President of Republic: ‘Extremist ideas are most often at the root of extremist and violent acts’

His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, indicated that due to the complexity of extremism and terrorism, Mauritania had adopted an integrated strategy that considers the ideological dimension in addition to the military and development dimensions of the phenomenon.

In the speech delivered on 8 February during his supervision of the opening of the second edition of the African Conference for Promoting Peace in Nouakchott, the President of the Republic stressed that extremist ideas are in most cases at the root of extremist and violent acts.

Here is the translation of the full text of this speech:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful and peace and blessings be on the most noble of Prophets and Messengers.

Excellency Prime Minister,

Mr. President of the Constitutional Council,
Mr. Leader of the Opposition,

Honorable Ministers,

His Eminence Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, the President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies,

Excellences les Ambassadeurs et Représentants des missions diplomatiques,

Messieurs et Mesdames les Représentants des organisations internationales accréditées dans notre pays,

Excellencies Ambassadors and Representatives of Diplomatic Missions,

Ladies and Gentlemen Representatives of international organizations accredited to our country,

Eminences Ulemas participating in the Conference,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First, I want to welcome the eminent scholars and all our honorable guests to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. This land has been, throughout the ages, a destination for scholars and researchers from all over the world. It has always been a place of unique cultural exchange and a source of broad civilizational influence that enabled the teachings of the authentic Islamic religion and its eternal values of tolerance and fraternity to spread in the sub-region.

I also extend my sincere thanks to his Eminence Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, the President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, for the organization of this second edition of the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace, as well as for his constant dedication devoting his action and his knowledge to understanding the great questions of the time and what they imply as important challenges hampering the anchoring of peace, understanding, and fraternity between the peoples of the world.

Needless to point out that extremism and violence, and the resulting terrorism, which claim the lives of innocent victims and seriously damage the economies, security, and stability of many countries, constitute today an imminent threat to state entities and block all prospects for stability and development, particularly in Africa.

Given the complexity of the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism due to the interweaving of its multiple factors, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has adopted an integrated and comprehensive approach to deal with it, which was not limited to military and development dimensions. The Mauritanian approach considers the ideological dimension, which is at the center of the general structure of this phenomenon because the extremist ideas are in most cases at the root of extremist and violent acts.

Victory over terrorism indeed requires breaking its military spine and depriving it of a favorable environment by combating ignorance, unemployment, and poverty, establishing a firmly entrenched rule of law, and building sustainable development. But it is also necessary, as a priority, to work to remove from minds the germs of ideological extremism by ensuring the promotion of the culture of peace, love, and fraternity, as well as by preaching the authentic Islamic values of tolerance, moderation, and brotherhood while protecting them against perverted interpretations.

Extremist thought finds in the fragility of social conditions, injustice, poverty, ignorance, and unemployment, an environment conducive to its growth and its spread in the social body, especially among young people so that it is transformed into effective, destructive, and murderous terrorist violence.

In all that, after Allah, the Almighty, we count a lot on your conference, of which we are going to open the second edition today. We are convinced that the action plans, strategies, and enlightened recommendations that will emerge, as well as the initiatives that will follow in Africa and in the world in general, will contribute to the promotion of peace in the world and the spread of the spirit of tolerance and openness to dry up the sources of violence and extremism.

With the blessing of Allah, I declare open the second edition of the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace under the theme: “Bringing peace to the world”, wishing its work every success.

Thank you

we salam aleykoum we rahmetou Allah we Barakatouhou”.