A group of Islamic scholars from Al-Azhar University in Egypt, Cairo have called on Muslim community to coexist peacefully with other religions clerics and boldly speak out against extremist groups such as Al Shabaab who target mainly the youth to recruit them into their groups.

The scholars under the auspicious of the Azhar mission in Kenya said it's against Islamic teachings to wage war against such groups, adding that youth especially from the Coast region have been misled to and engage in radicalization.

Speaking on the sidelines of a madrassa/ Arabic and IRE teachers special lecturers under the concept of moderation in Islam, led by the head of religious section Wizaratul Auqaf, Egypt, Sheikh Gabrer Taie Youssef Soultan, they urged Muslim madrassa teachers to stick to right teachings.

“If a teacher has good teachings they will not involve themselves with terrorism, there are those who pretend to hide in the religion to lure people, it’s a crime, and we strongly condemn this, “said Sultan through an interpreter. 

He urged Muslims and Islamic organisations in various parts of the country to preach peace and tolerance.

He further urged the youth to avoid such extremist groups whose main goal is to bring violence.

He also urged Muslims to reject or ignore the aspects of fundamentalist Islam that predict or encourage Islamist domination over all other religions

He said Islam is a religion of peace and that those using religion as a justification for violence are people with twisted ideologies out to tarnish the name of the erstwhile peaceful religion.

Ustadh Muhammad Sheyba, the administrator at the Shibu Mosque said youth are soft prey because of skewed Islamic teachings from some institutions adding that this could be tamed if all religious clerics coexist.

He said violence of whatever nature against a fellow human being is against the tenets of Islam and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

“Religion should not be used by people to preach hatred. Let’s encourage our faithful about the importance of religious and peaceful coexistence without encouraging violence in the guise of preaching Islam,” he added.

The cleric noted that there is no place in the true religion of Islam that ‘promotes, commends and encourages violence, bloodletting and the killing of the innocent people’.

“We want these teachers to go out and give the correct teachings in accordance with religious integrity, we don’t want people who preach radicalization, because Muslim religion is peace, “added Sheyba.

According to Masjid Shibu ustadh Abdulkarim Mohamed Shabiby, muslims should coexist and preach peace without setting any borders. He spoke at the at the Shibu mosque in Mwembe Tayari shortly after teaching sessions of Muslim imams.

 “The scholars are here with us for one week before they travel to Nairobi for similar sessions,” said Shabiby on Sunday. At least 150 teachers from the six Mombasa sub counties benefited from the teachings where they will be expected to extend the teachings to the grassroots.