STATEMENT OF THE AL AZHAR ISLAMIC RESEARCH ACADEMY ON THE DEBATE ON THE THREATS TO THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY CAUSED BY TERRORIST ACTS ON MAY 11, 2016.

The Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy has worked to combat the ideology of these organizations that practice violence and killing and threaten peace in societies. It has demonstrated the relationship of these groups to the Khawarij, who emerged in the early history of Islam owing to a deviation in their theology, which led to the takfiri ideology. While that group was defeated in the past, the phenomenon has re-emerged at the hands of young mean and women who are not qualitied — by virtue of discipline, learning or culture — to know Islam in its reality, except through their excitement, passion and extreme reactions. Accordingly, they fell victim to that ideology. As such, their ideas are not based on genuine jurisprudence. We have seen distorted ideologies and concepts that run contrary to the religion spread through social media, including the takfiri notion on governance and the concepts of jihad, the caliphate, a Muslim State, migration and the idea of a “home of war”.

Due concern must be given to discussing extremist ideas and refuting them. Young men and women must be encouraged, through social networks and international cooperation, to counteract the ability of these organizations to exploit the virtual world to market terrorism. Common human values must be valued and emphasized.