Queen Rania of Jordan says that moderate Muslims are not doing enough to fight against IS jihadists and their “diabolical ideology.”
Speaking at a major French business gathering in Jouy-en-Josas near Paris, the 44-year-old says helping the Middle East’s youth was crucial in the fight against the extremist group, which controls swathes of Iraq and Syria on Jordan’s doorstep.
“We are facing a time of great peril. Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, continues to spread its diabolical ideology,” she says.
“Moderate Muslims the world over are not doing enough to win the ideological struggle at the heart of this battle.”
“We’re not actively helping Daesh, but we’re not actively stopping them either. We can’t stand against them until we as Muslims agree on what we stand for.”
Queen Rania of Jordan looks on as she delivers a speech during the Grand Opening of French employers’ organization Medef at their summer conference on August 26, 2015 in Jouy-en-Josas, near Paris (AFP / ERIC PIERMONT)
Queen Rania says focusing on the youth of the Middle East — many of whom are unemployed or forced to flee their countries — is a necessity.
They need “education, opportunities, work and… also a little bit of luck, that someone believes in them.”
According to the queen, some 100 million jobs must be created in the region by 2020, to avoid disaffected young people from joining the ranks of jihadists.
“Failure is not an option because if we fail in the face of these extremists and if they win, the region will quickly be devastated.
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
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