Agenda item

Action Against Daesh (ISIL) Terrorists

It was moved by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, seconded by Councillor Joe Otten, that this Council:-

(a)       notes with horror recent attacks worldwide by Daesh (ISIL) terrorists, including, but not exclusive to, the murder of 130 innocent civilians in Paris, the 224 killed when a plane from Egypt to Russia was bombed, the many hundreds more murdered or injured in bombings in Beirut, Turkey, Iraq and elsewhere, and those murdered on the beach in Tunisia;

(b)       notes with sadness the millions of people displaced from their homelands in Daesh controlled areas;

(c)        believes the use of force in defeating Daesh as a territorial power to be justified under the terms of the NATO Treaty and by the recent UN Security Council resolution;

(d)       believes, however, that bombing alone has proven ineffective in similar scenarios, and that ground troops from allies in the region will be needed;

(e)       supports calls for co-operation between NATO powers, Iraq, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran in taking action against Daesh;

(f)        recognises that while foreign policy mistakes in the past may have contributed to instability in the region, responsibility for Daesh outrages lies entirely with the perpetrators of those outrages;

(g)       believes that we should hold fast to the values of democracy, freedom, tolerance, inclusivity and human rights in defiance of Daesh;

(h)       notes that Daesh’s primary focus is the conquest and control of territory in the Middle East, to which end they have killed, raped and enslaved large numbers of Muslims and non-Muslim minorities;

(i)         believes Daesh to be a threat to the safety and security of peoples of all faiths and none, many of whom have lived peacefully side by side in the region for centuries, and that division between Muslims and non-Muslims is what Daesh is trying to achieve;

(j)         welcomes efforts of the Council to promote peace and understanding between the diverse communities in this city; and

(k)        resolves that a copy of this motion be sent to Sheffield’s six MPs and to the United Nations.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Geoff Smith, seconded by Councillor Leigh Bramall, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (c) to (k) and the addition of new paragraphs (c) to (e) as follows:-

(c)         believes that we should hold fast to the values of democracy, freedom, tolerance, inclusivity and human rights in defiance of Daesh;

(d)        believes Daesh to be a threat to the safety and security of peoples of all faiths and none, many of whom have lived peacefully side by side in the region for centuries, and that division between Muslims and non-Muslims is what Daesh is trying to achieve; and

(e)        welcomes efforts of the Council to promote peace and understanding between the diverse communities in this city and welcomes the recent inter-faith march which demonstrated the unity of people of all faiths and none in the City.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-