Al-Azhar commented on Tuesday on the global campaign launched by the IS to encourage Muslim youth to join the militant group, saying the campaign was misguided, misleading and aims to undermine the security of Islamic nations, targeting youth who represent the backbone of any nation.
Al-Azhar stressed that Islam repudiates IS's acts.
The leading Muslim Sunni institution called on Muslim youth in a statement Tuesday not to be fooled by such calls, describing IS followers as "ignorant extremists who do not know anything about the teachings of their religion."
The IS are the 'Khawarij' of the age and presidents have to fight them back to secure their nations, said the statement.
The Al-Khawarij are a group of religious outliers that are historically referred to as the first to commit heinous acts in the name of Islam.
Al-Azhar accused extremist organizations of committing crimes under the Islamic umbrella and distorting its image by presenting it as a faith that encourages bloodshed.
Al-Azhar called on Muslims nationwide, as well as governmental and non-governmental Islamic organizations to cooperate and stand against the attempts of extremist organizations to recruit Muslim youth. They also encouraged them to refer to Al-Azhar scholars in responding to extremist thought.
Al-Azhar also said it was ready to dialogue with youth of different languages around the world to answer questions relating to Islam in efforts to confront extremist thought.
