Iran has always played a prominent role in the campaign against terrorism and extremism, an envoy to the United Nations said, citing Iran's aid to the fight on the ground and its efforts to unite nations against terrorism. "Iranians of all ages and affiliation, particularly the youth, have been consistent in rejecting and fighting violent extremism from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Daesh [an Arabic acronym for the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group] and similar forces in Yemen, Iraq and Syria," Hossein Dehqani said.
Speaking at a UN meeting on Wednesday about countering the narratives and ideologies of terrorism, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the UN said, "We also have tried to help fight extremists on the ground and provide a path to combat their ideology, including by promoting dialogue among civilizations and 'A World against Violent Extremism'."
Dehqani noted that those who believe in and promote "takfiri or excommunicative ideology" to justify, and even glorify, the targeting of an ever expanding list of those they despise, subjecting them to slavery, rape and death, citing the atrocities committed against the Yazidi people.
Need to Address Underlying Roots
According to a transcript of his statement posted on the website of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN, the diplomat underscored the need to address the underlying roots of terrorism, embodied by IS and its affiliates.
"Therefore, the international community needs, first and foremost, to focus on this vicious ideology, and their proponents, that seek to instill hatred and anger in the hearts and minds of the youth everywhere in the Islamic world and beyond," he said.
Dehqani once again denounced those "with wealth and power" behind the plots leading to the formation of such terrorist groups as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, IS and Al-Nusra Front.
"For many decades, the proponents of this perverse ideology have pinpointed individuals susceptible to their schemes, then bankrolled them, provided them with all necessary cover and support, brought pressure to bear on different governments to condone their activities, etc. And the results are the atrocities, rapes, slavery, burnings, beheadings and innovative ways of killing that we sadly came to learn through the media," he said.
Dehqani noted that political and military interventions in the region by outside powers are partly to blame for the spread of terrorism and violence.
"Political and military interventions in the region, especially in the past decade, exacerbated the situation and created an enormously fertile breeding ground for extremists and helped the most radical among them to grow," he said.
