Top Islamic University Fights IS Propaganda

The senior advisor to the Grand Mufti has told Sky News they are winning the ideological battle against the so-called Islamic State and fewer people are now joining the group.

Ibrahim Negm said new initiatives by Al Azhar, one of Islam's oldest and most influential universities, are succeeding in countering IS propaganda and stopping young Muslims from being recruited.

For more than a millennium Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt has attracted scholars, students and worshippers from around the world. Now it faces a serious challenge: combatting the ideology of the IS group.

It has led to a change in strategy. For the first time, dedicated teams have been assigned to monitor extremist works online and a new 'observer centre' has been set up. For months they have been sifting through dozens of IS publications - and other radical material - in eight different languages.

The aim is to pick holes in the propaganda and explain to Muslims how these extremist groups have misinterpreted Islamic texts and writings. But even those leading the project accept its limitations given the fact that tens of thousands of young Muslims have already joined IS.

Reham Abdullah heads the Urdu unit at the centre, and told Sky News the aim is not to try and change the minds of those who have already joined the group and are convinced of their ideology, but to stop IS recruiting more young Muslims.

'Maybe they (IS members) will never read our books or visit our website but there are many others who haven't (joined) but are thinking to do so and we are trying to save these guys,' she said.

While many Muslims - including Mr Negm - believe more could have been done sooner to prevent the spread of IS ideology, Al Azhar senior clerics stress that Western states and their media share a burden of responsibility.

Mr Negm is hopeful these new initiatives will work in the long term to defeat IS.

'There's a cancer spreading in the body of the world and we have to realise that this cancer is not going to spread only on the Middle East but everywhere,' he said.

'Condemnation won't do it all, we have to save an entire generation - the online generation - glued to social media and that don't have access to proper knowledge.

'I feel some Western analysts are saying our response is a slow response but they haven't given space for moderate analysts to talk and discuss. Prior to 11 September the radical sermons were aired live on British media. It's time to give platforms to moderate Muslims.'

Sabra el Qasami is a former jihadi fighter who spent years in prison. He now runs an unofficial deradicalisation programme visiting militants and trying to persuade them to leave extremist groups.

He thinks what Al Azhar is doing is a good start but their resources pale in comparison to what is at IS's disposal.

'You can count Al Azhar's social media platforms on one hand,' he told Sky News.

'Al Azhar needs more support and more freedom to delve deeper into the issues that terrorist youth are concerned with.

'In my opinion the armed fight against terrorism will have dire results and will create more sympathy for the terrorists. This issue needs an ideological battle in parallel to the armed battle on the ground.'

Inside Al Azhar mosque, lessons on Islamic theology have started up again. The young and old come to read and learn. But the problem with this approach is that it relies on people coming to them, rather than any sort of outreach to young Muslims.

The fear is that institutions like Al Azhar are not reaching those they need to but simply preaching to the converted.