ISIL Created by West to Collapse Middle East, Distort Image of Islam

Younes Makhioun, chairman of the Egyptian Salafist party Al-Nour said that ISIL is a militant group that is so far from Islam, that it has nothing to do with it at all.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – The Islamic State (ISIL) Salafi jihadist militant group was created by the West to collapse the Middle East and has “nothing to do” with Islam, Younes Makhioun, chairman of the Egyptian Salafist party Al-Nour said Friday.

“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.”

Al-Nour is the only party created on a religious basis that has registered for the upcoming Egyptian parliamentary elections. The vote is scheduled to be held on October 18-19 in 14 provinces of the country and on November 22-23 in the rest of the 27 provinces.

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.