Stop extremists promoting the idea that jihad is cool, urges Ambassador Faily

In an interview with The Times, Ambassador Faily called for a renewed effort from families, communities and the state to combat extremism, including through intelligence gathering and teaching.

The British government must play a key role in choking off the supply of new recruits to the bloodthirsty jihadists of the Islamic State, Ambassador Faily urged in an interview with The Times.

As hundreds of Britons have signed up with ISIS to fight for an extremist caliphate spanning Syria and Iraq, Iraq’s Ambassador to the United States outlined the dangers of more young Muslims being indoctrinated. “The image that being a member of Isis is cool needs to be challenged,” he said.

Ambassador Faily said it was essential that British politicians and community leaders worked to prevent a rise of Islamophobia and noted that if no effort was made to draw a distinction between the rest of Islam and the violent ambitions of jihadists, western nations would play into the hands of terrorists who use social media to indoctrinate recruits.

Disassociating ISIS from Islam is a vital theme for Europe to pursue, said Ambassador Faily. “Otherwise, unfortunately, we are providing ammunition to al-Qaeda and Isis to recruit more and more.”

Ambassador Faily called for a renewed effort from families, communities and the state to combat extremism, including through intelligence gathering and teaching.

To read the full article from The Times in Arabic, click here.