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Updated: Jan 25, 2016 10:16 IST

Every Friday, a Muslim cleric tells a congregation assembled for prayers at an Osmanabad mosque about how harmful ISIS is.

Maulana Ismail Khari, who leads prayer at a mosque at Osmanabad in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, warns the youth against sympathising with the terror outfit as he has made it a mission to spread awareness among them about ISIS.

“What the Maulana is doing is praiseworthy and should be emulated by others,” Maharashtra Police chief Praveen Dixit told PTI.

The Osmanabad police has recently felicitated Khari for his efforts.

Congress councillor from Osmanabad Khalil Syed said he had approached the cleric to help dissuade Muslim youths from joining ISIS in the backdrop of reports about some of them getting influenced by the terror organisation.

“Every Friday, before the sermon, the Maulana tells the congregation how harmful it will be for the youth getting influenced by ISIS,” Syed told PTI.

“Principles of true Islam need to be told to the youth and that is what we are doing. The results were seen in Mumbai, Thane recently when students protested against ISIS,” he said.

Syed, who is district unit minority cell president of Congress, said the anti-ISIS preachings began soon after Diwali, following which there have been queries from towns like Amravati, Beed, Parli and Dhule to start such teaching centres there as well.