30 global channels declare ‘war’ on IS

More than 30 international television channels will participate in a major awareness campaign to educate Muslims globally on the danger posed by the Islamic State terrorist organization that has taken over swaths of land in Iraq and Syria and killed hundreds of innocent people.
Islamic scholars from Saudi Arabia, Europe and other countries will take part in the weeklong campaign, which will be launched in Riyadh on Sept. 18, to caution the public against extremism and how terrorist organizations distort Islamic teachings.
Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said criminal organizations in the Arab world posed a major threat to Islam. “They are the first enemy of Islam,” he said in a Twitter message.
“Targeting plurality in the Arab world means targeting Islam. Defending plurality, sticking to the fundamentals, means defending Islam,” the minister said referring to the IS militants and other extremists.
Political analyst Badr Almotawa emphasized the significance of the television campaign and said it was essential to educate youth about the moderate teachings of Islam. “The campaign should also use social media to ensure its message reaches the largest number of people, including young men and women,” he told Arab News.
Almotawa said the content of television programs to be aired during the campaign should be presented in an innovative manner to attract the public. He hoped that major channels in the Arab world including MBC, Al-Arabiya and LBC would join the campaign.
Abdulrahman Al-Husseini, a media person, said the campaign was aimed at cautioning the public against the IS and other terrorist organizations that tarnish the image of Islam and Muslims. Basil Al-Abd, another journalist, said the participation of several scholars would strengthen the campaign, adding that it would include media reports highlighting IS’ destructive activities.