Tillerson in Saudi Arabia: ‘This is a fight of good against evil’

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday described the battle against extremism as a fight of good versus evil, echoing President Trump’s speech earlier in the day.

Speaking to a group of reporters that did not include the U.S. press during the trip to Riyadh, Tillerson said Trump’s three-pronged visit shows that the fight “has nothing to do with religion.” 

“And I think the context of all of this where the president begins his journey here at the home of the Muslim faith under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque — this great faith, the Muslims — then to travel to the home of Judaism and then to the great leader of Christianity, that the president is clearly indicating that this fight of good against evil has nothing to do with religion,” Tillerson said.

“It has nothing to do with country. It has nothing to do with ethnicity. This is clearly a fight against good and evil.” 

{mosads}Trump in his Sunday address called on Muslim nations to drive out extremism and described the battle against terrorism as a fight between “good and evil.”

“If we do not stand in uniform condemnation of this killing, then not only will we be judged by our people, not only will we be judged by history, but we will be judged by God,” the president said. “Heroes don’t kill innocents, they save them.” 

Tillerson emphasized that the fight against terrorism is shared among nations and is not between different religions.

“But I think importantly, out of this speech the president delivered this afternoon, what he said, again, is this fight is ours together. It is not between us. It is ours together. And it’s only together that we will ultimately prevail and that it is not a fight among religions, not a fight between Shia, Sunni, it’s not a fight between Christians, Jews, any of the faiths,” he said.

“This is a fight of good against evil, and in all of those three great faiths that millions of Americans follow, we are guided by that same tenet. This is what unites us in attacking this evil face of terrorism that has befallen us and has hurt so many around the world.”

The comments come as Trump wraps up the first stop on his first foreign visit. The president will head to Israel on Monday.