The US president’s speech this afternoon is the centrepiece of his two-day visit to the country - the first of his term in office
DONALD Trump has urged Islamic leaders to drive terrorists “out of this earth” during a powerful speech in Saudi Arabia today.
He warned the souls of suicide bombers would be “condemned” as he vowed that the extremists’ days are numbered.
Speaking in a lavish Saudi ballroom, he said: “Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear.
“Barbarism will deliver you no glory – piety to evil will bring you no dignity.
“If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and your soul will be fully condemned. Heroes don't kill innocents.”
The president urged 55 world leaders from Arab and other Muslim nations to “drive out” terrorists from their places of worship and communities.
“Drive them out. Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities,” he said, during his speech in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
“Drive them out of your holy land and drive them out of this earth.”
He added: "Terrorists do not worship God. They worship death."
Trump insisted America would support Middle East leaders in fighting Islamic extremism.
“America is prepared to stand with you in pursuit of shared interests and common security, but the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them,” he said.
He added that a military hardware deal signed between the two countries the day before “will help the Saudi military to take a far greater role in security”.
Trump also vowed that this was "the beginning of the end for those who practise terror", as he called on countries in the region to help starve ISIS and other extremist groups of their funding.
He optimistically declared: "This gathering will be remembered as the beginning of peace in the Middle East."
The president also seemed to suggest that Middle Eastern countries could take more refugees, as he praised the splendour of the “magnificent Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
Terrorists do not worship God. They worship death.
Donald Trump
Trump said: “This region should not be a place from which refugees flee but to which newcomers flock.”
But the president was careful to emphasise that the battle against terror was not a fight between the West and Islam.
Trump told those gathered: “This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilisations.
“This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people - all in the name of religion.”
The US president pointed to the many Muslim victims of terror, telling the summit: “More than 95 per cent of the victims of terrorism are themselves Muslim.”
And he said terrorism was an attack on all religions and all those who hold life sacred.
Trump told the audience: “Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person and falsely invokes the name of God it should be an insult to every person of faith.”
But, in a marked shift from the style of former US president Barack Obama, Trump opted not to bring up the thorny issues of democracy or human rights.
Obama often raised concerns over civil liberties with America’s Arab allies.
But Trump told the gathering: “America will not seek to impose our way of life on others.”
He said in his address: "We are not here to lecture we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship.
"Instead, we are here to offer partnership based on shared interests and values to pursue a better future for us all."
Trump also pointed the finger of blame for global terror and extremism squarely at Iran.
He said: “No discussion of stamping out this threat would be complete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists safe harbour, financial backing and the social standing needed for recruitment.
“It is a regime that is responsible for so much instability in that region. I am speaking of course of Iran.”
He blamed Iran for funding extremist groups across the Middle East, adding: “It is a government that speaks openly of mass murder.”
Opening the conference, Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud foreshadowed many of Trump’s key points as he welcomed “our friend the president of the United States”.
He thanked Trump for choosing Saudi Arabia as the destination for his first foreign visit, and said the two countries would work together to eliminate the “scourge” of extremism.
The king said some Muslims “seek to present a distorted picture of religion” that is based on violence, but said Islam promotes the preservation of life.
He blamed Iran for Islamic extremism, branding the country the “spearhead” of global terrorism since the Islamic revolution in the 1970s.
The president is in Saudi Arabia as part of his first foreign tour in office, taking in five countries in all.
He's the only American president to make Saudi Arabia or any Muslim-majority nation his first overseas visit.
The first day saw the announcement of hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deals – welcome news for Trump as he faces mounting troubles at home linked to a probe into alleged Russian meddling in last year's election.
Among the agreements was an arms deal worth almost $110billion (£85billion) with Saudi Arabia, described as the largest in US history, which US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said was aimed in particular at countering "malign Iranian influence".
Trump is set to travel to Israel on Monday, before making his way to the Vatican City, Belgium and Italy over the next week.
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