CAIRO: Dar al-Iftaa warned against “emptying Syria” of its citizens, which would lead to “changing the demographic structure” of the entire region.
The Syrian mass migration only benefits the Islamic State group (IS,) which meanwhile brings thousands of extremists from around the world to repopulate deserted Syrian cities, Dar al-Iftaa said in a Sunday report.
“Realistically and humanely, mass, continuous migration has justifications, but it also great risks with a lasting impact,” read the report.
Millions of migrants and refugees have fled Syria since the outbreak of unrest in 2011. Dar al-Iftaa expressed its concern that a religious state in the region would lead to sectarian and racial conflicts in the Middle East.
According to online activities and posts by IS monitored by a department at Dar al- Iftaa to counter extremist ideology, IS claims that leaving its territories is a “sin.”
Although IS provides its fighters with all their needs, it deprives civilians of their basic needs, Dar al-Iftaa said.
Dar al- Iftaa, which is affiliated with Egypt’s prestigious Al-Azhar, called for a “serious, strong” international alliance to help citizens inside Syria and restore suitable conditions in the country for Syrians in the diaspora to return.