Denouncing Islamic extremists for negating a religion that stands for tolerance, justice and mercy, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi took to the podium of the General Assembly today to call on the United Nations and its Member States to join him in a proactive strategy to defeat terrorism.

“Counterterrorism efforts so far have relied solely on defensive reaction, focusing on defending the present,” he told world leaders on the opening day of the week-long 70th annual General Debate in a speech which dwelt on the extremists’ threats to the Arab world, from Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen to Egypt itself.

“It is our belief in Egypt that the Middle East and the world at large are confronted with a perilous danger and are in dire need of a model that presents new prospects for our youth, providing them with opportunities for a brighter future. They must be shown that, with diligent work, they can participate in crafting this future.”

Those who claim to have a monopoly in interpreting Islam are merely propagating their own prejudiced interpretation of the religion, he said.

“There is no doubt that more than 1.5 billion Muslims refuse to subscribe to the views of this small minority that claims to speak on their behalf and seeks, through violence and extremism, to marginalize and silence all who oppose it,” he declared. Details