Authors of report on ISIL: Russia should develop Islamic education

In Russia, the main methods of ideological struggle against the "Islamic State" (IS) should be the open support demonstrated by the authorities to supporters of traditional Islam, the development of Islamic education, and the anti-extremist propaganda in educational institutions. These proposals are voiced by the authors of the report "Islamic State" (IS): nature and confrontation" from the Caucasian Geopolitical Club.

As an important measure to combat the IS, the authors of the report suggest to provide organizational and financial support to traditional Islam and to ensure the necessary level of security of Islamic theologians and religious figures, engaged in the struggle against extremism.

Besides, the authors also propose to launch an active advocacy campaign to "expose misconceptions of IS supporters" in mass media, social networks, schools, and institutions of higher education.

One more proposal mentioned in the report is to create in the country the system of Islamic education and Islamic theological school, harmoniously combining the traditions of Russian Islam with centuries-old base of international Islamic educational and scientific centres.

The idea of a caliphate is attractive to the majority of poor Muslims, since it is built around the concept of justice. This was noted by Fasikh Baderkhan, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). However, according to Fasikh Baderkhan, in the combat against the "Islamic State" (recognized as a terrorist organization in a number of countries, including Russia, note of the "Caucasian Knot"), it is important to show the inconsistency of the actions of the IS with the values of Islam and to propose alternative projects to undermine the basis of the IS.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.