Dubai: “We are in a confrontation with those who have hijacked our religion, those who malign Islam with their violence, bloodshed and slaughter,” said Queen Rania of Jordan to the audience at the Government Summit in Dubai on Monday through a televised recorded message.

Expressing her apologies for not being able to attend the forum, Queen Rania described the hearts of Jordanians as heavy with pain and anger with a dark cloud of sadness and grief draping their skies as they mourn the death of Captain Muath Al Kasaesbeh, who was killed by Daesh.

“My country, Jordan, is facing crisis and tragedy with patience, faith and determination to fight terrorism and hold accountable those who are committing the most heinous and brutal atrocities of our time,” she said.

Referring to Daesh, Queen Rania pointed out that they claim to be successors of the Islamic caliphate, but in reality they have no conscience and no heart.

“On their right hand, the blood of innocent victims, and their left they campaign people to join their barbaric law of the jungle,” she said. She emphasised that Islam is innocent of their crimes and their laws. “The Muslim is the man they murdered,” said Queen Rania.

“The one who observed the pillars of his faith, who honoured his parents and served his country. A man who made it his mission to defend his country and his faith, a mission he lived and died by.”

Al Kasaesbeh’s sacrifice was his life for his country, she said.

Queen Rania referred to the urgent need to defeat terrorism in all its forms before its ideology spreads further, “invading the safety of our homes and wreaking havoc over the world”.

She called on leaders in the Arab world to move quickly together in order to reach a new secure future, one that is founded on coexistence and respect and whose goal is a decent life for every citizen.

“What is happening around us today is the greatest evidence that extremism, be it under religious, social, or political guise, is alien to our values. It has no place among us nor in the future we aspire for, which is in your hands today,” said Queen Rania.

Discussions on the future role of governments in this summit could not have come at a more pressing time, said Queen Rania. “We need to act. We are in a race against time to adopt policies and address the priorities which confront us today — most importantly to eliminate the ideology of hate and terrorism.”

She emphasised the need to change education policies in the Arab world to ensure quality education that instils true values of religion, patriotism, coexistence and hard work in the new generations.

To capitalise on the full potential of countries in the Arab world, new policies that foster talent and innovation should be adopted to guarantee enough job opportunities for youth to enter the labour market, said Queen Rania.

Policies should ensure the fair participation of all members of society, women and men, from all ethnic and religious groups, she said.

Describing the UAE as a country that has not only raised towers to the cloud but has elevated the ambitions and determination of its people, Queen Rania commended the country’s leadership.

“There is no better inspiration for changing realities than the UAE… It’s a country that has been transformed by the vision of its leadership and the diligence of its citizens into an internationally competitive oasis of growth and development,” she said.