During the High Level Thematic Conversation on Children and Youth Affected by Violent Extremism, held at the UN headquearters, HE the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani reiterated Qatar’s rejection of all forms of violent extremism.

He affirmed that eradicating violent extremism requires a long-term strategy that deals with the particular circumstances affecting different environments.

He stressed that extremism does not stem from a particular religion; instead, it results from unique social, economic, and political distortions.

He noted that linking extremism to a particular religion fails to address the root causes of extremism. In addition, religion is used as a pretext for the recruiting efforts of extremist groups.

He spoke on the aspirations of youths, noting that dictatorships prevent youth from finding meaning, which leads to accumulated anger and violence. This anger is taken advantage of by religious and non-religious political forces that aim to attract angry youth to their ranks.