Decision by Karnataka Mosques to counter ISIS gets overwhelming response

New Delhi, Nov 24: A month back, the Mosques in Karnataka took a very good initiative to counter the menace that is the ISIS.

A circular prepared by the Jamia Masjid and Muslim Charitable Fund has been distributed to all Mosques across the state. Mohammad Maqsood Imran the Imam of the Jamia Masjid, City says that the response so far has been extremely good.

It has been a months since the guidelines were issued and Imran says that the response has been very good. Every Friday there are sermons that are held in the Mosques telling the people about the ill-effects of groups such as the ISIS.

CDs being distributed:
All the sermons that are delivered in the Mosques are recorded. Compact discs are made out of it and also distributed among the youth so that there is a better understanding of the matter. In addition to this a team also visits colleges and speaks with students about how Islam does not propagate violence.
The religious preachers say that there is a need to tell the youth that Islam does not propagate violence and harming anything that has a life is not subscribed to by Islam. Over all the response has been good.

Imran says that there has been appreciation from other Mosques who have also said that they will adapt to the same policy and deliver sermons against groups such as the ISIS. There was a need to speak up against the ISIS as there is a general misconception that Muslims support the outfit, a notion that had to be changed.

What the circular states:
It has been decided that every Friday time shall be dedicated to educate the people about the ill-effects of the ISIS. Bengaluru city alone has 140 Mosques and the sermon preaching about the ill effects of the ISIS will be held every Friday.

The main aim of the exercise was to clear the misunderstandings about Islam which have been created by groups such as the ISIS and the al-Qaeda. There has been a general belief among people from other religion that a majority of the Muslims subscribe to what the ISIS or al-Qaeda has been preaching.

All the heads of the Mosques in Karnataka while condemning the ISIS and al-Qaeda also point out that neither Osama Bin Laden nor Abu Bakr-al-Bhagdadi are Muslims. We needed to clear the misunderstanding and also ensure that some of the youth did not go astray says Imran.

During the sermons on Friday, while the regular prayers would be held there would be time dedicated to preach the real meaning of Islam. Islam does not propagate or believe in the killing of innocents. Even at the time of war, Islam does not permit the killing of innocents and a person can fightback only if confronted by an armed person.

Message across the state: The decision was originally taken in Bengaluru. It was decided that such sermons should be preached in the 140 Mosques in the city. However later on it was decided that the message should be conveyed to the Mosques in the entire state as the message that needs to be delivered will have a wider audience. The response from all the Mosques across the state has been encouraging.

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