Does Islamophobia Fuel Terrorism? UN Chief Raises Concerns Amid Trump's Travel Ban Controversy

Policies, speeches and feelings that express “Islamophobia” are fuelling terrorism, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, said during a visit to Saudi Arabia Sunday.

Guterres’ comments to reporters followed talks with Saudi King Salman, Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“One of the things that fuel terrorism is the expression in some parts of the world of Islamophobic feelings and Islamophobic policies and Islamophobic hate speeches,” Guterres said at a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

“This is sometimes the best support that Daesh can have to make its own propaganda,” Guterres said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS. “So, we need to have a comprehensive approach to fight terrorism, including creating the conditions for societies that are multiethnic, multi-religious, multicultural, to be inclusive, to be cohesive, investing in the conditions to make diversity a richness, not a threat,” he concluded.

During the course of his speech, Guterres also praised the cooperation shown by the Saudi Kingdom in combating terrorism and for helping to bring the fragmented Syrian opposition to the Geneva conference as a united delegation, which he termed as a very significant step towards finding a political solution to Syria.

The fourth round of the U.N.-sponsored talks on the Syrian conflict has been scheduled for Feb. 20, and would mark the second face-to-face negotiations between Syrian rebels and the Bashar Assad government.

Guterres also said that the U.N. is planning to reform its counterterrorism capacity to better aid supporting member states in developing tools to fight terrorism effectively.

Guterres’ comments regarding Islamophobia follow his criticism of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration restrictions that many political observers characterized as Trump’s gift to ISIS and other terrorist outfits.

“Countries have the right, even the obligation, to responsibly manage their borders to avoid infiltration by members of terrorist organizations ... this cannot be based on any form of discrimination related to religion, ethnicity or nationality because … that is against the fundamental principles and values on which our societies are based.” Guterres’ said earlier this month.