Donald Trump will insist in his first presidential speech addressing global 'Islamist extremism' that Muslim leaders must scare would-be terrorists into submission, warning them about the impact suicide bombings will have on their immortal souls.
'Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear: Barbarism will deliver you no glory – piety to evil will bring you no dignity,' Trump will say, according to excerpts the White House provided a few hours ahead of time.
'If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and your soul will be condemned.'
Trump will insist that fighting terrorism is 'a battle between good and evil,' not between 'different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations.'
But he will shy away from referring specifically to 'radical Islamic terrorism,' a phrase he lambasted both his predecessor Barack Obama and his election opponent Hillary Clinton for avoiding.
On Sunday Donald Trump (pictured on Wednesday during a meeting with Kuwait's Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Saba) will deliver a speech in Saudi Arabia on fighting Mid-East terrorism
Trump (seen with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Sunday) won't use the phrase 'radical Islamic terrorism,' which he previously demanded Barack Obama use
Instead Trump will refer to 'Islamist extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires.'
'Islamist' is a term meant to apply more to governments and movements than to individuals motivated by their religion to sow chaos.
'This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it,' his speech reads.
The president will speak before more than four dozen world leaders at an Arab Islamic American Summit event in Riyadh, telling them that '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.'
He will insist that world leaders begin 'honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires,' while 'standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians.'
Instead the president (seen with Salman on Sunday) will refer to 'Islamist extremism.' He won't demand broad cultural or political changes from other countries in exchange for US support
But Trump will not demand that nations embrace broad cultural or political changes as a condition of working with the United States.
'Our friends will never question our support, and our enemies will never doubt our determination. Our partnerships will advance security through stability, not through radical disruption,' the speech reads.
'We will make decisions based on real-world outcomes – not inflexible ideology. We will be guided by the lessons of experience, not the confines of rigid thinking. And, wherever possible, we will seek gradual reforms – not sudden intervention.'
'Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to God,' Trump will say.
His speech will come just hours after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with six Persian Gulf to counter global terrorism by cracking down on people and groups who finance violent jihadis.
The Gulf Cooperation Council nations who agreed to the measure include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Among the agreement's components is the establishment of a center in Riyadh to fight extremism – especially online.
White House deputy national security advisor Dina Powell told reporters in Riyadh on Sunday that the pact represents the 'farthest reaching commitment to not finance terrorist organizations,' and said the U.S. Treasury Department will monitor terror financing in Gulf states.
'The unique piece of it is that every single one of them are signatories on how they are responsible and will actually prosecute the financing of terrorism – including individuals, Powell said.
The president's two-day stop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia marks just the first stage of a nine-day international trip that will see him next in Israel, and then Rome, Brussels and a small resort town in Sicily.
The agenda includes NATO and G7 meetings, along with talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and an audience with Pope Francis.
But job one is Sunday's anti-terror speech in the Saudi kingdom, widely seen as Trump's first chance to have a global impact on a subject that helped propel him to the White House.
During the speech, the president (seen with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan) will say that terrorists must give up - or face 'condemning' their souls
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'We can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong – and if everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfills their part of the burden,' Trump will say.
'Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land.'
'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.'
Trump made waves a year and a half ago with a campaign speech in which he called for 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States' until measures were taken to stop terrorists at the border.
That, in combination with his 'America first' slogan and its accompanying philosophy, had a worrying ripple effect across the Arab world.
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Trump's America-first policies and Muslim travel ban have worried the Arab world, but his speech will promise 'partnership' with Arab states 'based on shared interests and values'
Trump's speech, largely crafted by hard-line aide Stephen Miller, is expected to highlight the advancement of American interests while not condemning his audience's religion.
'America is a sovereign nation and our first priority is always the safety and security of our citizens. 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,' he will say.
'Instead, we are here to offer partnership – based on shared interests and values – to pursue a better future for us all.'
