Telangana, AP set to campaign against ISIS with help of Imams from 300 mosques

Hyderabad: State Minorities Commission for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is set to unleash an awareness campaign against ISIS by getting on board Imams of a large number of mosques across the two states to thwart the attempts of the terror group to lure youths.

The Commission will on Saturday hold a seminar, awareness programme and interactive session on "ISIS - Interpreting reality", which would be attended among others by Imams of nearly 300 mosques from the two states, its Chairman Abid Rasool Khan said.

"These guys (Imams) are going to listen to all this (speeches by security and legal experts and religious scholars on perils of ISIS) and they will say the same thing next Friday (Friday prayers) in mosques. So, that way we want to spread word throughout the states," Khan said.

At the event, they would discuss ways to wean away people from the violent and ultra conservative ideology of the terror group, and educate youth about serious repercussions of getting involved in its activities through social media.

Among the speakers would be a security expert on radicalisation, a scholar who has written a book on ISIS and an adviser to multi-national companies on cyber threat.

Deputy Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Mohammed Mahmood Ali and K E Krishnamurty, respectively, and Telangana Home Minister Nayini Narasimha Reddy would also speak at the event.

"Muslim speakers would be speaking with reference to Quran...and how ISIS...jihad how they are trying to entice. They (Muslim scholars) are trying to break the myth," he said.

Nearly 100 principals of colleges where Muslim students are studying and 100-200 "concerned parents" would also be among the attendees.

"Realising the serious threat of such terror groups to radicalise the youth, the Commission attempts to create awareness and provide solutions," Khan said.

The Minority Commissions of West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka have approached Khan seeking help for organising programmes as the one taking place here tomorrow.

"We are happy, a lot of people are coming to us and saying they want to be part of it. The community has responded positively to this," he added.

The event is being organised against the backdrop of police in several states detaining men on suspicion of having links to ISIS or planning to join the dreaded outfit.

Recently, NIA busted a module in Hyderabad whose members allegedly owed allegiance to ISIS.