Special Reports

IS Survivor Urges Students To End Terrorism

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Nadia Murad, a Yazidi woman, urged students and young people in general to end terrorism. She survived the attack of the Islamic State and was held captive by the group.

University World News reported that Murad spoke to students at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, last week. She believes that the youth should counter the ideologies of hate in the future.

"Today the goal of terrorism is to end peace," she said. "It is a threat to the world. Terrorists who use religion to hide behind their acts pose a danger to all of us - and not just to a single community."

"The world has failed to put an end to terrorists or bring them to justice. But I think that the youth, students studying here, can do a lot. We need your help to stand with us - it will be the youth and not politicians who will end terrorism."

Murad admitted that she and others have brought the case to more than 20 countries to little avail. She believes that the future is the young people.

The 23-year-old survivor, who is a winner of the European Union's prestigious Sakharov Prize for human rights, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, described how, in history, many countries supported organizations that now perpetrate acts of terror. This has led to terror being spread around the world.

Murad spoke at the University of Leicester as part of the School of History, Politics and International Relations Public Lecture Series. It focused on the Kurds and the Middle East.

"If we all do our small part, in every corner of the world, I believe we can end genocide and mass atrocities against women and children," she added. "If we have the courage to stand up and fight for those we don't know - who live thousands of miles away - we can make a difference. The world is one community and we need to act as such."

Meanwhile, several institutions in the United States have taken a stand to protect undocumented students against Trump's threats. Students and faculty banded together to defend these students.

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