Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that defeating the Islamic State on the battlefield is not enough, and that the terrorist group will only be defeated by working with other Muslims to ensure ISIS cannot find a foothold in governmental or religious meetings, or even on Muslim social media networks.
“Defeating them on the battlefield will not end this,” Tillerson said in New Zealand. “We have to win this fight in the ideological sense as well, and that means getting into the social media space, getting into the mosque, getting into the majlis, getting into the conversation.”
A majlis is a council or assembly, but it can also refer to a legislative body.
Tillerson said he was “encouraged” to hear that in the wake of the London Bridge attack, some imams in London said they would not perform prayer services at the funerals of the attackers. He said that means “they’re condemning their souls.”
“And that is what has to be done,” he said.
“Now, only the Muslim faith can handle this,” he said. “And in the discussions with the Muslim countries in Riyadh this was one of the commitments we asked, and there was a center created to counter extremism.”
“This is the role of that center is to begin to get into this ideological debate that only the Muslim community can have with itself,” Tillerson added. “We want to be supportive, but it’s really they have to take this on, and I think we’re beginning to see early signs that they are ready to take this on.”
During his visit to Saudi Arabia last month, Trump asked Muslim leaders to stand with the west and fight the rise of the Islamic State.
“Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear: Barbarism will deliver you no glory — piety to evil will bring you no dignity,” he said. “If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and your soul will be condemned.”
