A Moscow institute has started a special program to help leaders of Russia’s Muslim communities to counter the takfiri ideology of the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) group.
A Moscow institute has started a special program to help leaders of Russia’s Muslim communities to counter the takfiri ideology of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) group and similar extremist movements, using examples from history.
The training course was launched by the Moscow Islamic Institute in the beginning of this year and about 300 imams have already undergone it, the deputy head of the institute, Rais Izmailov, said in an interview with Izvestia daily.
Izmailov said the classes aimed to show that ISIL is not something new or unique, as extremist movements have existed in Islam for centuries, and just like the current ISIL followers, their members were killing Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Izmailov also told reporters that the imams are being advised to look into the history of ISIL and are given a set of theological arguments to counter radical recruiters.
Earlier this year, two major Russian Muslim groups – the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia and the Chechen Council for Fatwas – condemned ISIL as an enemy of the religion and called for the punishment of all its members as criminals.
Top officials representing the councils emphasized that ISIL call for a caliphate had been made without approval of all Muslim communities in the world and therefore should be considered a mutiny that only causes strife and disagreement between Muslims.
The groups also issued fatwas in which they stated that ISIL and its followers should not be described as Islamists or Muslims, because their activities contradict the main principles of Islam.
In December, the Russian government listed ISIL and affiliated group the Al-Nusra Front as terrorists. This meant that Russian citizens are banned from participating in these organizations or rendering any support under threat of criminal prosecution.
