Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala-based Muslim outfit has launched an intensive campaign to wean away its youth from the influence of terror groups like Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

The campaign assumes significance in the wake of deportation of two Kerala youths by UAE for allegedly supporting IS ideology in the social media, after which state police had initiated a probe.

Kerala Nadvathul Muhjahideen, a progressive movement in the community, has embarked on an ambitious anti-terror and communal drive through meetings and awareness programmes.

“Our campaign is against the fundamental, communal and terror ideologies spreading among youths,” KDM Youth wing State President Abdul Majeed Swalahi said.

“We are getting good response for the campaign which began seven months ago,” he said.

Swalahi said pamphlets containing messages to counter the hate mongering of outfits like IS are also being used during the campaign.

He said the terrorist groups whether it be IS, al Qaeda or Boko Haram were using the name of Prophet Muhammed and distorting the glorified history of Islam.

“The focus of the campaign is based on the humanism in the teachings of Prophet Muhammed”, he added.

Majeed said youths were unknowingly falling prey to various propaganda of these terror outfits and ‘some of them get into trouble by reacting in the social media’.

Hence ‘we are creating an awareness among youths how vigilant they should be while sharing messages in the social media, especially in Facebook’, he said.

Swalahi alleged that both majority and minority fundamentalist groups were trying to indulge in communal polarisation through the social media.

(Agencies)