Violent extremists who are killing children and others in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and other parts of the world may cite Islam as a justification, but the West should be careful about calling them Islamic radicals, Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience of opinion leaders Friday at the World Economic Forum.
In a speech calling for a global effort against violent extremism, Kerry said it would be a mistake to link Islam to criminal conduct rooted in alienation, poverty, thrill-seeking and other factors.
“We have to keep our heads,” Kerry said. “The biggest error we could make would be to blame Muslims for crimes…that their faith utterly rejects,” he added.
John Kerry has said that terror attacks similar to the one on a military-run school in Peshawar cannot be rationalized.
According to the Express Tribune, during a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Kerry said that this kind of atrocity can never be rationalized, adding that it was not possible to change minds without knowing what’s in them.
Speaking on growing violent terrorist attacks, Kerry said that in the fight against “terror”, there was “no room for anti-Semitism or Islamophobia”.
Kerry said “violent extremism has claimed violence at every corner of the globe and Muslim lives most of all.”
He added there was no room for sectarian division or for anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.
Agencies