Saudi Arabia reiterated on Tuesday its condemnation of the terrorist shooting that targeted two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand last week, underscoring the need for religious tolerance, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
The Saudi cabinet also called for combating and criminalizing hate speech that fuels terrorism and extremism.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet session that was held at the al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
Hate speech, continued the cabinet, does not serve world peace and security.
The Kingdom vowed that it will not be forgiving with those who support extremism, hatred, and violence.
“Terrorism has no religion or nation,” the ministers stated. “We are in the greatest need to embrace values of peace and solidarity.”
The cabinet offered its condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack, hailing the exemplary stances of the prime minister and people of New Zealand in handling the tragedy.
The gatherers also addressed the Kingdom’s participation last week in the third Brussels donor conference on Syria. They highlighted the discussions held between Saudi and European officials on joint cooperation to reach security and stability in the war-torn country.
The cabinet also underlined the Kingdom’s participation in the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. It stressed that Saudi Arabia will continue its efforts to protect and bolster human rights and achieve sustainable development according to best rights practices, while also preserving the values of Saudi society.
It warned of discriminatory and xenophobic rhetoric adopted by some world governments, urging that they be countered by policies that help the integration of Muslims in these countries. It also demanded that laws that bar Islamophobia be adopted.
On Yemen, the cabinet hailed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s stances on the need to support the Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in the war-torn country. He also praised the Kingdom’s efforts in helping Yemen counter Iranian meddling and underlined the need to prevent Tehran and its proxies from seizing international trade marine routes.
