Parliament approves to launch Supreme Council to combat terrorism

CAIRO – 2 April 2018: Parliamentarian Committee of Constitutional and Legislative Affairs, headed by Bahaa Abu Shuka, approved a bill on Sunday to establish a Supreme Council to combat terrorism and extremism.

The parliamentarian committee held a meeting to discuss the bill that will allow the establishment of the Supreme Council to combat terrorism and extremism. The new body will amass all the institutional and social capabilities to hinder all the causes of terrorism without affecting freedom rights.

The new council will replace the National Council to combat terrorism and extremism suggested by President Abdel Fatah al Sisi in 2017. The council will set a strategy to eradicate both external and internal terrorism.

Cairo governorate will be the location of the new body, where the head of the council will have to call for a meeting every two months. Ministers and terrorism experts will attend those meetings; also the council will coordinate with other institutions to study means of terrorism confrontation.

Creating job opportunities in areas where extremism prevails, suggesting amendments to existing legislation in order to enhance terrorism eradication and coordinating with security institutions will be among the new council’s duties.

Egyptian President Sisi pledged in July 2017 to establish the National Council for combating terrorism that would root out extremists. The presidential decree was declared after a series of terrorist attacks against Egyptians.

The council was meant to be headed by the Egyptian president; it included the head of Parliament, the prime minister, the head of Al-Azhar, and several ministers.