AFP
Paris
Queen Rania of Jordan said yesterday that moderate Muslims were not doing enough to fight against IS militants and their “diabolical ideology”.
Speaking at a major French business gathering in Jouy-en-Josas near Paris, the 44-year-old said helping the Middle East’s youth was crucial in the fight against the extremist group, which controls swathes of Iraq and Syria on Jordan’s doorstep.
“We are facing a time of great peril. Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, continues to spread its diabolical ideology,” she said.
“Moderate Muslims the world over are not doing enough to win the ideological struggle at the heart of this battle.
“We’re not actively helping Daesh, but we’re not actively stopping them either. We can’t stand against them until we as Muslims agree on what we stand for.”
Queen Rania said focusing on the youth of the Middle East—many of whom are unemployed or forced to flee their countries—was a necessity.
They need “education, opportunities, work and... also a little bit of luck, that someone believes in them”.
According to the queen, some 100mn jobs must be created in the region by 2020, to avoid disaffected young people from joining the ranks of militants.
“Failure is not an option because if we fail in the face of these extremists and if they win, the region will quickly be devastated.”