<p>Some of the leading imams in the UK have issued a fatwa against British Muslims travelling to war zones like Syria and Iraq to join "oppressive and tyrannical" Islamic State.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The fatwa "religiously prohibits" would-be British jihadists from joining "oppressive and tyrannical" Isis, also known as Islamic State.<br /><br />The imams order all Muslims to oppose Isis's "poisonous ideology", especially when it is promoted within Britain, the 'Sunday Times' reported.<br /><br />The fatwa, six senior Islamic scholars from Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester and London, says: "British and other EU citizens are bound by their duties to their home countries according to Islamic theology and jurisprudence: it is therefore prohibited (haram) to travel to fight with any side in Syria." <br /><br />It was written by Sheik Usama Hasan, a former imam at the Masjid Al-Tawhid Mosque in east London.<br /><br />The fatwa, the first of its kind issued by British Muslim scholars, follows the elevation of Britain's terror threat from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely".<br /><br />Prime Minister David Cameron is all set to announce plans tomorrow for laws to prevent British jihadists fighting in Iraq and Syria from re-entering Britain.<br /><br />Passports of UK citizens suspected of terrorist activity will be cancelled.<br /><br />In a statement to the House of Commons, the Prime Minister will announce legislation to strengthen anti-terror laws and close a loophole that lets British nationals accused of terrorist activity fly home.<br /><br />It is feared that the number of young Muslims referred to the UK government's counter-radicalisation programme is expected to "more than double" following the publicity about British jihadists in Iraq and Syria.<br /><br />Whitehall officials say there has been a direct link between online recruitment messages posted by Isis in the past two months and increasingly extreme views expressed by some young Muslims enlisted into Channel, the de-radicalisation scheme.<br /><br />Channel, which is run by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), dealt with 1,281 people in 2013-14, up from 748 in the previous year.<br /><br />ACPO is understood to be seeking more counter-extremism experts, particularly women, to tackle the growing number of young female Muslims expressing support for Isis.</p>
<p>Some of the leading imams in the UK have issued a fatwa against British Muslims travelling to war zones like Syria and Iraq to join "oppressive and tyrannical" Islamic State.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The fatwa "religiously prohibits" would-be British jihadists from joining "oppressive and tyrannical" Isis, also known as Islamic State.<br /><br />The imams order all Muslims to oppose Isis's "poisonous ideology", especially when it is promoted within Britain, the 'Sunday Times' reported.<br /><br />The fatwa, six senior Islamic scholars from Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Leicester and London, says: "British and other EU citizens are bound by their duties to their home countries according to Islamic theology and jurisprudence: it is therefore prohibited (haram) to travel to fight with any side in Syria." <br /><br />It was written by Sheik Usama Hasan, a former imam at the Masjid Al-Tawhid Mosque in east London.<br /><br />The fatwa, the first of its kind issued by British Muslim scholars, follows the elevation of Britain's terror threat from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely".<br /><br />Prime Minister David Cameron is all set to announce plans tomorrow for laws to prevent British jihadists fighting in Iraq and Syria from re-entering Britain.<br /><br />Passports of UK citizens suspected of terrorist activity will be cancelled.<br /><br />In a statement to the House of Commons, the Prime Minister will announce legislation to strengthen anti-terror laws and close a loophole that lets British nationals accused of terrorist activity fly home.<br /><br />It is feared that the number of young Muslims referred to the UK government's counter-radicalisation programme is expected to "more than double" following the publicity about British jihadists in Iraq and Syria.<br /><br />Whitehall officials say there has been a direct link between online recruitment messages posted by Isis in the past two months and increasingly extreme views expressed by some young Muslims enlisted into Channel, the de-radicalisation scheme.<br /><br />Channel, which is run by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), dealt with 1,281 people in 2013-14, up from 748 in the previous year.<br /><br />ACPO is understood to be seeking more counter-extremism experts, particularly women, to tackle the growing number of young female Muslims expressing support for Isis.</p>