Trump speaks on ‘good vs evil’ in Saudi

 

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, for their countries, and for their children,” 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.

 

Trump frequently attacked Muslims in the campaign, including suggesting he would be open to creating a database of all the Muslims in the US, linking the religion with violence.

 

And in an interview last year, he famously said: “I think Islam hates us.”

 

He also called for Muslims to be temporarily banned from entering the US over security concerns. Legislation aimed at restricting travel from several Muslim-majority countries remains tied up in the US courts, reports the BBC.