and frankly, for their families and for their children.

"It's a choice between two futures, and it is a choice America cannot make for you. A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. Drive them out! Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land. And drive them out of this earth.

[...]

"And wherever possible, we will seek gradual reforms, not sudden intervention. We must seek partners, not perfection, and to make allies of all who share our goals. Above all, America seeks peace, not war. Muslim nations must be willing to take on the burden if we are going to defeat terrorism and send its wicked ideology into oblivion. The first task in this joint effort is for your nations to deny all territory to the foot soldiers of evil. Every country in the region has an absolute duty to ensure that terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil."

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