President Biden’s visit to the Middle East is expected to focus on persuading Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations to increase oil production to ease gasoline prices and inflation in general. But he will address other issues as well, including constraining Iran’s growing power and influence in the region, and raising concerns about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and other human rights failures.
He should add one more item: Condemning the kind of religious intolerance, sectarianism, and extremism that has led to so much senseless violence.
With painful frequency – and in contrast to the peaceful aims of most religions – zealots have used xenophobic, religious stands to justify terrorism and violence. Just last month, a deranged individual in Oslo, Norway, killed two people and injured 21 others in what police called Islamic terrorism.
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