Grand Mufti Advisor Ibrahim Negm strongly condemned Friday statements by Islamic State in Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, which included threats to advance on Egypt and other nations.
In his audio statement, Al-Baghdadi accepted the pledge of allegiance of several militant groups, including north Sinai-based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM). He also congratulated them on their operations against the Egyptian armed forces.
Al-Baghdadi said that the ‘Islamic state’ will not stop its expansion and will spread to reach other nations including Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Egypt.
Negm stressed that “God reserves Egypt” and that that Egyptians will bring about the end of “terrorism and terrorist organisations”, in statements delivered Friday.
He added that “terrorists are deceiving their followers by the illusion of the Caliphate”. He added that Al-Baghdadi is misinterpreting Quranic verses calling for Jihad and uses it in a different context from which these verses originally aimed to address.
Negm called for “unity of Egyptians to confront the problems facing the country”, stressing the confidence in the armed forces “to defeat and uproot terrorism”. He also called for the media to refrain from “amplifying these hollow statements” issued by these “terrorists”.
The advisor said they are trying to convince people “that they are calling for the Jihad whilst what they are calling for is terrorism”.
