IS, far-right use same hate speech, al-Azhar says

Al-Azhar's Anti-Extremism Observatory has conducted a study on similarities between the strategies of the Islamic State (IS) group and the far-right.

The strategies of both IS and the far-right are almost the same, the study says.

It adds that these similarities should ring the alarm because they mean that the world will be sandwiched between IS and the far-right in the future.

The study calls for reconsidering what it describes as "racist hate speech" everywhere.

The observatory starts its study with a comment by the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyip on the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand.

In the comment, Sheikh al-Tayyip says the massacre at the two mosques was no different from the terrorism perpetrated by IS in Syria and Iraq.

"They are two branches of the same tree," the Grand Imam of al-Azhar says.

He said this tree feeds on hatred, violence and extremism.

The study says the attacks on the two mosques in New Zealand should ring the alarm over ready-made accusations against the Islamic religion.

Crimes committed in the name of race are not less brutal than those committed in the name of religion, the study says.

It adds that the perpetrator of the Christchurch attacks was only implementing the strategy of the IS group in dealing with those who are different from him.

Motivations

The study throws light on the motivations behind the New Zealand mosque attacks. It says the attacks were built on anger and illusions.

This anger and these illusions opened the door for the perpetration of the crime, the study says.

It adds that the terrorist committing it wanted to make a hero of himself by killing innocent people who did nothing but pray to God at a house of worship.

It throws light on similarities between the attacker who said he committed his crime to defend the rights of his white race and IS terrorists who claim to be killing others to defend the Islamic religion.

Using religion

IS uses women in justifying its attacks, the study says. It says Muslim women are humiliated which makes it necessary for the members of the organization to avenge them.

The Christchurch attacker also claimed that Muslims rape white women, the study says.

The two models are also similar as far as the exploitation of religion is concerned, the study says.

It adds that IS fighters hate non-Muslims, because they do not believe in their ideas and ideology.

It notes that the Christchurch attacker also looks down upon non-whites. He even rejects their presence and calls for murdering them.

It says the Christchurch attacker followed in the footsteps of IS when he incited Westerners against Muslim children.

It adds that the attacker believes that these Muslim children are invaders who will take the wealth of the Europeans when they grow up.