Saudi Arabia's crown prince vowed to "pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth" as officials from 40 Muslim countries gathered Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance.
"In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries... with no coordination" among national authorities, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Saudi defence minister, said in his keynote address to the gathering in Riyadh.
"This ends today, with this alliance."
The summit is the first meeting of defence ministers and other senior officials from the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, which officially counts 41 countries and identifies as a "pan-Islamic unified front" against violent extremism.
The alliance was announced in 2015 under the auspices of Prince Mohammed, whose rapid ascent since his appointment as heir to the throne in June has shaken the political scene across the region.
Sunday's meeting comes as several military coalitions, including key Saudi ally the United States, battle to push the Islamic State group from its last remaining bastions in Iraq and Syria.
The alliance groups largely, although not exclusively, Sunni-majority or Sunni-ruled countries.
It excludes Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, Shiite-dominated Iran, as well as Syria and Iraq, whose leaders have close ties to Tehran.
Sunday's meeting coincides with an escalation in tensions between Riyadh and Tehran, particularly over wars in Syria and Yemen and the political structure of multi-confessional Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supporting armed groups across the Middle East, including Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah and Yemen's Huthi rebels.
"The pillar of this coalition is inclusion," said Saudi General Abdulelah al-Saleh, the alliance's acting secretary general, playing down the exclusion of the three countries.
"Our common enemy is terrorism, not any religion, sect or race."
The alliance meeting in Riyadh brings together Muslim or Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Uganda, Somalia, Mauritania, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen and Turkey.
- 'Distorted image of Islam' -
Retired Pakistani general Raheel Sharif, who has been appointed commander-in-chief, also insisted that the coalition was not against any religion or state.
The alliance aims to "mobilize and coordinate the use of resources, facilitate the exchange of information and help member countries build their own counter-terrorism capacity," Sharif said.
While the alliance officially includes Qatar, which is the target of a six-month boycott led by Saudi Arabia, organizers in Riyadh said no Qatari officials were present at the meeting.
Qatar's flag was also absent.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain abruptly cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June, accusing the emirate of being too close to Iran and supporting Islamist extremism.
Doha denies the allegations.
Egypt, which sent a military official and not its defense minister to Sunday's meeting, is reeling from a Friday attack on a mosque that killed more than 300 people during prayer time.
While IS has not claimed responsibility, Egyptian authorities say the organization is the main suspect as the mosque is associated with followers of the mystical Sufi branch of Sunni Islam, whom IS has branded heretics.
Prince Mohammed said Friday's "painful event" was a reminder of the "danger of terrorism and extremism".
"Beyond the killing of innocent people and the spread of hatred, terrorism and extremism distort the image of our religion," he said.
Since his sudden appointment as crown prince, Prince Mohammed has moved to consolidate power, announcing crackdowns on both terrorism and corruption.
A corruption purge saw around 200 members of the Saudi elite including princes, ministers and business tycoons arrested or sacked earlier this month.
Saudis interesting prophetic move - Bill Wilson -
Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman this past weekend convened the second meeting of defense ministers and other officials from the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. The coalition was formed by Mohammed in 2015 and consists of 41 countries claiming to be a "pan-Islamic unified front" against violent extremism. The nations or political states include Afghanistan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, Egypt, Palestine, Sudan, Yemen, Benin, Jordan, and several others. It does not include Iraq, Syria or Iran. Interesting that many of these countries are terrorist sponsoring nations, with Saudi Arabia one of the largest contributors to international terrorism.
The coalition's website claims it "seeks to bring peace to affected regions and promote stability and prosperity to the Islamic world as well as the entire world." It also claims in its ideology that it seeks to "Launch and sustain a journey to build a better tomorrow for generations to come, rooted in a consistent and global message that reaffirms the Islamic principles of tolerance and compassion, and counter the narrative of violent extremist ideology through presenting the true nature of Islam and supporting ideological, psychological, and social reforms." The coalition will pool its money to share military information and encourage military counter terror capacity to "deter aggression and violence."
From a contemporary historic perspective, it is noble that these nations want to establish peace in the Middle East region. It is questionable, however, given the longstanding history of terrorist support that these nations are sincere. For example, Saudi Arabia is the exporter of Wahhabism and the Salafi movement that teaches a most radical form of Islamic terrorism. Turkey has supported the Islamic State in its efforts to overthrow Syria. Somalia is known as a hotbed for terrorists as is Sudan, Yemen and Libya. One has to wonder if the Palestinian "state" will use its cut of the shared military money to fight the Israelis that they consider terrorists. We must also remember that the "peace of Islam" is all nations under submission to Sharia Law.
The prophetic implications of this coalition are interesting. Saudi Arabia is home to the most holy of Islamic holy sites, Mecca. The coalition brings together Turkey, Sudan, and Libya as recalled in the Ezekiel 38 end time coalition. In Ezekiel 38:3-8, the Lord says, "Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army...Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them...against the mountains of Israel..." These areas mentioned in Ezekiel 38 coincide with modern Turkey, Iran, Sudan, Libya, and parts of Iraq, even Saudi Arabia. Iran and Iraq, specifically not part of the present-day Saudi coalition, come under submission to Turkey's Gog to attack Israel in the end of days. We may be seeing a foundation laid for the prophetic future.
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