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Cleric warns against ISIL recruitment in Canada

376285_Syed-Soharwardy (1)A Canadian Muslim cleric has warned against recruiting of citizens in Canada by the ISIL Takfiri militant group for battle in Syria and Iraq.

“Absolutely I am convinced that this recruitment is going on right here in this country, under our noses, in our universities, in our colleges, in the places of worship, in our community,” Syed Soharwardy, the founder of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC), told CBC public television on Friday.

The Calgary-based imam also stated that he received a death threat form a militant from Ottawa who was fighting for ISIL in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

“He was condemning me for condemning ISIS (ISIL), and he was saying that ‘You are a deviant imam and your version of Islam is not the right version,’” Soharwardy said.

The cleric, who is known for his pacifist sermons, said he had also got several death threats in the past, adding that “just last month I had a death threat posted on a website.”

“Three Calgarian young fellows died in Iraq and Syria fighting for ISIS. One of them was very known to me,” he said.

“These people are brainwashing people here in this country.”

Soharwardy also began a 48-hour hunger strike “to create awareness about the dangerous nature” of the terrorist group and pay homage to American journalist James Foley, who was executed by ISIL and the beheading video was published on YouTube recently.

The Canadian cleric called on Canada and other Western governments to take serious measures against the threat of ISIL and other terrorist group.

Western intelligence services say more than 130 Canadians have joined ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

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