UAE says ISIS should not be called ‘Islamic State’

UAE diplomat Mohammad Abu Shahab appeals United Nations and its member states to stop using “Islamic State” when referring to the terrorist group ISIS.

During the speech During a joint briefing on the ongoing threat to international security posed by ISIS and its affiliates on Tuesday, Mr. Abushahab, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nationssaying extremists have been using Islam to justify their violent campaigns.

“We take this opportunity to focus on the exploitation of Islam terrorist organization Justify their violence and hatred of self-proclaimed Islamic names,” he told a UN Security Council meeting.

“We must not allow Daesh (another name for ISIS) and other groups to hijack the religion of tolerance and believe in their pretense.

“I want to reiterate that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam.

“We therefore call on member states and the UN system to stop using ISIS when referring to ISIS and apply the same principles to prevent other terrorist groups from exploiting religion.”

“Globalization and continuous development”

UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov said at the presentation of Secretary-General António Guterres’ 15th report on the threat ISIS poses to international peace and security that the group and its affiliates The threat posed remains “global and changing”.

He said tens of thousands of people from Iraq and 60 other countries — including more than 27,000 children — remained deprived of their basic rights and at risk of radicalization and recruitment.

“Daesh and its affiliates continue to exploit conflict dynamics, governance fragility and inequalities to incite, plan and organize terrorist attacks,” he said.

“They continue to take advantage of pandemic-related restrictions and misuse digital spaces to intensify efforts to recruit sympathizers and attract resources.

“The group has also significantly increased the use of unmanned aerial systems over the past year.”

Mr Voronkov said the border between Iraq and Syria remained very fragile, with an estimated 10,000 fighters operating in the area.

In Afghanistan, although the number of attacks claimed or attributed to ISIS has declined since the Taliban took power, its presence has expanded to the northeast and east of the country.

Mr Voronkov reiterated Mr Guterres’ call on member states to work towards the safe repatriation of all those still trapped in camps and other centres.

“If we are to emerge from this scourge, we must also first address the vulnerabilities, social grievances and inequalities exploited by the group, as well as promote and protect human rights and the rule of law,” he said.

Mr Voronkov said that while “the Islamic State leadership still manages between $25 million and $50 million in assets, this amount is much lower than estimated three years ago”.

overlapping risk

Chen Weixiong, acting executive director of the CTC Executive Directorate, said exploiting conflict-related vulnerabilities remains at the heart of ISIS’ strategy, particularly in Iraq, Syria and across Africa.

The global food crisis could fuel the spread of terrorism and violent extremism, he said.

“Terrorism does not exist in a vacuum. We face a set of overlapping global challenges that have the potential to complicate our counterterrorism response and exacerbate the threat posed by the Islamic State and other terrorist groups.

“Increasing multilateralism, international cooperation and global solidarity is the only way to counter global terrorist threats like ISIS.”

Martin Ewi, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said ISIS has expanded across the central, southern and western parts of the African continent, not only as the center of its activity, but possibly as a so-called future caliphate.

At least 20 African countries have directly experienced ISIS activities, and more than 20 others have been used for logistics, mobilizing funds and other resources, he said.

Mr Ewi said research showed that many young people joined ISIS and other terrorist groups because of poverty and unemployment.

The solution lies at the community level, he said, and called on the Council to work more closely with the African Union, regional economic communities and civil society.

In May, the Global Anti-Islamic State Coalition Come together in Morocco to coordinate efforts Prevent a resurgence of extremists in the Middle East and North Africa.

In a joint statement, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Britta wrote that coalition members “reaffirmed their shared determination to continue the fight against ISIS through military and civilian-led efforts and contribute to the lasting defeat of the terrorist group. ” .

The coalition was formed in 2014 after militants seized much of Iraq and Syria. It now includes 84 countries and international organizations.

In January, ISIS militants launched their largest attack in years — Jailbreak in Kurdish-held Syrian city of Hasakah in northeastsparked a week of intense fighting that left hundreds dead.

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Updated: August 10, 2022 3:16 pm