In this file photo, militants from the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) taking aim at captured Iraqi soldiers wearing plain clothes after taking over a base in Tikrit, Iraq.

A hard-hitting TV campaign focusing on the human cost of terrorism, with special reference to the so-called Islamic State (IS), premiered on Thursday night as part of a major week-long private initiative to raise awareness about the evils of the group.

This joint campaign, mostly aired by religious channels, will also dissuade youngsters from joining terrorist organizations that operate across the Arab world.

“The TV campaign aims to encourage and educate the public to fight the menace of terrorism,” said a TV host, who preferred anonymity.

She said the program would “bring together Islamic scholars to counter violent extremism and to ultimately build a broad network of community partnerships to keep the nation and the region safe.”

The campaign, launched under the theme “IS: The Ignorance of Deviants,” will be aired by the channels simultaneously throughout the week. The program will last for 90 minutes daily as part of a unified broadcast campaign.

Prominent Muslim scholars from Arab and Muslim countries will be hosted to reiterate the position of Islam on terror.

Most of the channels that joined the initiative are privately-owned and broadcast in different Arab countries, including the Kingdom.

Channels include Al-Majd, Daleel, Al-Dana, Wisal, Al-Qaseem, Ciyouf, Makkah, Kuwait TV, Syria Al-Ghad, Durar Al-Sham and Noor Al-Sudan, in addition to some Persian and Urdu-speaking satellite TV channels.

Three renowned Saudi scholars participated in the first day of the campaign. They were Saad Al Buraik, Saad Al-Shethri and Omar Al-Zaid.

The Kingdom’s Grand Mufti, Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, took part in the program via telephone. The scholars unanimously denounced IS, labeling their crimes “non-Islamic” and unacceptable.

“The main aim is to dissuade would-be so-called jihadists from joining terror groups such as IS,” said Ikramullah Siddiqui, who works for an Arab channel.

The campaign is being supervised by Sheikh Saad Al-Buraik, a prominent cleric, who won commendations after he hosted a telethon that raised $109 million for families of dead Palestinian bombers in 2002.

 
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