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North African Religious Leaders Fight Fanaticism in Sahel

North African religious leaders have convened in Algeria to discuss ways to resist fanaticism in the Sahel region, writes Kaci Racelma.
Residents look at the remains of vehicles which they said belonged to radical Islamist group MUJAO, after they were hit by French air strikes in the town of Gao January 27, 2013. Picture taken January 27, 2013.   REUTERS/Adama Diarra (MALI - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3D6AR

The fight against terrorism is a task that should be carried out not only by the security services, but also involve civil society in its call to bring about peace, tolerance and respect for others.This is the message proclaimed by scholars, preachers and imams who traveled from around the Sahel region to take part in the founding congress of the League of Sahel Ulemas based in Algiers.

Scholars, preachers and imams from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Algeria met in the Algerian capital to study the scourge of religious extremism, its causes and ways to effectively put an end to it. It is clear that scholars from the Sahel have always been against fanaticism, just as they have continuously been supporters of peace, love and tolerance, due to its significance in Islam.

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