President Donald Trump's views on
Islam "continue to evolve," according to Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson, in the wake of the president's address in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
which is earning him praise among notable Christian figures.
Trump's speech is garnering
significant attention given that this was his first address on an international
trip but especially because of its theological overtones while expressing his
vision for U.S.-Muslim relations.
While more nuanced than many of
his pronouncements about Islam on the campaign trail, his speech in Saudi
Arabia last Sunday nevertheless decried "Islamist extremism,"
challenging leaders from more than 50 Muslim nations gathered for the summit in
Saudi Arabia to confront the "vile creed" and "craven
ideology" of terrorism. Nations of the Middle East are full of potential
but the plague of extremism holds them back, he said.
"Terrorists do not worship
God, they worship death," Trump said, framing the issue as "a battle
between good and evil."
Muslim-majority countries must
drive out terrorists from their communities, their places of worship, their
holy lands, and even off the earth, he added. And religious leaders must make
clear to their faith's adherents that "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
condemned."
