A PROMINENT MUSLIM cleric based at the Al Mustafa Islamic Centre in Blanchardstown, West Dublin, has launched a website aimed at countering radicalisation and extremism among young people within the religion.

Shaykh Dr Muhammad Umar Al-Qadri launched the service at a lecture in Waterford IT on Thursday evening.

Speaking last year, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that between 25 and 30 Irish people had travelled to the areas where ISIS is now active in recent years. Three Irish citizens have been killed in Middle East conflicts since 2010.

An Garda Síochána “monitors the movements of those suspected of involvement in extremist behaviour, and in line with best practice internationally has engaged with returnees from the conflict areas,” Fitzgerald said, in answer to a parliamentary question.

A statement on the Al Mustafa centre’s website says young people who have travelled to fight alongside ISIS and other groups “were motivated by an ideology that has an understanding of Jihad that is against the teachings of Quran and Hadith”.

Would these youngsters have known about the real concept of Jihad in Islam, they would not have traveled to join the these radical militant cults.

Source: Jihad.info

The statement adds:

“Some have returned from Iraq and Syria in the mean time but are still radicalised.

“The reason for their return may not necessarily be having realised the true concept of Jihad. They may have refrained from violence and withdrawn from radical militant cults for other reasons and may still retain the wrong concept of Jihad.

This may lead them to join a radical militant organisation later in life, hence to educate them about the true authentic Islamic concept of Jihad is critical.

The new site — Jihad.info — contains articles with titles like ‘Misconceptions About Jihad and its Purpose’, ‘Freedom of Speech in Islam’ and ‘Advice to Muslim Youth Who Want to Join IS’.

It also includes videos from the cleric — like the one below, urging young people to reject the “facade” of Muslim teaching being put forward by extremist groups.

In the wake of this month’s attacks in Paris and the subsequent publication of depictions of Mohammad, Shaykh Al-Qadri called for Irish Muslims to react with patience and tolerance.

His centre also circulated a list of guidelines for Irish Muslims on how to deal with the publication of such images.