Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called for a collective action at the regional and international levels to confront hate speech and extremism with the participation of various religious institutions to spread the values of peace.
Sisi’s comments came on Monday during a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He also discussed with his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron “regional issues and efforts to confront terrorism.”
Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radhi said that Macron contacted Sisi to discuss “common stances regarding the fight against terrorism and extremism… and the recent terrorist attacks in France.”
Sisi emphasized “the necessity to differentiate between the Islamic religion, which calls for promoting peace, tolerance and renouncing violence, and terrorist acts committed by those who claim to belong to Islam and which are strongly condemned.”
He continued: “There is a need to focus on spreading the values of coexistence between the followers of different religions, through dialogue, understanding and mutual respect.”
Also on Monday, Sisi held a video conference with Merkel, with whom he discussed strategic bilateral relations and the means to confront extremist ideology and combat terrorism, in light of the recent attacks in a number of European countries.
According to the Egyptian presidential spokesman, Sisi stressed that the religious values had nothing to do with acts of extremism and terrorism.
He pointed to “the importance of formulating a collective action at the regional and international level to confront hate speech and extremism, with the participation of various religious institutions from all sides, with the aim of spreading the values of peace and consolidating the foundations of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among all peoples.”
The two officials also discussed the latest developments concerning Libya.
In this regard, Radhi said the German Chancellor praised Cairo’s endeavor to settle the Libyan crisis and Sisi’s personal efforts in this context, which would “enhance the political process and consolidate Egypt’s role as a pillar of security and stability in its regional environment and the Middle East region.”
