In UN Assembly address, British Prime Minister outlines plan to defeat extremist ideology

The world must come together to form a comprehensive plan to defeat the ideology of extremism that is the root cause of terrorism in order to win the battle of ideas and not just the battle of military might, said British Prime Minister David Cameron as he took to the General Assembly podium tonight.

“Of course it is absolutely right that we should learn the lessons of the past, especially of what happened in Iraq a decade ago,” he said. “But we have to learn the right lessons. Yes to careful preparation; no to rushing to join a conflict without a clear plan.”

Yet, Mr. Cameron continued, “We must not allow past mistakes to become an excuse for indifference or inaction,” he said, adding that the right lesson is that “we should act – but act different.”

The poisonous ideology spewed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has nothing to do with Islam, which is peaceful religion that inspired countless acts of generosity every day. To defeat ideology of extremism, world leaders must deal with all forms of extremism, not just violent extremism, he said.

“For Governments, there are some obvious ways we can do this. We must ban preachers of hate from coming to our countries. We must proscribe organisations that incite terrorism against people at home and abroad. And we must work together to take down illegal online material like the recent videos of ISIL murdering hostages,” said Mr. Cameron.

He acknowledged that some will argue this is not compatible with free speech but people should ask themselves: “Would we sit back and allow right-wing extremists, Nazis or Klu Klux Klansmen to recruit on our university campuses?” Muslims around the world must reclaim their religion from “these sick terrorists.”

Governments are responsible with showing young people the path to a better, more open and democratic future. The failure to meet people’s aspirations can create a breeding ground where extremist and even terrorist insurgency can take root.

In Iraq, this means supporting the creative of a new and genuinely inclusive Government capable of uniting all Iraqis – Sunni and Shia, Kurds, Christians and others. In Syria, it must mean a political transition and an end to Assad’s brutality through a democratic government that looks after the interests of all its people.

Recalling his meeting earlier today with Iranian President Rouhani, Mr. Cameron said that while there are some “severe disagreements,” Iran’s leaders could help in defeating the threat of ISIL. For its part, the United Kingdom is strengthening its ability to seize passports and strip British identity from dual nationals and enabling security services to apply strong constraints on those who pose a risk.