MOSCOW, December 3 (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova – Muslim religious centers need to work closely with the Danish authorities in rehabilitation of young Danish radicals, returning home after fighting in the Middle East, a Danish Imam told Sputnik Wednesday.
"All of us — the government, the civil society and the religious circles, need to be involved in the rehabilitation and prevention processes," Khalil Jaffar, an Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center in Copenhagen, told Sputnik, commenting on the Danish welfare and police services efforts in launching the special rehabilitation program in Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city, that offers Danish Muslims who escaped the conflict zone a helping hand in getting their lives back on track without the threat of prosecution.
"Two hands will fight the evil better than one," he said adding that, in their turn, Muslim organizations are ready to take part in this process by visiting young Muslims and their families.
"The great news are that all of us decided to help these young people, who chose to come back home from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan," Jaffar continued, adding that "none of them have been pushed to go there, in fact, it was their personal choice."
The Imam also noted that many of these radical believers are young and "know nothing" about the war or situation in the Middle East. However, they realized they made a mistake "upon exposure to the reality of war".
The Imam believes that many of the young people returning home do not have radical views and just need a chance normal life as valuable members of the society. The isolation, however, can be counterproductive.
The religious leader noted with appreciation the level of cooperation between the Muslim organizations and the Danish authorities. He informed Sputnik that authorities invited the Islamic centers and mosques to participate in the program.
According to Jaffar, around 100 Danish Muslims are believed to have left for Syria or Iraq.
"We are looking for an answer why so many young Muslims are leaving their country to fight in the Middle East," Jaffar admitted.
The mosque and other Muslim youth centers have come under criticism from some Danish politicians, who say that some of them are trying to radicalize their scholars. In return, Mosque officials claim they are surprised to find out that so many of their members leave for Syria.
