Muslim youth group declares jihad against ISIS

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Published on Tuesday, 31 March 2015 23:20

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A British nonprofit for Muslim youth has launched a "Jihad against ISIS" campaign aimed at dissuading teenagers from joining the Islamic State group. The Muslim Youth League UK declared last weekend "ideological war" against the extremists, who have become known in recent months for robust online recruiting efforts that lure young adults to Syria. The group plans to use social media to spread messages of peace. "All extremists are cancers to society, because they destroy a healthy society," Shayk Rehan Ahmed Raza, the group's president, told STV News. "We have to scream at the top of our lungs that these people are not representative of Muslims."

The organization's campaign rests on a seven-point declaration posted on its Facebook page. It bluntly states that no matter the victims' religion, ISIS's killings are "un-Islamic" and deviate from the Quran's teachings. The declaration also rejects what it sees as the public's tendency to label all Muslims as terrorists and encourages community leaders to "raise a united and unwavering voice against extremism."

The group's announcement came about a week after a British Parliamentary committee publicly begged for urgent action to combat the ISIS recruitment problem. About 600 people have left the United Kingdom to join the fighters in Iraq and Syria, and young people online are especially at risk. "It’s very important for parents not to think that their child in their own bedroom is protected," Raza said. "They can be safer out in the streets at 10 o’clock at night than in their own bedroom at 10 o’clock at night."

One of the most high-profile cases is ongoing: Last month, three schoolgirls -- Amira Abase, Shamima Begum and Kadiza Sultana -- allegedly snuck out of London to fly to Turkey and cross into Syria. Police said a friend who had previously joined ISIS convinced the trio to flee the country.

The Muslim Youth League UK's project garnered the support of Humza Yousaf, the minister for Europe and international development. "Those who perpetuate terrorism in the name of Islam do nothing but act against the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad," he told STV News. "The MYL UK's proposals should be widely supported, as the most powerful tool against extremist ideology is for progressive Muslims to challenge it."