“ISIL is a militant group that is so far from Islam, that it has nothing to do with it at all. It was created by the West to [bring about the] collapse of the region, to divide and distort the image of Islam,” Makhioun told RIA Novosti.
According to the politician, his party is actively engaged in warning people against joining the group, “which has become one of the biggest challenges for the Egyptian people and the Arab world.”
Large areas of Iraq and neighboring Syria are occupied by ISIL, which has proclaimed a caliphate on the land under its control. ISIL is notorious for committing numerous terrorist attacks and human rights atrocities. The group’s affiliates also operate in North Africa, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Since 2014, a US-led coalition has been bombing ISIL positions in Syria and Iraq. According to Syrian President Bashar Assad, the territories seized by ISIL in his country have expanded, and the number of insurgents have increased since the start of the US-led bombings.
