UN General Assembly
2013

I believe that moderation in religion and the political process can stem the loss of life and liberty in the Muslim world. Behind the tragic violence, there is a battle being waged for the future of Islam. By reaffirming our commitment to moderation and solving the political problems that drive instability, we can seize back the centre ground. We can marginalize the extremists and advance an agenda for peace, harmony and justice. Around the world, Muslims have watched in despair as conflict tears into some of our oldest communities. Rarely in our history has the Ummah faced violence on this scale. Right now, the world’s attention is rightly focused on Syria. United Nations investigators have concluded that the focus of the war has shifted along ethnic and religious lines and become overtly sectarian. A conflict that began with anti-Government protests threatens to descend into a war of ethnic cleansing. With fighters from Hizbullah engaging on Syrian soil, the conflict now threatens Lebanon, too. Last month, after car bombs killed dozens in Beirut, 42 people died in explosions outside Sunni mosques.