The scourge of extremism hand-in-hand with the blight of terrorism have wrought death and misery to the people of unstable nations across the Middle East and North Africa. Like rain that settles in the smallest crevice and over time erodes rocky mountains, where extremist thinking takes hold, the destruction of terrorism follows — targeting the innocent, thriving on ignorance, consuming anything to further its cancerous agenda. And for evil to thrive, all it takes are for good men to do nothing.
The visit of US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia and his speech to more than 40 leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and across the Arab world is notable in that it has once more highlighted that all are united in their determination that radical and extremist groups who peddle their self-created, intolerant and hateful philosophies will be excised.
The Riyadh gathering has highlighted again the resolve of all that whoever espouses intolerance on the ignorant, terror on the unwilling, death on the innocent will be pursued with the utmost vigour until they are erased and those who give credence to their words will be enlightened.
Yes, it is easy to resolve through words that this united sentiment be so — but those who endorse terror and extremists should make no mistake that they will be rooted out and erased. The leaders have agreed that a Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology will be based in Riyadh and will lay to groundwork to oppose and roll back the thinkers who advocate hate, foster the philosophy of division, and provide the theological threads for terrorists to weave murder, mayhem and misery. This centre will play a key and necessary role in monitoring and fighting terror.
But monitoring is not enough alone. There must be those who are willing to march now — and there is no shortage either. Another 34,000 reserve troops have been pledged from Arab and Muslim nations to support ongoing operations in Iraq and Syria against terrorists. Along with those boots on the ground, the intelligence gathering and analytical arm of the fight will also be strengthened and sharpened, focusing more resources on those who support or are willing to join the ranks of extremists.
Whether online or on the frontline, in cyberspace or in combat, there will be the resources and resolve to overcome. And here, in the GCC, whoever reaches into their purse to pursue extremist causes, will be found and prosecuted. There will be no quarter given in this fight of good against evil.
