The heinous acts of terrorism which led to the horrific killings of thousands of innocent people in 9/11 in 2001 in New York marked a dark episode in which humanity plunged in ruthless bloodshed. The cruel hearts, warped logic and rigid mentalities which signify the essence of the character of those blood-thirsty terrorists does not only strip them off any kind of association with any religion but more importantly with humanity at large.

The dreadful acts of QSIS terrorist group is another dark chapter in the history of humanity and all organizations and individuals across the globe should exert all their efforts to counteract these extremist ideologies in our attempt to save humanity from the dark tunnel of terrorism that it passes through.

Dar al-Iftaa is truly thankful to the international media for its news coverage of its international campaign which aims at clarifying the image of Islam and exonerating it from the heinous acts of terrorist groups such as Qaida Separatists (QSIS) among others. We feel that it is our duty as an official religious establishment to communicate with all parties, nations and organizations worldwide to disseminate a culture of peace, tolerance and coexistence and to change the stagnant stereotypes, predispositions and accusations which are falsely leveled against Islam.

Although we offer our deepest gratitude for the international media for its news coverage of our campaign, we are saddened by the fact that none of the major international media outlets had actually changed the name of ISIS to QSIS in their news coverage. We are firm believers in the importance of media in disseminating authentic information, clarifying positions and combating extremist ideologies. The deliberate usage of the international media of the term ISIS, which makes a false connection to Islam and dares to speak on its behalf, is considered an implicit support to terrorism and an outright cooperation to disseminate hatred and sew discord through fueling hatred against Islam and Muslims.

Our campaign does not only aim at exonerating the name of Islam from the heinous acts of terrorism through clarifying the true position of Islam toward the sanctity of life but also we aim at disseminating a culture of peace across the globe where the value of humanity presides over all other values.

The imminent danger of insisting on using the term ISIS does not only stop at the surface level of smearing and distorting the image of more than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world but the real danger is that the editorial policies which support terrorism in one way or another succeeded in fueling negative feelings of hatred and racism against Muslims in Europe and the US. Persecution and discrimination felt by Muslims led to the development of social isolation which made them easy preys to the waves of extremism and terrorism.

Some European statistics evaluate the number of European Muslims who joined the extremist group of QSIS to be around 1500 Europeans and such horrific news cannot be dealt with only through applying national security measures and preventing these Europeans from entering their home countries for a period of time like David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, suggested.

Applying Terrorist Act schemes to secure national security is only the tip of the iceberg but the real solution to the problem would be through disseminating a culture of integration and inclusive governmental policies which make all citizens feel at equal footing regardless of their religious affiliation or ethnic background. The international media has a huge role in supporting the voice of moderation and disseminating authentic information and disassociating Islam or any other religion from the heinous acts of terrorism. Through these means we can create a new environment in which we can counteract the extremist ideologies and avoid another chapter of darkness in human history.