Saudi Gazette report

Riyadh — Ministers of defense and representatives of 41 Islamic and Muslim-majority countries sent out a strong signal during a meeting here on Sunday that they will unify ranks to fight and defeat the scourge of terrorism.

Opening the inaugural meeting of the ministers of defense of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, pledged that extremists will no longer “tarnish the name of our beautiful religion.”

“The biggest danger of terrorism and extremism is the tarnishing of the reputation of our beloved religion. ... We will not allow this to happen,” he said.

He said the members have gathered to pledge to do “all that we can until terrorism is uprooted and is erased from the face of the Earth.”

“Today we affirm that we will fight terrorism until it is eradicated completely,” the Crown Prince said.

He said the meeting sends “a strong signal that we are going to work together and coordinate together to support each other.”

The crown prince also offered his condolences to Egypt, which suffered an attack Friday by militants on a mosque in northern Sinai that killed 305 people.

“This is indeed a painful event and it is a recurrent and strong reminder of the dangers of terrorism,” he said.

The meeting was held under the theme “Allied against Terrorism.”

This marked the official launch of a pan-Islamic, unified front to support the global struggle against terrorism and violent extremism.

IMCTC Acting Secretary General Lt. Gen. Abdulelah Al-Saleh outlined its strategy, governance, activities and future plans.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, highlighted the necessity of promoting a message that counters the narrative of violent extremist ideology and reaffirms Islamic principles of tolerance and compassion.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani, Minister of State for Media Affairs of Jordan, discussed the importance of producing and disseminating factual, scholarly and engaging content to undermine and counter the appeal of violent extremism.

Dr. Ahmed Abdulkarim Alkholifey, Chairman and Governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, discussed counter terrorism financing and the need to promote best practices and advance legal, regulatory, and operational frameworks in prevention, detection, and seizure operations.

Gen. Raheel Sharif, the coalition’s commander-in-chief, talked about assistance in the coordination of resourcing and planning of member country military counter-terror operations, facilitate the secure sharing of military information

The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition was announced in December 2015 by Crown Prince Muhammad to form a unified pan-Islamic front against terrorism. In March 2016, chiefs of staff from Islamic countries met in Riyadh, and affirmed their determination to intensify efforts in fighting terrorism through joint work.