King of Jordan Calls On Gulf States to Fight IS, Extremism

In a speech given on Nov. 15, King Abdullah II of Jordan strongly denounced terrorism in the Middle East and called for other Muslim countries to fight “against those who seek to hijack our societies and future generations with intolerant Takfiri ideology.” Takfiri refers to the practice of denouncing other Muslims as infidels, a practice which in the past has rarely been used, and which Al-Qaeda itself does not employ. On top of this denunciation, King Abdullah called for a “comprehensive political solution” in Syria, which he stressed must include both regional and international actors.

The speech comes shortly after the Lebanese capital was targeted by the group known as the Islamic State (IS), when two bombs detonated in the Beirut, killing 46 people. It was also followed by the attacks in Paris, where 136 people were killed by IS-affiliated attackers, as well as the bombing of a Russian airliner in Egypt, killing over 200 people.

Other regional leaders have not echoed King Abdullah’s call for greater involvement by other Gulf States, many of whom have so far done little to combat or suppress IS. While Lebanon has taken in refugees from the Syrian crisis, neighboring states such as Saudi Arabia and Iran have refused to do the same. Moreover, some IS funding appears to be connected to wealthy members within the states.

It has yet to be seen if the increased attacks on foreign soil will lead other Gulf states to form a coalition to fight IS, or if the conflict will devolve into a proxy war between regional Sunni and Shia states.